Human exposure during operation of GMAW-P welding machines

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the exposure of human workers to low and high frequency electromagnetic fields during operation of GMAW-P welding machines. Design/methodology/approach – First, a numerical parametric analysis of the current waveform has been performed in Matlab, with reference to the human exposure; then a simulation model of a full welding system has been implemented in Simulink/Matlab. The effect has been numerically quantified accordingly to European Standards EN 50444 and EN 50445. Findings – Contributions to human exposure of specific parts of the current waveform have been evaluated. A new numerical implementation of a full welding system has been done. Practical implications – The paper shows that there could possibly be improvement in the design of current waveforms, with respect to a reduced human exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields. Originality/value – The paper presents a new numerical tool that can be useful since the design phase of a welding system for the evaluation of human exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields.