School me on AR500

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Might be using some ar500 steel to build some custom armor plates for use in a ballistic application at some point in the future...What should I know about welding this material? Ive never worked with it before. How much will its effectiveness be reduced by the heat input?Best way to weld it? Should I TIG it to keep the heat input down?Thanks in advance, guys...[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Lanse, Some good information here.   http://weldingdesign.com/processes/news/wdf_31971Mig or stick will be a better choice for you than Tig
Reply:When AR500 or AR550 is used for ballistic plates every effort should be made to keep the heat out of the part. Typically they are cut on water jet machines as opposed to plasma or laser cutting. If you use plasma or laser the cut edge will be softer and will deform if a bullet strike happens. I'm not sure what you're building per say, but targets and such it's best to weld hangers to the back of the plate and not weld on the sides or front. If you're trying to stitch two plates together to armor a vehicle the above link is a good source. 3/8 AR550 will stop a .50 BMG round at 100 yards, but it will also heavily deform.
Reply:The heat affected zone on AR plate that is cut with plasma is normally less than .010" from the cut edge, so generally there is no concern with softening and its effect on the integrity of the part being cut. Laser is even less of a concern. Oxy-fuel will have a much larger heat affected zone.Plasma is the most commonly used cutting process for armor plate based on its speed, and narrow HAZ.Jim Colt  Hypertherm Originally Posted by KavallWhen AR500 or AR550 is used for ballistic plates every effort should be made to keep the heat out of the part. Typically they are cut on water jet machines as opposed to plasma or laser cutting. If you use plasma or laser the cut edge will be softer and will deform if a bullet strike happens. I'm not sure what you're building per say, but targets and such it's best to weld hangers to the back of the plate and not weld on the sides or front. If you're trying to stitch two plates together to armor a vehicle the above link is a good source. 3/8 AR550 will stop a .50 BMG round at 100 yards, but it will also heavily deform.
Reply:Keep a good eye on your inter pass temp as you're welding