The methods, tools, and energy sources used in welding processes as we know them today utilize a wide variety of complex means. But what we have today is something that comes from a long history of scientific advancements and discoveries. In fact, welding’s history is probably far older than you expected!
Let’s explore welding across history and how the profession is still evolving.
When Was Welding Invented?
Egyptians first learned to weld pieces of iron, which developed during the Iron Age. The archaeology of the Egyptians welding comes from approximately 3000 B.C.
Russian inventor Nikolay Benardos invented the first practical form of carbon arc welding in 1881 and it helped to develop the modern forms of arc welding we use today.
The history of welding as a whole is a fascinating study of both human invention and human spirit. After its life as an invention, welding has changed and evolved leading up to its modern form.
What we consider “ancient welding” looks significantly different than it does today but there has been an impressive advancement of mechanical engineering and ingenuity involved in the timeline of welding history. Here are just a few important points we see in welding history.
- 4000 BCE: Historians postulate that ancient Egyptians invented the very first modes of welding around 4000 BCE. They began by welding with copper, and over many millennia of trial and error, developed various forms of welding, such as iron, gold, bronze, and silver.
- 3000 BCE: Egyptians employed charcoal to create enough heat to reduce iron ore into a flaky, loose mass called “sponge iron”. Then, Egyptians hammered the loose particles back together, which is the first evidence of a process called pressure welding.
- 1330 BCE: The Egyptians also began to use soldering, along with blowing pipe, to forge and join together pieces of metal.
- 60 CE: Pliny the historian recorded information about the process for brazing gold, adding notes about the use of salt for flux and how the metal’s color would determine the braze’s difficulty.
- 310 CE: Indian welders created the Iron Pillar of Delhi using iron from meteorites, which is still intact and standing today. The Pillar remains a phenomenal product of craftsmanship and is approximately 25 feet tall and six tons.
- 1375 CE: In this period, forge welding was forefront. Blacksmiths would heat up pieces of metal and pound them together until the bond formed.
- The 16th Century: In this century, welding would further improve with the published manuscripts which would be the first usage of the word weld. Benvenuto Cellini, an Italian goldsmith, would publish the first references to a brazing and soldering technique to join silver and copper together.
- The 18th Century: After the Industrial Revolution commenced, welding technology exploded during the 18th century, which led to the society that we know today. Industry required a more advanced welding technique to reach their organizational goals, so welders created new welding technologies to expand their reach for their new industries. Some new advances were blast furnace welding and the discovery of oxygen.
- The 19th Century: In the 19th Century, Sir Humphry Davy discovered the electric arc, and other inventors developed and patented fusion welding, bare metal electrode welding, and carbon arc welding. The torch was used by robbers to cut through a bank vault, leading to its first public usage of using torches to melt metal.
- The 20th Century: The process of thermite welding developed in 1903, and by 1919, the new invention alternating current welding, created by C. J. Holslag, nearly took the place of electric arc welding as the most common form of welding process in the United States. Welding had become more prevalent and was in demand through the First World War and the Second World War. The United States Wartime Production Board was created in 1917 by President Woodrow Wilson.
Who is the first inventor of welding?
Nikolay Gavrilovich Slavyanov was a Russian Empire inventer who was the first to introduce arc welding with consumable metal electrodes, or shielded metal arc welding, in 1888, the second historical arc welding method after carbon arc welding invented earlier Nikolay Benardos.
Future Welding Trends
Advancement never stands still, which means there is a strong possibility that welding will continue its dynamic history well into the future.
Engineers are trending toward generating more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible welding materials, and there is some speculation about welded materials having computer chips to let them know what lifecycle they are in.
As the dimension of welding continues to develop, there is one thing that is sure: It will continue to get more complex. Consider taking a formal welding course to prepare your foundation so that you can react to the ensuing dimension more efficiently.
FAQs
When was welding first invented?
During the Iron Age, Egyptians first learned how to weld pieces of iron together. Archaeological evidence of early Egyptian welding dates back to 3000 B.C. In 1881, Russian inventor Nikolay Benardos introduced carbon arc welding, which was the first practical arc welding method of its time.
How did people weld in the 1800s?
Until the end of the 19th century, the only welding process was forge welding, which blacksmiths had used for millennia to join iron and steel by heating and hammering. Arc welding and oxy-fuel welding were among the first processes to develop late in the century, and electric resistance welding followed soon after.
Who welded first?
3000 BCE: The Egyptians used charcoal to generate heat to turn iron ore into a loose substance called “sponge iron.” They then hammered the loose particles together to join pieces in the first instance of pressure welding. 1330 BCE: The Egyptians began soldering and blowing pipe, joining pieces of metal together.
Why is welding so strong?
Although some structural adhesives are fast catching up, no other joining method can achieve such high strength as welding. This is because the welder melts the two metal surfaces and interlinks the two substrates. Sometimes, the weld joint is so strong it becomes stronger than the metal itself.
How did they weld in medieval times?
Welding has a long history that can be traced back to the Bronze Age, with the use of rudimentary tools to join softer metals like copper and bronze. Blacksmiths in the Middle Ages mastered the process of forge welding, heating iron in a charcoal furnace and hammering overlapping metal ends to bond them.
What was before welding?
For about 195,000 years, we went on this way: A lot of sticks, stones and animal bones. That all changed in about 5000 BC, when early civilizations started using blacksmithing to melt pieces of metal together. Technically, that’s all welding is: unifying different pieces of metal together.