A History of Welding Development Around the World

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In Egypt, forge welding technology emerged over 3,000 years BC. More than 2000 years BC, the Yin Dynasty in China used casting and welding to manufacture weapons. By 200 BC, China had already mastered the brazing of bronze and the forging and welding of iron. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image002.jpg In 1801: H. Davy from the UK discovered the electric arc. 1836: Edmund Davy discovered acetylene gas. 1856: English physicist James Joule discovered the principle of resistance welding. 1959: Deville and Debray invented oxy-hydrogen welding. 1881: The Frenchman De Meritens invented one of the earliest carbon arc welders. 1881: Dr. R. H. Thurston in the United States spent six years conducting all the experiments on the strength and ductility of various copper-zinc alloy solders. 1882: Austenitic manganese steel, invented by the Englishman Robert A. Hadfield and named after him, was patented. 1885: American Elihu Thompson was granted a patent for the resistance welder. 1885: Russians Benardos and Olszewski developed carbon arc welding technology. 1888: The Russian H.г.Clavyanov invented metal electrode arc welding. 1889–1890: The American C. L. Coffin first used a photowire as an electrode for arc welding. 1890 ； The American C. L. Coffin proposed the concept of welding in an oxidizing medium. 1890: The Britishman Brown made an attempt to rob a bank using oxygen and gas cutting for the first time. 1895: The Bavarian scientist Konrad Roentgen observed that an electron beam passing through a vacuum tube produced X-rays. 1895: The Frenchman Le Chatelier was granted a patent for inventing the oxy-acetylene flame. 1898: The German Goldschmidt invented thermite welding. 1898: The German inventor Karl Schmidt invented copper electrode arc welding. 1900: The Britishman Strohmyer invented the thin-coated welding electrode. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image004.jpg1900: The Frenchmen Fouch and Picard created the first oxy-acetylene cutting torch. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image006.jpg1901: The German Manné invented oxygen torch cutting. 1904: The Swede Oscar Kjellberg established the world’s first electric welding rod factory – the OK Welding Rod Factory of ESAB Company. 1904: American Avery invented the portable gas cylinder. 1907: When demolishing the old Central Railroad Station in New York, USA, the use of oxy-acetylene cutting saved over 20% in construction costs. 1907: October – The Swede O. Kjellberg improved the thick-coated welding electrode. 1909: Schonherr invented the plasma arc. The image at http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image008.jpg shows manual plasma arc cutting, while the image at http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image010.jpg shows underwater plasma cutting. In 1911, Philadelphia & Suburban Gas Company built the first 11-mile-long pipeline that was welded using oxygen-acetylene welding. 1912: The first oxygen-acetylene welded steel pipe was introduced to the market. 1912: The Edward G. Budd Company in Philadelphia, USA, produced the first all-steel automobile body welded using resistance spot welding. Around 1912: In order to produce the famous Model T, the American Ford Motor Company developed modern welding techniques in the laboratories of its own factory. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image011.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image013.jpg1913: In Indianapolis, USA, Avery and Fisher improved the acetylene cylinders. 1916: Ansel Schmitt invented X-ray non-destructive testing for weld areas. 1917: During World War I, arc welding was used to repair 109 ship engines seized from Germany; these repaired ships were then used to transport 500,000 American soldiers to France. 1917: Webster & Southbridge Electric Company in Massachusetts, USA, used arc welding equipment to weld a pipeline that was 11 miles long and 3 inches in diameter. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image015.jpg1919: Comfort A. Adams founded the American Welding Society (AWS). http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image017.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image019.jpgCommemorative photos from events held by the American Welding Society in 1924. 1919: C.J. Halslag invented alternating current welding. 1920: Gerdien discovered the thermal effect of plasma flow. 1920: The first steamship with a fully welded hull, the Fulagar, was launched in the UK. Around 1920: Arc welding began to be used to repair some valuable equipment. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image021.jpg Around 1920: The production method for welding steel pipes using resistance welding (The Johnson Process) was patented. Around 1920: The Poughkeepsie Socony, the first oil tanker built using welding methods, was launched in the United States. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image022.jpg Around 1920: cored wire was used for wear-resistant surfacing. 1922: Prairie Pipeline Company used oxy-acetylene welding technology to successfully complete the construction of an oil pipeline with a diameter of 8 inches and a length of 140 miles, running from Mexico to Texas. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image024.jpg1923: Stoddy invented surfacing welding. 1923: The world’s first floating roof tank (used for storing gasoline or other chemical products) was built ； Its advantage is that the floating roof and tank wall, which are welded together, form a storage tank that can be raised or lowered like a telescope, thereby allowing for easy adjustment of the tank’s volume. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image026.jpg1924: Magnolia Gas Company used oxy-acetylene welding technology to construct a 14-mile-long natural gas pipeline with a fully welded structure. 1924: In the United States, H.H. Lester was the first to use X-ray photography to inspect the quality of cast components with a steam pressure of 8.3 Mpa at a power plant belonging to Boston Edison Company. 1926: American Langmuir invented atomic hydrogen welding. 1926: Alexandre in the United States invented the principle of CO2 gas shielded welding. 1926: The American company A.O. Smith was the first to introduce a method for applying a protective solid flux, by extrusion, over the metal electrodes used in arc welding – that is, the method for producing shielded metal arc welding electrodes. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image028.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image030.jpg1926: The chromium-tungsten-cobalt welding alloy led to the first patent related to cored wire. 1926: Americans M. Hobart and P.K. Devers were granted a patent for using helium as an arc shielding gas. 1927: Lindberg successfully crossed the Atlantic alone in a Ryan monoplane, whose airframe was constructed of fully welded alloy steel tubes. 1928: The first code for welding structural steel, titled \"Rules for Fusion Welding and Gas Cutting in Building Structures,\" was published by the American Welding Society. This code was the predecessor of what is now known as the \"D1.1 Code for Welding Structural Steel.\" http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image032.jpg1930: The Georgia Railway Station adopted continuous welding to lay tracks in two tunnels. The welded track was put into use when the line was completed two years later. 1930: Robinov in the former Soviet Union invented submerged arc welding. 1931: The Empire State Building, made of a fully steel structure constructed using welding techniques, was completed. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image034.jpg1933: The first joint welded using the arc welding process was installed in a long-distance pipeline with a gasketless design. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image036.jpg1933: The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was completed and opened to traffic – it was the tallest suspension bridge in the world at that time, built by welding together 87,750 tons of steel. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image038.jpg1934: The Patton Welding Institute was established. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image040.jpg Yevgeny Oskarovich Barton, the founder of Barton. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image042.jpg The largest fully welded iron bridge over the Dnieper River in Europe – the Barton Bridge. In 1934, the specifications for unheated pressure vessels were published jointly by API and ASME. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image044.jpg 1935: The American company Linde Air Products perfected the submerged arc welding technique. The image at http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image046.jpg shows the application of submerged arc welding in shipbuilding. In 1936, Wasserman in Switzerland invented low-temperature brazing. 1939: Reinecke in the United States invented the plasma jet gun. 1940: The first fully welded ship, the Exchequer, was built and launched at Ingalls Shipyard in the United States. 1941: American Meredith invented tungsten inert gas arc welding (helium arc welding). 1941: During World War II, a great deal of welding technology was used in the manufacture of ships, aircraft, tanks, and various heavy weapons. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image048.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image050.jpg1943: Ultrasonic welding was invented by Behl in the United States. 1943: Aircraft manufacturers first used atomic hydrogen welding, submerged arc welding, and gas metal arc welding to weld the hollow blades of aircraft’s steel propellers. 1944: Explosion welding was invented by Carl in the UK. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image052.jpg1947: The former Soviet Union’s Bopoшeвич (Voroshchevich) invented electroslag welding. 1949: The first Ford car with a fully welded structure, manufactured using arc welding and resistance welding techniques, rolled off the production line. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image054.jpg1950: Americans Muller, Gibson, and Anderson received the first patent for excessive spatter in gas metal arc welding. 1950: F. Buhorn in Germany discovered the plasma arc. Around 1950: Electroslag welding was first used in production in the former Soviet Union. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image056.jpg http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image058.jpg 1953: Hunt in the United States invented cold pressure welding. 1953: Lyubovsky of the former Soviet Union, Sekiguchi of Japan, and others invented CO2 gas-shielded arc welding. 1954: Self-shielding flux-cored welding wires were put into production at Lincoln Electric in the United States. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image060.jpg The photo shows welders using self-shielded flux-cored wire to weld a high-rise building. 1954: The Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine built using welding techniques, entered service with the U.S. Navy. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image062.jpg 1954: Bernard invented the tubular welding electrode. 1955: Tom Clafford in the United States invented high-frequency induction welding. 1956: China established the Harbin Welding Research Institute. 1956: Chudikov in the former Soviet Union invented friction welding technology. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image064.jpg http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image066.jpg The images above show China’s earliest friction welding equipment from 1957; in that year, the Frenchman Schillig invented electron beam welding. 1957: Kazakov of the former Soviet Union invented diffusion welding. 1957: The journal \"Welding\" was founded, marking the first welding-focused magazine in China. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image068.jpg Around 1957: The United States, the United Kingdom, and the former Soviet Union all used CO2 as a shielding gas in the short-circuit transfer process of gas metal arc welding. 1960: American Maiman discovered the laser; today, lasers are widely used in the field of welding. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image070.jpg The image above shows a laser-equipped robot cutting the door of a car. In 1960, Airco in the United States introduced the pulsed gas metal arc welding process. 1962: The patent for gas-electric vertical welding was granted to the Belgian Arcos. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image072.jpg 1962: Electron beam welding was first officially used in supersonic aircraft and the B-70 bomber. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image074.jpg1964: The patent for the hot wire welding method and the coordinated control gas shielded welding method was granted to the American Manz. 1965: The welded Apollo 10 spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image075.jpg 1967: Arita in Japan invented continuous laser welding. 1967: The world’s first undersea pipeline was successfully laid in the Gulf of Mexico; it was manufactured by the American company Krank Pilia using hot-rolling and welding techniques. 1968: Welded together on the 22nd floor and above of the John Hancock Center in Chicago, it became the world’s tallest right-angled steel structure, reaching a height of 1107 feet. 1969: The American company Linde introduced the hot wire plasma arc spraying process. 1970: The thyristor inverter welding machine was introduced. 1976: Arata of Japan invented serial electron beam welding. Around 1980: Semiconductor circuits and computer circuits were widely used to control welding and cutting processes. Around 1980: Printed circuit boards were welded using steam brazing. 1983: The circular top of the space shuttle, featuring a 160-foot-diameter flared structure, was welded using submerged arc welding and gas shielded welding methods, and was inspected with radiographic testing equipment. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image076.jpg1984: Soviet female astronaut Svetlana Savitskaya conducted welding experiments in space. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image078.jpg1988: Welding robots began to be widely used in automobile production lines. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image080.jpgAround 1990: Inverter technology made significant progress, which led to a reduction in the weight and size of welding equipment. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image082.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image084.jpg1991: The Welding Institute in the UK invented friction stir welding, successfully welding aluminum alloy sheets. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image086.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image088.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image090.jpg1993: The Abrams main battle tank of the U.S. Army was successfully welded using a robot-controlled CO2 laser. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image092.jpg In 1996: A research team of over thirty people, led by Academician B.K. Lebegev from the Baton Welding Research Institute in Ukraine, developed welding techniques for human tissues. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image094.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image096.jpg2001: Welding of human tissues was successfully applied in clinical settings. 2002: Welding of the Three Gorges turbines was completed; they are the largest turbines in the world that have been built or are currently under construction. http://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image098.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image100.jpghttp://www.china-weldnet.com/chinese/information/hanjiesh.files/image102.jpg