Environmental Effect on Metal Joining

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Welding and Joining".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 5479

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contrada di Dio, Messina, Italy
Interests: additive manufacturing; joining; dissimilar materials; composites; FEA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the pandemic emergency has evidenced the increasingly low resilience of the global socioeconomic system, and as a consequence, the need to fight other even more serious crises, i.e., climate change. The current aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting energy and ecological transitions. In this context, industries, especially the transport field, play an essential role in decarbonizing and building a greener future.

This can involve the introduction of new materials, which must be characterized by a combination of high performances and lightness. This fact results in new manufacturing techniques, and especially, in new alternative joining technologies.

For instance, the use of aluminium structures in a vessel, which is traditionally made by steel, is critical because it requires the study of the most suitable joint between steel and aluminium, not only in terms of mechanical properties but also of durability.

Consequently, experimental and numerical approaches allow for directing the choice towards one technology rather than another. Among the most promising technologies, are friction stir welding (FSW), self-piercing riveting (SPR), orbital riveting, adhesive bonding, clinching, etc. These technologies can be used to connect not only similar metals (i.e., steel–steel or aluminium–aluminium) but also different materials (aluminium–steel, composite–aluminium, composite–steel, etc.). Moreover, they can be combined in a hybrid joining (i.e., SPR and adhesive bonding). These combinations of materials and joining technologies require particular attention to be focused on durability and corrosion resistance within aggressive environments (i.e., seawater for a vessel).

For this Special Issue of Metals, we welcome reviews and articles in the areas of technologies of joining, joint configurations, mechanical testing, failure modes, similar or dissimilar materials, finite element analysis, durability, and corrosion resistance.

Prof. Dr. Guido Di Bella
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • joining
  • welding
  • bonding
  • riveting
  • corrosion
  • durability
  • ageing
  • metals

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 7539 KiB  
Article
Environmental and Economic Analyses of TIG, MIG, MAG and SMAW Welding Processes
by Carlos González-González, Jorge Los Santos-Ortega, Esteban Fraile-García and Javier Ferreiro-Cabello
Metals 2023, 13(6), 1094; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13061094 - 09 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2356
Abstract
Metal welding processes, and electric arc welding in particular, constitute a key link in a production chain comprising a large number of companies. This fact, in addition to a growing trend in favour of more in-depth environmental analysis and control of industry, and [...] Read more.
Metal welding processes, and electric arc welding in particular, constitute a key link in a production chain comprising a large number of companies. This fact, in addition to a growing trend in favour of more in-depth environmental analysis and control of industry, and the need to continue affording due consideration to the economic aspect set the stage for this study. Herein, an environmental and economic analysis is conducted of four types of electric arc welding: TIG welding with and without filler, MIG, MAG, and SMAW welding. Different types of materials are examined such as carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminium, thus the results generate relevant comparative information on the economic and environmental impacts of choosing one type of welding over another. To this end, an experimental study was carried out: 480 test specimens were welded using different welding technologies. A series of data was collected during the welding process to inform an environmental analysis based on a Life Cycle Analysis and an economic study. The most salient results include that the TIG welding process with filler generated the greatest environmental impact due to its higher consumption of shielding gas. On the other hand, the SMAW process demonstrated the best environmental performance as categories such as Global Warming Potential; CO2 emissions dropped by 93.29%. A key factor is the final indicator of human health, where, once again, TIG technology had the worst results, in contrast to SMAW technology, wherein impact decreased by 93.08%. On the other hand, the use of TIG technology implies a higher economic cost due to a 61.36% increase in welding time compared to the average welding technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Effect on Metal Joining)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4164 KiB  
Article
Effect of Tool Rotation Direction on Mechanical Strength of Single Lap Friction Stir Welded Joints between AA5083 Aluminum Alloy and S355J0 Steel for Maritime Applications
by Guido Di Bella, Chiara Borsellino, Amani Khaskhoussi and Edoardo Proverbio
Metals 2023, 13(2), 411; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020411 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1238
Abstract
This study aims to investigate a friction stir welded joint between steel and aluminum alloy that is employed in maritime applications (i.e., connection between the ship over-structures and the hull or deck). By changing the tool rotational direction, or the advancing or retreating [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate a friction stir welded joint between steel and aluminum alloy that is employed in maritime applications (i.e., connection between the ship over-structures and the hull or deck). By changing the tool rotational direction, or the advancing or retreating side, a single lap configuration was studied. Tensile tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical resistance and the surface fracture after a preliminary investigation consisting of morphological and microstructural analyses and microhardness measurements, with the goal of considering the possibility of replacing the typical joining processes, such as traditional welding or explosion welding, with friction stir welding. The testing showed that the joint produced on the advancing side performed better (+23.5% of the maximum load) than the joint made on the retreating side. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Effect on Metal Joining)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2953 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Thickness on Strength of Single Lap Orbital Riveted Aluminum/Composite Joints Used in Marine Environments
by Guido Di Bella, Tiziana Alderucci, Federica Favaloro and Chiara Borsellino
Metals 2022, 12(12), 2068; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12122068 - 01 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1171
Abstract
In an innovative vision of manufacturing, orbital riveting is a joining technique characterized by high efficiency, energy saving, low costs and low noise. It is a cold forming process where a tool rotates at a fixed angle (i.e., typically 3° to 6°) to [...] Read more.
In an innovative vision of manufacturing, orbital riveting is a joining technique characterized by high efficiency, energy saving, low costs and low noise. It is a cold forming process where a tool rotates at a fixed angle (i.e., typically 3° to 6°) to create a sweeping line of pressure around a rivet. This movement progressively promotes, with each rotation, the collapse of the rivet shank down onto the upper substrate of a joint, permanently forming a rivet head. The aim of this research is to make and test multi-material joints between an aluminum AA5083 H111 sheet and a glass fiber reinforced laminate. Specifically, nine configurations of single lap joints were studied by investigating the effect of the thickness (i.e., 2.5, 3.0 and 4.0 mm for the aluminum and 2.5, 3.0 and 4.0 mm for the composite laminate) both on the mechanical characteristics and on the failure modes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Effect on Metal Joining)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop