Joining Processes: Welding, Brazing, Soldering

1. Brazing and Soldering: Melting of filler rod only

Brazing: higher temperature, ~brass filler, strong

Soldering: lower temp, ~tin-lead filler, weak

2. Welding: Melting of filler rod and base metals

3. Both: Join inexpensive parts to form complex product

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Types of Joints

Kalpakjian

Brazing
Steel base metal + Brass filler rod is common

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Lower temp than welding: retains heat treatment (if

present), minimizes grain growth.
Strong but slow (careful preparation, cleanup)
Furnace brazing is easily automated

Kalpakjian
www.kirkframeworks.com

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW): Stick welding

Older, simple technology
The electrode is also the filler rod
Only for steel
Strong welds if done properly (but often not)
Very high heat input: good for thick parts, bad for grain growth and distortion

Kalpakjian

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW): MIG (Metal-Inert-Gas)

~Complex mechanism but simple to perform and easy to automate
The electrode is also the filler rod, fed continuously from a spool. It melts in the arc.
For steel or aluminum
Low skill level can achieve good weld
Medium heat input: distortion and grain growth are significant

Kalpakjian

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW): MIG (Metal-Inert-Gas)

A fair/typical quality MIG weld (still hot!)

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www.mig-welding.co.uk
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Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW): TIG (Tungsten-Inert-Gas)

The electrode is tungsten (not consumed)
The filler rod is separate and fed manually
High skill level required to achieve good weld
Difficult to automate
Low heat input and small weld bead: distortion and grain growth are minimized

Kalpakjian

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW): TIG (Tungsten-Inert-Gas)

Typical good quality TIG welds

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Resistance Spot Welding (RSW): Spot Welding

No filler rod: electrical current is passed through metal under pressure
Low skill level required
Easy to automate
Low heat input and no weld bead: distortion and grain growth are minimized

Kalpakjian

Distortion from Welding Processes

Non-uniform shrinkage of weld bead
Difficult to maintain alignments
Solution: Rigid fixtures, pre-compensate for warping, loose tolerances

Kalpakjian

Weld bead profile: Convex or Concave?

Solidification of molten bead leads to shrinkage
Shrinkage of a concave bead leads to tension on surface tends to crack
Shrinkage of a convex bead leads to compression on surface does not crack
Generally, slightly convex beads are preferred.

Lincoln Electric

Welding Flaws

Kalpakjian

Welding Flaws:
Incomplete Penetration
(not enough heat input)

www.mig-welding.co.uk

www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources

References
Kalpakjian: http://www.nd.edu/~manufact/index3.htm