Spectra of Optical Radiation from Welding Arcs

Abstract

It is important to determine spectra of optical radiation from light sources at workplaces, because they usually emit lights of various wavelengths simultaneously and these differ in their degree of harmfulness. Spectra of optical radiation (wavelength range: 200-1, 000 nm) from the arc of various arc welding processes were measured, using a multichannel detector system. For each process, a stable relative spectrum (a shape of the spectrum) was obtained in spite of the fluctuations in intensity.
The relative spectrum is determined mainly by the welding material, such as steel or aluminum, regardless of the other parameters. Especially, it is independent of the diameter of wire, arc current and arc voltage, which have an influence only on the absolute intensity of the radiation.