Jane (second right) removing slag from a MMA weld she had created.
AEMRI employee, Jane Allwright, recently completed a 2-day welding appreciation course at the TWI Cambridge premises, in January 2019. This event was organised through the TWI Tipper Group, purposely to encourage diversity in engineering.
Jane has previously studied mathematics for four years at Cambridge University. She moved to Wales in 2016 and is very much enjoying the Welsh culture – so much so that she is learning the Welsh language. Her current activities at TWI under the AEMRI programme include finite element analysis (FEA) for a range of projects and industries – particularly the modelling of ultrasonic guided waves in pipes and other structures, the modelling of ultrasonic testing more generally, and the application of mathematics to non-destructive testing (NDT) research and development.
Jane said of her experience, “Normally I deal with technology on the theoretical side, but going on this welding appreciation workshop has given me a much better understanding of how welding is actually carried out. Over the two days we learned about and produced three different types of welds: manual metal arc (MMA), metal active gas (MAG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG). The instructors were great, and I learned so much about the techniques and the differences between them that I wouldn’t have got by just studying theory. This has helped me to understand the sorts of defects that can occur during the weld processes, which will come in useful in my work on NDT and also my simulations.
This workshop was a brilliant opportunity for me, and I hope that events like this one will encourage more people – both men and women – mathematicians, scientists and engineers – to have a go at something that they might never have thought of doing.”
This training demonstrated how TWI is willing to support and encourage greater diversity in engineering, while also offering a genuine hands-on insight into the skills required by welders. This activity has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.
