Joining stainless steel parts by means of weld bonding

Recent published works in the field of weld bonding present new results relevant to project and design of structural metal joints. However, it is still difficult to find technological data in the open literature to support and control manufacturing conditions. Gaps of knowledge are easily found in the set up of process parameters, in the selection of adhesives and in the understanding of the long term performance of weld bonded joints in hostile environments. The aim of this paper is to contribute to an extension of the actual knowledge on the weld bonding technology and to provide useful insights into its application to the joining of stainless steel. The research is accomplished by the weld bonding of stainless steel test specimens using three different commercial adhesives with varying working times and different exposures to water. The relative performance and quality of the weld bonded joints is evaluated against alternative solutions based on adhesives and conventional spot-welding. The experimental investigation is supported by finite element computer simulations with the purpose of establishing the welding parameters that allow spot-welding through the adhesives.