Steel is primarily composed of iron and a maximum of 2.06% carbon. Alloys with a higher proportion of carbon are known as cast iron. If the proportion of sulfur and phosphorus accompanying iron is less than 0.025%, it is called stainless steel.
Not every steel can also be welded: only pure steels, i.e. alloys with a carbon content of less than 0.22%, are suitable for this process. As a rule, the more impure the alloy, the harder it is to weld the steel.
Of particular importance are high-strength and super-high-strength steels. In addition to lightweight construction in the automotive industry, for example, they are also used for mobile cranes, concrete pumps, agricultural and forestry machinery. However, they are more difficult to weld than conventional steel alloys. The manufacturer's processing instructions should always be followed without fail.
Before welding, remove coarse contamination from the steel in order to achieve good results.
Remove rusty areas in the parent material before welding so that no bonding flaws occur in the weld metal.
Oily parent material makes the welding process more difficult and may, among other things, cause poor results. You should therefore remove the oil from the steel before welding.
In case of higher material thicknesses, you should preheat the part before welding to slow down the cooling time. This prevents a high degree of hardness in the microstructure, in turn preventing cracking.
