Thermite! You wouldn’t like it when it’s angry! Drew Moug, Ginny Raymond, Michael “Miguel” Schantz, Lorenzo Tulipano ENGR 45, 11 May 2009, SRJC

The Basics Thermite is a combination of Iron Oxide (rust) and Aluminum that, when it reacts, creates an unstoppable reaction that produces molten metal at temperatures reaching 2500˚C. The reaction is as follows: Fe 2 O 3 + 2Al --> Al 2 O 3 + 2Fe

A Little History The Thermite reaction was discovered, and later patented, by German chemist Dr. Hans Goldschmidt. The Doctor realized the application in welding, and the first commercial use of Thermite was welding two pieces of train track together in This would serve to be the primary use of Thermite

About Thermite Welding Ideal for welding train tracks No track removal necessary Very portable

Raw Data Weld type: SMAW (7018)Weld type:MIGWeld type:TIGWeld type:Thermite b, width (in):2.9940b, width (in):2.9955b, width (in):2.9945b, width (in): d, depth (in):0.2490d, depth (in):0.2415d, depth (in):0.2410d, depth (in): L, support span (in): L, support span (in): L, support span (in): L, support span (in): F max (lbf):3540F max (lbf):2860F max (lbf):3180F max (lbf):280

Deflection (in)Force (lbf)Deflection (in)Force (lbf)Deflection (in)Force (lbf)Deflection (in)Force (lbf) MIGSMAWTIGThermite

Problems with Thermite Welds The weld can be porous, resulting in weaker welds than traditional welding, as seen here

Weld Comparison Bend Test In order to see the relative strength of a Thermite weld, we compared it to three other types of traditional welds; shielded metal arc weld (SMAW), metal inert gas (MIG), and tungsten inert gas (TIG). All of our welds were done with ¼ in. thick mild steel (<.29% Carbon), and the welds are approximately 3 in. wide. After the welds were completed, we tested them in a bend/flexural strength test, where we recorded force and deflection distance. Stress, strain, and the flexural modulus were calculated with the following equations: Raw data has been omitted due to its extensive size.

(Results) Weld Comparison Bend Test

MIGSMAWTIG Thermite

Sources eHow: University of Illinois: Wikipedia: – Thermite: – Carbon Steel: