Autogenous welding is a form of

welding Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as bra ...

in which the filler material is either supplied by melting the base material or is of identical composition. The weld may be formed entirely by melting parts of the base metal, and no additional

filler rod A filler metal is a metal added in the making of a joint through welding, brazing, or soldering. Soldering Soldering and brazing processes rely on a filler metal added to the joint to form the junction between the base metal parts. Soft solderin ...

is used. There is some variation in the use of this term. Those bodies concerned with teaching the craft skill of welding tend to define it as using no filler rod, i.e. the technique is based purely on the base metal. Those concerned with the welded joint's metallurgy may make no distinction between a filler rod and the base metal, provided that the final metallurgy is identical. Most welding processes may be either autogenous or use additional filler. Some are characteristically autogenous and avoid filler. Some

arc welding Arc welding is a welding process that is used to join metal to metal by using electricity to create enough heat to melt metal, and the melted metals, when cool, result in a binding of the metals. It is a type of welding that uses a welding powe ...

processes, including such major process such as manual metal arc (stick) welding and MAGS (wire-feed) welding, cannot be used autogenously, as they rely on the consumption of a filler rod to provide the arc. Some processes are typically autogenous. These include some

gas welding Principle of burn cutting Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, ...

processes such as

lead burning Lead burning is a welding process used to join lead sheet. It is a manual process carried out by gas welding, usually oxy-acetylene. Uses Lead burning is carried out for roofing work in sheet lead, or for the formation of custom-made rainwater ...

(although fillers may optionally be used) and

oxy-acetylene welding Principle of burn cutting Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, ...

in some positions, such as

seam welding Electric resistance welding (ERW) is a welding process where metal parts in contact are permanently joined by heating them with an electric current, melting the metal at the joint. Electric resistance welding is widely used, for example, in manufa ...

the edges of two overlapping sheets.

Resistance welding Electric resistance welding (ERW) is a welding process where metal parts in contact are permanently joined by heating them with an electric current, melting the metal at the joint. Electric resistance welding is widely used, for example, in manufa ...

, both spot welding and

, is inherently autogenous, as there is no convenient way to apply a filler.

Friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of ...

and

laser welding Laser beam welding (LBW) is a welding technique used to join pieces of metal or thermoplastics through the use of a laser. The beam provides a concentrated heat source, allowing for narrow, deep welds and high welding rates. The process is frequen ...

have similar restrictions. Some alloys are prone to changing their composition when heated, particularly a loss of

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

from

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

by its evaporation as vapour. In these cases, an excess of 2–3% extra zinc may be provided in the filler rod to compensate. Silicon may also be used as an additive to reduce this loss. A few materials, such as the

HY-80 HY-80 is a high-tensile, high yield strength, low alloy steel. It was developed for use in naval applications, specifically the development of pressure hulls for the US nuclear submarine program and is still currently used in many naval applicati ...

series of high-strength steels, require a non-autogenous process to control their metallurgy. However, advanced processes, such as hybrid laser arc welding, have been used to achieve the same effect autogenously.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{Cite book , title=The Welding, Brazing and Soldering of Copper and its Alloys , publisher=

Copper Development Association Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-o ...

, location=England , id=CDA Publication Nº47 , origyear=1952 , edition=4th , year=1956 , ref={{harvid, Welding, Brazing and Soldering of Copper and its Alloys, 1952 , page=29 {{Cite journal , last=Roepke, first=C , date=August 2009 , title=Hybrid Laser Arc Welding of HY-80 Steel , url=https://app.aws.org/wj/supplement/wj0809-159.pdf , journal=Supplement to Weld. J. , volume=88 , pages=159–167 Welding