conductor burn out

[lquadros]

I was called in to check out when a #16 ground wire in a control circuit cable burnt its insulation and smoked. There was some arc welding being done and the workpiece was not grounded well. Now I am wondering how the weld current might have found itself a path through this perticular conductor and caused it to burn out

 

[charlie tuna]

Re: conductor burn out

if the equipment being welded on was grounded only by this #16 wire and the welder was grounded on the source side of this ground-?-?- then the #16 wire was being used as the welder's ground lead. since the average welder uses 60 to 100 amps to weld, the #16 gets smoked!!!!!!!!!!!!
the welder should have grounded the equipment directly that was to be welded....