International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

Fusion joining stands as a foundational engineering discipline, indispensable across sectors like vehicular manufacturing, aerospace engineering, and infrastructure development. The paramount necessity lies in upholding the mechanical reliability of these welded assemblies to preempt premature structural compromise. NonDestructive Evaluation (NDE) technologies provide a robust framework for assessing joint soundness without impairing the component’s fitness-for-service status. This manuscript undertakes a systematic juxtaposition of three prevailing manual and semi-automatic arc welding modalities: Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). It concurrently analyzes the efficacy of key NDE protocols—specifically ultrasonic inspection (UT), radiographic scrutiny (RT), magnetic particle inspection (MPI), and liquid penetrant examination (LPE)—in detecting resultant anomalies. The findings delineate the inherent strengths, operational constraints, and optimal deployment scenarios for integrating these specific fusion practices with appropriate NDE validation regimes, thus offering a pathway to maximized structural integrity management