[TowerTalk] Welding Aluminum Tower

[Bob Kellow, W5LT]

Be careful about welding aluminum. A qualified welder can no doubt do the
weld, but consider this:
Unless the weld is a weld repair (re-welding an existing weld to eliminate
cracks or broken welds), welding in a virgin area will weaken the aluminum
substantially! As an example, the original yield rating of 6061-T6 in
tension is about 35,000 psi, (~21,000 after applying safety factors); after
welding, the rating is about 11,000 psi (~7,000 after safety factor). As you
see, the strength of welded aluminum is only about 1/3 that of the original
material!
Use good judgement about how the repair will affect the structure.

Vy 73's
Bob, W5LT

-----Original Message-----
From: doc [mailto:kd4e at verizon.net] 
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 11:24 AM
To: Tower Talk List
Subject: [TowerTalk] Welding Aluminum Tower

I am considering the purchase of a 50 foot aluminum tower that needs two or
three welds repaired.

I did a little Google search and found some pretty wide-ranging options, the
durafix one sounds the easiest to handle -- if reliable.

http://durafix.com
http://www.muggyweld.com/pricelist.html
http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldingdepot/index.html?id=Xeaxsjiw
http://www.cut-like-plasma.com/?durafix

Experienced counsel here?

--
Thanks! & 73, doc kd4e
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