MATERIAL JOINING

Different materials can be joined in many different ways such as (Welding, Brazing, Soldering,
Riveting, Adhesives, Nuts and bolts and washers, Knock-down fittings, Screws) depending on the
joint needs to be permanent or semi-permanent.

WELDING
Welding is a permanent metal joining process in which two or more parts are joined by coalescence
at their contacting surfaces by suitable application of heat or/and pressure. Welding is sometimes
done by just applying;
 heat alone with no pressure
 both heat and pressure
 pressure is applied, without any external heat.
In some welding processes a filler material is added to facilitate coalescence (Joining). A "filler
metal" in metal joining refers to a metal alloy or pure metal that is added between two base metals to
create a joint through processes like welding, brazing, or soldering, essentially filling the gap
between the pieces to form a bond; it melts at a suitable temperature to flow into the joint and
solidify, creating a connection between the base materials.
The chosen filler metal needs to have a melting point appropriate for the joining process and be
compatible with the base metals involved. Filler metals can come in various forms like wire, rod,
paste, powder, sheet, or foil.

Coalescence results in atoms of the materials being joined to form common crystal structures.
Note: Coalescence is the fusing of molten particles to form a continuous film.
Types of welding
Welding processes can be broadly classified into
 fusion welding (non-pressure), and
 solid state (pressure) welding
Fusion Welding
In fusion-welding processes, heat is applied to melt the base metals. In many fusion welding
processes, a filler metal is added to the molten pool during welding to facilitate the process and
provide strength to the welded joint. When no filler metal is used, that fusion welding operation is
referred to as Autogenous weld.

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Solid State Welding
In this method, joining is done by application of pressure only or a combination of heat and pressure.
Even if heat is used, the temperature in the process is less than the melting point of the metals being
welded (unlike in fusion welding). No filler metal is utilized.
Types: Arc welding, Resistance welding, Oxyfuel gas welding, electron beam welding, laser
welding.
Arc Welding: In this operation, electric arc is used to produce heat energy and the base metal is
heated. Sometimes, both pressure and heat are applied.
Resistance Welding: In this operation, electric resistance is generated to the flow of current that
generates heat energy between two contacting surfaces that are held in pressure.
Gas Welding: In this process, various fuels are mixed with oxygen and burnt to perform welding.
E.g. Oxyacetylene welding is a welding operation in which heat is generated by a hot flame
generated mixture gas of oxygen and acetylene. This heat is used to melt base material and filler
material, if used.
Examples of Welded Joints

Advantages of welding

 Welding provides a permanent joint.

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  Welded joint can be stronger than the parent materials if a proper filler metal is used that has
strength properties better than that of parent base material and if defect less welding is done.
 It is the economical way to join components in terms of material usage and fabrication costs.
Other methods of assembly require, for example, drilling of holes and usage of rivets or bolts
which will produce a heavier structure

Disadvantages of welding

 Labour costs are more since manual welding is done mostly.

 Dangerous to use because of presence of high heat and pressure.
 Disassembly is not possible as welding produces strong joints.
 Some of the welding defects cannot be identified which will reduce the strength.

Welding Defects

Defects occur in weldments due to improper welding procedures or due to random causes. However,
with proper care these defects can be prevented and these include; Undercut, incomplete fusion,
porosity, slag inclusion, weld cracking, voids and craters, distortion, corrosion.

Undercut: This is a small notch at the weld interface. It is caused by too high welding current and
improper welding technique.

Incomplete Fusion: It is a weld defect in which fusion has not occurred throughout the entire cross
section of the joint. This is caused by insufficient penetration of the joint, incorrect welding
technique, wrong design of the joint, or poor selection of welding parameters and improper cleaning
of the joint.

Porosity: This is caused by presence of small voids in the weld metal formed by gases entrapped
during solidification. It usually results from inclusion of atmospheric gases, sulfur in the weld metal,
or contaminants on the surfaces.

Slag Inclusions: These are nonmetallic solid particles trapped inside the weld metal formed by the
reaction of fluxes and is expected to float out at the top of molten metal and be removed after
solidification.

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Weld Cracking: This may be hot cracking or cold cracking. Hot cracking occurs during the root pass
if the mass of the base metal is very large compared to the weld metal deposited. It can be controlled
by preheating the base metal, by changing the contour, composition of weld bead.

Voids and Craters: It has been shown that voids up to 7% of the cross section have not much effect
on the tensile or impact strength or the ductility of the weld. If the size of voids is larger presence of
foreign matters cause a large reduction in the strength of the weld leading to opening of cracks.

Distortion: This is one of the major problems found in weldments. It is caused mainly by shrinkage.

Corrosion: The intense heat of welding removes protective coatings from metal surfaces and also
changes some metals to make them more susceptible to corrosion. For example: welding can make
stainless steel lose its corrosion resistance.

BRAZING

This is a joining process in which molten filler metal (braze alloy) is melted and distributed by
capillary action between the faying (contact) surfaces of the metal parts being joined. The
atmospheres in which the brazing process can be undertaken include vacuum and other inert and
non-inert gases using a torch, furnace, induction coil, resistance, bath dipping infrared techniques.

In brazing, the filler metal has a melting temperature (liquidus) above 450°C but always below the
melting point (solidus) of base metals to be joined. This distinguishes the process from welding
where high temperatures are used to melt the base metals together. The filler metal while heated
slightly above the melting point, it is protected by a suitable atmosphere which is often a flux.

The molten filler metal cools to join the workpieces together providing a strong join between similar
or dissimilar metals. Filler used in brazing include Cu and Cu alloys, silver alloys and Al alloys. In
brazing, the base material does not melt, only the filler melts. Ideal for joining dissimilar metals,
brazing is a commercially accepted process used in a wide range of industries.

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Note: To achieve a sound brazed joint, the filler and parent materials should be metallurgically
compatible, and the joint design should incorporate a gap into which the molten braze filler can be
drawn or distributed by capillary action.
Advantages of brazing

 Brazing can be used to join a large variety of dissimilar metals.

 Pieces of different thickness can be easily joined by brazing
 Thin-walled tubes & light gauge sheet metal assemblies not joinable by welding can be joined
by brazing.
 Complex & multi-component assemblies can be economically fabricated with the help of
brazing.
 Inaccessible joint areas which could not be welded by gas metal or gas tungsten arc spot or
seam welding can be formed by brazing.
 Join produced by this welding is stronger than soldering.
 This process offers better corrosion resistance.

Applications of brazing

 Automobile – Joining Tubes

 Pipe/Tubing joining (HVAC)
 Electrical equipment - joining wires
 Jewelry Making

SOLDERING

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Soldering is similar to brazing and can be defined as a joining process in which a filler metal with
melting point (liquidus) not exceeding 450°C is melted and distributed by capillary action between
the faying surfaces of the metal parts being joined. In this, a metal alloy (solder) is melted using heat
from an iron connected to a temperature controller. It is then heated up to temperatures beyond its
melting point at around 600℉ which then causes it to melt and as a result, a soldered joint is created
upon cooling.

As in brazing, no melting of the base metals occurs, but the filler metal wets and combines with the
base metal to form a metallurgical bond. The filler metal, called Solder, is added to the joint, which
distributes itself between the closely fitting parts.

Note: Occasionally at the site of the joint, there are impurities such as oil, dirt or oxidation, the flux
helps prevent oxidation and can sometimes chemically clean the metal. The flux used is rosin flux
which helps the mechanical strength and electrical contact of electrical joints.

Applications of Soldering

 Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacture

 Pipe joining (copper pipe)

Metals used in Soldering Joints

Metals used in solder include: Tin, lead, brass or silver
Easy to solder metals include: copper, silver, gold

Difficult to solder metals include: aluminum, stainless steels

RIVETING

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Rivets are used to join two sheets or plates of metal together. There are four main types of rivets:
snap head, mushroom, pan head, countersunk, and the operation with join by rivets including;

ADHESIVES

The main advantage of using an adhesive over other methods of joining, it is generally invisible
unlike other methods of joining and adhesives do not damage or change the materials being joined,
but it is not used to all materials.

Types of adhesives

Synthetic resin glue; Use to joining wood, it is a powder that is mixed with water to made a thin
paste, advantages of this type are; stronger than PVA, heat and water resistant, economical,
permanent, and disadvantages are; takes 4-6 hours to set, hard on tools.

PVA (Polyvinyl; used to Joining wood, it is a white liquid sold in various sizes of containers, with
advantages (strong and water resistant, sets quickly (2-3 hours), excess glue can be removed by a
damp cloth).

Contact (impact) adhesive; Use to joining different types of materials, e.g. plastic or metallic strips
to wood and other materials. Each surface is coated with the adhesive and left for 10-15 minutes
until touch dry. With advantages are; Clean, quick, economical.

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