Welding Journal

Q: Is there a concern with welding stainless steel to galvanized steel or welding using copper tooling?

A: The answer relates to liquid metal embrittlement and hot cracking.

AWS A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, defines a hot crack as “a crack occurring in a metal during solidification or at elevated temperatures.” Hot cracks can occur in heat-affected zones (HAZs) and weld metals (Ref. 1) and are known as solidification cracks. Sulfur an..