Abstract
The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background informa tion supplied bythe inventors: “During the course of the last one hundred and t wenty years, electric arc welding hasevolved from the use of essentially a bare electrode employed to create molten metal by generating anelectric arc between one end of the electrode and a workpiece to complex, highly-automated systems designed to fabricate complex structures from both ferrous and non-ferrous base m etal alloys. The physicalproperties, chemical composition, sensitivity to oxida tion and heat transfer characteristics of various alloysdemand close attention to materials joining techniques used to create sound weldments in a wide variety of structures and products. Consumer awareness of the science, engineering and ingenuity involved in modernmanufacturing is not widespread. Examples of welded structures extend at one end of the spectrum fromcommonplace household applian ces, furniture, exercise and lawn maintenance equipment to expensive andsophist icated space and airborne platforms, military equipment, scientific apparatus, c hemical processingsystems and medical devices fabricated from exotic metals. Th e list is endless.
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