ABSTRACT
The design of a successful welded product requires a greater understanding of the fabrication process by the designer than is required for most other manufacturing processes. The reasons for this are that the act of welding fuses the two parts irrevocably, and changes the metallurgical structure of the material local to the joint in a way which can render its performance inferior to the parent metal in a number of ways. In addition, the configuration and distribution of the welded joins within the product can affect the manner in which the welding can be done and has implications in terms of distortion. The selection of materials for the welded products requires an attention to the means of welding them so that the material and the joining process are compatible.
