Course: Manufacturing Science

Lecture No.: 13

WELDING

Definition:

Welding is a process of permanent joining two materials (usually metals) through localised
coalescence resulting from a suitable combination of temperature, pressure and metallurgical
conditions. Depending upon the combination of temperature and pressure from a high
temperature with no pressure to a high pressure with low temperature, a wide range of
welding processes has been developed.

OR

Welding is the process of joining two or more similar or dissimilar metals, with or without
application of heat, with or without application of pressure, with or without application of filler
material.

Importance of Welding

Welding is used as a fabrication process in every industry large or small. It is a principal

means of fabricating and repairing metal products. The process is efficient, economical and
dependable as a means of joining metals. This is the only process which has been tried in
the space. The process finds its applications in air, underwater and in space.

Applications:

Although most of the welding processes at the time of their developments could not get their
place in the production except for repair welding, however, at the later stage these found
proper place in manufacturing/production. Presently welding is widely being used in
fabrication of pressure vessels, bridges, building structures, aircraft and space crafts, railway
coaches and general applications. It is also being used in shipbuilding, automobile, electrical,
electronic and defense industries, laying of pipe lines and railway tracks and nuclear
installations etc.
General Applications:
Welding is vastly being used for construction of transport tankers for transporting oil, water,
milk and fabrication of welded tubes and pipes, chains, LPG cylinders and other items. Steel
furniture, gates, doors and door frames, body and other parts of white goods items such as
refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens and many other items of general
applications are fabricated by welding.
Pressure Vessels:
One of the first major use of welding was in the fabrication of pressure vessels. Welding made
considerable increases in the operating temperatures and pressures possible as compared to
riveted pressure vessels.
Bridges:
Early use of welding in bridge construction took place in Australia . This was due to problems
in transporting complete riveted spans or heavy riveting machines necessary for fabrication on
site to remote areas. The first all welded bridge was erected in UK in 1934. Since then all
welded bridges are erected very commonly and successfully.
Ship Building :
Ships were produced earlier by riveting. Over ten million rivets were used in ‘Queen Mary' ship
which required skills and massive organization for riveting but welding would have allowed the
semiskilled/ unskilled labor and the principle of pre-fabrication. Welding found its place in ship
building around 1920 and presently all welded ships are widely used. Similarly submarines are
also produced by welding.
Building Structures:
Arc welding is used for construction of steel building leading to considerable savings in steel
and money. In addition to building, huge structures such as steel towers etc also require
welding for fabrication.
Aircraft and Spacecraft:
Similar to ships, aircrafts were produced by riveting in early days but with the introduction of
jet engines welding is widely used for aircraft structure and for joining of skin sheet to body.
Space vehicles which have to encounter frictional heat as well as low temperatures require
outer skin and other parts of special materials. These materials are welded with full success
achieving safety and reliability.
Railways:
Railways use welding extensively for fabrication of coaches and wagons, wheel tyres laying of
new railway tracks by mobile flash butt welding machines and repair of cracked/damaged
tracks by thermit welding.
Automobiles:
Production of automobile components like chassis, body and its structure, fuel tanks and
joining of door hinges require welding.
Electrical Industry:
Starting from generation to distribution and utilization of electrical energy, welding plays
important role. Components of both hydro and steam power generation system, such as
penstocks, water control gates, condensers, electrical transmission towers and distribution
system equipment are fabricated by welding. Turbine blades and cooling fins are also joined
by welding.
Electronic Industry:
Electronic industry uses welding to limited extent such as for joining leads of special
transistors but other joining processes such as brazing and soldering are widely being used.
Soldering is used for joining electronic components to printed circuit boards. Robotic soldering
is very common for joining of parts to printed circuit boards of computers, television,
communication equipment and other control equipment etc.
Nuclear Installations:
Spheres for nuclear reactor, pipe line bends joining two pipes carrying heavy water and other
components require welding for safe and reliable operations.
Defense Industry:
Defense industry requires welding for joining of many components of war equipment. Tank
bodies’ fabrication, joining of turret mounting to main body of tanks is typical examples of
applications of welding.
 Micro-Joining:
It employs the processes such as micro-plasma, ultrasonic, laser and electron beam welding,
for joining of thin wire to wire, foil to foil and foil to wire, such as producing junctions of
thermocouples, strain gauges to wire leads etc.
Apart from above applications welding is also used for joining of pipes, during laying of crude
oil and gas pipelines, construction of tankers for their storage and transportation. Offshore
structures, dockyards, loading and unloading cranes are also produced by welding.

Classification of Welding Process:

Fusion welding and Non-Fusion (pressure welding) welding is most widely used classification
as it covers all processes in both the categories irrespective of heat source and welding with
or without filler material.

Fusion Welding Process: By melting a parent material if the joint is produced, it is called
fusion welding process.
Fusion Welding Process is further classified as

1. Gas Welding Process:

By burning of gases, if the heat required for melting of plates is obtained called as Gas
welding operation.
Gas Welding is further classified as follows:

1. OXY-Acetylene Gas Welding

2. Air-Acetylene Gas welding
3. OXY-Hydrogen Gas welding
4. Atomic Hydrogen Gas Welding

2. Arc Welding Process:

By using electric arc, if the heat required for melting of plates is obtained called as Arc
Welding Operation.
ARC Welding is further classified as follows:

1. AC Welding
2. DC Welding – Classified as DCSP/DCRP
3. TIG Welding – Tungsten Inert Gas Welding
4. MIG Welding – Metal Inert Gas Welding
5. SAW Welding-Submerged Arc Welding

3. Chemical Welding Process:

By using Exothermic Chemical Reaction, if the heat required for melting of plates is
obtained called as Chemical welding process.
 Non-Fusion Welding Process: Without melting of parent material if the joint is produced, it is
called Non-fusion welding process.

Or

Pressure welding: With the application of pressure, if the joint is produced called as Pressure
welding operation.

Cold Pressure Welding:

Joining of two metals at room temperature with the application of a large amount of pressure
called cold pressure welding.

Cryogenic Welding:
̊ and with the application of a large amount of
If two metals are joined at a temp less than -183 C
pressure called as Cryogenic welding.

Resistance Welding Operation:

Even though the resistance welding is classified under non-fusion Welding Process but it is a
fusion pressure welding operation.

 The heat required for melting and joining of the plates is obtained through electrical resistance
of the circuit.
 The electrode material is selected such that it should have lower electrical resistance, higher
melting point temperature, and high strength.
 The most commonly used electrode materials in resistance welding are Copper, Tungsten,
Copper-Tungsten alloy.

Resistance Welding Operation is classified as

1. Fusion Welding Process
Resistance Spot Welding
Resistance Seam Welding
Projection Welding
1. Non-Fusion Welding
Percusion Welding
SELECTION OF A WELDING PROCESS

Welding is basically a joining process. Ideally a weld should achieve a complete continuity
between the parts being joined such that the joint is indistinguishable from the metal in
which the joint is made. Such an ideal situation is unachievable but welds giving satisfactory
service can be made in several ways. The choice of a particular welding process will
depend on the following factors.

1. Type of metal and its metallurgical characteristics

2. Types of joint, its location and welding position

3. End use of the joint

4. Cost of production

5. Structural (mass) size

6. Desired performance

7. Experience and abilities of manpower

8. Joint accessibility

9. Joint design

10. Accuracy of assembling required

11. Welding equipment available

12. Work sequence

13. Welder skill

“Think-Pair-Share” Questions:

1. Discuss the importance of welding and state its applications.

2. Discuss the factors which are considered in choosing a welding process for a specific
application.
3. Why is it easier to obtain quality welds in space than in air?