If proper precautions aren't taken, welding can be dangerous or even deadly. Welding poses a risk of injury and death that can be reduced by using the most recent technology and properly protected. There is a high risk of injury and death when welding involves an open electric torch or flame. Welders are required to wear protective equipment, such as long-sleeve jackets and heavy leather gloves to protect themselves from flames and heat. The use of synthetic clothing, such as polyester, is not recommended because it could cause injury. Flash burns, which is caused by ultraviolet light causing inflammation of the cornea and possible damage to the retinas of eyes due to the brightness of weld areas, can also occur. To avoid exposure to ultraviolet light, goggles are recommended. Welding helmets have dark UV-filtering facial plates. Some helmets come with a darkened face plate that reacts to UV light. For the protection of others, we often surround the welding area with transparent welding curtains. These curtains are made of a translucent plastic film made from polyvinylchloride, which protects people from the UV radiation of the electric arc. They can't replace the filter glasses used in helmets.
What is 5S in welding?Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), also known by metal inert gases or MIG welding is a semi-automatic, or automatic process that uses a continuous feed of wire as an electrode and an inert/semi-inert gas mixture as a protection gas to prevent contamination. GMAW welding speeds are faster than SMAW because the electrode is continuous. Flux-cored arc welding, which uses similar equipment, uses a wire made of a steel electrode and a powder fill. Cored wire can be more expensive than standard solid wire, and may produce fumes or slag. However, it allows for faster welding speeds and better metal penetration. Gas tungsten welding (GTAW) or tungsten inert gases (TIG), is a manual welding method that employs a non-consumable, non-renewable tungsten electrode, a semi-inert gas mixture and a separate filler. This method is especially useful for welding thin materials. However, it requires considerable operator skill and can only work at low speeds.
The body-centred hexagonal, face centred cubic, and close packed hexagonal are the three most used crystallitice structures in metals. Austenitic steel has the body-centred hexagonal structure while ferritic iron has the body-centred cylindrical structure. Non-ferrous materials like nickel, copper, and aluminium have the face centred cubic structures. Ductility plays an important role in the stability of structures. It allows them to withstand local stress levels without breaking. A structure must have acceptable strength. This is a function of a material’s yield strengths. As a general rule, fracture toughness decreases as a material's yield strength increases.
The only process for welding was forge welding. This was the method blacksmiths used for many millennia for joining iron and steel through heating and hammering. Arc welding, oxy-fuel welding, and electric resistance welding were some of the first to be developed in the latter part of the century. As world wars created a need for reliable, inexpensive joining methods, welding technology developed quickly in the 20th century. Many modern welding techniques were created after the wars. These included manual methods such as shielded-metal arc weld, which is still the most popular method of welding. Semi-automatic and automated processes like gas metal arc weld, submerged arc weld, flux-cored and electroslag welding were also developed. In the second half of the 20th century, laser beam welding was invented. Robot welding is now commonplace in industrial settings as science advances. Researchers continue to develop new welding techniques and improve our understanding of weld quality.
Crystalline solids cohesion can be achieved by a chemical or metallic bond between constituent atoms. There are two types of chemical bonds: covalent and ionic. A valence electron or bonding electron is required to separate from an atom in order to form an ionic bonded. Once attached to another atom, the valence electron can be detached to form opposingly charged ions. When the ions are in an equilibrium position, the force between them is equal to zero, then they bond in the static position. The inter-ionic spacing between ions increases when they are subject to tension force. A repulsing force is created under compressive force between atomic nuclei.
A reduction in fracture toughness may also be attributed to the embrittlement effect of impurities, or for body-centred cubic metals, from a reduction in temperature. Metals and in particular steels have a transitional temperature range where above this range the metal has acceptable notch-ductility while below this range the material becomes brittle. Within the range, the materials behavior is unpredictable. The reduction in fracture toughness is accompanied by a change in the fracture appearance. When above the transition, the fracture is primarily due to micro-void coalescence, which results in the fracture appearing fibrous. When the temperatures falls the fracture will show signs of cleavage facets. These two appearances are visible by the naked eye. Brittle fracture in steel plates may appear as chevron markings under the microscope. These arrow-like ridges on the crack surface point towards the origin of the fracture.
In the last decades of the 19th Century, resistance welding was also developed. The first patents went to Elihu Thompson in 1885. He continued making further improvements over the next 15-years. In 1893, thermite welding was developed. Around that time, another process, called oxyfuel welding became popular. Edmund Davy discovered acetylene in 1836. However, it was not practical for welding until 1900 when a torch was invented. Because of its portability and low cost, oxyfuel welding was initially a popular method for welding. However, oxyfuel welding became less popular for industrial applications as the 20th century progressed. As advances in metal coatings (known simply as flux) became available, they were largely replaced by arc welding. Flux covers the electrode not only protects the base material against impurities but can also stabilize the arc and add alloying components.