Thermo-Welding Systems

Exothermic welding was developed by Hans Goldschmidt around 1895. The first non-ferrous application for exothermic welding was developed in 1938 by Dr. Charles Cadwell, a professor at the Case School of Applied Science, later Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio. The original use of the process was to weld signal bonds to railroad tracks.

The method was patented by John H. Deppeler in 1928 while working for the Metal and Thermit Corporation. It is United States patent number 1671412.

In the United States, an investigation into exothermic rail welding was conducted by the Committee On Welded Rail Joints,with the goal of improving and standardizing rail welding. Composed of members from the American Bureau of Welding and the American Electric Railway Engineering Association, this committee conducted extensive physical testing of welded rail joints, as well as testing of various parameters of the welding process.