Metals: Joining, Casting & Heat Treatment Process
Design & Technology: AQA GCSE, topic 4.8.4
Joining, Casting, and Heat Treatment Processes
Joining, casting and heat treatment are a few processes used in metal.
Joining
- Joining processes are used to connect metal components together.
Joining processes
- Common joining processes:
- Welding - melting and fusing metal pieces together using heat.
- Soldering - joining metal pieces using a lower melting point filler metal.
- Adhesive bonding - using adhesives or glue to bond metal components together.
- Brazing - joining metal components by melting a filler metal with a lower melting point.
Casting
- Casting processes involve pouring molten metal into a mould and allowing it to solidify.
- Casting is used to create a desired shape.
Casting processes
- Common casting processes include:
- Sand casting - using a mould made of sand to create complex metal shapes.
- Die casting - pouring molten metal into a reusable mould under high pressure.
- Investment casting - creating detailed metal parts by using wax patterns and ceramic moulds.
Heat treatment
- Heat treatment processes are used to alter the physical and mechanical properties of metal materials.
Heat treatment processes
- Common heat treatment processes include:
- Annealing - heating metal to a specific temperature and then cooling it to soften or relieve internal stresses.
- Quenching - rapidly cooling metal from a high temperature to increase its hardness or strength.
- Tempering - reheating quenched metal to a specific temperature and then cooling it to improve its toughness.
Test yourself on Metals: Joining, Casting & Heat Treatment Process
What are the most common casting processes?
What process is used to connect metal components together?