The process of welding has been around for centuries, with tools dating back to 1000 B.C. In the middle ages, when blacksmithing evolved, most metal products that came into production were welded by hammering techniques.
Welding involves attaching sections of metal using extreme heat to melt materials. Once the metal cools, it solidifies and produces a solid bond. Welding is common across many industries, especially in the steel construction industry, where materials are welded together to create robust and reliable products.
Here at Adams Gas, we’re a trusted gas supplier, so whether you’re looking for MIG welding gas or TIG welding gas, we’re sure to have what you need for your next project. You can choose from portable 2L gas bottles, or for more significant projects and business use, we’d recommend our 50L canister.
Let’s look at some interesting facts about welding and the various techniques involved:
1. What is Wet and Dry Welding?
Wet welding (or hyperbaric welding) has been around since the early 1930s and involves working at elevated pressures, normally underwater. The process of underwater wet welding uses shielded metal arc welding techniques where the welder is surrounded by water, including the electrode.
On the other hand, dry welding involves working within high-pressure environments with insulation from the water around the weld site.
2. The Fastest Ship Built was Welded
The SS Robert E Peary retains the record for the fastest ship built. It was a liberty ship from WWII and was assembled within just four days, 15 hours and 27 minutes. The fleeting developments and techniques within welding meant that ships like this could be built more efficiently and within a shorter period.
3. The Highest Temperature in Welding
The welding process with the highest temperature is gas welding (also known as oxyacetylene welding). Using a mixture of fuel gases and oxygen, this method reaches extreme temperatures up to nearly 3,500 degrees Celsius. Interestingly, when thinking about heat within welding, welding produces around 3400 K of heat, and the sun produces 5800 K.
4. Welding is Used Across Many Industries
Welding can be applied to almost every industry in one form or another. The most common applications are architectural and structural metals manufacturing, motor vehicle manufacturing, mining and agricultural manufacturing. The aerospace industry and shipbuilding sector are also big welding employers.
It has been documented that over 50% of all human-made items require welding. Various transport methods, buildings and structures need welding before they can operate.
5. What is a Fume Plume?
“Fume plume” refers to the smoke that rises after you weld materials together — it comes from the area where the welded metals meet. The fumes are created from a combination of heat and sparks.
6. Cold Welding
Cold welding (or contact welding) is the process of two pieces of metal joining without the need for heat or fusion — the metals immediately become welded together. The metallic bonds that hold the atoms together bridge the gap to form one piece of metal.
7. Welding in Medicine
Welding within the medical industry is crucial to advances in medicine. Not only is welding needed to supply the various tools and equipment that doctors, nurses and surgeons require, but it offers the possibility of medical-grade materials, such as stainless steel, cobalt and titanium.
8. There is a Huge Demand for Welding
Welding products make up a considerable part of our everyday lives, from transport methods to buildings and structures — there is a huge scope for the application of welding. A career in welding offers the opportunity to work within many different industries, and the diversity of the role allows you to learn through experience.
9. Welding Made it to Space in 1969
Georgi Shonin and Valeri Kubasov crewed the Soviet Soyuz 6 mission to space in 1969. The two Russian cosmonauts were the first to experiment with welding in space — they did this by using a tool known as the Vulkan.
In space, metal automatically bonds together. This is known as cold welding and occurs due to the lack of oxidation in the metal molecules’ way.
10. The First Functional Industrial Robot was Made to Weld
In 1962 robotic welding reached a new landmark with the ‘Unimation 001’ robot developed by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger. Weighing over two tons and completing tasks with step-by-step instructions, the robot was launched onto the automotive scene as a single-armed unit designed to perform spot welds.
You should always purchase welding gas from a trusted gas supplier. Here at Adams Gas, we’re here to help answer any questions or queries you may have.
You can contact us on 01843 220 596 or 0800 195 4445. Alternatively, you can email sales@adamsgas.co.uk, or you can fill out our online form. We look forwards to hearing from you.
Read our 4 Fun Facts About Welding blog if you’d like to learn more about space welding and WWII welding.
