Welding
...oduction like in car production lines. Welding has been around since the middle ages but, welding, as we know it was invented in the 1900’s. In the year 1800 Edmond Davy of England is credited with the discovery of acetylene. In 1900 the first torch suitable for low-pressure acetylene was invented. 80 years later Auguste De Meritens, Nikolai N. Bernados, and Stanislaus Olszewski secured British and American patents. They are credited with the beginning of Carbon Arc Welding even though it didn’t become popular until the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. In 1887 the production of oxygen liquefying the air and the introduction of a blowtorch came around. In 1890 C. L. Coffin received the first U.S patent for Arc Welding using a metal electrode. In the early 1900’s Strohmenger introduced a coated metal electrode in Great Britain. Despite the fact it was coated with a thin layer of lime or clay, it made a more stable arc. A German named Goldschmidt invented Thermite Welding in 1903; it was first used to weld railroads. Around the same time gas and cutting was perfected. Welding was pressured into service when the tremendous need for armament production came in World War 1. Soon after the war began companies sprang up all over America and Europe to meet the demand. Right after the war, The American Welding Society was founded in 1919. Alternating current was invented by C.J Holslag soon after. It didn’t become popular until the 1930’s though. In the early 1920’s automatic welding came around. One of the idea’s in welding that caused the most controversy was whether or not light coated rods where better to use then the heavy coated ones. In a navy yard in 1930 Stud welding was developed. After many years of hard work, Lyubavskii and Novoshilov announced the use of consumable electrodes with an atmosphere of CO2 in 1953. Short Arc and dip transfer came around in the late 1958 and early 1959.The process called Dualshield came around in 1954, but was reintroduced in 1957. Innershield was introduced in 1959 and doesn’t require external gas shielding. Robert F. Gage invented plasma welding in 1957, which was the same time as Friction welding in the Soviet Union. The newest process is Laser Welding and it is used to cut metals and non-metals. The equipment has stayed very much the same in some respects over time. The main equipment that is used is: torches, oxygen and acetylene regulators, and welding gases. There are many different types of torches to get the job you need done. There may be some times when the torch you have isn’t working. Here are some possible solutions to some problems. Leaks around the valve stem can be fixed by tightening the packing nut. If the torch pops excessively you should try increasing the fuel and oxygen flow. If you have difficulty maintaining a neutral flame you should do the following: test and repair the regulator, clear the hoses, and replace the control valves. Oxygen and acetylene regulators control the gas flow and keep the flame going after its started. When using these regulators you should follow these simple rules: Acetylene should not be utilized at a pressure in excess of 15 pounds per square inch gauge pressure. Oxygen should never be used from a cylinder or cylinder manifold unless a pressure-reducing device is intended for use with oxygen, and so marked, as provided. Acetylene should never be brought into contact with unalloyed copper except in a blowpipe or torch. There are five types of gasses that are used for welding and they are: oxygen, acetylene, argon, helium, and nitrogen. Each serves their own purpose for the process that they are used for. Most of the time only two are used together. This is for safety reasons. (http://www.zianet.com/argyle/chart_welding.htm) For process cuts, different metals are used to get the desired results. Iron, lead, and copper are the metals that are most commonly used. These metals are used the most because they are the easiest to identify. There are two groups they are classified in and they are: Ferrous Alloys and Non-Ferrous Alloys. There is always something extra you need to wear when welding. Most protective clothing is heavy cloth overalls and a long sleeve shirt. To protect your face you can wear goggles and a baseball hat. Or you could wear a facemask. This covers your entire face and a part of your neck instead of just the eyes. You should always wear heavy work boots and gloves while operating equipment. You should always have something heavy covering your body at all times to protect you from possible burns or cuts, although The major thing you have to look out for during the process is discontinuities. I’m going to speak about three of the main discontinuities and they are: inadequate joint penetration, overlap, and cracks. Inadequate joint penetration is when the depth that the weld penetrates the joint is less than that required by that process. Causes are: improper welding technique, not enough heat, improper joint fitup, or improper design. Overlap is when the weld metal either extends beyond the top, face, or root of the weld. As well as it lies on top of the base metal without fusing. It causes severe concentration of stress, which mo...