Abstract
Analysis of the particulates eliminated from typical mild steel 6010 welding rods during handling has been undertaken by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with associated energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Upon breaking, the rod coating particles are released in the size range of 1–100 μm, which include over 60% of the particles that can be transported into the lower bronchial and alveolar regions. The composition of the particles is representative of the component of the flux coating.