• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.547-555
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• 2014

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the association between subjective distress symptoms and argon welding among workers in Gyeongnam Province shipyard. Method: 31 argon and 29 non-argon welding workers were selected as study subjects in order to measure concentrations of personal dust, welding fumes and other hazardous materials such as ZnO, Pb, Cr, FeO, MnO, Cu, Ni, $TiO_2$, MgO, NO, $NO_2$, $O_3$, $O_2$, $CO_2$, CO and Ar. An interviewer-administered questionnaire survey was also performed on the same subjects. The items queried were as follows: age, height, weight, working duration, welding time, welding rod amounts used, drinking, smoking, and rate of subjective distress symptoms including headache and other symptoms such as fever, vomiting and nausea, metal fume fever, dizziness, tingling sensations, difficulty in breathing, memory loss, sleep disorders, emotional disturbance, hearing loss, hand tremors, visual impairment, neural abnormality, allergic reaction, runny nose and stuffiness, rhinitis, and suffocation. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 18. Data are expressed as the mean ${\pm}SD$. An ${\chi}^2$-test and a normality test using a Shapiro wilk test were performed for the above variables. Logistic regression analysis was also conducted to identify the factors that affect the total score for subjective distress symptoms. Result: An association was shown between welding type (argon or non-argon welding) and the total score for subjective distress symptoms. Among the rate of complaining of subjective distress symptoms, vomiting and nausea, difficulty breathing, and allergic reactions were all significantly higher in the argon welding group. Only the concentration of dust and welding fumes was shown to be distributed normally after natural log transformation. According to logistic regression analysis, the correlations of working duration and welding type (argon or non-argon) between the total score of subjective distress symptoms were found to be statistically significant (p=0.041, p=0.049, respectively). Conclusion: Our results suggest that argon welding could cause subjective distress symptoms in shipyard workers.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.38-45
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• 1999

Shielding gas has significant effects on arc stability, metal transfer and weld quality in the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. The double gas-shielded MAG(DMAG) and auxiliary gas-shielded MAG (AMAG) torches are investigated for their capability to provide argon-rich gas mixture using small amount of argon gas through the inner and auxiliary nozzles, respectively. Argon composition with the DMAG torch is calculated numerically, and compared with the measured data using the gas chromatogrphy. Gas flow pattern of the DMAG torch is calculated to change from the laminar to turbulent flow when total gas flow rate becomes larger than 4.5 liter/min at room temperature. While argon-rich shielding gas was obtained using both the AMAG and DMAG torches, the AMAG torch provides higher argon composition than the DMAG torch, which demonstrates that argon gas can be utilized more efficiently with the AMAG torch.

• 한국정밀공학회지
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• 제29권10호
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• pp.1078-1088
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• 2012

In this paper, we present research experimental results about the different thickness T-joint welding of the high power continuous wave(CW) Nd:YAG laser for the secondary battery of a vehicle. Although the conventional method used for the secondary battery is a argon TIG welding, we utilize a laser welding to improve Tungsten Inert Gas(TIG) welding's weakness. The laser, which has a couple of advantage such as aspect ratio, low Heat Affected Zone(HAZ), good welding quality and fast productivity utilized in this work is a CW Nd:YAG laser. In order to observe laser welding sections, we used a optical microscope. Through the analysis of the metallographic, hardness, aspect ratio, and heat input, we obtained the desired data in condition of 1800 W laser beam power and 1.8 m/min and 2.0 m/min laser beam travel speeds. In order to compare electric resistances of the argon TIG welding and laser welding, we made an actual battery and the electric resistance of the laser welding is reduced by 40~45% comparing with the argon TIG welding.

• 대한용접접합학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한용접접합학회 2006년 추계학술발표대회 개요집
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• pp.63-65
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• 2006

The paper deals with the effect of hydrogen or helium in argon as a shielding gas on GTA welding of austenitic stainless steel. The studies were carried out in GTA(Gas Tungsten Arc) welding with a non-consumable electrode in case with different volume additions of hydrogen or helium to the argon shielding gas, i.e $5%H_2,\;10%H_2$, 30%He and 67%He. The penetration, welding voltage, microstructure and mechanical property were examined. The deepest penetration was obtained from the sample which was welded under shielding gas of $10%H_2$. The studies showed that hydrogen or helium addition to argon changes the static characteristic of the welding arc. The hydrogen or helium addition to argon increases arc power and the quantity of the material melted. The weld metal penetration depth and its width increased with increasing hydrogen or helium content. Additionally, welding voltage increased with increasing hydrogen or helium content.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.46-52
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• 1999

The auxiliary gas-shielded MAG (AMAG) process, which was devised to provide an argon-rich shielding environment using small amount of argon gas, was investigated experimentally to figure out its effects on metal transfer and weld quality. Proper conditions for the AMAG process including the argon gas ratio, position and direction of the auxiliary nozzle were determined experimentally. Performance of the AMAG process was compared with that of the double gas-shielded MAG(DMAG) and MAG processes by monitoring the bead profile, current and voltage waveforms. The AMAG process was found to provide better bead profile, more stable arc and wider operating range of spray transfer mode compared with the DMAG process. In general, performance of the AMAG process using the argon ratio of 30% was comparable to that of the MAG process using 80% argon and 20% CO₂ gas.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.12-21
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• 1987

To investigate the suitability of nitrogen gas as an internal purging gas, various properties of GTA welded joints of duplex, 316L stainless steel, Cu-Ni alloy pipe using nitrogen purging gas were evaluated with reference to onew purged with argon gas. Mechanical properties evaluated by the tensile, bending test, and hardness value of welded joints with nitrogen gas purging did not show any difference those with argon gas. General and local corrosion rates of each welded joint prepared by nitrogen gas purging also showed no difference with those prepared by argon gas. Based on the present test results it is confirmed that nitrogen is a suitable purging gas for GTA welding of stainless steels and nonferrous piping systems, which can be used at lower cost instead of argon.

• 대한용접접합학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한용접접합학회 2002년도 Proceedings of the International Welding/Joining Conference-Korea
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• pp.746-751
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• 2002

In order to make clear the physical relation among the arc plasma, the anode heat transfer and the weld penetration, the results of experimental measurements of temperatures of arc plasma, the distributions of heat input and current on the anode and the weld penetration were presented The experimental results showed that the electron temperature above the anode and current and heat input density on the anode was dominated by the position of the cathode. Furthermore, it was showed that electron temperature of arc plasma was dominated by the cathode shape. These results were related with the results of the welded penetration measurements. As a result, it was showed that the electron temperature above the anode and current density distribution on the anode decided the heat input density distribution on the anode and that the heat input density on the anode remarkably dominated the size of the weld penetration in argon GTA welding process. Furthermore, it was suggested that the cathode played the important role in the determination of the weld penetration in argon GTA welding process.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.57-65
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• 1997

A study was undertaken to determine the influence of welding variables such as shielding and plasma gases, torch standoff, travel speed and heat input, etc. on the quality of plasma arc welds in Zircaloy-4 sheet, 2mm thick. Effect of shielding gases and their flow rates on the mechanical properties of Zircaloy-4 welds by plasma arc welding were determined in terms of tensile, bardness and bend tests. The microstructure and fracture surface of Zircaloy-4 welds were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopies. In addition, the causes of porosity and undercut in plasma arc welds of Zircaloy-4 were also investigated. Zircaloy-4 weld bead width and depth by helium shielding gas showed a wider and deeper than those by argon. It was found that Zircaloy-4 welds with shielding gas of helium did dxhibit a little smoother and uniform weld beads than those with shielding gas of argon. It was also found that the optimum gas flow rates for Zircaloy-4 welding were 0.45l/min for plasma gas with Ar and 4.5 - 6 l/min for shielding gas with He. In addition, there was no big difference in the microstructure and fracture surface of the weld metals made by either Ar shielding gas or He shielding gas.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.73-79
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• 1993

The phenomenon of metal transfer has been investigated for different transfer modes using a digital high speed motion analyzer and an arc shadow-graphing system based on a laser source and related optical system. It was observed that the pinch instability phenomenon did not occur for the globular transfer mode, since the liquid globule was then spherical rateher than a cylindrical liquid bar. On increasing the ratio of carbon dioxide to argon, the transition current from globular to spray transfer generally increased, but it is interesting that the transition was observed to occur at the lowest current in a 5% CO$_{2}$-95% argon gas mixture. For pure carbon dioxide and helium shielding gases, the drop frequency increased slowly with increasing current. At high currents or an argon based shielding gas, the length of liquid bar decreased as the carbon dioxide content increased. The acceleration of a droplet within the arc was determined using the gas drag force theory and was found to be greater than the experimental results.

• 한국생산제조학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.665-672
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• 2013

With the development of advanced processing technology, laser processing systems, which require high-quality precision processing, have attracted considerable attention. Although laser equipment is expensive, it enables quick processing and less deformation of materials. This technology is often applied to secondary batteries, which has thus farinvolved the use of argon tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. However, the welding characteristics of argon TIG welding are not yet good, and a laser is used for welding to address this problem. In this study, lap-joint welding was conducted, and the desired welding characteristics were obtained when the laser power was 1800W and the laser beam travel speed was 1.8 m/min. Lap-joint welding was conducted on Ni-coated SS41. Two cases were compared. No pores were observed in the Ni-coated SS41 lap-joint welding part, and cracks appeared from the lap-joints. Moreover, the pole rod and tap were welded together in a T-joint form to improve the output of the secondary battery. T-joint laser welding showed better welding characteristics than TIG welding.