Oxyfuel gas welding (OFW) is a manual process in which the metal surfaces to be joined are melted progressively by heat from a gas flame, with or without a filler metal. This article discusses the capabilities, advantages, and limitations of OFW. It describes the role of gases, such as oxygen, acetylene, hydrogen, natural gas, propane, and proprietary gases, in OFW. The article discusses the important elements of an OFW system, such as gas storage facilities, pressure regulators, hoses, torches, related safety devices, and accessories. It describes the sequence for setting up a positive-pressure welding outfit. The article provides information on forehand welding and backhand welding, as well as various joints used. It concludes with a discussion on repairs and alterations, as well as the safety aspects.

This article provides members of the thermal spray community with practical recommendations for the safe installation, operation, and maintenance of gas equipment used in the thermal spray process. It focuses on safety issues concerning gas equipment used in conjunction with thermal spray equipment at consumer sites. The article covers the gas sources (bulk or gaseous), the piping (hard and soft) leading to the gas console or the torch, and the specific safety devices used to help ensure safe operation. It discusses the characteristics and safety hazards of gases such as oxygen, compressed air, nitrogen, helium, argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, acetylene, kerosene, propylene, propane, and natural gas. The article also provides information on the maintenance and safety practices involved in the plumbing configurations of cylinder gas supply units and bulk gas supply units.

This article provides information on the factors influencing the selection of the proper corrosion-resistant coating system. It focuses on the proper execution of surface preparation and the available surface preparation methods. The preparation process includes the removal of visible contaminants, removal of invisible contaminants, and roughening of the surface. Solvent or chemical washing, steam cleaning, hand tool cleaning, power tool cleaning, water blasting, and abrasive blast cleaning, are some preparation methods discussed. The article describes the most common application techniques of coating as well as the equipment used. An overview of some of the most common coating inspection points and inspection equipment is also provided.

Cooling towers are designed to remove heat from water in an induction system and dissipate it into the atmosphere. This article provides information on closed-loop recirculating water systems of an induction system to cool the power supply. It focuses on various types of cooling towers, namely, air-cooled heat exchangers, air-cooled heat exchangers with trim cooler, closed-circuit evaporative cooling towers, and open evaporative cooling towers. The article discusses the importance of their placement or positioning to reduce the chances of air recirculation, and concludes with a discussion on refrigerant chillers.

Advances in vehicle design and technology require engine coolant technology to minimize the degradation of nonmetals and prevent the corrosion of the metals in the cooling system. This article provides a detailed discussion on the functions, operation, materials, and major components of the cooling system. It discusses various forms of corrosion that occur in cooling systems, including uniform corrosion, galvanic corrosion, crevice corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, erosion corrosion, and cavitation corrosion. The article presents information on engine coolant base components and inhibitors used for corrosion prevention. It reviews the coolant performance tests recommended by ASTM, SAE, and vehicle manufacturers. The article concludes with a description on the difference between light-duty automotive and heavy-duty diesel engine coolants.

Hardness testing equipment is important as all results from the induction equipment are graded by the hardness testing equipment. This article includes maintenance tips and points to consider regarding hardness test equipment, power supplies, controls, programmable logic controllers, computer systems, water cooling systems, fixtures and machines, air-operated or pneumatic devices, coils, and quench systems. It also presents simple rules that need to be applied while moving the equipment from one location to another.

This article discusses various control processes carried out in powder feeding, thermal spraying, and gas flow of the thermal spray process to standardize the coating quality. Quality of the entire powder feeding process can be achieved by controlling the processing of feeding equipment as well as the characteristics of the powder being fed. Gas flow control can be achieved by using rotameters, critical orifices, and thermal mass flowmeters, whose ability to provide useful information is defined by their resolution, accuracy, linearity, and repeatability. The commercial thermal spray controls discussed here include the open-loop input-based, open-loop output-based, closed-loop input-based, and closed-loop output-based or adaptive controls. The article discusses the common causes and practical solutions for arc starting problems. It also outlines certain important developments in measuring individual and collective particle velocities, temperature, and trajectories as well as other plume characteristics for the plasma spray process.