Nakatani Miku
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Dangers Associated With the Welding Profession
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
If an employee currently works, previously worked, or is in an area where industrial welding is being performed, chances are the employee was exposed to welding rod fumes. Recent medical research suggests that exposure to welding fumes may lead many health problems, including two serious illnesses, Parkinson’s disease and Manganism. There are many court cases pending regarding this exposure, the hazards involved and the health impact on employees.
For example, in early September 2005 a Mississippi shipyard worker who claimed his neurological problems were caused by inhaling fumes from welding rods concluded his lawsuit by settling with the final two welding company defendants in his case. The worker’s lawsuit against the two welding manufacturers was scheduled for trial the following week. The lawsuit was settled for more than one million dollars.
As stated, the two diseases most commonly reported in medical research from the exposure to welding fumes are Manganism and Parkinson’s disease. A description of each of these diseases follows:
* Manganism, also known as secondary Parkinsonism, is a condition that develops when excessive levels of manganese injure that portion of the brain that controls body movements. Symptoms of this condition include fatigue, headache, slow or slurred speech, poor memory, impaired balance and tremors, delusions and hallucinations, disorientation and/or difficulty walking.
* In addition to Manganism, recent studies have found that exposure to manganese fumes is associated with the early onset of Parkinson’s disease. In fact, research conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine found that welders developed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease an average of 15 years earlier than the general population.
Many motor system disorders are caused by the decrease and eventual loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, which is imperative to the body. Of these diseases, Parkinson’s is classified with these disorders. Of the four main symptoms of the illness is a seizure or tremble like movement that often occurs in the face and appendages including legs, hands and arms; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; slowness of movement; and balance as well as poor or wavering posture and coordination are among the other symptoms. As these symptoms become more pronounced, patients may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. Early symptoms of the disease are subtle and occur gradually. Other symptoms may include depression and other emotional changes; difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and speaking; urinary problems or constipation; skin problems; and sleep disruptions.
It is advisable that legal consultation is sought out by those who have been or currently are working as a welder or for those who may have been in the area where welding has occurred. It is necessary to study work history records and evaluate medical records to determine whether there may be a valid claim against the manufacturers. It is advisable to contact a welding injury law firm as soon as possible because there is a statute of limitations on some claims.
Beginners Guide to Welding
As you can guess from the history of welding, the ability to join two or more pieces of metal together in a strong bond has been fundamental in our advancements in all areas of life, from housing to transportation; from manufacturing to repairs. Understanding welding basics can come in handy at work, but it will just as often come in handy around the house, in the workshop or on the farm. Because of this, welding is a skill that almost anyone can benefit from, male or female, young or old.
Why Weld?
If you own any equipment or machinery that is metal, welding will certainly serve as a useful skill. Some typical goals of a welding job include:
If you own any equipment or machinery that is metal, welding will certainly serve as a useful skill. Some typical goals of a welding job include:
Fixing stress cracks
Reinforcing weak joints, and
Cutting/shaping new parts and adapters from raw plating.
Reinforcing weak joints, and
Cutting/shaping new parts and adapters from raw plating.
For chores like these, many welders rely on a process known as arc welding. Arc welding is a method where during the welding process, an electrical current jumps through an air gap (between a positively charged electrode and a negatively charged steel plate) and produces an enormous amount of heat. This heat is produced at the end of a welding rod, and when it does, metal can be melted. Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, but the concept is the same.
Perhaps the most common and economical welding method used today is AC (alternating current) arc welding. You can locate a simple AC welder just about anywhere, such as your local farm store or home improvement center. This welding process is ideal for most of your simple, routine welding jobs. Therefore, AC arc welding is ideal for those of you just starting out.
Minimize Your Risk
While arc welding isn’t incredibly complicated, there are a few risks and hazards that you should be aware of:
While arc welding isn’t incredibly complicated, there are a few risks and hazards that you should be aware of:
1. Exposure to radiation
2. Flying sparks (in the form of globs of molten metal)
3. Electric Shock
4. Fumes
5. Damage to your eyes, and
6. Burns
2. Flying sparks (in the form of globs of molten metal)
3. Electric Shock
4. Fumes
5. Damage to your eyes, and
6. Burns
However, by wearing protective clothing and specialized welding helmets and other gear, you can greatly reduce the inherent risks of welding. Here are a few other tips to help keep you safe while arc welding:
Make sure to work on a dry floor. Wear thick rubber shoes and dry leather welding gloves.
Be sure to use insulated electrode holders.
Check to make sure that your equipment is all properly grounded.
Check to make sure that your equipment is all properly grounded.
Keep your work area properly ventilated to avoid inhaling any potentially toxic fumes.
Be on the look out for flying bits of melted metal.
Most importantly, be aware of any other people who are around you. If they aren’t wearing the proper gear, then keep them away from your project.
This will get you started welding safely – one of the most important things when learning a new craft.
What You Should Know About Aluminum Welding
What is a vee groove? A vee groove is a V-shaped formation in a piece of metal. The vee groove facilitates performance of a welding process. The welding process is used to create a bond between two different metals.
If a vee groove exists in an aluminum part, that aluminum part can be welded to a different metal part. Aluminum welding is used to melt one metal part, a part that should be joined to another metal part. The heat from the welding device creates a small pool of liquid. That liquid forms a puddle in the vee groove.
The hot liquid is used to bond two different metals. The hot liquid in the vee groove coalesces around a section of each of the two different metal parts. Once the molten material has hardened, the metal objects have been fused together.
Coalescence permits the joining of aluminum and a second metal, but it is not the only scientific property that can aid formation of a metal to metal bond. Not every fusion of aluminum and a second metal has resulted from aluminum welding. Sometimes that fusion is produced by a process called brazing.
Brazing relies on the properties of capillary action. As in aluminum welding, in brazing a section of metal must be heated to the point where it enters a liquid state. That molten metal is then distributed on the close-fitting metal parts. After the liquid metal hardens, then the metal parts are firmly fused together.
Both aluminum welding and brazing can call for exposure of metals to a good deal of heat. Sometimes a metal worker does not want to expose a piece of metal to very high temperatures. If that piece of metal should be joined to another metal, then what process can the metal worker use?
When a metal worker faces the above-mentioned problem, then he or she needs to use a process called soldering. Soldering takes advantage of the low melting point of one metal, a metal different from the two metals that need to be joined together. Liquid from a metallic substance with a low melting point is used to create an adherence between two different metal parts.
Aluminum alloys do not always need to be joined by welding, brazing or soldering. Sometimes aluminum alloys have been held together by adhesive bonding. Sometimes mechanical fasteners clasp onto two connected, aluminum alloys. Sometimes bolts, nuts or rivets are used to join together two different aluminum alloys.
All of the above methods create a strong metal to metal bond. All of the above methods benefit from the tensile strength of aluminum. All of the above methods use to advantage a characteristic of the extrusion process.
Both aluminum welding and the other metal joining methods put demands on an extruded metal object. Still, an object created by the extrusion process can be made thickest at the points where it receives the most pressure.
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