Elements of Mechanical Engineering 22EME13/23
Metal Joining Processes
JOINING PROCESSES.
Soldering
Soldering is a method of uniting two thin metal pieces using a dissimilar metal or alloy
by the application of heat. The alloy of lead and tin is called soft solder, is used in varying
proposition for sheet metal work, plumbing work and electrical junctions. The melting temp of
the soft solder will be between 150̊ to 350̊ C. To clean the joint surfaces and to prevent oxidation
a suitable flux is used while soldering. Zinc chloride is the flux that is commonly used in soft
soldering. A soldering iron is used to apply the heat produced from the electrical
source.
An alloy of copper, tin, and silver known as hard solder is used for stronger joint. The
soldering temp of hard solder ranges from 600̊ to 900̊ C
Method of soldering
(i) Cleaning of joining surfaces
(ii) Application of flux
(iii) Tinning of surface to be soldered
(iv) Heating
(v) Final clean-up
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(i) Cleaning of joining surfaces: Firstly, the joining surface are cleaned mechanically to make
free from dust, oil scale etc. and ensure that the molten filler metal wets the surfaces.
(ii) Application of flux: Then the joining surfaces are coated with a flux usually rosin or borax.
This cleans the surfaces chemically and helps the solder in making bond.
(iii) Tinning of surface to be soldered: before carrying out the soldering operation, the
soldering iron must be tinned. This is to remove a thin film of oxide that forms on the copper
bit, which in turns does not allow the job to be heated and thus it becomes difficult to solder. In
tinning the copper bit is heated andthen rubbed with a file to clean it properly and then rotating
with solder using resin. This causes the formation of a thin film of solder over the copper bit.
This whole process is called tinning
(iv) Heating: the soldering iron is then heated and flowing molten filler metals fills the joints
interface. Allow the soldered area to cool and then solidify thus making the joint.
(v) Final clean-up: after completing the soldering and joints are formed, clean it with steel
wool or solvent to remove left over flux. After this clean the soldering iron using a damp sponge
Advantages of soldering
1. Low cost and easy to use
2. Soldered joints are easy to repair or do rework
3. The soldered joint can last for many years
4. Low energy is required to solder
5. An experienced person can exercise a high degree of control over the soldering process
Disadvantages of soldering
1. Not suitable for heavy sections
2. Temperature is limited
3. Strength is limited.
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Brazing
Brazing is the method of joining two similar or dissimilar metals using a special fusible
alloy. Joints formed by brazing are stronger than that of soldering. During the brazing, the base
metal of the two pieces to be joined is not melted. The filler metal must have ability to wet the
surfaces of the base metal to which it is applied. Some diffusion or alloying of the filler metal
with base metal takes place even though the base metal does not reach its melting temperature.
The materials used in brazing are copper base and silver base alloy. These two can be classified
under the name spelters.
Method of brazing
1. Cleaning the surface of the parts.
2. Application of flux at the place of joint.
3. Common borax and mixture of borax and boric acid is used as flux.
4. The joint and the filler material are heated by gas welding torch
above the melting temperature of the filler material.
5. It flows into the joint space and a solid joint is formed after cooling.
Advantages of Brazing
1. It is easy to learn.
2. It is possible to join virtually any dissimilar metals.
3. The bond line is very neat aesthetically.
4. Joint strength is strong enough for most non-heavy-duty type of application.
Disadvantages of Brazing
1. Brazed joints can be damaged under high temp.
2. Brazed joint require a high degree of cleanliness.
3. The joint colour is often different from that of the base metal.
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Difference between Brazing, Soldering and Welding
Brazing Soldering Welding
In brazing filler metal Soldering using the filler Welding using the filler metal having
the melting point metal having the melting the melting point nearly equal to
450ºC point less than 450ºC the base Metal
Joints takes place due to Capillary action is also present No capillary action is present. Joint
Action between the in soldering between the takes place due to fusion.
the filler metal base metal and filler metal.
Base metal does not Base metal does not melt. Base metal melts in welding
melt
Filler metal is having Filler metal is having the In welding filler metal is not having
the melting point less melting point less than the base the melting point less than the base
than the base metal metal. metal.
Filler metal is Filler metal is uniformly Filler metal melts and gets mixed
uniformly distributed distributed because of with the base metal
because of capillary capillary action
action.
Joints are stronger Joints are weaker than Brazing Joints are stronger as compared
than soldering to
It was uses filler It uses the filler metal which It uses the filler metal mostly having
metal which contains contains lead and tin. the same composition as that of
copper and zinc etc. base metal.
Welding
Welding may be defined as the metallurgical joining of two metal pieces together to produce
essentially a single piece of metal. Welding is extensively used in the fabrication work in which
metal plates, rolled steel sections, casting of ferrous materials are joined together. It is also used
for repairing broken, worn out, or defective metal part.
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Principle of welding
A welding is a metallurgical process in which the junction of the two parts to be joined are heated
and then fused together with or without the application of pressure to produce a continuity of the
homogenous material of the same composition and characteristics of the part which are being
joined.
Types of welding
Welding are classified in to two type
• Pressure welding
• Fusion welding
In Pressure welding the parts to be joined are heated only up to the plastic state and then fused
together by applying the external pressure.
Ex: Forgewelding, resistance welding
In Fusion welding which also known as non-pressure is welding, joints of the two parts are heated
to the molten state and allowed to solidify.
Ex: Arc welding, gas welding.
Arc welding
The arc welding operates under the principle that when two conductor of an electric circuit are
touched together momentarily and then instantaneously separated slightly, assuming that there is
sufficient voltage in the circuit to maintain the flow of current, an electric arc is formed.
Concentrated heat is produced throughout the length of the arc at a temperature of about 5000 to
6000°C. in arc welding, usually the parts to be welded are wired as one pole of the circuit, and
the electrode held by the operator forms the other pole. When the arc is produced, the intense
heat quickly melts the work piece metal which is directly under the arc, forming a small molten
metal of the electrode. The molten metal in the pool is agitated by the action of the arc,
thoroughly mixing the base and the filler metal. A solid joint will be formed when the molten
metal cools and solidifies. The flux coating over the electrode produces an inert gaseous shield
surrounding the arc and protects the molten metal from oxidizing by coming in contact with
atmosphere.
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Figure 4.9 Arc welding process
Arc welding electrodes
There are two types of electrodes that are used in arc welding
(A) Consumable electrodes
(B) Non- consumable electrodes
Consumable electrodes
Consumable electrodes are the electrodes which also melts along with the work piece and fill
the joint. Consumable electrodes could be either bare or coated. When bare electrodes are used
globules of the molten metal while passing from the electrodes absorb oxygen and nitrogen
from atmosphere. Which gets trapped in the solidifying weld metal and thereby decreases the
strength of the joint Electrodes are made up of soft steel or alloy steel The coating consists of
chalk, starch, Ferro manganese and binding agents.
Coated electrode facilitates:
(a) Protection of molten metal from oxygen and nitrogen by providing a gaseous shield around
the arc
(b) To establish and maintain the arc throughout the welding
(c) The formation of the slag over the joint thus prevents from rapid cooling
(d) Addition of alloying element
Non- consumable electrodes
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When these are used, an additional filler material is also required Advantage in using
this electrode is that amount of metal deposited can be controlled which is not possible in other
type of electrode.
General welding procedure
1. Cleaning: The surfaces of the parts to be welded need to be thoroughly cleaned for removal
of dirt, oil, grease, etc.
2. Edge preparation: The process of preparing a contour at the edges of the pieces to be joined
is called as edge preparation. This involves bevelling or grooving. The idea of doing this is to
get fusion or penetration through the entire thickness of the member.
3. Clamping: Next, the parts to be welded are clamped suitably through jigs and fixtures to that
there are no undesirable movements during welding.
4. Check for safety devices: safety devices like goggles and shield to protect the eyes,
protective clothing to prevent the sparks and flying globules of molten metal, safety shoes,
gloves,apron and other safety devices must be ensured
5. The initial weld:Initial tack welds are done at opposite corner of the joints to secure the pieces
together. Any cracks at this stage must be chipped off as the presence of these cracks causes
residual stresses. The length and spacing of the tack weld varies with the thickness of the metal
and length of the joint.
6. Intermediate and final welding:The weld joint is formed through various weaving
movement. During the process, filler metal and a suitable flux are used. After the intermediate
run of welding, the final run is taken
7. Excess material removal: Extra material on the weld surface can be removed using tongs
and chipper. The final weld is now allowed to cool and finally cleaned.
Gas welding
It is a fusion welding, in which a strong gas flame is used to raise the temperature of the
work piece to melt them. As in the arc welding, a filler metal is used to fill the joint. The gases
that can be used for heating are
(i) Oxygen and acetylene
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(ii) Oxygen and hydrogen.
Oxy-acetylene gas mixture is most commonly used in gas welding
Oxy-acetylene welding
When Right proportions of oxygen and acetylene are mixed in the welding torch and
then ignited. The flame produced is called as the oxy-acetylene flame. The temperature attained n
this welding is around 3200ºC hence has an ability to melt all commercial metals.
Working:
➢ The typical oxy-acetylene welding process is shown in fig.
➢ After the initial equipment preparation, the to-be welded component setup and safety
checks are completed, the pressure regulators fitted to the oxygen and oxyacetylene cylinders
are adjusted to draw the oxygen and acetylene gas in the required proportions from
the cylinders respectively.
➢ The pressure regulator in each of the cylinders is fitted with two gauges.
➢ One gauge indicates the gas pressure inside the cylinder and the other gauge indicates
the reduced pressure at which the gas goes out.
➢ The respective gases from the cylinders are carried from the pressure regulator to
the welding torch using the rubber hose pipe.
➢ Upon reaching the welding torch, these gases are allowed to mix in a mixing chamber
and then are led out of the torch through the orifice of the blow pipe.
➢ The resultant flame at 3200oC is used to melt the work pieces. To fill up the gap between
work pieces and to add strength to the joint, filler rods are added to the molten metal pool.
➢ The molten metal pool that contains molten metal of the filler rod and the work
pieces solidifies to form a welded joint.
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Figure 4.10 Gas welding setup
Types of oxy-acetylene flames
The types of flames depend on the gas ratio i.e. ratio of the parts of oxygen to the
parts of the acetylene Depending on the gas ratio following flames are obtained
(i) Neutral flame
(ii) Oxidizing flame
(iii) Reducing flame (carburising flame)
(i) Neutral flame
• A neutral flame is obtained by supplying equal volume of oxygen and acetylene
• It consists of a small whitish inner cone surrounded by sharply defined blue flame
• Most of the gas welding is done using the neutral flame
(ii) Oxidizing flame
• This is obtained when there is excess of oxygen, gas ratio
• It appears to be similar to that of neutral flame but the inner white cone flame is shorter than
that of neutral flame
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• This flame is generally used in metal cutting rather than welding since weld metal gets
oxidized
(iii) Reducing flame
• This is obtained by supplying excess of acetylene in the gas ratio
• It has 3 cones, an inner white cone, surrounded by an intermediate whitish cone known as
“intermediate flame feather” and a bluish envelope flame
• This flame is used for welding alloy steels, cast iron, aluminium
Figure 4.11 Gas welding flames
Advantages of oxy-acetylene welding
1. Most versatile process of welding with wide use in various manufacturing process
2. Low cost of the equipment and low cost of maintenance of the equipment
3. Because of separate heat source and filler metal the control can be exercised on the rate at
which the filler metal deposits.
4. The rate of heating and cooling is slow. This help in retaining the structural homogeneity.
5. The equipment is portable and multi-functional because, apart from gas welding, it can also
be used in torch brazing, braze welding, preheating and post heating.
Disadvantages
1. Difficult to attain low cost target while joining heavy section.
2. Handling and storage of gases not an easy job.
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3. It takes long time for the flame to heat up the metal piece than compared to the arc welding.
4. Possible hazards due to explosion of gases.
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding:
Figure 4.12 Tungsten inert gas welding setup
➢ In this operation, the work pieces to be joined are cleaned to remove
dirt, grease and other oxides chemically or mechanically to obtain a
sound weld.
➢ The welding current and inert gas supply are turned ON.
➢ An arc is struck by touching the tip of the tungsten electrode with the
work piece, and instantaneously the electrode is separated from the work
piece by a small distance of 1.5-3 mm such that the arc still remains
between the electrode and the work piece.
➢ The high intensity of the arc melts the work piece metal forming a small
molten metal pool. filler metal in the form of a rod is added manually to
the front end of the weld pool.
➢ The deposited filler metal fills and bonds the joint to form a single piece of metal.
➢ The arc is extinguished by widening the gap between the workpiece and the
electrode.
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➢ The shielding gas is allowed to imping on the solidifying weld pool for a few
seconds even after the arc is extinguished.
➢ This will avoid atmospheric contamination of the solidifying metal thereby
increasing the strength of the joint.
Advantages:
➢ Suitable for the thin metals
➢ Clear visibility of the arc provides the operator to have a greater control over the weld
➢ Strong and high quality joints are obtained
➢ No flux is used. Hence, no slag formation. This results in clean weld joints.
Disadvantages:
➢ TIG is the most difficult process compared to all the other welding processes.
➢ Skilled operator is required
➢ Process is slower
➢ Not suitable for thick metals.
Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding:
Figure 4.13 Metal inert gas welding
➢ In this operation, the workpieces to be joined are cleaned to remove dust, gease and
other oxides, chemically or mechanically to obtain a sound weld. The tip of the
electrode is also cleaned with a wire brush.
➢ The control switch provided in the welding torch is switched ON to initiate the
electric power, shielding gas and the wire (electrode) feed.
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➢ An arc is struck by touching the tip of the electrode with the work piece, and
instantaneously the electrode is separated from the work piece by a small distance of
1.5-3 mm such that the arc still remains between the electrode and the work piece.
➢ The high intensity of the arc melts the work piece metal forming a small molten pool.
➢ At the same time, the tip of the electrode also melts and combines with the molten
metal of the work pieces there by filling the gap between the two work pieces.
➢ The deposited metal upon solidification bonds the joint to form a single piece of metal.
Advantages:
➢ MIG welding is fast and economical
➢ The electrode and inert gas are automatically fed. This reduces the burden on the
operator, and also helps him to concentrate on the arc.
➢ Weld deposition rate is high due to the continuous wire feed.
➢ No flux is used. Hence, no slag formation. This results in clean welds
➢ Thin and thick metals can be welded.
➢ Process can be automated.
Disadvantages:
➢ Equipment is costlier
➢ Dross and porosity are the most prevalent quality problems in this process.
However, extensive edge preparation can be eliminate this defect.
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