Analysis of the Fume Generation Rates in the Flux Cored Arc welding

The characteristics of the fume generation in a flux cored arc welding were investigated using the fume collection chamber developed. The Korean Standard concerning the method for the evaluation of the fume generation rate(FGR) was updated by the evaluation method obtained through this study. It was found that the effect of humidity in the test environment should be considered and the automatic welding method had to be employed for the purpose of the exact evaluation of the fume generation rate. The results showed that the fume generation rate was influenced by the welding parameters. The important factors were the welding current arc voltage, travel speed, and contact tip to work distance(CTWD) that affected the heat input as well as the torch angle and the shielding gas flow rate that influenced the shielding effect. The fume generation rate increased as the heat input increased and the shielding effect decreased. It was also observed that the effect of the welding current is much grater than the other welding parameters.