Lab Report : Mechanical And Shop Safety Practices

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this lab report was to learn basic welding and shop safety practices to successfully gain experience in MIG (semiautomatic) and stick (manual) welding techniques. The overall scope of this lab report was to gain exposure to weld inspection and destructive testing by overloading prepared welded samples and analyzing them.

Experimental Procedure

The procedure of this lab report involves welding two small sheets of metal (each relatively 3x6 inch) together using both MIG and stick welding techniques, then cutting the welded piece to produce two samples. Of the two samples one would be of the MIG weld and the other sample was the stick weld. Using a loading machine, the samples were loaded until failure and the destructive testing results were analyzed.

To prepare for the nature of this lab report, a shop lab overview and two welding demonstrations were presented by Mr. Thomas Hatch and Mr. Lucas Jones, who are two of Penn State Altoona’s lab supervisors. The lab overview provided solid mechanical information on the horizontal and vertical ban saws, the belt sander and wheel grinder, and the MIG and stick welders. Safety practices and procedures were also covered for each of the aforementioned machines and welders. Two methods of welding were demonstrated; one was the MIG weld and the other a stick weld. Proper technique, form, and safety were stressed as three important factors of welding. Technique will provide precision, form will provide accuracy, and safety will provide repetition. Before proceeding to welding and cutting the samples needed for this lab, a summary of lab safety rules, from PSU Altoona’s Lab Safety Rules and Chapter 4 of Modern Welding Technology 6th Ed., was completed.

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...stered by many people. Stick welding is a very mobile and useful weld because the coating on the electrode acts as a shield during the weld and coats the top of the weld with slag which is resistant material Concluding the results, to improve stick welding, it is important ((to think about weld speed. One must compensate for the decreasing stick length at a speed that keeps the arc consistent to produce the proper amount of heat needed for deep penetration to keep the weld shut. For the MIG welder, it is important to maintain proper speed and understand the geometry of the weld. A proper width of groove and size pool combined with speed of operation will produce a solid weld. It is also important to keep in mind that sanding and grinding is a major step in welding. Altering the weld surface can be very beneficial to completing a strong lasting weld.

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