Studies of chemical and physical emissions from welding aluminum alloys

Fabrication and repair of aluminum components and structures commonly involves the use of electric arc welding. In order to ensure the safety of the welders and others in the local environment, it is important to understand the nature of the chemical and physical emissions that are inherent to this welding process. Since aluminum is seldom used as the pure metal but is far more often alloyed with other metals to improve strength and various physical properties, the interaction of the arc and the metal being welded generates ultraviolet radiation, various metallic oxides and fumes, and gases. The exact composition of these emissions depends on the aluminum alloy(s) being welded. In order to provide needed data on welding emissions, The Aluminum Association sponsored several studies to characterize the emissions from arc welding by the metal inert gas (MIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) processes for various combinations of base and filler alloys. In some of the studies emissions from other processes such as grinding and plasma arc cutting were also investigated. In all cases, the tests were conducted to provide means of estimating "worst case" exposures.