Department of Industrial & Production Engineering

Introduction

Welding i.e. the action of the verb “To weld” is same as “To well” which means
to boil or to heat to a high temperature. The weld may be defined as
consolidation of metals by the application of heat and with or without the
application of pressure.
Welding is a material joining process in which two or more parts are coalesced
at their contacting surface by a suitable application of heat or pressure.
The American Welding Society (AWS) definition for a welding process is
A materials joining process which produces coalescence of materials by heating
them to suitable temperatures with or without the application of pressure or by
the application of pressure alone and with or without the use of filler material.

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 Welding Classification
METAL JOINING PROCESSES

Arc Welding Modern Welding Processes

 Gas Metal Arc  Electron Beam Welding
(GMAW) (EBW)
 Gas Tungsten Arc  Laser Beam Welding
(GTAW) (LBW)
 Plasma Arc (PAW)  Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)
 Shielded Metal Arc 
Oxyfuel GasWelding
Thermit Welding (TW)
Solid State Welding
(SMAW)  Oxyacetylene Welding
 Submerged
Diffusion ArcWelding (SAW) (OAW)
(DFW)  Oxyhydrogen Welding
 Explosion Welding (OHW)
(EXW) 
Brazing
Pressure Gas Welding
 Friction Welding (FRW)  Diffusion
(PGW) Brazing (DFB)
 Hot Pressure Welding  Induction Brazing (IB)
Resistance
(HPW) Welding  Resistance Brazing (RB)
 Flash Welding Welding
Ultrasonic (FW)
 Percussion
(USW) Welding (PEW) Soldering
 Projection Welding (RPW)  Infrared Soldering (IRS)
 Resistance-Seam Welding  Iron Soldering (INS)
(RSEW)  Resistance Soldering (RS)
 Resistance-Spot Welding (RSW)
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 Types of welding process
1) Fusion welding: Use heat to melt the base metals. When no filler metal is used in this process is
referred as autogenous welding
2) Solid-state welding: Coalescence of the joining surface is achieved by applying pressure

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 Advantages, Disadvantages and
Applications

Advantages of Welding
 A good weld provides a permanent joint
 General welding equipment is not very costly
 Portable welding equipments are available
 Welding permits considerable freedom in design
 Welding can join metals/alloys both similar and dissimilar
Disadvantages of Welding
 Welding gives out harmful radiation (light), fumes and spatter
 Jigs and fixtures are generally required to hold the parts to be welded
 A skilled welder is a must to produce a good welding job
 Welding heat produces metallurgical changes
 Most welding operations are performed manually and are expensive in terms of labor cost
Application of Welding
 Aircraft construction and Automobile construction
 Bridges and Buildings, Household and Office furniture
 Pressure vessels, Tanks and Storage tanks, Rail, Road equipment, Piping and Pipelines
 Ships, Trucks and Trailers, Machine tool frames, Cutting tools and dies

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 Types of Weld Joint
Welding produces a solid connection between two pieces called a weld joint. a weld joint
is the junction of the edges or surfaces of parts that have been joined by welding. There
are five basic types of joints for bringing two parts together for joining.

(a) Butt joint (b) Corner joint (c) Lap joint

(d) Tee joint (e) Edge joint

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 Types of Weld Joint

Butt joint: In this joint type, the parts lie in the same plane and are joined at their
edges
Corner joint: The parts in a corner joint form a right angle and are joined at the
corner of the angle
Lap joint: This joint consists of two overlapping parts
Tee joint: One part is perpendicular to the other in the approximate of the letter ‘T’
Edge joint: The parts in an edge joint are parallel with at least one of their edges in
common and the joints is made at the common edge

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 Types of Welds: Fillet weld
Fillet weld is used to fill in the edges of plates created by corner, lap and tee joints
Fillet welds can be single or double ( i.e. welded on one side or both) and can be continuous or
intermittent

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 Types of Welds: Plug weld and slot weld

Plug weld and slot weld: Plug welds and slot welds are used for attaching flat plates, using one or
more holes or slots in the top part and then filling with filler metal to fuse the two parts together

Plug weld Slot weld

Surfacing weld: It is not used to join parts but rather to deposit filler metal onto the surface of a base
part

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 Types of Welds: Spot weld and seam weld
Spot weld: It is a small fused section between the surfaces of two sheets or plates
Seam weld: Similar to a spot weld except it consist of a more or less continuously fused section between
two sheets and plates

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 Types of Welding based on Filler
Metals
Autogenous Weld: A weld joint can be developed just by melting of edges of plates or sheets to
be welded especially when thickness is lesser than 5 mm thickness. A weld joint developed by
melting the fating surfaces and subsequently solidification only (without using any filler metal)
is called “autogenous weld”. Thus, the composition of the autogenous weld metal corresponds
to the base metal only. However, autogenous weld can be crack sensitive when solidification
temperature range of the base metal to be welded is significantly high (750 o-1000oC). Following
are typical welding processes in which filler metal is generally not used to produce a weld joint.
 Laser beam welding
 Electron beam welding
 Resistance welding,
 Friction stir welding
Homogeneous or Heterogeneous Weld: for welding of thick plates/sheets using any of the
following processes filler metal can be used as per needs according to thickness of plates. The
composition of the filler metal can be similar to that of base metal or different one accordingly
weld joints. For example: Metal inert gas welding, Submerged arc welding, Flux cored arc welding

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 Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), also known as Manual Metal Arc welding or
informally as stick welding, is a manual arc welding process that uses a consumable
electrode coated in flux to lay the weld.
An electric current, in the form of either alternating current or direct current from a
welding power supply, is used to form an electric arc between the electrode and the metals
to be joined.
As the weld is laid, the flux coating of the electrode disintegrates, giving off vapors that
serve as a shielding gas and providing a layer of slag, both of which protect the weld area
from atmospheric contamination.

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 Advantages, Disadvantages & Applications
Advantages
 SMAW is the simplest of all the arc welding processes.
 Cost is fairly low.
 This process finds innumerable applications, because of a wide variety of electrodes.
 A big range of metals and their alloys can be welded.
 Welding can be carried out in any position with highest weld quality.
Disadvantages
 Because of the limited length of each electrode and brittle flux coating on it mechanization is
difficult.
 In welding long joints (e.g., in pressure vessels), as one electrode finishes, the weld is to be
progressed with the next electrode. Unless properly cared, a defect may occur at the place where
welding is restarted with the new electrode.
 The process uses stick electrodes and thus it is slower as compared to M1G welding.
 Because of flux coated electrodes, the chances of slag entrapment and other related defects are more
as compared to MIG or TIG welding.
 Because of fumes and particles of slag, the arc and metal transfer is not very clear and thus welding
control in this process is a bit difficult as compared to MIG welding.
Applications
 Almost all the commonly employed metals and their alloys can be welded by this process.
 SMAW is used both as a fabrication process and for maintenance and repair jobs.
 The process finds applications in (a) Tank, boiler and pressure vessel fabrications; (b) Ship building;
(c) Pipes and Penstock joining; (d) Building and Bridge construction; and (e) Automotive and
Aircraft industry, etc.
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 Welding flux
A flux is a material used to prevent, dissolve or facilitate removal of oxides and other undesirable
substances
It prevents oxidation of molten metal
Fluxes are available powders, pastes or liquids

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 Welding filler metal

Filler metal is the material that is added to the weld pool to assist in filling the gap
Filler rods have the same or nearly the same chemical composition as the base metal

Figure: MIG filler wire Figure: TIG welding filler

wire

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 Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), also known as Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, is
an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld.
The weld area is protected from atmospheric contamination by a shielding gas (usually an
inert gas such as argon), and a filler metal is normally used, though some welds, known as
autogenous welds, do not require it.
A constant-current welding power supply produces
energy which is conducted across the arc through a
column of highly ionized gas and metal vapors
known as plasma.
Gas tungsten arc welding is often considered the
most difficult of all the welding processes
commonly used in industry. Because the welder
must maintain a short arc length, great care and
skill are required to prevent contact between the
electrode and the workpiece.

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 Advantages, Disadvantages &
Applications
Advantages
 No flux is used; hence there is no danger of flux entrapment
 Because of clear visibility of the arc and the job, the operator can exercise a better control on
the welding process
 Weld in all positions and produces smooth and sound welds with fewer spatters
 It is very much suitable for high quality welding of thin (0.125mm) materials
 It is a very good process for welding nonferrous metals and stainless steel.

Disadvantages
 Under similar applications, MIG welding is a much faster process as compared to TIG
welding, since TIG welding requires a separate filler rod
 Filler rod end if it by chance comes out of the inert gas shield can cause weld metal
contamination
 Equipment costs are higher than that for flux shielded metal arc welding.

Applications
 Welding aluminum, magnesium, copper and their alloys, carbon steels, stainless steels, high
temperature and hard surfacing alloys like zirconium etc.
 Welding sheet metal and thinner sections
 Welding of expansion bellows, transistor cases, instrument diaphragms, and can-sealing joints
 Precision welding in atomic energy, aircraft, chemical and instrument industries
 Rocket motor chamber fabrications in launch vehicles.

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 Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is frequently referred to as Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding is a
commonly used high deposition rate welding process. Wire is continuously fed from a spool. MIG
welding is therefore referred to as a semiautomatic welding process. Before igniting the arc, gas and
water flow is checked. Proper current and wire feed speed is set and the electrical connections are
ensured.

Gases used for shielding include inert gas such as argon,

helium and carbon dioxide. The combination of bare
electrode and shielding gases eliminates the slag covering
on the weld.

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 Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications
Advantages
 Because of continuously fed electrode, MIG welding process is much faster as compared to TIG
 It can produce joints with deep penetration
 Thick and thin, both types of workpieces can be welded effectively
 Large metal deposition rates are achieved by MIG welding process
 The process can be easily mechanized
 No flux is used. MIG welding produces smooth, neat, clean, and spatter free welded surfaces,
which require no further cleaning and reducing welding cost.
 Higher arc travel speeds associated with MIG welding reduce distortion considerably.
Disadvantages
 The process is slightly more complex as compared to TIG because a number of variables (like
electrode, torch angle, welding parameters, type and size of electrode, welding torch
manipulation, etc.) are required to be controlled effectively to achieve good results.
 Welding equipment is more complex, more costly and less portable
Applications
 The process can be used for welding of carbon and low alloy steels, stainless steels, aluminum,
magnesium, copper, nickel, and their alloys, titanium, etc.
 For welding tool steels and dies
 For the manufacture of refrigerator parts
 MIG welding has been used successfully in industries like aircraft, automobile and shipbuilding.

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 Thermit Welding (TW)
Thermit welding differs from other welding processes principally in that the heating is obtained from
the thermit chemical reaction rather than from fire or electric current. A mixture of a metallic oxide
and finely divided aluminum were ignited. The two materials react exothermically thereby converting
the mixture into a superheated mass of the metal itself and a slag.
The superheated metal flows into a mold around the parts to be united and weld them into one
homogeneous mass while the slag overflows on top of the mold. Thermit welding now finds only
limited application, chiefly in the repair of large iron and steel castings, though it was the traditional
method for joining rails on site.

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 Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications
Advantages
 The heat necessary for welding is obtained from a chemical reaction and thus no costly power-supply is
required. Therefore broken parts (rails) can be welded on the site itself.
Disadvantages
 Thermit welding is applicable only to ferrous metal parts of heavy sections, i.e., mill housings and heavy rail
sections.
 The process is uneconomical if used to weld cheap metals or light parts.

Applications
 For repairing fractured rails (railway tracks).
 For butt-welding pipes end to end.
 For welding large fractured crankshafts.
 For welding broken frames of machines
 For replacing broken teeth on large gears.
 For welding new necks to rolling mill rolls and pinions.
 For welding cables for electrical conductors.
 For end welding of reinforcing bars to be used in concrete (building) construction.)

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 Shielding Gas
The shielding gas, forms the arc plasma, stabilizes the arc on the metal being welded,
shields the arc and molten weld pool, and allows smooth transfer of metal from the weld
wire to the molten weld pool. The primary shielding gasses used are:
 Argon
 Argon - 1 to 5% Oxygen
 Argon - 3 to 25% CO2
 Argon/Helium

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 Submersed Arc Welding (SAW)
Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) is a common arc welding process. It requires a continuously and
consumable wire electrode. The molten weld and the arc zone are protected from atmospheric
contamination by being “submerged” under a blanket of granular fusible flux. When molten, the
flux becomes conductive, and provides a current path between the electrode and the work.

A thick layer of granular flux is deposited ahead of a

consumable electrode and arc is maintained beneath the
blanket of flux. A portion of flux melts and acts to
remove impurities from molten metal while the unmelted
excess provides additional shielding. This layer provides
a thermal insulation that slows the cooling of weld metal.

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 Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications
Advantages
 High deposition rates (over 45 kg/h) have been reported
 Deep weld penetration and Sound welds are readily made
 High speed welding of thin sheet steels at over 100 in/min (2.5 m/min) is possible
 Practically no edge preparation is necessary
 Welds produced are sound, uniform, ductile, corrosion resistant and have good impact value.
 Single pass welds can be made in thick plates with normal equipment.
 The arc is always covered under a blanket of flux, thus there is no chance of spatter of weld.
Disadvantages
 Limited to ferrous (steel or stainless steels) and some nickel based alloys;
 Normally limited to long straight seams or rotated pipes or vessels;
 Flux and slag residue can present a health & safety issue;
 Requires inter-pass and post weld slag removal.
Applications
 Fabrication of pipes, pressure vessels, boilers, structural shapes, rail road and earth moving equipment,
cranes and under structure of railway coaches and locomotives.
 Automotive, aviation, ship-building and nuclear power industry
 Rebuilding of worn out parts and depositing wear resisting alloys. Hard facing of tractor rollers and idlers
and crane pulleys.

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 Resistance Spot Welding (RSW)
Spot welding is a popular resistance welding method
used to join two to four overlapping metal sheets which
are up to 3 mm thick each. In some applications with
only two overlapping metal sheets, the sheet thickness
can be up to 6 mm. Two copper electrodes are
simultaneously used to clamp the metal sheets together
and to pass current through the sheets.
When the current is passed through the electrodes to the
sheets, heat is generated in the air gap at the contact
points. At the contact points between electrodes and
workpiece the heat dissipates throughout the copper
electrodes quickly, since the copper is an excellent
conductor. However at the air gap between metal sheets
the heat has no where to go, as the metal is a poor
conductor of heat by comparison. Therefore the heat
remains in the one location, which melts the metal at that
spot. As the heat dissipates throughout the workpiece
over a second or so, it cools the spot weld, causing the
metal to solidify.
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 The steps in a spot welding cycle are
F F F

Weld
Electrode Molten nugget
metal

F F F

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 Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications
Advantages
 Low cost
 High speed of welding
 Less skilled worker will do
 More general elimination of warping or distortion of parts
 High uniformity of products
 Operation may be made automatic or semi-automatic, and
Disadvantages
 The initial cost of equipment is high
 Skilled persons are needed for the maintenance of equipment and its controls
 In some materials, special surface preparation is required
 Bigger job thickness' cannot be welded

Applications
 Spot welding of two 12.5 mm thick steel plates has been done satisfactorily.
 Many assemblies of two or more sheet metal stampings that do not require gas tight joints can
be more economically joined by spot welding than by mechanical methods
 The attachment of braces, brackets, pads or clips to formed sheet-metal parts such as cases,
covers, bases or trays is another application of spot welding.
 Spot welding finds application in automobile and aircraft industries.

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 Resistance Seam Welding (RSEW)
The seam-welding form of the resistance process is a series of overlapping
welds. Two or more sheets of base metal are usually passed between electrode
rollers, as shown in following Figure, which transmit the current and also the
mechanical pressure required for producing a welded seam which is normally
gas-tight or liquid-tight.

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 Different types of seams produced by electrode wheels
Electrode Individual weld nuggets
Sheet metal
wheel
parts
Overlapping weld
nuggets

V V

Conventional resistance seam welding Roll spot welding

Continuous weld
seam

Continuous resistance seam

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 Advantages, Disadvantages and
Applications
Advantages
 It can produce gas tight or liquid- tight joints
 Overlap can be less than for spot or projection welds
 A single seam weld or several parallel seams may be produced simultaneously

Disadvantages
 It is difficult to weld thicknesses greater than 3mm
 A change in the design of electrode wheels is required to avoid obstructions along the
path of the wheels during welding.
Applications
 Except for copper and high copper alloys, most other metals of common industrial
use can be seam welding.

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 Electron Beam Welding (EBW)
Electron beam welding is defined as a fusion welding process wherein coalescence is
produced by the heat obtained from a concentrated beam composed primarily of high
velocity electrons. As the high velocity electrons strike the surfaces to be joined, their
kinetic energy changes to thermal energy thereby causing the workpiece metal to melt and
fuse.
The electron beam is produced in a high vacuum
environment by an electron gun, usually consisting of a
tungsten or tantalum cathode, a grid or forming electrode and
an anode. A stream of electrons is giving off from a tungsten
filament heated to about 2200oC. The electrons are gathered,
accelerated to a high velocity and shaped into a beam by the
potential difference between cathode and anode. The beam is
collimated and focusing by passing through the field of an
electro-magnetic focusing coil or magnetic lens. Beams
typically are focused to about 0.25 to 1 mm diameter and
have a power density of about 10 kW/mm2, which is
sufficient to melt and vaporize any metal.
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 Advantages, Disadvantages &
Applications
Advantages
 Ability to make welds that are deeper, narrower and less tapered than arc welds with a total heat
input much lower than in arc welding
 Superior control over penetration and other weld dimensions and properties
 High welding speeds are common: no filler metal is required; the process can be performed in all
positions and preheating or post heating is generally unnecessary
 Clean and sound welds
 Energy conversion efficiency is high, about 65%
Disadvantages
 The equipment is expensive and high operating cost
 High cost of precision joint preparation and precision tooling
 Limitations of the vacuum chamber. Work size is limited by the size of the chamber
 Production rate and unit welding cost are adversely affected by the need to pump down the work
chamber for each load.
Applications
 Materials that are difficult to weld by other processes, such as zirconium, beryllium and tungsten
can be welded successfully by this method but the weld configuration should be simple and
preferably flat.
 Narrow weld can be obtained with remarkable penetrations
 The high power and heat concentrations can produce fusion zones with depth-to-width ratios of
25:1 with low total heat input, low distortion and a very narrow heat-affected zone
 Heat sensitive materials can be welded without damage to the base metal.
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 Laser Beam Welding (LBW)
The word LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Laser beam
welding is defined as a welding process wherein coalescence is produced by the heat obtained from
the application of a concentrated coherent light beam impinging upon the surface to be joined.
The laser crystal (Ruby) is in the form of a cylinder, the ends being
flat and parallel to a high degree of accuracy and silvered to give
mirror-reflecting surfaces. There is a small aperture on the axis of
the crystal, through the mirror at the output end. When the crystal is
pumped with high-intensity white light from a xenon or krypton
lamp, the Cr ions in the crystal get excited. The excited ions posses
more energy and some of it are given as a red fluorescent light. This
light is reflected backward and forward in the crystal between the
two ends (mirrors), striking more Cr ions on the path. These ions
affected by the collisions. There is a cumulative effect of the
increasing red light existing more and more Cr ions, until the
number of collisions is high enough to cause a burst of red light
through the small aperture in the mirror at the output end of the
crystal. The beam produced is extremely narrow and can be focused
to a pinpoint area by an optical lens.
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 Advantages, Disadvantages &
Applications
Advantages
 Welds can be made inside transparent glass or plastic housings
 A wide variety of materials can be welded
 As no electrode is used, electrode contamination or high electric current effects are eliminated
 Unlike electron beam welding it operates in air, no vacuum is required
 Laser beam being highly concentrated and narrowly which produces narrow size of the HAZ
 It is possible to weld heat-treated alloys without affecting their heat-treated condition
 Because it is light, it is clean – no vaporized metal or electrodes dirty up the delicate
assemblies.
Disadvantages
 The major drawback to laser beam welds is the slow welding speeds (25-250 mm/min)
resulting from the pulse rates and puddle sizes at the fusion point
 Laser welding is limited to depths of approximately 1.5 mm and additional energy only tends
to create gas voids and undercuts in the work
 Most industrial laser are of the CO variety and consume considerable amounts of power
2
 Reflected or scattered laser beams can be quite dangerous to human eyes.
Applications
 Laser is a high energy light beam that can both weld and cut the metals
 For connecting leads on small electronic components and in IC in the electronic industry
 It is possible to weld wires without removing the polyurethane insulation. The laser simply
evaporates the insulation and completes the weld with the internal wire.
 Laser beam is used for micro welding purposes. It is particularly suitable for the welding of
miniaturized
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& Production microminiaturized components.
 Defects in Welding
Defects during welding may be caused by the presence of impurities and
gases at the liquification temperature, fast solidification of the weld
metal, thermal shock and microstructural changes. Common defects in
welding and their remedies are discussed below:
 Lack of Fusion and Lack of penetration
 Porosity and blow holes
 Slag inclusions
 Cracking
 Distortion
 Welding profile
 Residual stresses
 Surface damage
Any of these defects are potentially disastrous as they can all give rise to
high stress intensities which may result in sudden unexpected failure
below the design load or in the case of cyclic loading, failure after fewer
load cycles than predicted.
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 Lack of Fusion and Lack of Penetration
 To achieve a good quality join it is essential that the fusion zone extends the full thickness of the
sheets being joined. Thin sheet material can be joined with a single pass and a clean square edge
will be a satisfactory basis for a join. However thicker material will normally need edges cut at
a V angle and may need several passes to fill the V with weld metal. Where both sides are
accessible one or more passes may be made along the reverse side to ensure the joint extends
the full thickness of the metal.
 Lack of fusion results from too little heat input and / or too rapid travel of the welding torch
(gas or electric).

Porosity and Blow Holes

 This occurs when gases are trapped in the solidifying weld metal. These may arise from Contaminated base
metal or filler material containing moisture or other impurities. Insufficient covering of shielding gases,
which permits the entry of ambient gases into the weld pool.

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 Slag Inclusions
 These can occur when several runs are made along a V join when
joining thick plate using flux cored or flux coated rods and the slag
covering a run is not totally removed after every run before the
following run.
Cracking
 This can occur due just to thermal shrinkage. A combination of
poor design and inappropriate procedure may result in high
residual stresses and cracking.

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 To prevent these problems a process of pre-heating in stages may be needed
and after welding a slow controlled post cooling in stages will be required. This
can greatly increase the cost of welded joins, but for high strength steels, such
as those used in petrochemical plant and piping, there may well be no
alternative.

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 Distortion
 While welding a job, base metal under the arc melts, base metal ahead gets preheated
and the base metal portion already welded starts cooling. There is good amount of
temperature difference at various points along the joint and thus at any instant certain
areas of the base metal expand and others including weld bead contract. This
phenomena lead to distortion. Distortion is the change in shape and difference
between the positions of the two plates before welding and after welding.

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 Welding Profile
 Weld profile is important not only because of its effects on
the strength and appearance of the weld, but also because
it can signal incomplete fusion or the presence of slag
inclusions in multiple layer welds.
Underfilling results when the joint is not filled with the
proper amount of weld metal.
Undercutting results from the melting away of the base
metal and the consequent generation of the groove in
the shape of a sharp recess or notch. If it is deep or
sharp, an undercut can act as a stress raiser and can
reduce the fatigue strength of the joint; in such cases, it
may lead to premature failure.
Overlapping is the surface discontinuity usually caused
by poor welding practice and by the selection of
improper materials.
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 Residual Stresses
 Because of the localized heating and cooling during welding,
expansion and contraction of the weld area causes residual
stresses in the workpiece. Residual stresses can cause the
following defects:
Distortion, warping and buckling of the welded parts
Stress-corrosion cracking
Further distortion, if a portion of the welded structure is
subsequently removed (by machining or by sawing)
Reduced fatigue life.
Surface Damage
• Some of the metal may spatter during welding and be deposited as
small droplets on adjacent surfaces. In arc welding processes, the
electrode may inadvertently touch the parts being welded at
places other than the weld zone (arc strikes). Such surface
discontinuities may be objectionable for reasons of appearance or
of subsequent
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& Production Engineering
 Physics of welding: Power density
To accomplish fusion, a source of high-density heat energy is supplied to cause localized melting of
base metals
Heat density is defined by the amount of power transmitted per unit surface area
Time to melt is inversely proportional to the power density
Low power density incurs lengthy time to melt, high power density include vaporization of metals
Power density

Unit of power density is W/

P= power entering the surface
A= surface area

Department of Industrial & Production Engineering

 Physics of welding: Power density

A heat source transfers 3000W to the surface of a metal part. The heat impinges the surface in a circular area, with intensities
varying inside the circle. The distribution is as follows 70% of the power is transferred within a circle of diameter 5mm and
90% is transferred within a concentric circle of diameter 12 mm. What are the power densities in a) the 5 mm diameter inner
circle and b) the 12 mm diameter ring that lies around the inner circle?
Solution:
a) The inner circle area A=
The power inside this area, P= 0.70
Power Density, PD=
b) The area of the ring outside the inner circle, A = = 93.4
Power, P= 0.9
Power Density, PD= = 6.4

The power density seems high enough for melting in the inner circle, but not sufficient in the ring that lies outside the inner circle

Department of Industrial & Production Engineering

 Features of a fusion-welded joint
A typical fusion weld joint consists of several zones-
Fusion Zone (FZ) consists of a mixture of filler metal and base metal that have completely melted
Weld interface is a narrow boundary that separates the fusion zone from the heat affected zone
Heat-affected zone (HAZ) experiences temperatures that are below its melting point, yet high
enough to cause microstructural changes
Unaffected base metal zone experiences no metallurgical change

(a (b)
)
Figure: Cross section of fusion-welded joint: (a) principal zones in the joint (b) typical
grain structure
Department of Industrial & Production Engineering