The world of gases, metals, and alloys involves a variety of different welding methods to successfully merge two separate parts together in a process known as cold welding. Cold welding, also referred to as contact welding, is a solid-state welding process that joins two separate pieces of metal together through pressure and mechanical bonds.
As opposed to traditional welding methods that require an immensely high temperature, cold welding requires no extra heat and is not an energy-intensive process. Statistics show that cold welding has a drastically higher joining strength than any traditional welding processes, and a joint strength of over 300MPa can be achieved, making it the ideal welding process for various industries. So, what exactly is cold welding?
Read on to find out!
What is Cold Welding?
Cold welding is a process of joining two metals without heating. It is also called “solid state welding” as there is no melting of the metal.This type of welding is a cold pressure welding process, usually done at room temperature. In comparison to other welding processes, cold welding offers a higher strength bond and higher integrity than fusion welding techniques.
Process of Cold Welding
The process of cold welding involves using a high pressure in order to cause adjacent parts, joining at the molecular level through displacement. The use of pressure causes bonding at the molecular level in order to join the materials without melting them. The pressure is applied by rollers or a press machine, and the weld line is formed as the materials are incrementally formed together.The materials are usually fed through a special dies or the hole to form a weld joint, with a perfect finish and strength.
Advantages of Cold Welding
- No sparks or fumes are involved during the process and it is clean and safe.
- Higher strength compared to fusion welding.
- High-speed welding process and higher production rates.
- High ductility, low strain-hardening and good homogeneity in the weld.
- Low distortion of the material.
- Time saving.
Types of Cold Welding
- Roll Bonded Cold Welding: This process of cold welding is a combination of spot welding, seam welding and roll bonding at cold temperatures. In this process, a joint is formed by applying cold pressure along with a specialized welding alloy.
- Percussion Cold Welding: In this process of cold welding, the metals are joined together with a staking tool. The impact tool makes contact with the metals and then disengages, which causes the displacement of the material against each other in order to cause cold welding.
- Forge Welding: This type of cold welding requires heating up two metals to a workable temperature and hammering them together to form a joint. The metals are then cooled down to room temperature and then compressed in order to cause cold welding.