MME 4105 Metal Joining Technology

• Metal joining is required whenever the desired component

cannot be made by means of simple fabrication processes
such as casting, forging, rolling, extrusion, etc.

• Joining covers a large number of processing techniques,

which are used for attaching individual parts into a large
component.

• Metal joining is indispensable to manufacturing industry

because it is necessary in large constructions, and
components required for modern living.

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 Classification of the joining processes
• Joining processes include:
1. Mechanical fastening by means of bolts, screws and rivets
2. Adhesive bonding by employing synthetic glues
3. Metallurgical joining (soldering, brazing and welding).

• Choice of a particular method depends on:

➢ Type of assembly : permanent, semi-permanent or temporary.
➢ Materials being joined : steel, aluminium, similar or dissimilar
metals.
➢ Type of service : nature and magnitude of loading, temperatures,
etc.
➢ Economy.

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 Mechanically formed joints

• Mechanical fastening can be used to provide either temporary or

permanent joints.

• Joining obtained by the bolts and screws is temporary in nature

and can be dismantled whenever necessary.

• Rivets are semi-permanent fastening devices. Rivets are

installed by mechanically upsetting one end. 3
 Mechanically formed joints
• Threaded fasteners are considered to be any threaded part that,
after assembly of the joint, may be removed without damage to
the fastener or to the members being joined.

• Permanent mechanical joints can be made by folding and

interlocking the edges of sheet components.

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 Adhesive Bonding
• Adhesive bonding is a materials joining process in which an
adhesive (usually a thermosetting or thermoplastic resin) is
placed between the surfaces of the parts or bodies called
adherends.

• The adhesive then solidifies or hardens by physical or chemical

property changes to produce a bonded joint with useful strength
between the adherends. Bond results from van der Waals forces
between the adhesive and surfaces of the adherends.

• There are three steps:

➢ Preparing the surface
➢ Applying the adhesive
➢ Curing the joint

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Typical adhesive-bonded joint configurations

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 Metallurgical joining processes
• Soldering

➢ Soldiering is a joining process by which two substrates are joined

together using a filler (solder) material with a liquidus ≤ 450 oC.

➢ The substrate materials remain solid during the bonding process.

➢ The solder reacts with the base metal surface and wets the
metal by intermetallics formation.

➢ After solidification, the joint is hold together by the same

attraction, between adjacent atoms, that holds a piece of solid
metal together.

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 Metallurgical joining processes
• Brazing

➢ Brazing is a process for joining solid metals by introducing a solid

metal that melts above 450 oC. The base metal does not melt.

➢ Brazed joint strength is high. The nature of the interatomic

(metallic) bond is such that even a simple joint, when properly
designed and made, will have strength equal to or greater than
that of the parent metal.

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 Metallurgical joining processes
• Welding (fusion welding processes)

➢ Fusion welding involves localised melting and solidification and

are normally used when joining similar material combinations.

➢ The weld can be made by simply melting the edges of the two
work-pieces and allowing them to fuse together on cooling. The
other method is to add extra material during the welding process
through melting of an electrode or filler wire during welding
process.

➢ In both cases, the welded area will have a microstructure and

properties that are different from the parent metal.

➢ The three predominant zones in a fusion weld are the fusion

zone, a heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the base metal. 9
 Fusion Welding

• Between the weld deposit and the parent metal is a HAZ that did
not melt during welding but reached very high temperatures.

• Grain growth due to the high temperatures is commonly

encountered in the HAZ.
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 Metallurgical joining processes

• Welding ( solid state processes )

➢ These welding do not involve melting and solidification.

➢ They are often suitable for joining not only similar but
also dissimilar materials.

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References

• Introduction to Metal Joining Technology, A S W Kurny

• Welding Metallurgy, Sindo Kou, 2nd Edition
• Modern Welding Technology, H. B. Cary and S. C. Helzer,
6th Edition
• Metallurgy of Welding, J. F. Lancaster, 6th Edition
• Principles of Welding: Processes, Physics, Chemistry and
Metallurgy, Robert W Messler
• Welding Technology, L.M. Gourd, 3rd edition
• Welding Handbook, 8th Edition

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