These are mainly three types of joints between two metals. To join two metals, different kinds of techniques are used, and these two are the names of such two techniques. The big difference is the use of temperature and the use of another filler metal for joining. The Welding technique uses filler metal to join both metals. On the other hand, the welding technique joins both metals by fusion.
Key Takeaways
- Welding fuses materials by melting them, while brazing uses a filler metal to join materials without melting them.
- Welding requires high temperatures, above 500°C, whereas brazing uses lower temperatures, below 450°C.
- Welded joints are stronger than brazed joints, making welding suitable for structural applications and brazing for decorative purposes.
Welding vs Brazing
Welding involves heating the metal to its melting point and then joining the pieces together. Brazing involves heating the metal to a lower temperature than its melting point and using a filler metal to join the pieces. Welding can be used to join similar or dissimilar metals, unlike brazing.
The welding joint is when two metals are fused. When needed to join base metals, these metals are heated at the place of the joint. The temperature should be above the melting point of the base metals. Thus, this melts the metals and fuses both pieces together. These joints are made without any use of third-party metal or filler metals.
The Brazing joints are quite different from the process of fusion. In this technique of joining, a third metal or filler metal is used to join the base metal. The temperature used is lower than the melting point of base metals. To join these base metals without fusion, a metallurgical bond is created.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Welding | Brazing |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature Used | Higher than the melting point of the base metals. (Can go up to max. 3800°C) | Lower than the melting point of the base metal. (Can go up to max. 600°C) |
| Distortion and Stress | High distortion and Stress is seen in the metals | Low distortion and Stress is seen in the metals |
| Tensile Strength | The Tensile Strength is seen to be >200MPa | The Tensile Strength is seen to be between 100-150MPa |
| Use of Filler Metals | NO | YES |
| Types of metals it can join | Only metals with similar composition and melting temperature can be joined. | Any kind of metal can be joined. |
What is Welding?
These are the kind of joints that are made between thick metals and have mainly one single point of interaction. In this joint, the pinpoint of the metal where the joint is to be done is heated. The temperature should be more than the melting temperature. As the metals become heated, both are fused.
The meaning of fusion is the process of joining metals by creating a weld pool. The same kind or type of metals are heated above their melting temperature, which forms molten materials called weld pools. Brought together, these molten metals are joined together to form a very strong bond.
These kinds of joints have a great advantage in smaller rather than large areas. The Welding joints also can be divided into many types. Some of them are Plastic welding, Electro-slag welding, Gas metal arc welding, Gas tungsten arc welding, Flux-cored arc welding, Glass welding, Oxy-fuel welding, Shielded metal arc welding, and Submerged arc welding.
What is Brazing?
These kinds of joints work in any kind of metal. The metals don’t precisely have to be the same kind but can also be two different kinds. In this kind of joint, an extra metal, mainly called filler metal, is added between the base metals’ joints.
The base metals’ temperature is heated and brought a little less than the melting point. As the base metal gets heated enough, the filler metals are touched with the heated base metals. This melts the filler metals.
The liquid filler metals travel through all the gaps and fill them. This step is also called wetting. The liquid, as it gets cooler, gets hardened. This joins the base metals together and makes it a metallurgic bond. The principle of Capillary action works in the process of creating the joints.
There are mainly 7 types of brazing heating methods: Torch or manual brazing, Furnace Brazing, Silver brazing, Braze welding, Cast-iron welding, Vacuum brazing and Dip brazing. Some of the metals that can be used as filler metals are silver, copper, aluminium, zinc, etc.
Main Differences Between Welding and Brazing
- Welding joints are used in construction, repair shops, bridges, aircraft, railways, etc. On the other hand, Brazing joints are used in electronic or electrical things, jewellery, etc.
- Welding doesn’t give a fine look and is not used in products that require a better look, while Brazing gives a better finishing look.
- In Welding joints, as the base metals are melted, they might lose some properties sometimes, while Brazing removes this chance as the base metals are not melted in this type of joint.
- Welding requires much more heat than Brazing which also makes a difference in the cost.
- Welding makes a fusion in the base metals, so it is stronger than the Brazing joint.
- The base metals should be of the same composition in the case of Welding, while for Brazing, it doesn’t matter.
- The process of Welding takes much more efficiency, while Brazing joints are easy and are much more widely used.
- The process of Welding is rarely used for mass production, while Brazing joints are much more preferred for mass production because of their easy, efficient, and finishing look.
- For Welding, different temperatures are used for different metals, while for Brazing, temperatures are quite the same throughout the process.
- The process of Welding either fastens the properties of rusting than the base metals. On the other hand, Brazing makes minimal changes in the rusting properties of the metals.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875389214002259
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924013617304740
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030399219313076
- https://academic.oup.com/ejo/article-abstract/30/4/396/392882
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The detailed comparison of welding and brazing, including their applications and advantages, is very informative. The differences in the properties of the joints and the efficiency of each process make it easier to choose the right method for specific requirements.
The detailed explanations of welding and brazing processes are quite informative. It’s interesting to note that welding joints are stronger than brazed joints, making welding more suitable for structural applications. The information provided about the types of welding joints and brazing methods is very helpful.
The welding joint involves fusing two metals together, while brazing uses a filler metal to join the base metals without fusion. Understanding the differences between these two techniques is essential for choosing the right method for a particular application.
The comparison table provided in the post is a very useful tool to understand the differences between welding and brazing. It highlights important parameters such as temperature used, distortion and stress, and tensile strength. This information is crucial for making informed decisions about which method to use.
The distinction between welding and brazing is a critical one, especially when considering the specific applications of these methods. It’s important to assess factors such as distortion, stress, and tensile strength to determine the best approach for a given project.
The detailed comparison of welding and brazing, including their applications and advantages, is very enlightening. Understanding the differences in required temperatures and the quality of the joints is crucial for choosing the right method for various projects.
The clear distinction between welding and brazing methods, along with their applications and differences in required temperatures, is an essential aspect of the article. The detailed information about the advantages and uses of each method makes it much easier to decide which one to use for different purposes.
The use of temperature is a key factor that distinguishes welding from brazing. Welding requires higher temperatures, while brazing uses lower temperatures. The tensile strength of the joints is also an important aspect to consider. Welded joints tend to have greater tensile strength than brazed joints.
Welding and brazing are two important processes for joining metals. Welding involves melting the metals, while brazing uses a filler metal to join them without melting them. This is a critical difference to consider when choosing the best method for a specific application.