Aircraft Materials,

Construction and Repair

Aircraft Welding
Welding

 Welding is a technique used for joining metallic parts usually through

the application of heat. This technique was discovered during efforts to
manipulate iron into useful shapes.
 The most prominent methods of welding aircraft structures and
components are fusion and non-fusion welding.
Welding

 Fusion welding is the blending of compati­ble molten metals into one

common part or joint. Fusing of metals is accomplished by producing suf­
ficient heat for the metals to melt, flow together and mix. The heat is
then removed to allow the fused joint to solidify.

 Non-fusion welding is the joining of metals by adhesion of one metal to

another.
Welding

 A good weld is uniform in width, with even ripples that taper off
smoothly into the base metal. It shows good penetration, or depth of
fusion. In fact, pene­tration is the most important characteristic of a
good weld.
 To obtain the proper amount of penetration and proper weld
dimensions, a welder must use the correct type and size of filler rod and
appropriate welding technique for the thickness and type of the
material to be joined.
Welding
Types of Fusion Welding

1. Gas Welding Oxyacetylene Welding

Shielded Metal Arc
2. Electric Arc Welding Welding
Gas Metal Arc Welding
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

3. Electric Resistance Welding Spot Welding

Seam Welding
Gas Welding

 Oxyacetylene welding gets its name from the two gases, oxygen and
acetylene (C₂H₂), that are used to produce a flame.

 The temperature of the oxyacetylene flame ranges from 5,600°F to

6,300° F. The normal operating pressure for most acetylene welding is 4
to 8 psi.
Gas Welding

 Acetylene is a colorless, one of the most common and simplest

hydrocarbon that is highly explosive when liquefied, compressed,
heated, or mixed with air. It becomes unstable at pressures of 15 psi or
higher.

 Because acetylene is stored in acetone, it can be shipped in bottles with­

out the danger of exploding.
 Gas Welding

 The flame color and pattern from the

welding torch changes as the volume of
oxygen relative to the acetylene is
increased.

1. Carburizing flame - relatively rich in

acetylene, burns much cooler, and is
used for brazing and soldering.
2. Neutral flame - optimal mixture, used
primarily when welding aircraft steel.
3. Oxidizing flame - rich in oxygen; used
for cutting.
 Oxyacetylene welding
was once used almost
exclusively in the
fabrication of welded-
tube aircraft fuse­lage
structures.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding

 Also known as Stick welding, is the most common type of Arc Welding.
 In SMAW welding, a metal wire rod, which is com­posed of approximately
the same chemical compo­sition as the metal to be welded, is clamped in
an electrode holder.
 The arc-welding rod is coated with flux, which protects the welding
zone from the air as it burns. As the flux burns from the rod, it releases
an inert gas that shields the molten metal.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding

 Shielded metal arc welding

normally is used for welding
heavy gauge steel. It seldom
is used for aircraft
construction or repair.
Gas Metal Arc Welding

 Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), formerly called Metal Inert Gas (MIG)
welding, is used primarily in large volume production work. An
advantage of GMAW over stick welding is that no slag is deposited on the
weld bead. An uncoated filler wire acts as the electrode. It is connected
to one terminal on the power supply and fed into the torch.
Gas Metal Arc Welding
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

 Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) is the form of elec­tric arc welding that
is used most in aircraft mainte­nance. It also is known as gas tungsten
arc welding (GTAW).
 Unlike SMAW and GMAW, which use consumable electrodes, TIG welding
uses a tungsten electrode that does not act as filler rod. The electrode
is con­nected to an AC or DC electrical power supply to form an arc with
the metal being welded.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
Spot Welding

 When spot welding, two copper

electrodes are held in the jaws of a
vise-like machine and the pieces of
metal to be welded are clamped
between them. Pressure is applied to
hold the electrodes tightly together
while electrical current passes
between the electrodes. The current
flow through the metal between the
electrodes generates enough heat to
melt the metal
Seam Welding

 Instead of the electrodes of a spot welder, the metal in a seam welder

is drawn between two copper wheels. Pressure is applied to the wheels
and timed pulses of current flow through the metal between them. The
pulses create spots of molten metal that overlap to form the continuous
seam.
 This equipment is com­monly used to manufacture fuel tanks and other
components where a continuous weld is needed.
Types of Welded Joints

 The result of a weld is a joint. To evaluate the qual­ity of an aircraft

welding repair, it is essential to understand the various types of joints
and be able to recognize whether proper techniques were used to
create these joints.
 The basic types of welding joints are:
 Butt joints
 Lap joints
 Corner joints
 Tee joints
 Edge joints
Types of Welded Joints

 Butt Joints
In aircraft applica­tions, butt joints
generally are not used for joining tubing
because they are too weak for aircraft
struc­tures.
Types of Welded Joints

 Lap Joints
 A lap joint is seldom used in
aircraft structures when welding with
gas but is commonly used when spot
welding. The single lap joint has very
little resistance to bending and will
not withstand shearing stresses. The
double lap joint is stronger, but
requires twice the welding of the
simpler, more efficient, butt weld
Types of Welded Joints

 Corner Joints
A corner joint results when two
pieces of metal are brought together so
that their edges form a corner of a box
or rectangle. This joint can only be used
where load stresses are not significant.
Types of Welded Joints

 Tee Joints
Tee joints are quite common in
aircraft work, par­ticularly in tubular
structures. The plain tee joint is
suitable for most aircraft metal
thickness.
Types of Welded Joints

 Edge Joints
joints may be used to join two
pieces of sheet metal. To form an edge
joint, bend the edges of one or both
parts upward and place the two ends
parallel to each other. Weld along the
outside of the seam formed by the two
edges
Evaluating Welded Joints

 In order to evaluate the quality of the welds on an aircraft, it is

important to understand the attributes of a properly welded joint.
It is necessary to exam­ine the parts of a weld, proportions of the
weld, and its formation.
Parts of the Weld

 Bead is the metal that is deposited

as the weld
is made.
 Face is the exposed surface of the
weld.
 Root is the depth that fusion
penetrates into the
base metal.
Parts of the Weld

 Throat is the distance through the

center from
the root to the face.
 Toe is the edge formed where the
face of the
weld meets the base metal.
 Reinforcement is the quantity of
weld metal
added above the surface of the
base metal.
Brazing and Soldering

 Non-fusion joining occurs when two or more pieces of metal are held
together by a softer metal such as brass, bronze or silver. The molten
metal sticks to the surface by adhesion rather than fusion.

 A braz­ing rod or solder used with the proper flux will act like glue when
holding a metal joint together. Brazing or soldering a joint is achieved
at a much lower temperature than fusion welding.
Torch Brazing

 Brazing is a form of metal joining in which an iron-free metal is used as

a cohesive material. The non-ferrous material, usually brass or bronze,
is melted with an oxyacetylene torch at a temperature below that of
the base metal, but above 800° F.

 Flux is used to clean the surfaces of the metal being joined. Brazing flux
has a caustic base which, when heated, turns to liquid.
 Torch Brazing

Brazing uses capillary action to draw Braze welding is like brazing, but the
molten metal into close fitting joints` filler rod is deposited on the surface
rather than depending only upon
capillary action to produce the joint
 Torch Soldering

 Soldering is like brazing, using many

of the same techniques and devices
as when making brazed joints.
Brazing materials normally melt at
temperatures above 800 F, while
solders melt at temperatures
considerably lower than this.
 Soft solder is primarily a mixture of
tin and lead. The melting point
varies considerably with the
percent­age of each.