THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF WELDING - MUMBAI
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Courtesy: History of Welding: Years - Pre-1800's History of Welding: Years - 1800 - 1900 History of Welding: Years - 1900 - 1950 History of Welding: Years - 1950 - 2000 History of Welding: Years - 2000 and Beyond Welding Years - Pre-1800īs 3000 BC. The Sumerians, during the Bronze age in Ur (Iraq), made swords which were joined by hard soldering. A gold Goblet, found in the tomb of Queen Pu-abi, was double walled with a braze fillet around the periphery. Also from the tomb of Queen Pu-abi, was a gold bowl with a wire twisted handle that was brazed to the outside wall. The Egyptians heated iron ore in a charcoal fire to reduce it to sponge iron; the particles were then welded together by hammering. This "pressure" welding or "solid-phase" welding was the first recorded. 1475 BC. At the tomb of Vizier Rekh-mi-re at Thebes, a wall painting depicts a brazing operation. 1000 BC. Iron and bronze items found in the excavations near the pyramids in Egypt were found to be forge welded. 1000-500 BC. Four gold sheet metal boxes were found in County Roscommon, Ireland and were assembled by presure welding (hammering) lapped joints. 60 AD. Pliny writes about Gold Brazing and the salts that were concocted for the flux. Descriptions are given describing the color (oxides) of the metal and whether it would braze easy or with difficulty. 310 - 400 AD Iron Pillar of Delhi, India was made of iron billets forge welded by blacksmiths. The pillar measured 23-25 feet high, 12 inches at the top and 16 inches at base and weighed 6 tons.  Similar items found in Rome, Scandinavia and England.  Iron was first only available in small amounts from meters.  Native iron is distinguished from meteor iron by having 6-8 percent nickel in its composition.  Iron is rarely found in its native state. Natural gas was piped from springs and transported to the sea through bamboo poles for use as evaporizing seawater in China. 11th Century A German Monk, Theophilus, also describes in his manuscript, "De Diversis Artibus", a method for mixing together a flux for brazing silver using Potassium Tarpate and Sodium Chloride and flowing an alloy of approximately 66 percent Silver-Copper. 1540 Vannoccio Biringuccio publishes "The Pirotechnia" in Venice, Italy describing bells placed in a forge or furnace prior to mechanical working.  He is quoted in his book "This seems to me an ingenious thing, little used, but of great usefulness". Also in "The Pirotechnica", he writes of other descriptions of the art of welding. For instance at page 137r of his [original] text he writes: e secreto el saldare vna rottura d'una sega, d'una falce, o d'una spada, pigliando vn pocho d'argento basso, borrace, o vetro pesto, el luocho della rottura abbracciando con vn paro di tanaglie bollenti tenendola tanto stretta che la saldatura scorga, ∓ cosi anchora si fredi. Translated: "the secret of welding the fracture of a saw, of a sickle, or of a sword, taking some low silver, borax or crushed glass and embracing the fracture with a pair of hot tongs and closing so tight till the weld leans out and so cools" [Graciously provided by Mauro Cavallini of Italy] 1568 The great Italian goldsmith, Benventuto Cellini, understood the concept of brazing, writing "you must introduce a fresh alloy of silver and copper so as to prevent the solder form of the time before from running". 1599 WELD, v, 1599 Alteration of the well2 - to Boil, Rise influenced by welled; past participle. n, 1831 from the verb 1774 The element Oxygen (O) is discovered. Welding Years - 1800 - 1900 1801 Sir Humphrey Davy (1778-1829) of London England, experimented and demonstrated the arc between two carbon electrodes using a battery. This was the forerunner to electric-arc lighting. 1818 Robert Hare, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania invents the hydrogen blowpipe. 1836 English chemist Edmund Davy (1785-1857), a cousin of Sir Humphrey Davy described the properties of acetylene, but was unable to give correct formula. 1839 Michael Faraday discovers the homopolar device generates voltage. 1846 James Nasmyth, while investigated the proving of ship chain for the British Admiralty, discovered and gave the reason for the convex forge welding "scarf". By preparing the surfaces to be welded with a slightly convex surface the flux and swarf are squeezed out of the joint. Otherwise they are trapped in the joint weakening it. This was the first improvement in the forge welding process in 3000 years. Prior to this time the shape of the joint was randomly flat concave or convex. 1856 James Joule, an Englishman, first experimented with a bundle of wire in charcoal and welded the wires by heating with an electric current. This was the first example of heating by internal resistance to produce a weld. Years later, Elihu Thomson perfected the process into what will then be known a resistance welding. 1860s An Englishman named Wilde successfully used the theories of Volta and Davy and the primitive electric sources of the time to make "Joins" and received a patent for the earliest form of the art now known as "electric welding". 1860 French chemist Berthelot (1827-1907) accurately gave the correct formula to acetylene of C2H2. Also found it to be unstable (1863) under certain pressure and temperature. 1862 A German, Friedrich Wohler (Woehler), produces acetylene gas from calcium carbide. Titusville, Pennsylvania was the site where 4 miles of 2 inch diameter ast pipeline was laid for the transfer of crude oil. 1877-1903 Development of Gas welding and cutting, carbon arc and metal arc welding. Elihu Thomson invents a low-pressure resistance welding machine which was accomplished by causing internal resistance enough to reach the plastic stage of a metal. Later, it was referred to as Incandescent Welding. 1881 Auguste DeMeritens working at an associated laboratory founded by the periodical l'Electricien - Cabot Laboratory (Cabat), France was using arc heat to join lead plates for storage battery. A French Patent Number 146010 was issued. 1885 Nikolai N. Benardos (Bernados) and Stanislav Olszewaski (Olszewaski) secured a British patent with carbon arc welding. Both men were working under the direction of A. DeMeritens with the arc lighting industry at the Cabot Laboratory (Cabat) in France. Carbon was oxidized at the carbon tip and created CO2 at the arc for shielding. Both men had to generate their electricity using a steam-engine (prime-mover) to turn the generator and produce electricity. The alternative was to use batteries which did not last long because of the short-circuiting involved. Patents applied for and received besides Britain: Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and France. 1886 N. N. Benardos obtained Russia Patent (No. 11982) electric arc welding with carbon electrode called ""Elecktrogefest" or "Electrohephaestus".  The methods of cutting and welding metals by the arc was termed "Electrohefest" in memory(?) of Hephaestus, the ancient Greek god of Fire and Blacksmith work. (The Romans renamed Hephaestus to Vulcan.) Benardos receives permission from the Russian Government to organize production in 1885 for "The production of this plant is based on welding and brazing by electricity and also producing devices for electrical illumination" Electric furnace installed for production of aluminum alloys. An important step in early development of the Aluminum industry. 1887 N.N. Benardos and S. Olszewaski secured an American Patent for the welding apparatus. (U.S. Patent No. 363320, May 17.) The blow pipe or torch, using acetylene and liquefied air or oxygen, was developed. An English shop began making tanks, casks, and iron garden furniture with the electric arc process. 1889 The US Commissioner to the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition upon seeing the arc welding process demonstrated wrote in a report "...As the metal is burnt and brittle where it is welded, the process is not a success." 1890 C. L. Coffin in Detroit Michigan awarded first U.S. Patent (No. 419032, Jan 1) for metal electrodes. This was the first record of metal melted from electrode actually carried across arc to deposit filler metal in joint to make weld. One electrode was carbon, the other electrode was filler material. Coffin also described the GTAW beginnings when a weld was made in non-oxidizing atmospheres. A Bank Robber in Great Britain used the newly developed blowtorch to gain access to bank vaults. 1892 Commercially produced acetylene produced from calcium carbide in Spray, NC by Willson and Morehead. Baldwin Locomotive Works was using Carbon Arc Welding (CAW) for locomotive maintenance. The weld joints were hard and brittle because of the carbon flaking off into the weld puddle. 1885-1900 Elihu Thompson of the Thompson Welding Co. invented Resistance Welding (RW). 1895 The combustion of Oxygen and Acetylene (Flame) was discovered by Henri LeChatelier in his home country of France. Lord Reyleigh and Sir William Ramsey discover Argon (Ar). Konrad Roentgen (Bavaria) observed the effects of x-radiation while passing electric current through a vacuum tube. 1895-1905 During a 10 year period in the U.S. and at a rate of one accident per day, boilers were exploding with the loss of life from the accidents at twice that rate. Welding Years - 1900 - 1950 1900 Strohmenger introduced coated metal electrodes in Great Britain. The electrodes had a thin wash coating of lime or clay resulting in a stable arc. Fouche and Picard discovered the oxygen-acetylene flame(?) in France. 1901 Menne invented the Oxygen Lance in Germany. 1902 President Teddy Roosevelt took over the Panama Canal project from the French. 1903 Hans Goldschmidt of Essen, Germany invented Thermit Welding (TW), an exothermic reaction between aluminum powder and a metal oxide.. Used to weld railroad rails together. 1904 Concentrated Acetylene Company invents the portable cylinder for the auto headlights. 1907 Two German welders came to the U.S. and formed Siemund-Wienzell Electric Welding Co. and patented a metal arc welding method. Another German formed company, Enderlein Electric Welding Co. also started up. This was the beginning of the arc welding industry in the U.S. Lincoln Electric Company of Cleveland Ohio began by manufacturing electric motors in 1895. By 1907, Lincoln Electric were manufacturing the first variable voltage DC welding machine. 1907-1914 Oscar Kjellberg (pronounced 'Shellberg') of Sweden and the ESAB (Elektriska Svetsnings-AtkieBolaget) Company invented the covered or coated electrode by dipping bare iron wire in thick mixtures of carbonates and silicates.  The purpose of the coating was to protect the molten metal from oxygen and nitrogen. His pioneering of covered electrode development paved the road during the next twenty years in the research of reliable flux coated electrodes. 1908 Oscar Kjellberg received Patent No. 231733 for the coated welding electrode. 1909 Strohmenger developed the Quasi-arc electrode which was wrapped in asbestos yarn. The keel of the H.M.S. TITANIC was laid on March 31 at Harland and Wolff shipyard. Schonner,a physicist with BASF (Badischen Anilen und SodaFabrik) invents the plasma arc system using a gas vortex stabilized arc. 1911 H.M.S. TITANIC is launched on May 31. First attempt to lay 11 miles of pipeline using oxy-acetylene welding near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. American physicist (Matters) developed a plasma arc toch for heating a metal fusing furnace. 1912 Lincoln Electric Co. introduced the first welding machines after experimentation started in 1907. E. G. Budd Spot Welds (SW) the first automobile body in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Langmuir gives the "plasma" to a gas or gas mixture brought to such a high temperature that all diatomic molecules are dissociated and the atoms partially ionized and where all monotomic gases are fully ionized. Firecracker welding technique, a version of shielded metal arc welding is patented in Germany. 1913 Avery and Fisher develop the acetylene cylinder in Indianapolis, Indiana. 1914 A 34 mile pipeline was laid near Enid, Oklahoma using oxy-aceylene welding for the oil industry. 1917 Because of a gas shortage in England, the use electric arc welding to manufacture bombs, mines, and torpedoes became the primary fabrication method. 1918 Admirality testing of metal-arc welding on Barge Ac 1320 leads Lloyd's Register to permit metal-arc welding in main structures on an experimental basis. 1917-1920 A Dutchman, Anthony Fokker, began using welding in the production of Fuselages in German fighter planes. The repair of sabotaged German ships in New York Harbor highlighted the first important use welding because the German merchant marines tried to destroy the ships boilers on 109 ships. A team of engineers from a railroad company (possibly the Rock Island Line) was tasked to the repair. Later, 500,000 troops were delivered to the European War in France using these repaired ships. The success of the weld repairs catapulted welding to the arena for manufacturing and repair and dashed it sordid past as a controversial operation. 1919 President Woodrow Wilson established The United States Wartime Welding Committee of the Emergency Fleet Corporation under the leadership of Dr. Comfort Avery Adams.  Dr. Comfort Avery Adams, held a meeting on January 3rd to form the "American Welding Society ". The Constitution of this meeting was approved on March 27. C. J. Holslag used Alternating Current (AC) for welding, but was not popular until 1930. 1920s Various welding electrodes were developed: Mild steels electrodes for welding steels of less than 0.20% carbon; Higher carbon and alloy electrodes; and Copper alloy rods. Research found Oxygen and Nitrogen in contact with molten metal caused brittle and porous welds. Alexandre and Langmuir, from General Electric Co., used Hydrogen in chambers to weld. Began with two carbon electrodes and later switched to Tungsten. The automotive industry began using Automatic Welding with a bare wire fed to the workpiece to the production of differential housings. Poughkeepsie Socony (1235 tons), the first all-welded tanker was launched in the USA. 1920 P.O. Nobel of General Electric Company developed automatic welding, using Direct Current (DC) using the arc voltage to regulate feed rate. Primary use was to repair worn motor shafts and crane wheels. The British ship "Fulagar" was constructed by the Cammell-Lairds and launched. In 1924, the ship grounded. A report in the British "Journal of Commerce" (July 17, 1924) reported that she held steadfast and if rivets were used in the construction, the ship would surely have opened up and not be able to get off the bank. After WW I, the Treaty of Versailles limited the Germans from designing and building ships in excess of 10, 000 tons for armored ships and cruisers not to exceed 6,000 tons. Welding was an experimental production option before WW I but the Germans used it to develop the next stage of warships by saving weight whereby the ship could then carry more armament or armor plating in selected areas. 1922 "No longer in the tones of a Walt Whitmanesque muscular America, the skyscraper celebrated the technology that was bringing the world together." The first issue of the "Proceedings of the American Welding Society" was published in January (Vol. 1, No. 1). The name was changed in February, the next month, to "Journal of American Welding Society ". The Praire Pipeline Company weld an 8 inch diameter pipeline 140 miles long to carry crude oil from Mexico to Jacksboro, Texas. The advantage of welding over fittings saved the project 35 percent and the cost of weld, labor and material was \$2.00 per welded joint. 1923 Institute of Welding Engineers was formed and headquartered in New York City. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) was formed by the US Government which was motivated by Thomas Edison's belief that history demonstrates a relationship between technological innovation and national security. 1924 1st all-welded steel buildings constructed in U.S. by General Boiler Co. "to the exclusion of rivets". Resistance, gas and metallic arc welding in the manufacturing of all steel automobile bodies at the E.G. Budd Manufacturing Company. Mechanical flash welder used for joining rails together. 1925 ASME Boiler Code Construction Code Section VIII issued for unfired pressure vessels. AWS Board of Directors approves "Standardization of Hose Connections for Welding, and Cutting Torches and Regulators" AWS held First Welding Show with the National Fall Meeting, 21-23 October, in Boston. A.O. Smith fabricates a single-piece heavy walled pressure vessel entirely by welding and was PUBLICLY tested then placed in an oil cracking service. 1926 H.M. Hobart and P.K. Devers used atmospheres of Helium and Argon for welding with a bare rod inside the atmosphere. Due to the impurities of the inert gases and the corresponding high cost along with a lack of knowledge about current density, commercial applications were not realized at this time. UNA-METHOD -(need info)...? FUSARC - (need info)...? Irving Langmuir, a noted chemist with General Electric Co. developed the Atomic Hydrogen Welding (AHW) Process. Co-authored with R. A. Weinman the paper was "Atomic Hydrogen Arc Welding" Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) employee, P. W. Swain authored a paper "X-ray tests of weld " which was to have an impact with the welding industry much longer than the introduction of Atomic Hydrogen Arc Welding. The technique used a gamma-ray radiation as a shadow method to detect flaws in cast or welded steels. The techniques was used to detect flaws on the US Navy 9000 tonne heavy cruisers. The process was later identified as a Nondestructive test method and contributed to the success of developing improved steel castings for the U.S. Navy. Landstroth and Wunder of A. O. Smith Co. solid extruded heavy coatings for metal-arc welding electrodes. 1927 Lindberg's Ryan monoplane fuselage was manufactured with welded steel alloy tubing. Soviet Union production of Resistance Welding machines at Elektrik Works called the "AT-8" and the "ATN-8: apparatus's for spot-welding and the "AS-1" and the "AS-25-1" for buttwelding. John J. Chyle of A. O. Smith Corp. invented and patented the first extruded, all-position, cellulosic, titanium dioxide later classified as E6010 type welding electrode. 1928 In East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the Turtle Creek, America's First All-Welded Railroad Bridge was erected by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse used the bridge to transport the large generators from facilities to the rest of the country by way of the railways. Weighing in at 20,000 pounds and at 62 foot long, the bridge was manufactured without the use of rivets, a common method of bridge construction of those days. The testing of the bridge was completed by driving a locomotive on the bridge. (Information Courtesy of Mr. LaFave) Code for Fusion Welding and Gas Cutting in Building Construction (predecessor of AWS D1.1) was issued by the American Welding Society. 1929 Lincoln Electric Co. started production of heavy coated electrodes (Fleetweld 5) and sold the electrodes to the public. Sues A.O. Smith and wins. 1st European All-Welded bridge in Lowicza, Poland. Designed in 1927 by Professor Stefana Bryly and spanning the Sludwie River this bridge was still in use as late as 1977, whereby it was being replaced with a newer highway and bridge which is designed for wider traffic. The Polish Government planned to move the bridge 80 meters up stream and establish the bridge as a historical monument. In 1995, AWS President ED Bohnart presented to the Government of Poland, the AWS Historic Welded Structure Award. Welding symbols are established by the American Welding Society 1930 Specifications for welding electrodes were beginning to be written. H. M. Hobart issued Patent Number 1746081, for "Arc Welding" and P. K. Devers was issued Patent Number 1746191 for "Arc Welding" on Feb 4 for using a concentric nozzle with a wire feed. This became known later as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). Work was based on various atmospheres in 1926. Germany started development work to find a suitable substitute for their dwindling supply of critical alloys. Experiments in the U.S. and Germany found that Thermoplastics when heated could be pressed together and obtain a permanent bond. In 1938 this principle was incorporated into "Hot Gas" welding technique. Thermoplastic rod and sheet were heated simultaneously by a stream of hot air while the rod was pressed into the sheet causing a bond. World War II forced Germany to further develop and use welded Thermoplastic as a corrosion resistant structural material. Stud Welding (SW) was developed by the New York Navy Yard to fasten wood to steel. 1st all-welded merchant ship was built in Charleston, South Carolina. 1931 E. G. Budd Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia spot welded stainless steel (18-8) and built the Privateer. The spot-welding was a process called "shotwelding" a proprietary process developed by E.G. Budd. Combustion Engineering shipped the first commercial land boiler fabricated by ASME welding code to Fisher Body Div. of General Motors Corporation. 1932 Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) developed by National Tube Co. in McKeesport, PA by Robinoff. Later sold rights to Linde Air Products and renamed UNION-MELT. Used in late 30s and early 40s in shipyards and ordnance factories. British Corporation Register and Lloyd's introduce revised rules and approvals for the use of welding on ships. 1933 Lincoln Electric Co. published 1st edition of "Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding Design and Fabrication" with the purpose to have its customers use arc welding efficiently. As a full service company, this provided the customers a knowledge of welding education and training. English Antiquarian, H. A. P. Littledale patents the "Littledale Process (British Patent No. 415,181)", following the same approach that Pliny and Theophilus wrote about from the past two millenniums. Mixing copper salts with seccotine glue ultimately would produce the following reaction {CuO+C -> Cu + CO} which is where brazing would theoretically be reached. The temperature the reaction takes place: 850C. 1934 1st All-welded Excavator - HARNISCHFAGER Corp. 1st All-welded British bridge - Middlesborough, England Lloyd's Rules for pressure vessels permits inspection using X-Ray technology. In Scotland, welding was beginning to be recognized as a separate crafts trade and the Trade Unions were opposed to this recognition. The General Secretary of the Boilermaker's Union argued that it was unfair to condemn any young man to a lifetime of welding. (Scotland). The Shipbuilding Employers insisted on the separate recognition. Westinghouse introduces the "Ignitron" which would become the basis for resistance welding timing controllers. 1935 Granulated flux developed in 1932 and a continuous bare wire feed became known as "Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)" and saw major applications in shipbuilding and pipe fabrication (see 1932 for a different account). Solid extruded electrodes are introduce in Britain and subsequently the first British welding electrode standard written. Welding has "Arrived" when London, England hosts 900 attendees at the "Great Symposium" on the "Welding of Iron and Steel" Solar Aircraft Company of San Diego California develops a flux to combat welding problems with stainless steel manifolds for the U.S. Navy and was regarded as a closely-guarded military secret.  Where flux is applied to the front of the weld, this was placed on the backside of weld, protecting from oxide formation. Later, the product was developed further to accommodate the Heliarc process. 1936 1st All-welded Box Girder Crane by HARNISCHFAGER Corp., Milwaukee WI. 1st All-welded Gear were fabricated by HARNISCHFAGER Corp. Milwaukee WI. First Specification for Design, Construction, Alteration and Repair of Highway and Railway Bridges by Fusion Welding was issued by the American Welding Society. Tentative Rules for the Qualification of Welding Processes and Testing of Welding Operators was submitted by AWS. The Soviet Union at the Electrik Works started using the electronic control gears as the first valve timer with a thyristor contactor (RVE-1) for resistance welding. 1937 BS 538: Metal arc welding in mild steel, was issued, legitimizing arc welding structural applications. 1938 The Welding Handbook, first Edition was printed and edited by William Sparagen and D. S. Jacobus. Pressure vessel industry began implementing the high production value of Automatic Welding. The German Shipbuilding Industry uses welding extensively to reduce the weight of warships and increase the overall size of the ship.  This restriction was put in place after World War I. K. K. Madsen of Denmark describes Gravity Welding as a specialized electrode holder and the mechanism which will maintain a covered electrode in contact with the workpiece. 1939 Aluminum Spot Welding saw application in the Aviation Industry. Air Arc Gouging is developed (USA). Stud Welding (Nelson Stud Welding Co.) used by the US Navy to reduce time installing studs during fabrication of ships and aircraft carriers. 1930-1940s Atomic hydrogen arc welding process developed. Found that hydrogen was liberated releasing heat, which was 1/2 of the BTU of acetylene. Used primarily for tools steels. Development included an automatic version of the process. 1940s Canadian Welding Society (CWS) formed. Exchequer, first all-welded ship built at Ingalls Shipyard in Mississippi. J. Dearden and H. O'Neill (UK) discuss "Weldability" in terms of carbon equivalencies. Sun Shipbuilding Company builds the world's largest ocean-going tanker, I. Van Dyck (11650 DWT). This was the first large scale use of automatic welding applied in shipyard work. 1941 PLUTO - PipeLine Under The Ocean was created using the Flash Weld (FW) process for 1000 miles of 3 inch diameter pipe, to assist in the invasion of Normandy Beach, France. Once in place, the pipeline began pumping 1 million gallons of petrol per day directly to depots deep in the French country side. Friction Surfacing. H. Klopstock and A. R. Neelands "An Improved Method of Joining and Welding Metals" British Patent 572789, October 1941. 1942 Chief of Research, V. H. Pavlecka, and engineer Russ Meredith of Northrup Aircraft Inc. designed the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process to weld magnesium and stainless steel. Alternate names are TIG (tungsten inert gas) and Argonarc and Heliarc. Heliarc is the term originally applied to the GTAW process. (Patent Number 2274631, 24 February 1942). US Patent 2269369, Jan 6, 1942 issued to George Hafergut for Firecracker Welding. Traveling 285 miles north of Edmonton Canada and barging 1100 miles north to the Norman Well refinery a base camp was setup to build the Canadian Oil (CANOL) project. Working for 20 months, 1800 miles of pipeline was laid along with 2000 miles of road. The last weld was laid on 1 February 1944. On 1 April 1945 the wells were shut down. Second Edition of the Welding Handbook was printed and issued. G.L. Hopkins of Woolrich Arsenal defines the problem of cracking in alloy steels and hydrogen in welding electrodes. 1943 Union-Melt is now commonly referred to as Submerged Arc Welding (SAW). The process used rods rather than wire filler metal and could weld work pieces up to 2 -1/2 inches thick. Sciaky (USA) markets the three-phase resistance welder. 1944 1st Low-hydrogen electrodes used in fabrication of alloy armor tanks vehicles by the Heil Corp in response to the chrome and nickel shortages from World War II for the U.S. Army. The Bureau of Navy Aeronautics designed and E. G. Budd Mfg. built the "Conestoga", a stainless steel aircraft. Despite the success of the aircraft, aluminum and rivets became the influencing factor in aircraft design. 1946 General Electric Co. Ltd (UK) invents the Cold Pressure Welding Process. High Frequency (HF) stabilized AC tungsten-arc welding is used for aluminum alloys. 1947 The Final Report of a Board of Investigation, ordered by the Secretary of the Navy, "To Inquire Into The Design and Methods of Construction of Welded Steel Merchant Vessels, 15 July 1946" was issued. Canadian Welding Bureau was created as a division of the Canadian Standards Association The Austrian Welding Society is formed and publishes a monthly magazine "Scheisstechnik"    1948 The Ohio State University Board of Trustees established the Department of Welding Engineering on January 1 as the first of its kind for a Welding Engineering cirriculum at a University.  OSU pioneered the Welding Engineering through an emphasis in the Industrial Engineering Department the previous nine years.  The advantages of this engineering degree is 1) Enable satisfactory administration of problems relating to education and research in the welding field. 2) Recognition is given to the Welding Engineer as an entity among applied sciences. 3) A degree is authorized which is descriptive of a particular discipline imposed in training for professional work in the field. Air Reduction Company develops the Inert-Gas Metal-Arc (MIG) process. SIGMA Welding (Shielded Inert Gas Metal Arc) was developed to weld plate greater than1/8 inch instead of the "Heli-Arc" welding process. The arc is maintained in a shield of argon gas between the filler metal electrode and the workpiece. No flux is used. Licensed by Linde Air Products Co. 1949 American Westinghouse introduces and markets welding machines using Selenium Rectifiers. US Navy uses inert-gas metal arc welding for aluminum hulls of 100 feet in length. 1950 The Kurpflaz Bridge in Germany was built as the first welded orthotropic deck. Welding Years - 1950 - 2000 1950 Electroslag Welding (ESW) is developed at the E. O. Paton Welding Institute, Ukraine USSR. Third Edition of the Welding Handbook was issued by AWS. Flash Butt Welding is the standard for welding rail line construction. 1951 Russia use Electroslag Welding (ESW) process in production. 1950s Electron Beam (EB) welding process developed in France by J. A. Stohr of the French Atomic Energy Commission. First Public disclosure was 1957. 1951 The Philip Roden Co. of Milwaukee Wisconsin announces the DryRod electrode oven. This oven is intended to provide a controlled moisture environment of 0.2% moisture standard set forth by the government. This oven provides adjustable temperature control of 200-550 F, vented and holding 350 pounds of electrodes. 1953 Modifying the Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process, Lyubavskii and Novoshilov used CO2 with consumable electrodes. Resulted in hotter arc, uses higher current, and larger diameter electrodes. The Ohio State University established a "Welding Engineering College" curriculum out of the Industrial Engineering Department. 1954 Bernard develops DualShield (Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW))- Shielding comes from Gas shielding outer and with gas generated from the arc welding. Lincoln Electric introduces a cored wire without the outer shielding gas (No-gas welding) but the shielding is provided by the flux within the core wire. Lincoln Electric refuses to participate with the Gas Welding industry 1956 Russia invents the friction welding process, a solid-state joining method. 1957 Flux Cored-Arc Welding (FCAW) patented and reintroduced by National Cylinder Gas Co. Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) Process developed by Robert M. Gage Russia, Britain, and USA independently develop a short-circuiting transfer for low-current low-voltage welding in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. 1958 The Soviet Union introduced the Electroslag Welding (ESW) Process at the Brussels World Fair in Belgium. This welding process had been used since 1951 in the USSR which was based on the concept and work of an American, R. K. Hopkins. Perfected at the Paton Institute Laboratory in Kiev, Ukraine, USSR and the Welding Research Laboratory in Braitislava, Czechoslovakia. 1959 Electroslag welding process was first used at the Electromotive Division of General Motors in Chicago and was called the "Electro-Molding Process". Development of Inside-Outside Electrode which did not require an external gas shielding - Innershield from Lincoln Electric Co. 1958-1959 Short Arc (Micro-wire Short Arc) developed from refined power supplies and smaller diameter wires. 1960s Pulsed Arc Welding...(more to follow) Space Program is underway...(more to follow) 1960 First laser beam produced using a ruby crystal for the Light Amplification Stimulated Emission Radiation (LASER). Explosive welding is developed in USA. Hughes Aircraft Company (Mainar) develops the first ruby laser (springtime). Bell Telephone Laboratories (Ali Javan) developed and presented the first gas laser using neon and helium (fall time) 1962 The Mercury Space Capsule is formed using inner and outer titanium shell, seam welded together using a three-phase resistance welder by Sciaky. 1963 U.S.S. Thresher sinks off the coast of New Hampshire and by December, the U.S. Navy charters the Submarine Safety Program (SUBSAFE) to control the fabrication, inspection and quality control of submarine construction. The presumed failure was with a silver-brazed piping joint, but after the investigation, the whole welding and brazing program was suspect. Included was the material properties of the welding and brazing filler metals. Weld testing now has a in-situ method for testing the weldability of welds. The Varestraint Test, involving a device that permits the evaluation of base metal weldability and determination of the influence of a particular welding process and associated welding variables. 1965-1967 CO2 lasers are developed for cutting and welding. 1967 H. J. Clarke makes the following Predictions during the AWS Plummer Lecture in Houston as he ties the current state of technology of welding to the future of progress: World's Population would be greater than 5 Billion. Large scale farming of the ocean and fabrication of synthetic protein. Controlled thermonuclear power as a source of energy. General immunization against bacteria and virile infections, perfected and available. Primitive forms of life will created in the lab. Automation will have advance for performance of menial chores and complicated functions. Housewives would be ordering groceries and everyday items from central stores linked to the home electronically. (!!!) Children will be receiving education at home - "either by television or with personal teaching machines and programmed instructions" Moon - mining and manufacture of propellant and on Mars, permanent unmanned research stations. Weather manipulation by the military. Effective anti-ballistic missile defense in the form of air-launched missiles and directed energy beams. Libraries will be "computer-run" Gravity welding is introduced in Britain after its initial discovery by Japan. 1969 The Russian Welding Program in Space began by producing Electron Beam welds on SOYUZ-6. Welding an AMG6 and DM-20 aluminum alloys with the Vulkan process. Sponsored by the E. O. Paton Welding Institute Academy of Science. 1970 BP discovers oil off the coast of Scotland. 1971 British Welding Institute (Houldcroft) adds oxidizing gas jet around laser beam to develop laser cutting. 1973 The American Astronauts used Electron Beam welding process in June 1973 welding Aluminum Alloy 2219-T87, Stainless 304 and Pure Tantalum. Two Supertankers, Globtik Tokyo and Globtik London (476025 DWT) were built for carrying 153 million gallons (3 million barrels) of crude oil. 1976 First automotive production application of lasers weld begins with General Motors Corporation, Dayton Ohio using two 1.25 kW CO2 lasers. for welding valve assemblies for emission control sysytems. 1977 The US Federal Highway Administration issues a moratorium of Electroslag Welding (ESW) when cracks are discovered during an inspection of a bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on an interstate highway. Failure analysis was conducted by Lehigh University on Interstate 79. 1980 The Fort McHenry tunnel contract, for 750 Million Dollars, is awarded to begin construction, completing Intestate 95 through Baltimore, Maryland. This is the largest tunnel of its kind, 180 feet at the bottom with two separate four lane immersed tunnels removing 3.5 million cubic yards of dredge. 1983 Homopolar pulse welding variation of the upset welding process research begins at the University of Texas at Austen at the Center for Electromechanics. 1991 TWI of Cambridge England develops the Friction Stir Weld (FSW) process in its laboratory. This process differs from conventional rotary technology whereby a hard, non consumable, cylindrical tool causes friction, plasticizing two metals into a Solid-State Bond. No shielding gas or filler metal is required. Metals joined successfully include, the 2XXX, 6XXX and 7XXX series aluminum. NASA is the first US venture which welded the massive fuel tank for the Space Shuttle. 1999 The Edison Welding Institute develops a solution to obtaining deeper mpenetration of a GTA weld by introduing FLUX onto the surface of the weld. This FLUX helps drive the welding arc heat deeper into the weld joint and permits 300 percent more penetration. Welding Years - 2000 and Beyond 2000 Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) is introduced by Pulsar Ltd. of Israel using capacitive power as a solid state welding process. Discharging 2 Million amps in less than 100 microseconds this process can create a metallurgical, a non-metallurgical or a mechanical lock, depending on the substrate involved. No heat affected zone (HAZ) is created since only a rise of 30oC occurs. 2001 AWS D17.1, "Specification for Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications" is published in March.  The efforts of approximately 50 individuals from a cross-section of the Aviation Industry and government produces the first commercial avaition welding specification. About the IIW / Mumbai Branch / Other Branches / Coming Events / Technical Lectures Mumbai Weldnet / Trends in welding / Related Websites / IIW Forum / Feedback / Home