GLOBAL ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

MODULE-3
WELDING IN AIRCRAFTS

COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
G R GURUNAGENDRA
 WELDING IN AIRCRAFTS

787 Dreamliners, including an airplane for Air India (R), are seen on the production line at the Boeing
Commercial Airplane manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington February 14, 2011. REUTERS/Anthony
Bolante/Files
 MOTIVATION & OVERVIEW OF WELDING

Aircraft repair is a huge business: in 2018, the worldwide economic impact for global aircraft
maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).

Aircraft are exciting machines. They are flown through turbulent air at hundreds of knots, blasted with
rain and wind, only to just about drop out of the sky and slam onto a hard runway. They are strong, yet
they have to be light. Corrosion is a silent killer, and weight is the constant nemesis. Stainless steel and
titanium are used in aircraft construction in critical areas where low weight and temperature tolerance
are paramount.
Welding is the most prominent form of joining metals in aircraft without the use of fasteners. The five
types of metals welded in aircraft are 4130 steel, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium,
each used in different areas of the aircraft.

The approved method for magnesium cases is predominantly tungsten inert welding (TIG) for the
extreme heat necessary to join the metal. Oxyacetylene can be used for this method of joining metals
but it is not the best method due to base metal oxidation, distortion, and the loss of elasticity.
Titanium is widely used in turbine engine compressors and stator blades, subject to constant high
vibration, extreme heat, and foreign object debris (FOD) that routinely includes pebbles and rocks, rivet
stems, screws, loose hardware, ice, and birds. It is a harsh environment where titanium components are
easily damaged. TIG welding these damaged components to fill in and blend the damaged areas saves
thousands of dollars and considerable time in commission spent waiting on parts. Instead, repairs can
be performed often on-site, and the engine reinstalled quickly.

Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is ubiquitous on aircraft, often used in ducting and baffling throughout the aircraft,
exhaust ducts or pipes, and a slew of other areas. When, for example, an exhaust duct on a turboprop
cracks (not uncommon), it can easily be removed and repaired, again saving a lot of money and a
whole lot of time.

https://blog.red-d-arc.com/welding/how-welding-extends-life-
of-aircraft-parts/
Metallic aircraft structures are composed of many individual pieces that must be securely fastened
together to form a complete structural unit. Fusion welding, non-fusion welding, hardware fasteners, and
adhesives are the principal methods used in the construction and repair of metal aircraft joints.

Welding keeps aircraft in service as a cost-

effective method for increasing the service
life of many aircraft components.
Replacement parts can be extremely
expensive and not readily available, with
some having lead times of more than a
year. Welding helps control the cost of
aircraft maintenance and avoid long
periods of downtime.
The two most prominent methods of welding air-craft structures and components are fusion and
non-fusion. Fusion welding is the blending of compatible molten metals into one common part or
joint. Fusing of metals is accomplished by producing sufficient heat for the metals to melt, flow
together and mix. The heat is then removed to allow the fused joint to solidify.
Non-fusion welding is the joining of metals by adhesion of one metal to another. The most
prominent non-fusion welding processes used on aircraft are brazing and soldering.
Welding

• Principle: the junction of the work pieces required to be joined are

heated and then fused together with or without the application of
pressure to produce continuous homogenous joint

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Classification of welding processes

• Plastic welding:
• Metal parts are heated to the plastic state and then fused together by
applying external pressure
• No filler material is used in this processes
• Example: forge welding, friction welding, resistance welding etc.
• Fusion welding:
• Parts to be joined are heated above their melting temperature and then
allowed to solidify to form a joint
• A filler metal may or may not be used
• Example: arc welding, gas welding, laser welding etc.

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Edge preparation

• Involves 2 processes
• Joint preparation
• Involves cutting or beveling of edges of the work pieces to suitable shapes, so
that heat can penetrate to entire depth of the metal
• Cleaning of joint
• Edges of the work piece materials are cleaned thoroughly to remove dirt,
oxides etc.

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Arc welding

• It is a fusion method of welding

• It uses high intensity electric arc to heat the work
pieces and electrode rod
• Electrode rod will be connected to one pole of the
electric circuit and work pieces will be connected to
other pole of the circuit
• An electric arc is struck by touching the tip of the
electrode rod to the work piece
• Instantaneously the electrode is separated by a small
distance of 2-4mm gap to sustain the electric arc
• The temperature of the electric arc ranges from
5000˚C - 6000 ˚C
• Slag formed is later removed

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POINTS TO BE NOTED
Arc welding..

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Arc welding

Arc welding is a welding process that is used to join metal to metal by using electricity to create enough
heat to melt metal, and the melted metals, when cool, result in a binding of the metals. It is a type of
welding that uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc between a metal stick ("electrode") and
the base material to melt the metals at the point of contact. Arc welders can use either direct (DC)
or alternating (AC) current, and consumable or non-consumable electrodes.

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Consumable Electrode
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
•Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)
•Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)
•Electro gasWelding
•Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or MIG
•Uses a consumable bare metal wire as electrode with
shielding by flooding arc with a gas
•Wire is fed continuously and automatically from as pool
through the welding gun
•Shielding gases include argon and helium for aluminum
welding, and CO2 for steel welding
•Bare electrode wire plus shielding gases eliminate slag on
weld bead
An advantage of GMAW over stick welding is that no
slag is deposited on the weld bead. An uncoated filler wire
acts as the electrode. It is connected to one terminal on the
power supply, and fed into the torch. An inert gas such as
argon, helium or carbon dioxide flows out around the wire
to protect the weld zone from oxygen. The metal to be
welded is connected to the other terminal of the power
supply. When power is supplied to the electrode, and it is
brought into contact with the work, it produces an arc,
which melts the metal and the filler wire.
 Non-Consumable
TIG-GTAW

Unlike SMAW and GMAW which use

consumable electrodes, TIG welding uses a
tungsten electrode that does not act as filler
rod. The electrode is connected to an AC or
DC electrical power supply to form an arc
with the metal being welded. The arc is
Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) is the form of electric arc
concentrated on a small area of the metal,
welding that is used most in aircraft maintenance.
raising its temperature to as high as 11,000 F,
without excessively heating the surrounding
metal. The base metal melts in the area of the
arc and forms a puddle into which the filler
rod is added.
There are two methods of TIG welding using DC: straight
polarity and reverse polarity. The most common method is
straight-polarity DC where the metal to be welded is connected
to the positive side of the power supply, and the electrode is
connected to the negative side. This produces most of the heat in
the metal where it is most needed.
With Reverse-polarity DC, the metal to
be welded is connected to the negative
side of the power supply, and the
electrode is connected to the positive
side. While this method does not
generate enough heat in the metal to be
used for welding heavy work, it does
have an important advantage. Reverse
polarity breaks up the surface oxides
from the material. This is especially
important with aluminum, because the
surface oxides have a much higher
melting point than the base metal, and
these oxides must be loosened from the
surface before you can satisfactorily
complete a weld.
The tungsten electrodes for TIG welding must be selected according to the size and type of metal to be
welded. Three types of electrodes are pure-tungsten, zirconium-tungsten, and thorium-tungsten. Pure
tungsten is the least expensive and is satisfactory for most welding; however, it is consumed faster
than the others are. Zirconium tungsten lasts longer and provides a more stable arc. Thorium
tungsten produces a cleaner weld and its arc is easiest to start. The diameters of the electrodes that
are most used for aircraft maintenance welding are 0.040 inch, 1/16-inch, and 3/32-inch.

•TIG is free from flux. So the TIG welded parts are totally free from corrosion. It is the very clean form of
welding.
•Metals like Aluminium are very delicate and care should be taken at the time of welding. Normal
welding is not suitable for Aluminium as it is can deform the metal as a result of thermal stress
generation.
 •TIG or GTAW is used frequently in welding lightweight aircraft. MIG almost serves the purposed of
the TIG. But in case of lightweight aircraft manufacturing, you have to use TIG welding. Complex but light
elements of the aerospace industry can be welded with TIG.
•Stainless steel, Aluminium, high carbon steel, gold, bronze, nickel, copper and many unconventional
metals can be welded in this process.
•Thinner parts can be welded without any deformation. The finish is superior.
Plasma Arc Welding
Plasma Arc Welding is a new technique introduced in
the late 20th century to make welding processes
more accurate and manageable. It is employed in
precision and miniature applications as it is
performed through automated machinery.

The basic principle is that the arc formed between

the electrode and the workpiece is constricted by a
fine bore, copper nozzle. This increases the
temperature and velocity of the plasma emanating
from the nozzle. The temperature of the plasma is in
excess of 20000°C and the velocity can approach the
speed of sound.
The plasma gas is argon, or mixtures of argon, and
up to 20% hydrogen. An outer ceramic shield is
used to direct another flow of argon gas around the
plasma jet for shielding purposes.
1.Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) is used in the marine and
aerospace industries.
2.It is widely used to weld pipes and tubes of stainless steel
or titanium.
3.It is also used for welding or coating on turbine blades.
 Electric Resistance Welding
Electric Resistance Welding, also known as
spot or seam welding, is used to join thin
metal sheets. This technique is majorly
employed in the development and
manufacturing process of an aircraft.
Electric resistance welding machines
consist of two copper electrode jaws that
hold the thin metals to be welded. Pressure
and an electric current are applied and
concentrated at a single point, which yields
a resistance greater than those of the

•Aluminum Resistance Welding copper electrodes. This results in molten

•Stainless Steel Resistance spots held in place by the jaws to unite and
Welding
•Titanium Resistance Welding solidify the metal parts.
•Inconel Resistance Welding