Aluminum-Copper Lamellar Structure

The lamellar structure in aluminum-copper alloys forms through targeted heat treatment, where copper phases precipitate in a striped pattern. When welding, you must be careful not to dissolve this structure again by applying too much heat – otherwise the material loses its creep strength. So keep the heat input as low as possible and let the component cool down slowly and evenly. If you cool too quickly or overheat the spot, you'll get cracks or the structure will become soft.