Oxyacetylene Cylinders
Oxyacetylene equipment consists of a cylinder of acetylene, a cylinder of oxygen, two regulators, two lengths of hose with fittings, a welding torch with tips, and either a cutting attachment or a separate cutting torch.
Accessories include a friction igniter to light the torch, an apparatus wrench to fit the various connections on the regulators, the cylinders, and the torches; goggles with filter lenses for eye protection; and gloves for protection of the hands. Flame-resistant clothing is worn when necessary.
Regulators
Reduce the gas pressure in a cylinder to a suitable working pressure before it can be used. This is done by a regulator or reducing valve. Regulators are either the single-stage or the double-stage type:
- Single- stage regulators reduce the pressure of the gas in one step;
- two-stage regulators do the same job in two steps or stages. Less adjustment is generally necessary when two-stage regulators are used.
Acetylene regulators and oxygen regulators are of the same general type, although those designed for acetylene are not made to withstand such high pressures as are those designed for use with oxygen cylinders.
Welding Torches
The oxyacetylene welding torch is used to mix oxygen and acetylene gas in the proper proportions and to control the volume of these gases burned at the welding tip. Torches have two needle valves, one for adjusting the flow of oxygen and the other for adjusting the flow of acetylene. They have a handle (body), two tubes (one for oxygen and one for acetylene), a mixing head, and a tip. Welding tips are made from a special copper alloy, which dissipates heat (less than 60 percent copper), and are available in different sizes to handle a wide range of plate thicknesses.
Hoses
Hoses used to make the connection between a torch and a regulator are strong, nonporous, and flexible and light enough to make torch movements easy. It is made to withstand high internal pressures, and the rubber used in its manufacture is specially treated to remove sulfur to avoid the danger of spontaneous combustion.
The hoses used for acetylene and oxygen are the same in grade, but they differ in color and have different types of threads on the hose fittings. The oxygen hose is GREEN, and the acetylene hose is RED. For added protection against mixing of the hoses during connection, the oxygen hose has right-hand threads and the acetylene hose has left-hand threads. The acetylene fittings also have a notch that goes around the circumference of the fittings for an additional identification factor.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-4. Oxyacetylene equipment has two hoses: the oxygen hose is _____ and the acetylene hose is _____.
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