• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.358-369
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• 2000

Shielded metal arc welding machines with AC transformer have been widely used for thin-plate welding applications. Because of being bulky, heavy and of tap-changing property, so the SMAW's are changing to new power electronic circuits such as inverter circuit in order to reduce the system size and also to improve the welding performances at input output sides. The PWM inverter arc welding machine with diode rectifier has better output welding performances but it is has the plentiful harmonics and the lower input power factor. To solve these problems, input current-controlled scheme is considered for PWM inverter arc welding system, and then total input power factor is maintained to be more than 99%. Also a new combined control is proposed which can control both instantaeous welding output voltage and current under constant power condition, and as a result the variations of instantaneous current and voltage can be reduced to very narrow range in the V-I curve relationship, and hence the variance of welding current and voltage become so reduced. In addition the spatter generated during welding process is greatly reduced up to 70%. And the overall effiency can be improved up to 10%, which becomes higher when the load is lower.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.509-517
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the patterns of exposure of welders to strong magnetic fields for extended periods of time on the basis of their daily activities as recorded in a logbook. Methods: Male workers whose main job is welding, specifically seven welders occupied with gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW), two performing shielded metal arc welding(SMAW), and ten engaged in gas metal arc welding(GMAW), were measured in terms of the degree to which they were exposed to extremely low frequency(ELF) magnetic fields over 24 hours by using an electromagnetic field meter(EMF meter), as well as based on a daily activity log. Results: The welders were exposed to $1.25{\pm}4.95{\mu}T$ of magnetic field per day on average. For those who spent more than half a day-735.26 minutes, or 51.1% of the day-at work, the figure averages $3.88{\pm}8.85{\mu}T$ with a maximum value of $221.28{\mu}T$. The subject welders spent $338.14{\pm}154.95$ minutes per day at home. During their stays at home, they were exposed to an average of $0.17{\pm}0.06{\mu}T$ with a maximum value of $3.50{\mu}T$. The maximum exposure of $221.28{\mu}T$ occurred when welders performed GMAW. The average exposure reached its highest at $17.71{\pm}6.96{\mu}T$ when conducting SMAW. Magnetic field exposure also depends upon posture: welders who sat while welding were exposed five times more than those who stood during work, and this difference is statistically significant. As for the relationship between distance from the welding power supply and maximum magnetic field exposure, maximum magnetic field exposure decreases as the distance increases. The average magnetic field exposure, in the meantime, showed no significant difference depending on distance. Conclusions: The following were observed through this study: 1) welders, while conducting jobs, are exposed to magnetic fields not only from the welding machine, but also from the surrounding base material due to the current flowing between the welding machine and base material, meaning that they are continuously exposed to a magnetic field; and 2) welders are more exposed to magnetic fields while they sit at a job compared to when they stand up.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.56-72
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• 1999

Airborne concentrations of welding fumes in which 13 different metals such as Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Si, Sn, Ti, and Zn were analyzed were measured at 18 factories including automobile assembly and manufactures, steel heavy industries and shipyards. Air samples were collected by personal sampler at each worker's worksite(n=339). Blood levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were also measured from samples taken from 447 welders by atomic absorption spectrometry and compared with control values obtained from 127 non-exposed workers. The results were as follows ; 1. Among various welding types, $CO_2$ welding 70.2 % were widely used, shielded metal arc welding(SMAW) 22.1 % came next, and rest of them were metal inert gas(MIG) welding, submerged arc welding(SAW), spot welding(SPOT) and tungsten inert gas(TIG) welding. 2. Welding fume concentration was $0.92mg/m^3$($0.02{\sim}15.33mg/m^3$) at automobile assembly and manufactures, $4.10mg/m^3$($0.02{\sim}70.75mg/m^3$) at steel heavy industries and $5.59mg/m^3$($0.30{\sim}91.16mg/m^3$) at shipyards, respectively, showing significant difference among industry types. Workers exposed to high concentration of welding fumes above Korean Permissible Exposure Limit(KPEL) amounted to 7.9 % and 12.5 %, in $CO_2$ welding and in SMAW at automobile assembly and manufactures and 62.7 % in $CO_2$ welding, and 12.5 % in SMAW at shipyards, and 66.2 % in $CO_2$ welding and 70.6 % in SMAW at steel heavy industries. 3. Geometric mean of airborne concentration of each metal released from welding fumes was below one 10th of KPEL in all welding types. Percentage of workers, however, exposed to airborne concentration of metals above KPEL amounted to 16.8 % in Mn and 7.6 % in Fe in $CO_2$ welding; 37.5 % in Cu in SAW, 30 % in Cu in TIG; and 25 % in Pb in SPOT welding. As a whole, 76 Workers(22.4%) were exposed to high concentration of any of the metals above KPEL. 4. There were differences in airborne concentration of metals such as Al, Cd, Cr, Cu. Fe. Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Si, Sn, Ti and Zn by industry types. These concentrations were higher in shipyards and steel heavy industries than in automobile assembly and manufactures. Workers exposed to higher concentration of Pb above KPEI amounted to 7.4 % of workers(7/94) in automobile assembly and manufactures. In shipyards, 19.2 % of workers(19/99) were over-exposed to Mn and 7.1 % (7/99) to Fe above KPEL. In steel heavy industries, 14.4 %(21/146), 7.5 %(11/146) and 13 %(19/146) were over-exposed to Mn, Fe and Cu, respectively. As a whole, 76 out of 339 workers(22.4%) were exposed to any of the metals above KPEL. 5. Blood levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in welders were $0.11{\mu}g/100m{\ell}$, $0.84{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $424.4{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $1.26{\mu}g/100m{\ell}$, $5.01{\mu}g/100m{\ell}$ and $5.68{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, respectively, in contrast to $0.09{\mu}g/100m{\ell}$, $0.70{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $477.2{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $0.73{\mu}g/100m{\ell}$, $3.14{\mu}g/100m{\ell}$ and $6.15{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ in non-exposed control groups, showing significantly higher values in welders but Fe and Zn.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.7-12
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• 2019

Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), which has been widely used in many industries, was developed in the 1950s to supplement shortcomings of the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW). FCAW has an advantage in that it can weld regardless of postures and give good quality results in the filed with many different working conditions. In this study, SM490A (rolled steel for welding structural purpose) with different thicknesses (L:25T+R:30T) were welded using FCAW. Then the mechanical properties (tension test, bending test, hardness test, impact test and macro test) were analyzed and the following conclusions were drawn. In the tensile test, it exceeds the KS standard tensile strength range (400~510) in all welding positions, which means there is a problem in the tensile force transmission performance. In the bending test, it was found that most of the specimens did not exhibit surface rupture or other defects during bending test and they exhibit sufficient toughness even after plastic deformation. In the hardness test, all the results were lower than the standard value of 350 Hv of KS B 0893, which means they have good hardness. In the impact test, all results were larger than the KS reference value of 27J. In the macro test, they showed uniform structure state by the shape of the weld, and there was risk of lamination because no internal defects, bubbles, or impurities were found on the surface of the weld.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.706-711
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• 2007

Numerical studies were performed to examine the effects of notch location of impact specimens on the failure behavior of HAZ (heat affected zone) when Charpy V-notch impact test were made at a low temperature ($1^{\circ}C$). Carbon steel plate (SA-516 Gr. 70) with thickness of 25mm for pressure vessel was welded by SMAW (shielded metal-arc welding) and specimens were fabricated from the welded plate. Charpy tests were then performed with specimens having different notch positions of specimens varying from the fusion line through HAZ to base metal. A series of finite element analysis which simulates the Charpy test and crack propagation initiating at the tip of V-notch was carried out as well. The finite element analysis takes into account the irregular fusion line and non-homogenous material properties due to the notch location of the specimen in HAZ. Results reveals that the energies absorbed during impact test depend significantly on the notch location and direction of specimen. Finite element analysis also demonstrates that the notch location of specimens, to a great extent, influences the reliability and consistency of the test.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.596-600
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• 2016

This paper describes the research aimed at improving the evaluation method of practical exams in a field of welding on a national technical qualification examination based on national competency standards (NCS). In this study, new evaluation methods of practical exams on master craftsman welding reflect the latest welding technique trends and are applied to the ability unit and the fulfillment criteria of the national competency standards. The effects are then verified through an advisory conference and demonstration evaluation. The practical exams on the master craftsman welding in the current welding field were analyzed systematically. In the future, the national technical qualification examination of master crafts welding will be applied after completing the revision of the question standards through an expert group in its duty fields based on this research.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.297-306
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• 2019

The extension of existing RC buildings is a challenging process, which requires efficient connection between existing and new materials to guarantee load transferring between the lap-spliced longitudinal columns' reinforcement. Therefore, the length of the columns' starter bars is a crucial factor, which decisively affects the seismic response of the new columns. In particular, when the length of the starter bars is short, then the length of the lap splices of reinforcement is inadequate to ensure load transfer between steel bars and concrete, with an indisputable detrimental impact on the seismic behaviour of the columns. Moreover, in most of the existing RC buildings the column starter bars are of particularly short length, while they have probably been bent, cut or corroded. In the present study, the effectiveness of both welded rebar and mechanical splices of reinforcement in ensuring load transferring between the starter bars and the longitudinal reinforcement of the new column was experimentally evaluated. Four cantilever column subassemblages were constructed and subjected to earthquake-type loading. Three of the specimens were used to examine different types of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), while in the fourth subassemblage mechanical splices were tested. The hysteretic response of the columns was evaluated and compared to the behaviour of a fifth specimen with continuous reinforcement, tested by Kalogeropoulos and Tsonos (2019). Test results clearly demonstrated that the examined types of SMAW were equally satisfactory in ensuring the ductile seismic performance of the columns, while the mechanical splices found to be more susceptible to exhibit slipping of the bars.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 1998

In this study, for the safety performance of LNG storage tank, the fracture toughness in X-grooved weld HAZ(heat-affected zone) of $9\%$ Ni steel was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively, and the relation with the change in microstructure was analyzed. The toughness assessment was peformed through the modified CTOD test proposed for thick weldment with X-groove. Additionally, microstructures of HAZ were evaluated by OM, SEM and XRD. From the results, HAZ toughness of SMA(shielded metal arc)-welded $9\%$ Ni steel decreased as the evaluated region approached the fusion line. The decrease in toughness was apparently caused by the increase in the fraction of coarse-grained zone within HAZ. On the other hand, toughness drop with decreasing test temperature in F.L.(fusion line) ${\~}$F.L.+3mm was larger than that in F.L.+5mm${\~}$F.L.+7mm region due to the fact that in the former regions, retained austenite had poor stability.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.541-548
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• 2009

In this study, Charpy impact test and numerical studies were performed to examine the effects of failure behavior and energy absorption on the notch position. For this purpose, carbon steel plate(SA-516 Gr. 70) with thickness of 25mm usually used for pressure vessel was welded by SMAW(Shielded Metal-Arc Welding)method and specimens were fabricated from the welded plate. The Charpy impact tests were then performed with specimens having different notch positions varying within HAZ. A series of three-dimensional FE analysis which simulates the Charpy test and crack propagation are carried out as well. We divided HAZ into two, three and four regions to apply mechanical properties of HAZ to FE-analys. Results reveal that the absorbed energies during impact test depend significantly on the notch position. To obtain the results of reliability, HAZ should be divided into at least three regions.