Unit 4035 Welding Technology (D/651/0763) Assignment Brief 2026

Unit 4035 Welding Technology Assignment Brief

Introduction

Many of the things we take for granted, such as motor vehicles, buildings and bridges, rely on welded joints to hold them together. The in-service performance of a welded joint depends on many factors including the selected welding process, the materials being joined, the skill of the operator and the subsequent service conditions of the welded joint and the host component.
This unit introduces students to a range of manual and automated welding processes, equipment and applications that form part of the manufacturing process of joining by welding. The importance of the underpinning metallurgical properties of the weld materials, the effect of heat and weld induced stress and the importance of correct weld design and implementation will also be covered.

On the successful completion of this unit the student will be able to describe common welding processes and demonstrate how the metallurgical properties of the weld materials, the correct weld design and implementation affect the performance of the weld during and post, welding operations.

Note: Welding and welding inspection are primarily practical tasks. This unit, together with Unit 4036: Welding Inspection, has been designed to support practical training in welding and welding inspection with the appropriate and necessary theory. It is anticipated that a student studying this unit will have prior experience of welding at Level 3.

Learning Outcomes

LO1 Describe the fundamental principles of welding processes and equipment

LO2 Demonstrate how the metallurgical properties of weld materials effect the performance of welded joints

LO3 Show how weld construction and design can influence the behaviour of welded structures under different types of loading

LO4 Demonstrate how weld stresses can affect a weld construction, their causes, avoidance and control measures.

Essential Content

LO1 Describe the fundamental principles of welding processes and equipment

Oxy-gas welding and related processes:

• Fundamentals of oxy-gas combustion
• Characteristics of different fuel gases.

Fundamentals of an electric arc:

• Characteristics; limitations and applications
• Power sources for arc welding, difference performance of AC/DC sources, importance of polarity
• Shielded arc welding; purpose of gas shield, types of gas used, control of shield gas and post weld operations. Effect of shielding gas on the post-weld properties of the weld joint.

Fundamentals; equipment, applications and procedures for welding processes:

• Tungsten-inert gas (TIG) welding
• Metal Inert Gas (MIG)/Metal Active Gas (MAG) and Flux Cored welding
• Manual Metal arc welding
• Submerged-arc welding
• Resistance welding.

Other welding and associated processes:

• Plasma, electron beam, Laser, electro-slag, friction, magnetic pulse welding, ultrasonic, high-frequency, stud and others
• Cutting and other edge preparation processes
• Automated/fully mechanised processes and robotics.

LO2 Demonstrate how the metallurgical properties of weld materials effect the performance of welded joints

Requirements for testing materials and welded joints:

• Quality control, regulations governing welded structures, UK, European and International. Methods of examination of welding joints, applications and differences between macro and micro-structural composition and examination.

Structure of the welded joint:

• Formation and properties of the different metallurgical structures within a weld, variation with process, temperature and material. Definition and importance of the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). Need for multi-pass joints and possible problems compared to single pass welded joints.

Metallurgical effects induced by welding in:

• Carbon and Carbon-Manganese steels.
• High-alloyed (stainless) steels
• Cast irons and cast steels
• Nickel and Nickel alloys
• Aluminium and aluminium alloys.

Cracking mechanisms in welded joints:

• Short and long-term effects, causes and avoidance measures, monitoring to prevent poor welds.

Principles of joining dissimilar materials:

• Requirement for welding dissimilar materials, precautions and safeguards, processes and testing.

LO3 Show how weld construction and design can influence the behaviour of welded structures under different types of loading

Influences affecting welded joint design:

• Material being welded, plate or sheet thickness, wall thickness of welded pipes, accessibility, loading, welding process, rate of heat input and total heat input, welding position.

Relationship between external loads on structures, internal forces and the stresses induced by welds:

• Strength of welded joint and weld area, loads across discontinuous surfaces, surface finish. Effect of in-service, post-weld, operational temperatures and pressures (internal and external).

Behaviour of welded structures under dynamic and static loading:

• Design of welded pressure equipment for different applications (corrosive content, medical, aerospace and nuclear). Design of aluminium alloy structures under varying loads and in differing environments. Use of protective coatings.

LO4 Demonstrate how weld stresses can affect a weld construction, their causes, avoidance and control measures.

Contraction and distortion due to weld induced stress in joints and structures:

• Control Measure and procedures to minimise distortion and stress, effects of induced stresses on the behaviour of a structure in service. Causes and relief of post-weld residual stresses. Consideration of all process variables, previously described on LO2 on weld induced stress, including: Formation and properties of the different metallurgical structures within a weld, variation with process, temperature and material. Importance of the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). Problems caused by use of multi-pass joints.

Plant facilities, welding jigs and fixtures:

• Workshop layout for improved productivity, safety and comfort
• Advantages of using fixtures, jigs and positioners, auxiliary equipment, fume extraction, heat treatment and temperature control equipment
• Facilities for handling and storing welding consumables.

Health and safety hazards associated with welding and fabrication processes:

• Risk factors associated with welding from electricity, gases, fumes, fire, radiation and noise.

Health and safety regulations:

• National, European and international regulations and codes of practice.
• Safe working procedures to ensure the requirements are met, operator skills updating and testing.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Recommended Resources

Note: See HN Global for guidance on additional resources.

Print Resources

Currant H. (Editor) (2023) Welding: Advanced Principles and Applications (Hardback). Larsen and Keller Education.

Messler R. W. (2015) Principles of Welding: Processes, Physics, Chemistry, and Metallurgy. Wiley.

Sinclair C. (2023) Welding for Beginners in Fabrication: The Must-Read Complete Guide (Paperback). Caleb Sinclair

Sind K. (2021) Welding Metallurgy. 3rd Ed. Wiley.

Timings, R (2017) Fabrication and Welding Engineering. Taylor & Francis Ltd

Links

This unit links to the following related units:

Unit 4003: Engineering Science

Unit 4007: Machining and Processing of Engineering Materials

Unit 4009: Materials, Properties and Testing

Unit 4014: Production Engineering for Manufacture

Unit 4036: Welding Inspection

Unit 4068: Industrial Robots.

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