Welding By Charlie Brown
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins
materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing
coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and
adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material (the
weld pool) that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure
sometimes used in conjunction with heat, or by itself, to
produce the weld. This is in contrast with soldering and
brazing, which involve melting a lower-melting-point material
between the workpieces to form a bond between them, without
melting the workpieces.
Many different energy sources can be used for welding, including a gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an electron beam, friction, and ultrasound. While often an industrial process, welding can be done in many different environments, including open air, under water and in outer space. Regardless of location, however, welding remains dangerous, and precautions must be taken to avoid burns, electric shock, eye damage, poisonous fumes, and overexposure to ultraviolet light.
Many different energy sources can be used for welding, including a gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an electron beam, friction, and ultrasound. While often an industrial process, welding can be done in many different environments, including open air, under water and in outer space. Regardless of location, however, welding remains dangerous, and precautions must be taken to avoid burns, electric shock, eye damage, poisonous fumes, and overexposure to ultraviolet light.
More about Welding
Until the end of the 19th century, the only welding process was
forge welding, which blacksmiths had used for centuries to join
metals by heating and pounding them. Arc welding and oxyfuel
welding were among the first processes to develop late in the
century, and resistance welding followed soon after. Welding
technology advanced quickly during the early 20th century as
World War I and World War II drove the demand for reliable and
inexpensive joining methods. Following the wars, several modern
welding techniques were developed, including manual methods like
shielded metal arc welding, now one of the most popular welding
methods, as well as semi-automatic and automatic processes such
as gas metal arc welding, submerged arc welding, flux-cored arc
welding and electroslag welding. Developments continued with the
invention of laser beam welding and electron beam welding in the
latter half of the century. Today, the science continues to
advance. Robot welding
construction is becoming more commonplace in
industrial settings, and researchers continue to develop new
welding methods and gain greater understanding of weld quality
and properties.
