Cadweld Exothermic Welding

Cadweld or Exothermic welding (also known as exothermic bonding or thermite welding) is a welding process for joining two electrical conductors, that employs molten metal to permanently join the conductors.

The process employs an exothermic reaction of a thermite composition to heat the metal, and requires no external source of heat or current. The chemical reaction that produces the heat is an aluminothermic reaction between aluminium powder and a metal oxide.

The Advantages of Cadweld

An exothermic weld has higher mechanical strength than other forms of weld, and excellent corrosion resistance. It is also highly stable when subject to repeated short-circuit pulses, and does not suffer from increased electrical resistance over the lifetime of the installation. Since it’s development in 1938, CADWELD electrical connections have become recognised as the ultimate connection for rail, cathodic, power and grounding applications.

CADWELD© offers a superior properties over normal welding and bonding:

• Cadweld withstands repeated fault currents without failing during operation.
• It exceeds requirements of IEEE Std 837- Std. for Qualifying Permanent Connections Used In Substation Grounding.
• Joins copper to copper, copper to galvanized or plain steel, copper to copper clad steel, copper to bronze/ brass/stainless steel, steel to steel, etc.
• The current carrying capacity is equal to that of the conductor.
• Cadweld provides a permanent, molecular bond that will not loosen or corrode, resulting in a connection with a lifetime equal to that of the installation.
• No external power or heat source is required.
• Quality Assurance Inspection is easy and visual.

To discuss any CADWELD© exothermic welding requirement or for a FREE, no obligation quotation please feel free to contact us »