Welding Fume Particle Emissions from Pulsed Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW-P)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Tipton LA
• Description:
  According to the American Welding Society (AWS), welding is defined as a joining process producing coalescence of materials by heating them to the welding temperature, with or without the application of pressure or by the application of pressure or by the application of pressure alone, and with or without the use of filler metal. The purpose of this study is to determine the particle size distribution of welding fume particles produced during the Pulsed Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW-P) process. A GTAW-P/shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) TIG welder (PowerTIG 200 DV) was used to produce welding fume emissions in the alternating current (AC) mode at various amperages and pulsing frequencies upon aluminum material within a stainless-steel conical test chamber. Welding currents were found to be the only statistically significant variable affecting particle concentration (p<0.001) for particles in size range of 0.3 - 10 µm. The highest current values produced the largest mean concentrations (particles/cm3). All variables produced significance for geometric mean diameter for particles in the size range of 10 - 420 nm: pulse condition (p=0.008), current (p=0.046), and a combination of pulse condition and current (pulse condition * current) (0.005). The post-hoc pulse condition * current comparison determined that current provided the most statistical significance upon geometric mean diameter. Only the pulse condition (p=0.025) provided statistical significance for the geometric mean diameter of particles in size range of 0.3 -10 µm. Upon further investigation, it was determined that high pulse (HP) was the most significant (p=0.042). While pulsed conditions produced significant results, it was determined that current amperage still plays a more pivotal role in particle size distribution measurements. The study findings should be used in unison with future research to fully determine GTAW-P effect upon welding fume emissions as the process is incorporated more into industrial or manufacturing settings. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Welding
• Keywords:
  Arc Welding Particle Aerodynamics Particle Size Analysis Particulates Welding Fumes
• Publisher:
  University of Cincinnati
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Thesis
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-50
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068826
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, 2021 Nov; :1-50
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Welding fume particle emissions from pulsed gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW-P)
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2a6edf5ea21dc5ec8c447a3df7cd1e3fc77806b86d72f54677af792aa90b5341b847c3df8d23daf3af40382a0eecdec50289a30606a473b5db8a2f2b36a0b2e7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207400/cdc_207400_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.60 MB ]