Arc Welding Processes: An Electrical Safety Analysis

Abstract

Manual metal arc welding can be a hazardous practice if proper precautions are not taken. The welding procedure uses an open electric arc between an electrode and the metals to be joined. Besides the obvious risks of burns and inflammation of the cornea, which are prevented by using proper personal protective equipment, the operator may also be subject to the risk of electric shock from the exposed parts of the welding circuit, both the electrode and the workpiece. In addition, the welding current, by straying from the intended path, can cause localized heating of parts, with the risks of triggering fires and/or explosive atmospheres. Because of the high current required by the arc welding equipment, operators are exposed also to strong electromagnetic fields. This paper seeks to clarify the aforementioned issues, especially in light of the fact that the risk associated with electric shocks may be unknown to welders and their supervisors.Index Terms -arc welding, electric shock, electrical safety, human exposure, protective conductor I.

Modelling of induced electric fields based on incompletely known magnetic fields

“…The magnetic field strengths, especially in high-power WPT Hirata 2013, Shimamoto et al 2015), can exceed the limits specified for external magnetic fields in international human exposure guidelines and standards (IEEE 2005, ICNIRP 2010, necessitating detailed evaluation of the induced electric fields. Strong non-uniform magnetic fields are also present in industrial applications, such as induction heating (Kos et al 2012) and welding machines (Freschi et al 2017). As lowfrequency magnetic fields are not perturbed by the human body, the proposed approach can be used to determine the induced electric fields due to real-world magnetic field exposure using anatomical human body models with various shapes, sizes, and postures.…”

Development and evaluation of a multi-functional welding protective clothing system

“…2 With the development of mechanization, the use of mechanized equipment for welding operations is increasing, [3][4][5] However, in developing countries, welding activities are still often performed manually, and therefore, attention must be paid to the safety of welders. 6,7 Welding protection clothing is a crucial measure to preserve the individual safety of welders since it can shield most body parts from externally harmful substances and is frequently referred to as the second skin of the human body. 8 The flame-retardant performance of materials, thermal and humidity comfort are the main topics of current research for welding protective clothing.…”

“…2 With the development of mechanization, the use of mechanized equipment for welding operations is increasing, 3–5 However, in developing countries, welding activities are still often performed manually, and therefore, attention must be paid to the safety of welders. 6,7…”

Comparative Analysis of Optical Radiation Emitted by Electric Arc Generated at AC and DC Voltage

“…It is important for these processes to limit this radiation by controlling the arc supply. This will limit the impact of this radiation on the health of workers and reduce losses in a broad sense from the economic point of view [13]. The second of the hypotheses put forward in these studies is the assumption that it is possible to increase the efficiency of welding equipment by modifying the parameters of the current supplying the electric arc.…”