Milestone Developments in Welding and Joining Processes

Welding, like other major manufacturing processes such as casting, metal forming, and material removal, has its roots in ancient times, though not necessarily in the various forms as we know them today. It therefore has a long history, with thousands of articles having been published on various aspects of the welding process over the years. However, there have been periodic reviews of the literature in the past, that summarize significant developments in the field. Thus, due to constraints on page limit, and to avoid unnecessary repetition of what is already well reviewed in the literature, this article will reference the key literature reviews on the subject, providing brief summaries where appropriate. The bulk of the article will then be devoted to more recent developments in the field. Due to the breadth of material to be covered, this review is designed to be more of a summary of key developments rather than a critique of a specific field.