I've been investigating this process myself for the past month or so.
While I have not seen it performed I understand it's quite a "fireworks"
show.
It's a process that uses a powdery mixture or metals, topped off with a
"gunpowder like" starting material.
The wire and rod you're trying to bond together are held in a mold into
which these mixtures are dumped and then ignited.
Hence the fireworks show.
The advantages are a permanent non-corrosive bond which can be buried
without fear of coming apart or building up any resistance in the joint over
time.
The tools you need are the "proper mold", a set of handles for holding the
mold together, an igniter, and the "shots" of cadweld material. The shots
can run anywhere between $3-5 each I think. The molds can run upwards of
$100.
This may seem like overkill and expensive...but when you put a lot of ground
rods in along several radials coming off a tower...you don't want to be
digging these up once a year to inspect them.
Cadwelding can be used on wire or copper strap as long as you use the right
mold.
Here's a few sites you may want to check out.
http://www.erico.com/erico_public/general_info/IndCadweldMore.asp
http://www.electrolink.co.nz/CC256A1C0073A9F5/DCB530D95C0C8EBFCC2569280012C8
A6/5C7078C6413B8796CC256AFE00143BF0!Open
Joe - KC2TN
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-admin@contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-admin@contesting.com]On Behalf Of Al Williams
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 8:33 PM
To: Towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: [Towertalk] cad welding
Will someone please explain what CAD welding is when applied to
wire connections to ground rod, towers, etc. How does one get
equipped for accomplishing it?
TIA
k7puc
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