Remote-controlled Underwater Welding in the Dry

Fabrication and Manufacture for Marine Technology

“…The operational difficulty of the hyperbaric welding operation has led to developments where the cutting, preparation and welding tasks can be carried out in a mechanised or automated fashion using orbital (usually TIG) heads which can be controlled andlor monitored from the surface (e.g. Scott Lyons and Middleton [29], van der Torre and Sipkes [30]). Diver intervention is, however, still necessary in the setting up of such systems, and divers are usually present at the work site while the welding is being carried out.…”