Classification of Welding Processes

Somnath Chattopadhyaya
Department of Mechanical Engineering
IIT/ISM Dhanbad

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 Lesson Objectives
•Classification of different welding
techniques
•Youtube Videos of Welding Processes

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Slides of Classification of Welding Processes - S.Chattopadhyaya 3
 Definition of Welding
•Welding is a process of joining
similar and dissimilar metals or
other material by application of
heat with or without application
of pressure and addition of filler
material. Slides of Classification of Welding Processes - S.Chattopadhyaya 4
Introduction
•It is used as permanent fasteners.
•Welding is essential process of every
manufacturing industries. 
•In fact, the future of any new metal may
depend on how far it would lend itself to
fabrication by welding.

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Introduction
• The weldability has been defined as the capacity
of being welded into inseparable joints having
specified properties such as definite weld strength
proper structure.
• The weldability of any metal depends on five
major factors.
• These are melting point, thermal conductivity,
thermal expansion, surface condition, and change
in microstructure.
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Flux
•Flux is a cleaning agent used to avoid the
contamination of welded joint by
impurities like oxides, by oxygen
combined with metal during welding.
•Flux dissolve oxide,trapped gases and
slag(impurities) from base metal.

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Slides of Classification of Welding Processes - S.Chattopadhyaya 8
Basic Welding Symbols

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Another Classification of Welding

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Homogeneous welding
• Homogeneous welding is one way of performing fusion
welding with the application of external filler material
whose metallurgical composition is almost same with
that of the base metals.
• Thus in homogeneous welding, filler material having
composition same with that of the base metal is applied.
• It is to be noted that homogeneous welding is not a
particular type of welding process like MMAW, TIG,
GMAW, etc.; instead, it is one of the three different ways
of performing fusion welding.
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 Homogeneous welding
•Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW), Gas
Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Flux Cored
Arc Welding (FCAW), etc. always use
consumable filler material and thus can be
performed in homogeneous mode.
•Homogeneous welding by Tungsten Inter
Gas (TIG) welding process is also possible.
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 Homogeneous welding
• However, oxy-fuel welding processes (also known
as gas welding) cannot be performed in
homogeneous mode as they do not use filler material
in usual cases (they are mainly autogenous welding).
• Various advanced welding processes, such as Plasma
Arc Welding (PAC), Laser Beam Welding (LBW),
Electron Beam Welding (EBW), etc. are also mostly
autogenous.
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 Advantages of homogeneous welding

• Thick plates can be welded efficiently with proper edge

preparation.
• Strength of the joint is excellent—better than autogenous
welding.
• Due to sufficient supply of molten metal, tendency of
crack formation during solidification reduces.
• Welding of various joints, like butt joint, lap joint, tee
joint, corner joint, etc. are possible.
• Joints are more reliable—less chance of failure if welded
properly.
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Disadvantages of homogeneous welding
• Not possible for joining of very thin sheets (causes
distortion).
• Excess filer material causes reinforcement on weld bead,
which are required to remove after welding by grinding
(mandatory post-processing).
• Appearance of weld bead is not good.
• Presence of filler sometime causes sputter.
• Extra cost for filler material and also its maintenance.

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 Autogenous welding
• Autogenous welding is one way of performing fusion
welding without the application of external filler
material.
• It is to be noted that autogenous welding is not a
particular type of welding process like MMAW, TIG,
GMAW, etc.; instead, it is one of the three different ways
or modes of doing fusion welding.
• Solid state welding processes are usually autogenous as
they don’t use any filler during welding.
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 Autogenous welding
• Tungsten Inter Gas (TIG) and oxy-fuel welding processes can be performed
in autogenous mode/way. Various advanced welding processes, such as
Plasma Arc Welding (PAW), Laser Beam Welding (LBW), Electron Beam
Welding (EBW), etc. are mostly autogenous.
• There are some fusion welding processes which cannot be performed in
autogenous way.
• For example, Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW), Gas Metal Arc
Welding (GMAW), Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), etc. always use
consumable filler material and thus cannot be performed in autogenous
way.

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Advantages of autogenous welding
• Fusion welding of thin sheets is possible only in
autogenous way.
• No extra cost for filler material.
• Weld appearance is good.
• Processes can be easily automated.
• No post-grinding is required to remove reinforced
parts.
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Disadvantages of autogenous welding
• Only butt joint is possible and that too maintaining no root gap
between parent parts.
• Thickness of the plates is also limited to only 2 – 3mm in order to
obtain a sound welding.
• Strength of the joint is not good—it is less than the strength of base
plates.

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Disadvantages of autogenous welding
• As molten metal from base plates is used to fill the narrow gap between
plates (root gap), welded part becomes slightly weaker (5 – 20% weak).
• These joints are crack-sensitive due to lack of molten metal supply
during solidification.
• Cannot be applied for joining more than two parts as the later requires
substantial amount of filler material.
• No edge preparation is allowed, i.e., only square edge.
• Complete removal of any oil, rust or scale is essential to obtain sound
weld.

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 Heterogeneous welding
• Heterogeneous welding is one way of performing fusion welding with the
application of external filler whose metallurgical composition is
substantially different from that of the base metals.
• So if filler material is applied during joining and the metallurgical
composition of filler is different from that of the base metal then it is
termed as heterogeneous welding.
• It is to be noted that heterogeneous welding is not a particular type of
welding process like MMAW, TIG, GMAW, etc.; instead, it is one of the
three different modes or ways of doing fusion welding.

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Heterogeneous welding

• Brazing and soldering are common

examples of heterogeneous joining. Manual
Metal Arc Welding (MMAW), Gas Metal
Arc Welding (GMAW), Flux Cored Arc
Welding (FCAW), etc. can also be
performed in heterogeneous mode.

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Advantages of homogeneous welding
• Thick plates can be welded efficiently with proper edge
preparation.
• Strength of the joint is excellent—better than autogenous
welding.
• Due to sufficient supply of molten metal, tendency of crack
formation during solidification reduces.
• Welding of various joints, like butt joint, lap joint, tee joint,
corner joint, etc. are possible.
• Joints are more reliable—less chance of failure if welded
properly.
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Disadvantages of homogeneous welding
• Not possible for joining of very thin sheets (causes
distortion).
• Excess filer material causes reinforcement on weld bead,
which are required to remove after welding by grinding
(mandatory post-processing).
• Appearance of weld bead is not good.
• Presence of filler sometime causes sputter.
• Extra cost for filler material and also its maintenance.
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Video on Classification of Welding Processes
• Classification of Welding Processes
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8atHBVsLsiQ

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