An experimental study of the fume particulate produced by the shielded metal arc welding process

Welding fumes are common ambient air pollutants in manufacturing facilities, and have been shown to have deleterious effects on human health. An experimental effort is conducted to study the formation and composition of respirable fumes from a SMAW process. The responses examined are the fume particle size distribution (mean diameter) and formation rate (particle number and mass concentration). The investigated process variables include electrode type and diameter, welding current level, weld speed, weld angle, and current type. Welding current and current type (AC/DC) are shown to strongly influence the fume generation rate.