an INTRODUCTION TO WELDING PROCESSES RCTION TO WELDING PROCESSES. 1.0 Definition of Welding Welding is defined as the process of joining two or more materials, often metallic, by a localised coalescence or umion across an inter= face. The welding process usually involves complex physical and chemical phenomena varying with the nature of the weld bond produced. The production of bonds of sufficient strength requires a good under standing and adequate control of the welding process. This control can best bé achieved through careful consideration of the basic physical and metallurgical reactions involved in the formation of the veld. 2.00 Basic Requirements for Weldin; In the welding of metals it is necessary to establish a "metallic bond" between the surfaces being welded. In the ideal metallic bond the valency electrons are not bound to any particular atom but move freely throughout the metal. The reason for this behaviour is that the valency electrons in a metal lie much further out from the core of the atom than do those in non metals. Moving along wider orbits the valency electrons pass to regions remote from their parent atoms and are exposed to the attraction of neighbouring nuclei. Consequently the valency electrons in metals are never Permanently associated with any particular atom, but flow freely in a random arrangement as a kind of free "electron gas". Thus the structure of a metal can be regarded as an assemblage of positive ions each consisting of the core of an atom (nucleus plus non valency electrons) immersed in a "gas" or cloud of free electrons. The attraction between the positive ions and the electron gas give the metal its structure and coherence. This attraction forms the metallic bond. (See Fig. 1) In the welding of two plates of the same material, if the two surfaces to be bonded are freed from oxide films and all other contaminants then brought in intimate contact with each other so that there is mobility between the electrons of both surfaces and the attractive and repulsive forces between the atoms are established, then the two surfaces will weld and the bond between them will be similar to that between two grains of the same material. If the two plates are of different materials, the ability to establish a metallic bond between their uncontaminated surfaces is still possible, but the strength of the bond will depend on the materials concerned. Thus there are two basic requirements which have to be satisfied before welding can take place between metals. They are:- G) To produce two absolutely clean and uncontaminated surfaces. (ii) To bring these clean and uncontaminated surfaces in intimate contact with each other so that a metallic bond can be produced across the interface. (See Fig -2).