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Basic Metallurgy and Welding
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Demo
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Basic Metallurgy & Welding Home
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Multimedia training
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Computer-based multimedia training can provide an efficient alternative to conventional training methods. It offers a highly effective learning environment in terms of knowledge retention, without the overhead costs associated with attending a classroom-based training course. It is generally agreed that the interactivity inherent in multimedia systems sustains the attention of the student and aids memory retention. By including activities such as exploring a diagram, searching for the answers to questions, or simply selecting a path through the course, students are more likely to remember the course material. In addition, the ability to draw on a wide range of media types to present complex issues can greatly simplify the learning process. For example, animations are often the clearest way of describing abstract concepts and can depict details that cannot be recorded on video. In contrast to more traditional training methods, multimedia systems enable students to study locally and at a convenient time without having to leave their day-to-day activities for long periods. Students can work at their own pace, select the material relevant to their needs and receive immediate feedback on their progress via automated testing. Lloyds Register and TWI have developed an interactive multimedia training programme that can be used as a prerequisite to practical-based training sessions. Using this approach, students undertaking the practical course will have a common grounding in the theoretical issues on which to build their practical skills.
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Interactivity
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When designing interactive training courses, there is always a trade-off between incorporating a high level of interactivity in order to aid memory retention and yet maintaining a structured path through the information to ensure that all the material is covered. As all of the material on the CD is deemed essential to the course, the decision was taken to maintain a linear structure while allowing some branching to encourage the user to 'explore' and hence sustain their interest. Consequently, the main menu serves as a guide to the logical flow through the course, but the user is given the flexibility to enter the chapters in any order.
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Introduction to Metallurgy main menu
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The navigation has been designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible. Each section begins with a short introduction to the material covered, and ends with a quiz in which immediate feedback is given so the user can judge their understanding of that section. The student uses the forwards and backwards arrows to move within a section, and links to further information are denoted by red clickable text or a 'more' button.
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Page containing link to further information
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Successful navigation through the course is, however, only one aspect of user interactivity. The completion of on-screen tasks by the user is another essential ingredient of multimedia training software. The figure below shows a 'drag and drop' interaction, where the user is asked to match the welding system components with the correct terminology.
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A 'drag and drop' interaction of a gas shielded welding torch
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'Cursor in area' interactions encourage the user to explore a screen. An example of this is the photograph of the ship below, where positioning the cursor over a component displays the alloy from which the component is manufactured.
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An example of a 'cursor in area' interaction
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Media
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The training programme calls upon a variety of media types, each chosen for its relative merits in a given situation. Video footage has been used in situations where it is useful to see the industrial application of a welding process. For example, the figure below shows the submerged arc welding of bridge decking.
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Video frame of submerged arc welding
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Where detailed microstructures are to be displayed, scanned photographs provide the required clarity, whereas schematic diagrams can filter out some of the unnecessary details inherent in photographic material.
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Photograph of a microstructure
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Heat affected zone schematic diagram
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Complex or abstract concepts which vary over time are best presented as animations. Here they have frequently been employed to describe changes in molecular structure, such as the growth of a metallic dendrite shown below.
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Growth of metallic dendrite
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Each of the sections is introduced by an audio commentary to complement the on-screen text where a more informal style is required.
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Audio commentary
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Testing
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As with any software, acceptance testing is a vital part of the development process. Thirty Lloyds Register personnel participated in the trials and any suggestions and observations were fed back to TWI so that the software could be amended as appropriate. In general, the feedback was extremely positive.
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Course Content
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The Basic Metallurgy and Welding training programme consists of three modules:- Introduction to Metallurgy
- Welding Processes
- Welding Carbon Manganese Steels
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Introduction to Metallurgy
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The Introduction to Metallurgy module covers general metallurgical principles such as hardness, strength and the effects of alloying. The course also examines the characteristics of hot and cold working and the effects of heat treatment.
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Welding Processes
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Welding Processes provides an introduction to the main technologies currently adopted in industry and associated consumables. It includes sections on Manual Metal Arc (MMA); Submerged Arc Welding (SAW); Metal Inert/Active Gas (MIG/MAG); Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG); electroslag and electrogas welding.
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Welding Carbon Manganese Steels
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The fusion welding of carbon manganese steels is the subject of the third module. The welding sequence is examined in terms of the weld metal, heat affected zone, distortion effects and post weld heat treatment. A discussion of weld properties such as strength, ductility and hardness is followed by a description of common weld imperfections, their causes and methods of prevention. To assess whether the user has gained a satisfactory understanding of the course content, a multiple-choice test has been included. The answers are presented in a random sequence to ensure that a student taking the test can not simply memorise the order of the answers.
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Summary
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The Basic Metallurgy and Welding CD aims to provide an efficient and cost-effective alternative to classroom-based training. It has already successfully been integrated into the Lloyds Register training programme, and is expected to become a valuable training resource for a wide range of welding personnel in the future.
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