Igniting The Industry

A brief history of gases and the roots of gas welding

To trace the history of welding gases, one must travel back centuries in time. Gases play a vital role in the welding industry, as they power the very tools used in welding and cutting applications. The basic elements of gases remain the same, although new gas mixtures and applications continually develop.

Evidence of nitrogen can be found as early as the Middle Ages, when nitric acid was mixed with hydrochloric acid to dissolve gold. In 1772, Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford discovered the gas, initially referring to it as “noxious air.” French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier assigned the name nitrogen in 1790.

The world's first oxygen-argon apparatus to produce inert gases, circa 1913 (photo courtesy of Linde)

Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered oxygen in 1774 by heating mercuric oxide. He found that the reactive element combines with other elements to produce an extremely hot flame ideal for welding. Gas welding was first used when a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen was used to produce a hot flame in jewelry making. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier determined the basic principles of oxygen cutting by burning an iron spiral in a flask filled with the gas. The oxygen-hydrogen blowpipe was invented in 1835, furthering the development of gas welding and cutting. Oxygen also is used in hospitals and medical centers for medical applications, such as respiratory applications and resuscitation. Gases used within the medical industry date back to the 18th century.

British chemist Edmund Davy discovered acetylene in 1836. Davy was attempting to produce potassium metal when potassium carbide reacted with the water. The mixture produced the gas acetylene, which Davy believed would make an excellent illuminating gas. Calcium carbide was identified in 1862 and it, too, reacted with water to form acetylene. In 1895, French chemist Henry Le Chatelier discovered that combustion of equal quantities of acetylene and oxygen produced a flame hotter—about 6000° F—than any gas flames before. In 1903, Thomas Wilson created an oxyacetylene torch. Oxyacetylene welding is one of the oldest welding processes, and acetylene is now the most commonly used fuel gas.

In 1868, French astronomer Pierre-Jules-Cesar Janssen discovered helium after observing a yellow line in the sun's spectrum while studying a total solar eclipse. Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay conducted an experiment with clevite, a mineral containing uranium, by exposing it to mineral acids. He collected the gases that were produced and sent gas samples to scientists who identified helium. Swedish chemists Nils Langlet and Per Theodor Cleve independently found helium around the same time as Ramsay. Helium today is used as an inert shield for arc welding.

Acetylene-powered roller skates from 1926 were capable of speeds up to 22 mph. (photo courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.)

Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) had its beginnings in 1890, when C.L. Coffin welded in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. The concept was further refined in the late 1920s by H.M. Hobart, who used helium for shielding, and P.K. Devers, who used argon. This process was ideal for welding magnesium and also for welding stainless and aluminum. The gas shielded metal arc welding (GMAW) process was developed at Battelle Memorial Institute in 1948. This process utilized the gas-shielded arc similar to the gas tungsten arc, but replaced the tungsten electrode with a continuously fed electrode wire. The process utilized small-diameter electrode wires and the constant-voltage poser source.

In 1953, welding with consumable electrodes was used in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide. This welding process gained favor because it utilized equipment developed for inert gas metal arc welding, but could now be used for economically welding steels. The carbon dioxide arc is a hot arc and the larger electrode wires required fairly high currents.

The Jack B. Kelley, Inc. company in Amarillo, Texas, made industry history in 1946 when a customer requested a 242 cubic-foot cylinder of helium. The Amarillo Helium Extrication Plant officials told the manufacturer that not just anyone could purchase and transport helium. So Kelley completed a helium contract, obtained a bond, and placed a deposit on the government-owned compressed gas cylinders. In January 1946, manufacturer Jack B. Kelley became the only private U.S. citizen to have a helium contract.

Hundreds of years ago, one may have never fathomed the wide array of applications in which gases are used today. In addition to industrial applications, specialty gases and medical gases are widely used in a variety of applications. While welding equipment and technology have changed dramatically over time, gases continue to power the industry.