With the long-term operation of certain materials, their natural aging occurs, caused by exposure to the environment. It is almost impossible to prevent this process, but it is always necessary to deal with such aging. For example, if a water pipe or sewer pipe caused a slight leak due to wear, it is not at all necessary to change its entire section to a new one. You can simply use the available means of sealing and connection. Cold welding in this situation fits perfectly, even in cases where the leak can be quite significant. But before using this material, you need to learn more about its structure and scope.
So, cold welding consists of several components. There may be plenty of options, since each manufacturer of this material seeks to stand out with something among its competitors. But most often, the basis of cold welding is laid on a composite material with increased adhesion and excellent bonding properties. We are talking about epoxy resin, which, after hardening during the reaction with the hardener, effectively binds the processed materials. Also, the composition of welding includes reinforcing additives to fix the position of the surfaces to be joined and plasticizers, since the epoxy itself is fragile and may not withstand certain loads.
In addition, even in its composition there may be various additives for special conditions of use, for example, under water or at elevated temperatures. Now we will consider using a specific type of welding using a specific example . Let's go back to our pipe, which caused a slight leak. Cold welding is sold in small pieces in the form of pencils with a case - this is the most common packaging material, but there may be other modifications. We take out this pencil, break off on the eye exactly the amount of material that is necessary to fill the gap in the pipe. Next, knead it in your hands until a homogeneous mass with the same color scheme is formed. The remaining pencil is put back into the case until the next time.
If you have kneaded a certain piece of the mixture in your hands, then you will need to use it, because after a while it will harden. So, with a homogeneous mass, glue the cracks in such a way as to cover the entire flow area. Of course, water should not flow during this process, so it must be shut off in advance. Then we wait a few minutes (usually 10-15 minutes at room temperature) - and you can serve water. If everything is done correctly, then cold welding of metals will provide a reliable and durable connection, and your leak should be eliminated. If the leak remains, then we repeat the whole process from the beginning, only now it is necessary to close up those places where traces of moisture will be visible.
From the above process, we can conclude that cold welding has been actively used in everyday life and in production (after all, small leaks are not only in the apartment). Of course, it is not practical to use this welding method on an industrial scale, because it is not electric arc, spot or pulsed welding and friction welding. This is just an opportunity to quickly and relatively high-quality make minor repairs that will not hit you in the pocket because of the cheapness of this material. Naturally, if water gushes from all the cracks, more serious measures need to be taken. By the way, this method has been actively used by motorists who damaged the radiator on the way or thawed the engine. Using this type of welding, you can quickly and easily fix the gap to get to the service station.