Trends in Joining Dissimilar Metals by Welding

TLDR

Welding dissimilar metals is widely used in industry, with solid‑state and high‑energy beam methods preferred over fusion welding to avoid brittle intermetallics and other complications. The authors aim to classify the most common dissimilar‑metal welding processes and discuss their typical material pairings, critical factors, and practical challenges. They present a broad classification of these processes, illustrate each with example material combinations, and analyze key factors and practical difficulties that affect joint quality. The study concludes that further research and development are needed to meet the growing demand for customized materials in modern engineering.

Abstract

The welding of dissimilar materials finds a wide variety of applications in the fields of industrial construction and manufacturing, where the characteristic features of the different materials are optimized for the desired application to result in cost effectiveness and value addition. Non-fusion welding methods such as solid state welding and high energy beam welding are more popular for welding dissimilar metal combinations, due to fewer complications, than fusion welding, which melts the base metal and forms brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) that may lead to failure. Various factors have to be considered when assessing the feasibility of welding dissimilar metals and producing a sound weld joint. This paper presents a broad classification of the most commonly used welding processes for dissimilar materials, discusses some of the commonly used welding processes with examples of some common material combinations, critical factors for good welding, and practical difficulties arising from the physical and chemical properties of materials. From the findings, it can be inferred that continuous improvement and research is still required in the field of dissimilar metal welding, particularly in the light of increasing demand for tailored material for modern engineering and industrial applications.