Trends for Future Welding Science and Technology

Development and application of welding and other methods for producing of permanent joints have been successfully progressing in the last 130 years. The advent of new materials and necessity to manufacture different types of mechanisms, machines and structure promoted upgrading of the joining processes.

It is expected that fundamental changes will take place in the 21^st century both in the field of materials and structures made from them. Accordingly, this will require the new joining technologies. The welding science until now has many areas that can be conditionally called the “blank spots”, i.e. the spots that require target fundamental research and understanding of the basic processes to provide formation of functionally sound welded joints.

The area of physical, chemical, biological, mechanical and structural principles of formation of the joints at micro and atomic levels remains insufficiently studied as yet.

For instance, the process of formation of the joints within the contact zone of parts of a material requires substantiation based on peculiarities of construction of the material proper.

On a waiting list are the issues related to degradation caused by stresses in the welded joints both in their formation and during operation. We expect the mass advent and application of “intelligent” materials, “intelligent” joining processes and “smart” diagnostic systems for assessment of serviceability of “intelligent” welded structures.

Naturally, this will require the corresponding infrastructure for scientific grounding of research, development of technologies, guaranteed control of operation, service life and safety of the welded structures.

Given are the examples of new approaches and different research areas in the Science of joining of advanced structural materials and their application.

The trends for future of the materials joining science are considered by an example of welding of single-crystal and nanostructured steels and alloys, polymers and live tissues.