Aluminum Lithium Alloy 2195 Fusion Welding Improvements with New Filler Wire

A viewgraph presentation outlines NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems, and McCook Metals' development an aluminum-copper weld filler wire for fusion welding 2195 aluminum lithium. The aluminum-copper based weld filler wire has been identified as B218, which is the result of six years of weld filler wire development funded by NASA, Lockheed Martin, and McCook Metals. The Super Lightweight External Tank for the NASA Space Shuttle Program consists of 2195 welded with 4043 aluminum-silicon weld filler wire. The B218 filler wire chemistry was developed to produce enhanced 2195 weld and repair weld mechanical properties. An initial characterization of the B218 weld filler wire was performed consisting of initial weld and repair weld evaluation comparing B218 and 4043. The testing involved room temperature and cryogenic tensile testing along with fracture toughness testing. B218 weld filler wire proved to produce enhanced initial and repair weld tensile and fracture properties over 4043. B218 weld filler wire has proved to be a superior weld filler wire for welding 2195 and other aluminum lithium alloys over 4043.