This chapter discusses the various methods used to join titanium alloy assemblies, focusing on welding processes and procedures. It explains how welding alters the structure and properties of titanium and how it is influenced by composition, surface qualities, and other factors. It describes several welding processes, including arc welding, resistance welding, and friction stir welding, and addresses related issues such as welding defects, quality control, and stress relieving. The chapter also covers mechanical fastening techniques along with adhesive bonding and brazing.

This chapter describes joining by forming processes including riveting, clinching, crimping, and dieless joining techniques. It also discusses the fatigue behavior of clinched joints and the results of fatigue tests that compare clinched and spot welded joints.

Joining comprises a large number of processes used to assemble individual parts into a larger, more complex component or assembly. The selection of an appropriate design to join parts is based on several considerations related to both the product and the joining process. Many product design departments now improve the ease with which products are assembled by using design for assembly (DFA) techniques, which seek to ensure ease of assembly by developing designs that are easy to assemble. This chapter discusses the general guidelines for DFA and concurrent engineering rules before examining the various joining processes, namely fusion welding, solid-state welding, brazing, soldering, mechanical fastening, and adhesive bonding. In addition, it provides information on several design considerations related to the joining process and selection of the appropriate process for joining.

This chapter presents a comprehensive coverage of mechanical fastening methods. It begins with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical fastening followed by sections providing information on mechanically fastened joints and the selection of the correct fastener system. The chapter then describes important structural fasteners, namely bolts, screws, pins, collar fasteners, rivets, blind fasteners, machine pins, and spring clip fasteners. The following sections describe the process involved in presses, shrink fits, hole generation, and fastener installation. The chapter ends with information on miscellaneous mechanical fastening methods.

This chapter reviews materials issues encountered in joining, including challenges involved in welding of dissimilar metal combinations; joining of plastics by mechanical fastening, solvent and adhesive bonding, and welding; joining of thermoset and thermoplastic composite materials by mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, and, for thermoplastic composites, welding; the making of glass-to-metal seals; and joining of oxide and nonoxide ceramics to themselves and to metals by solid-state processes and by brazing. The classification, types, applications, and the mechanism of each of these methods are covered. The factors influencing joint integrity and the main considerations in welding dissimilar metal combinations are also discussed.

This chapter discusses the use of mechanical fastening and adhesive bonding, the primary methods for joining polymer matrix composites. It describes and analyzes the basic types of mechanically fastened joints, including single-hole and multirow bolted composite joints. It then reviews the advantages and disadvantages of adhesively bonded joints and compares and contrasts the long-term performance of various joint designs. The chapter also discusses the merits of stepped-lap and bonded-bolted joints.