Progress in Solid State Joining of Metals and Alloys

Abstract

In this overview, a new solid-state joining method for metals and alloys is presented, where the best features of gas metal arc welding, friction stir welding and cold pressure welding are combined. The invention, which is known as the Hybrid Metal Extrusion & Bonding (HYB) process, utilizes continuous extrusion as a technique to squeeze the aluminum filler material into the groove between the two plates to be joined under high pressure to achieve metallic bonding. Originally, the idea was to use the HYB process for simple butt joining of aluminum plates and profiles. However, over the years it has evolved into a multi-functional joining process handling a wide range of different joint configurations (butt, fillet and slot welds) and base metal combinations (Al, Fe, Ti and Cu). At present, up to four different metals can be joined together in one pass using the HYB PinPoint extruder and AA6082 as filler wire.