Metal Joining Processes - Definition

Metal joining is a controlled process used to fuse metals. There are several techniques of metal joining of which welding is one of the more basic forms.

Metal is a material (usually solid) comprising one or more metallic elements (e.g., iron, aluminium, copper, chromium, titanium, gold, nickel), and often also nonmetallic elements (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, oxygen) in relatively small amounts. The unique feature of metals as far as their structure is concerned is the presence of charge carriers, specifically electrons. This feature is given by the nature of metallic bond. The electrical and thermal conductivities of metals originate from the fact that their outer electrons are delocalized.

Joining Processes

Metal joining is a controlled process used to fuse metals. There are several techniques of metal joining of which welding is one of the more basic forms.

Welding. In welding, one of most common joining processes, two or more metal parts are joined to form a single piece by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool causing fusion.
Brazing. Brazing is a metal-joining process in which a filler metal is melted and drawn into a capillary formed by the assembly of two or more work pieces. The filler metal has a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Brazing differs from welding in that it does not involve melting the work pieces and from soldering in using higher temperatures for a similar process, while also requiring much more closely fitted parts than when soldering.
Soldering. A technique for joining metals using a filler metal alloy that has a melting temperature less than about 425°C (800°F). Because of this lower temperature and different alloys used as fillers, the metallurgical reaction between filler and work piece is minimal, resulting in a weaker joint. In electronics assembly, the eutectic alloy with 63% tin and 37% lead (or 60/40, which is almost identical in melting point) has been the alloy of choice.
Riveting. Riveting is one of the most ancient metalwork joining processes. A rivet is essentially a two-headed and unthreaded bolt which holds two other pieces of metal together. Currently riveting still retains important uses in industry and construction. Solid rivets are used in applications where reliability and safety count. A typical application for solid rivets can be found within the structural parts of aircraft. Hundreds of thousands of solid rivets are used to assemble the frame of a modern aircraft.

References:

Materials Science:

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U.S. Department of Energy, Material Science. DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Volume 2 and 2. January 1993.
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J. R. Lamarsh, A. J. Baratta, Introduction to Nuclear Engineering, 3d ed., Prentice-Hall, 2001, ISBN: 0-201-82498-1.

See above:
Metals

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