• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.181-195
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the composition and concentrations of fumes generated from various types of welding processes. The results are as follows. 1. Iron(Fe), zinc(Zn) and manganese(Mn) were predominant in Welding fumes. The Fe content in total fumes was 25.5% in coated electrode and 28.2% in $CO_2$ are welding, and the Zn content was 4.5% and 9.1%, respectively, and the Mn was 3.6% and 7.8%, respectively. 2. It was found that the important factors determining composition and concentration of fumes were type of industries, type of welding processes, type and composition of electrodes, composition of base metals, confinement of workplaces or condition of ventilation, work intensity, coated metals such as lead and Zn in paint. 3. The Mn content in airborne fumes was highly correlated with that of electrode(r=0.77, p<0.01) and was about 4 times higher than that in electrodes or base metals. The results lindicate that Mn is well evaporated into air during welding. The higher vapor pressure of Mn may explain this phenomenon. 4. the airborne total fume concentrations were significantly different among types of industries(p<0.001). The airborne total fume concentration was higher in order of sleel-structure manufacturing($GM=15.1mg/m^3$), shipbuilding($GM=13.2mg/m^3$), automobile-component manufacturing ($GM=7.8mg/m^3$) and automobile assembling industry($GM=3.0mg/m^3$) 5. The airbone total fume concentration was 6 times higher in $CO_2$ welding than in coated electrode welding, and approximately 3 times higher in confined area than in open area, in steel-structure manufacturing industry. 6. The concentration of welding fume outside welding helmet was about 2 times higher than that inside it. It is recommened that air sampling be done inside helmet to evaulate worker's exposure accurately, for it has an outstanding effect on reducing worker exposure to fumes and other contaminants.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.279-281
• /
• 2007

This paper reviews corrosion characteristics of welded in the area of 409 Stainless Steel, Aluminium and Carbon steel. The effects of alloying elements and welding conditions on the intergranular-corrosion in weldment of the 409 stainless steels(SS) were investigated. And then this was to investigate factors affecting the composition and concentrations of fumes generated from various types of welding processes. It is also suggested that the direct relationship between the corrosion characteristics and welding type be clarified by experimental and analytical results.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.245-253
• /
• 2007

This research was performed to evaluate the airborne personal concentration of hazardouse materials during the process of ship construction and surveyed from May 23 to June 30, 2007 in Kyungnam West Distirct, Korea. The subject was 94 ship construction workers exposed to welding fume and respirable particulate. The airborne concentrations of those were compared to Permissible Exposure Limit(PEL) from the Ministry of Labor in Korea. The airborne concentration of 23 samples(48.9%) of welding fumes was less than $5mg/m^3$, that of 16 (34.0%) was between 5 and $10mg/m^3$, and that of 8 (17.0%) was greater than $10mg/m^3$. The airborne concentration of 27 (57.4%) of respirable particulate masses was less than $5mg/m^3$ and the othere are greater than $5mg/m^3$. The welding fumes were identified containing the heavy metasl such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Mg, Ca, and Cu. The respirable particulates has similiar tendency with welding fumes in the component of heavy metals. But the concentration of Ca, Cu, Cr, and Ni turned out to be higher in welding fumes. Twenty (42.6%) of the 47 samples of welding fumes were exceeded PEL. In the heavy metals in welding fumes, ten (21.3%) of the 47 samples of Mn were exceeded PEL. Based on the results, the higher airborne hazardous materials were still exposed to wokers in ship construction process. It is suggested that the appropriate engineering control be applied to minimize the exposed cocnetration in ship building processes.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.117-129
• /
• 2002

Concentration of welding fumes and their components is known to be hazardous to welder and adjacent worker. To determine the generation rates of metals in fumes, $CO_2$ flux cored arc welding on stainless steel was performed in well designed fume collection chamber. Variables were different products of flux cored wire(2 domestic products and 4 foreign products) and input energy(low-, optimal- , high input energy). Mass of welding fumes was determined by gravimetric method(NIOSH 0500 method), and 17 metals were analysed by inductively coupled plasm-atomic emission spectroscopy(NIOSH 7300 method). Flux cored wire tube and flux were analysed by scanning electron microscopy to determine their metal composition. 17 metals were classified by their generation rates. Generation rates of iron, manganese, potassium and sodium were all above 50mg/min at optimal input energy level. Generation rates of chromium and amorphous silica were 25~50mg/min. At 1~25mg/min level, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, and aluminum were included. Copper, zinc, calcium, lead, magnesium, lithium, and cobalt were generated below 1 mg/min. Generation rates of metal components in fumes were influenced by input energy, types of flux cored wire. Flux cored wire was consisted of outer shell tube and inner flux. Iron, chromium, and nickel were the major components of outer tube. Flux contained iron, chromium, nickel, potassium, sodium, silica, and manganese. The use of flux cored wire can increase the hazards by increasing the amounts of fumes formed relative to that of solid wire. The reason might be the direct transfer of elements from the flux, since the flux is fine power. Ratio of metals to the fume of flux cored wire was lower than that of solid wire because non-metal components of flux were transferred. Total metal content of fumes in flux cored arc welding was 47.4(24.3~57.2) percent that is much lower than that of solid wire, 75.9 percent. We found that generation rates of iron, manganese, chromium and nickel, all well known to cause work related disease to welder, increased more rapidly with increasing input energy than those of fumes. To reduce worker exposure to fumes and hazardous component at source, further research is needed to develop new welding filler materials that decrease both the amount of fumes and hazardous components.