Covalent bonding happens when one of a constituent atoms is reduced in electron count, and the other one gains them. This creates an electron cloud, which is shared among the entire molecule. Both covalent as well as ionic bonding, the locations of the electrons and ions are constrained. This makes the bond typically fragile. Metallic bonding can also be described as a form of covalent bonds in which the constituent elements are of the same kind and do not combine to create a chemical bond. A range of positive Ions can form from atoms that have lost an electron. These electrons form an electron cluster that is mobile due to the fact that they can freely move with the ions. This gives metals their characteristically ductile and high thermal/electrical conductivity.
Crystalline solids have cohesion because of a metallic, or chemical bond formed between the constituent atoms. Two types of chemical bonds are possible: covalent and the ionic. To form an Ionic Bond, either a bonding electron (valence) or a bonding electron (valence) must separate from one atom. Then the electron attaches to another atom to form ionic bonds. If the ions have an equilibrium position and there is no force between them, this is called bonding in the stat position. If the ions are under tension, their inter-ionic spacing is increased, which creates an electrostatic attractive force. The dominant force between the atomic nuclear nuclei is a repulsing and compressive force.
World War I caused a major surge in the use of welding, with the various military powers attempting to determine which of the several new welding processes would be best. The British primarily used arc welding, even constructing a ship, the "Fullagar" with an entirely welded hull. Arc welding was first applied to aircraft during the war as well, as some German airplane fuselages were constructed using the process. Also noteworthy is the first welded road bridge in the world, the Maurzyce Bridge in Poland (1928). During the 1920s, significant advances were made in welding technology, including the introduction of automatic welding in 1920, in which electrode wire was fed continuously. Shielding gas became a subject receiving much attention, as scientists attempted to protect welds from the effects of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. Porosity and brittleness were the primary problems, and the solutions that developed included the use of hydrogen, argon, and helium as welding atmospheres. During the following decade, further advances allowed for the welding of reactive metals like aluminum and magnesium. This in conjunction with developments in automatic welding, alternating current, and fluxes fed a major expansion of arc welding during the 1930s and then during World War II. In 1930, the first all-welded merchant vessel, M/S Carolinian, was launched.
A wide range of power supplies is available to provide the required electrical power for arc-welding processes. Both constant voltage and constant current power supplies are the most common types of welding power sources. In arc welding the length and voltage of the arc are directly related. The current is proportional to the heat input. For manual welding processes, such as gas tungsten and shielded arc welding, constant current power sources are the most common. They maintain a relatively constant voltage while maintaining a high current. This is because manual welding can be hard. Because of this, the arc length (and thus the voltage) tends to fluctuate. For automated welding processes such gas metal, flux-cored, and submerged, constant voltage power supplies are the most common. They keep the voltage constant and change the current. As the current fluctuates rapidly, any changes in the distance between a wire and the base metal are quickly corrected. For example: If the wire and the base materials get too close, the current will rapidly grow, which in turn causes heat to rise and the tip the wire to melt.
The metalworking industry has instituted codes and specifications to guide welders, weld inspectors, engineers, managers, and property owners in proper welding technique, design of welds, how to judge the quality of welding procedure specification, how to judge the skill of the person performing the weld, and how to ensure the quality of a welding job. Methods such as visual inspection, radiography, ultrasonic testing, phased-array ultrasonics, dye penetrant inspection, magnetic particle inspection, or industrial computed tomography can help with detection and analysis of certain defects. Where Q = heat input welding speed (mm/min). The efficiency is dependent on the welding process used, with shielded metal arc welding having a value of 0.75, gas metal arc welding and submerged arc welding, 0.9, and gas tungsten arc welding, 0.8. Methods of alleviating the stresses and brittleness created in the HAZ include stress relieving and tempering.
The new energy beam welding processes, laser beam welding and electron beam weld, have been very popular in high-production applications. Both processes are very similar, with the main difference being their power source. While laser beam welding uses a focused laser beam, electron beam welding uses an electron beam in a vacuum. Both have high energy densities, which allows for deep penetration and minimizes the area of weld. Both are very fast and can be automated easily, making them extremely productive. Their primary drawbacks include their high equipment costs, which are declining, and the susceptibility for thermal cracking. Laser-hybrid welding is a new development in this area. It uses principles from both laser beam and arc welding to produce better weld properties.
There are many power supplies that can be used to supply the electricity required for arc welding processes. Constant current power supplies (or constant voltage power supplies) are the most popular welding power supplies. The length of an arc in arc welding is directly proportional to its voltage. However, the current determines the heat input. Because they can maintain a constant current, even when the voltage changes, constant current power supplies are used most frequently for manual welding processes like gas tungsten or shielded metal welding. Because manual welding can be challenging, it is possible to not hold the electrode steady. As a result, the voltage and arc lengths will fluctuate. These power supplies are used to automate welding processes like gas metal arc welding and flux-cored. Because of the large current changes, any fluctuations in the distance between wire and base material are quickly corrected by an increase in current, the arc length is maintained constant. If the wire and base material are too close together, the current will quickly increase. This causes heat to increase, and the tip of wire to melt.
Other recent developments in welding include the 1958 breakthrough of electron beam welding, making deep and narrow welding possible through the concentrated heat source. Following the invention of the laser in 1960, laser beam welding debuted several decades later, and has proved to be especially useful in high-speed, automated welding. Magnetic pulse welding (MPW) has been industrially used since 1967. Friction stir welding was invented in 1991 by Wayne Thomas at The Welding Institute (TWI, UK) and found high-quality applications all over the world. All of these four new processes continue to be quite expensive due to the high cost of the necessary equipment, and this has limited their applications. The most common gas welding process is oxyfuel welding, also known as oxyacetylene welding. It is one of the oldest and most versatile welding processes, but in recent years it has become less popular in industrial applications. It is still widely used for welding pipes and tubes, as well as repair work.