Welding is a process of joining various pieces of metal together to create functional pieces of art through the application of heat. Using both heat and pressure allows pieces of artwork to become functional. Welding has been traced back as far as the 4000 B.C.
Video credits to Mango Design. It’s a graphical interpretation of welding’s history throughout the ages.
Known Welding Developments in B.C.
Developments in 4000 B.C.
4000 B.C. is said to be the point where welding history began. Civilizations were said to have gradually progressed from copper to iron.
Developments in 3500 B.C.
Tin was discovered in 3500 B.C.
Developments in 3000 B.C.
In 3000 B.C. a few things were said to have occured. First, the Sumerians created swords using a process called hard soldering. Next, the Egyptians used heat generated by charcoal to make sponge iron from iron ore. This resulted from produced particles being hammered together (this was the first instance of pressure welding). There was also a golden goblet discovered in the tomb of Queen Pu-abi that had a braze fillet on it’s outside.
Developments in 2250 B.C.
In the year 2250 B.C. persians used cobalt to color their glass.
Developments in 1500 B.C.
In 1500 B.C. Mercury was dicovered and there were instances iron smelting.
Developments in 1475 B.C.
There was a painting of brazing discovered in the tomb of Vizier Rekh-mi-re.
Developments in 1330 B.C.
In the year 1330 B.C. egyptians were said to have used blow pipes and solder to metal solder.
Developments in 1000 B.C.
Iron work was also said to have started in 1000 B.C. and was used to produce spearheads and swords. There were also gold boxes found in Ireland that were created using some form of pressure welding.
Developments in 900 to 850 B.C.
Egyptians began to use iron for their tool making in this period. The metal was growing in popularity because of how similar it was to copper and bronze.
Developments in 589 B.C.
During the Sui dynasty the chinese were said to have developed the knowledge to make steel from wrought iron.
Welding In The Middle Ages (401 A.D. – 1401 A.D.)
The majority of the artifacts that we have from that time were golden welded boxes. The majority of their tools from that time were also made with the welding process – a process that their blacksmiths had seemingly mastered. The majority of their welded tools were put into place using the process of hammering them into fashion – a process that hadn’t completely changed since then.
Important points in welding in this era
- A manuscript dating back to this period and written by a monk named Theophilus describes mixing flux for silver brazing. In this manuscript Theophilus states that he uses both Potassium Tarpate and Sodium Chloride.
- Metal Zinc was also discovered during this period
Welding in the 16th – 17th Centuries
- In the year 1540 De la pirotechnia was released which detailed descriptions of forging operations.
- In the year 1568 applying brazing to a copper/silver alloy using a soldering process was written about by Benventuto Cellini.
- The word weld was used for the first time in 1599.
Welding In the 1800s (with some points from the 1700s)
In the beginning of the 1800’s, several breakthroughs were made in the area of welding. Many welders decided to begin using open flames since it allowed the welders to make more detailed equipment. The discovery of acetylene was done in the year 1836 and was soon utilized by the welding industry as a whole. In the same century a man who goes by the name of Sir Humphry Davy made a tool which produces an arc in between two carbon electrodes.
Another breakthrough in the history of welding was when a man who goes by the name of Auguste De Meritens managed to fuse lead plates together using an arc. Another breakthrough that occurred was when scientist Nikolay Bernardos managed to develop a holder for the electrodes on welding machines.
One of the most popular forms of welding in the 1800’s was carbon arc welding. In that same period C.L. Coffin managed to get a patent for metal electrode arc welding.
Other important points in welding in the 1800s
- In the year 1735, there was evidence that pre-columbians used platinum in ecuador.
- In 1751, there was evidence that nickel was created by Axel F. Constandt using German Ore.
- In 1766, hydrogen gas properties were desicrbed by the english chemist and physicist Henry Cavendish.
- In 1744, Oxygen was discovered.
- In 1776, the principles of oxygen cutting were established by Lavoisier.
- Sir Humphrey Davey invented the electric arc in the year 1800. It was created by using 2 carbon electrodes powered by a battery.
- Aluminum’s existence was discovered by Friederich Wohler in 1827.
- In 1828, sponge platinum was welded together using cold-pressing.
- In 1836, Acetylene was discovered by Edmund Davy.
- In 1838, Eugene Desbassayrs issued a patent for fusion welding
- In 1839, the discovery of voltage generation was done by Michael Faraday.
- In 1841, Air Hydrogen blowppe was developed by German H. Rossier.
- In 1846, James Nasmyth discoevered that the strength of the joint in fusion welding can be improved by prepping the welding surface using a slightly convex surface.
- In 1850, electric generating devices were invented and developed.
- In 1856, used an electric current and internal resistance to create heat and weld wires.
- In 1860, electric welding was developed by Wilde.
- In 1862, Friederich used calcium carbide to make acetylene gas.
- In 1876, a gasoline powered torch was developed by Otto Bernz Company.
- In 1881, Auguste de Meritens had the first documented instance of fusion welding.
- In 1882, bare metal electrode welding was recognized.
- S. Olszewski and N. Bernados recieved a patent for carbon arc welding in 1888.
- In 1890, a bank vault was broken into uing a torch.
- In 1895, Henri LeChetelier discovered the combustion of Oxygen and Acetylene.
- In 1897, Kleinshmidt introduced using copper electrodes.
Welding In The 1900s
The first coated metal electrode was introduced in the year 1900 by a man named Strohmenger. Having an electrode first coated in lime helped it produce a more stable arc. In addition to the coated electrode many other welding processes came into being in the 1900s. Of these processes, the most memorable were seam welding, spot welding, projection welding, and flash butt welding.
AWS came into being at the end of WW1 with the aim of continuing advancement of welding processes. The Alternating Current was also invented in the same time but wasn’t commercialized until the 1930’s.
The first concept of automatic welding came into being came about in the year 1920. Automatic Welding used both arc voltage and electrode wires. Typically, repairing and molding metals was done with the use of automatic welding.
Surprisingly in the 1930s NY Navy Yard first developed stud welding. It was typically used for construction and shipbuilding.The idea of smothered arc welding was also first developed in the year 1930 by the National Tube Company. Eventually submerged arc welding came to replace the process of stud welding.
In the year 1941 a method welding for the aluminum and magnesium materials was developed by Meredith. The process was soon titled Heliarc Welding. In addition to Heliarc welding the popular GTAW method of welding was also developed in the 1940s.
Surprisingly by the 1950s came the CO2 welding process became a popular choice for welding steels due to it being so economical. Welding thin metals was also made incredibly convenient due to the introduction of smaller diameter electrode wires.
Several methods of welding were introduced in the welding industry in the 1960’s. For example, Dualshield welding, Electroslag, and Innershield welding are some of the more notable processes. In addition to those already mentioned, Plasma Arc welding was also introduced in the 1960s for metal spraying. Electron Beam Welding was also introduced by the French, a process that is still put to use by the U.S. for aircraft.
Important points in welding in this era
- In the year 1900 the first oxyacetylene torch was developed by Charles Picard and Foresche.
- In that same year a coated metal electrode was developed by A.P. Strogmenger
- In the year 1901 the Oxygen Lance was invented by Ernst Menne
- In the year 1903 Thermite Welding was invented.
- In that same year the first machine for resistance butt welding is introduced.
- In the year 1906 the first resistance spot welding machines were introduced.
- In that same year the LaGrange-Hobo welding method was introduced.
- In 1907 Oscar Kjellberg recieved a patent for Shielded metal arc welding.
- In that same year, Lincoln Electric manufactured the first variable voltage DC welding machine.
- In 1908 Bernardos patented the electroslag welding process.
- In 1909 the plasma arc system was invented using by Schonner.
- In that same year the Quasi-arc electrode was invented.
- In 1910 a patent was issued to Charles Hyde for brazing steel tubes
- In 1911 the first pipeline was created using oxyacetylene welding.
- In 1912 Kjellberg recieved a patent for an electrode with an even heavier coating of asbestos as well as a binder made of sodium silicate.
- In that same year the following things happened:
- Lincoln Electric introduced the first commercial welding machines
- E.G. used spot welding to weld the first auto body
- A.P. Strohmenger introduced the first coated metal electrodes which were made from clay and lime.
- In 1919 Alternating Current Welding was invented by C.J. Holslag.
- In the 1920s a few things happened. The most important was:
- Automatic welding was introduced.
- In the year 1923, the Institute of Welding Engineers was founded
- In the year 1924 U.S. Boiler made the first all-welded buildings.
- In the year 1926 P.K. Devers and H.M. Devers first tested welding using helium and argon shielding gasses.
- In 1927 John J. Chyle patented the E6010 electrode.
- In the year 1928 the first welded railroad bridges were created by Westinghouse.
- In 1929 Lincoln Electric produced the Fleetwood 5 heavy coated electrode.
- Welding symbols were also created at this time by the AWS.
- In the year 1930 a few things happened including:
- Hobart recieved a patent for Gas Metal Arc Welding
- The National Tube Company developed Submerged Arc Welding
- Devers and Hobart recieved a patent for using an electric arc within an inert gas atmosphere.
- In the year 1934, Westinghouse developed a timing controller for resistance welding.
- In the year 1935, Submerged Arc Welding is introduced.
- In the year 1936, the first A.C. welding machine is introduced.
- In the year 1937, the use of welding is confirmed in structural steel buildings.
- In 1938, Gravity Welding is introduced by K.K. Madsen.
- In the year 1939, Aluminum spot welding is recognized for having uses in aviation.
- In the years 1949 and 1941 a few things happened, including:
- TIG welding was perfected
- Stainles steel, magnesium, and aluminum finds uses in the army
- The Canadian Welding Association was formed
- The first mass soldering process, Dip soldering, was created
- Firecracker welding was patented in the year 1942
- In the year 1943, C.B. Voldrich, P.J. Rieppel, and Howard B. Cary invented MIG (Gas Metal Arc Welding).
- In the year 1945, an experimental hand-held MIG gun was developed.
- The first Department of Welding Engineering was established in 1948 at Ohio State University.
- MIG welding was developed during this same period by Air Reduction Company.
- In the year 1949, Westinghouse introduced Selenium Rectifier welding machines.
- In the 1950s a few things happened:
- Shielded Metal Arc Welding was developed
- A.C. – D.C. rectifier welding machines were introduced for GTAW.
- E.O. Paton welding institute introduced Electroslag Welding.
- In the year 1951, the DryRod Electrode was introduced.
- The Flux-Core welding process was released and patented in the 3 year period between 1954 and 1957.
- In the years 1958 and 1959 a few things including:
- Short arc process being introduced
- Electron Beam welding was developed
- In the years 1965 and 1967 a few things happened, including:
- Welding and cutting by Co2 laser
- Gravity welding started in the United Kingdom
- In the year 1969 Russians welded in space
- In the year 1970 new soldering processes were developed, including:
- Hot gas
- Infrared
- Vapor phase
What Welding Processes Have Been Made Recently?
In recent decades a few welding processes were developed. Not only that but there are also a few other developments for welding that stand outside of the realm of developing welding processes. These welding processes / developments are mentioned below:
- In 1991, TWI introduced Friction Stir Welding
- In 1999, a method was developed by the Edison Institute that increases flux penetration by 300%
- Magnetic Pulse Welding was created in 2000 alongisde developments in X-ray technology that allowed them to be used to weld a matrix / metal composite.
- In 2008, Laser Arc Welding was developed.
- GMAW/Brazing (Gas Metal Arc Welding – Brazing ) was created in 2013. This is a process used for welding steel in autos.
