A qualified welding procedure is a welding procedure that has been proven to produce sound welds after undergoing extensive testing. When using structural welding codes, these tests include both destructive and nondestructive tests. Some of these tests are: Visual examination Macroetch Break test Bend test Ultrasonic inspection Radiographic inspection Hardness test Tensile test The reason […]
Many fabricators can lower their welding costs significantly if they paid close attention to weld sizes. If a print calls for a ¼” fillet weld and in production you make a 5/16” fillet weld, you are overwelding by 56%! If the print calls for a 3/16” fillet, the 5/16” fillet weld you deposit would be […]
Voltage is one of the most important variables in a welding procedure. It is also one that is sometimes misunderstood. You may ask five welders what effect voltage has on a weld and you may get five different answers. This is because voltage can do a lot of things, some good and some bad. Understanding […]
Today we are faced with a tremendous shortage of welding professionals. This includes welders, fitters, cutters, inspectors, supervisors, robotic technicians and welding engineers to name a few. Although every fabricator can benefit from having a welding engineer on staff, most welding engineers tend to work in specific industries such as Oil & Gas, Aerospace, Automotive […]
Certain industries that involve welding of their products have very strict quality standards to ensure the production of sound welds. Many others however, do not. They simply weld and unless one of their products fails they don’t pay special attention to welding procedures, detailed inspection of welds or testing the skill (performance) of their welders. […]
Today we received two different requests for help pertaining to shielding gas selection. The first caller requested a chart that tells them what materials can be welded with the different shielding gases that they had. They wanted a chart that can be provided to the welders to make sure they used the right gas on […]
Distortion is a nasty problem we experience in welding. Understanding what causes distortion is important in order to be able to minimize or eliminate it completely. There are physical and mechanical properties that affect distortion susceptibility of materials. To learn more about this you can read 4 Material Properties That Affect Distortion. As fabricators we hardly […]
Porosity is a weld discontinuity that is not as detrimental to structural integrity as cracks, undercut, overlap and lack of fusion. However, it is unsightly and when painted it becomes an eye sore. Because it does not have sharp ends, porosity does not propagate like a crack. The reason for limits to the amount of […]
Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) who have been certified by the American Welding Society or other international bodies tend to be considered experts in the welding industry. They certainly should be experts in visual inspection and in the interpretation and application of welding codes and standards; however, this does not necessarily mean they are experts in […]
Using the right shielding gas is essential not only to prevent porosity but to get proper penetration, the mechanical properties you desire including weld strength, and overall weld quality. In order to select the right shielding gas you need to consider the following: – Alloy of filler metal – Material thickness – Mode of GMAW […]
