Introduction

To produce quality weld joints, it is necessary to keep an eye on what is being done in three different stages
of the welding
 Before welding such as cleaning, edge preparation, baking of electrode etc. to ensure sound and
defect free weld joints
 During welding various aspects such as manipulation of heat source, selection of input parameters
(pressure of oxygen and fuel gas, welding current, arc voltage, welding speed, shielding gases and
electrode selection) affecting the heat input and so melting, solidification and cooling rates besides
protection of the weld pool from atmospheric contamination
 After welding steps, if any, such as removal of the slag, peening, post welding treatment
Destructive Test
Tensile test
Tensile properties of the weld joints namely yield and ultimate strength and ductility (%age elongation,
%age reduction in area) can be obtained either in ambient condition or in special environment (low
temperature, high temperature, corrosion etc.) depending upon the requirement of the application using
tensile test which is usually conducted at constant strain rate (ranging from 0.0001 to 10000 mm/min).
Bend test
Bend test is one of the most important and commonly used destructive tests to determine the ductility and
soundness (for the presence porosity, inclusion, penetration and other macro-size internal weld
discontinuities) of the weld joint produced using under one set of welding conditions. Bending of the weld
joint can be done from face or root side depending upon the purpose i.e. whether face or root side of the
weld is to be assessed. The root side bending shows the lack of penetration and fusion if any at the root.
Hardness test
Hardness is defined as resistance to indentation and is commonly used as a measure of resistance to abrasion
or scratching. For the formation of a scratch or causing abrasion, a relative movement is required between
two bodies and out of two one body must penetrate/indent into other body. Indentation is the penetration of a
pointed object (harder) into other object (softer) under the external load. Resistance to the penetration of
pointed object (indenter) into the softer one depends on the hardness of the sample on which load is applied
through the indenter.
All methods of hardness testing are based on the principle of applying the standard load through the indenter
(a pointed object) and measuring the penetration in terms of diameter/diagonal/depth of indentation.
Visual inspection:
VI is particularly effective detecting macroscopic flaws, such as poor welds. Many welding
flaws are macroscopic: crater cracking, undercutting, slag inclusion, incomplete penetration
welds, and the like.
Radiography:
Radiography has an advantage over some of the other processes in that the radiography
provides a permanent reference for the internal soundness of the object that is radiographed.
The x-ray emitted from a source has an ability to penetrate metals as a function of the
accelerating voltage in the x-ray emitting tube. If a void present in the object being
radiographed, more x-rays will pass in that area and the film under the part in turn will have
more exposure than in the non-void areas.
Liquid (Dye) penetrant method:
Liquid penetrant inspection (LPI) is one of the most widely used nondestructive evaluation
(NDE) methods. Its popularity can be attributed to two main factors, which are its relative
ease of use and its flexibility. The technique is based on the ability of a liquid to be drawn into
a "clean" surface breaking flaw by capillary action. .
This method is an inexpensive and convenient technique for surface defect inspection. The
limitations of the liquid penetrant technique include the inability to inspect subsurface flaws
and a loss of resolution on porous materials. Liquid penetrant testing is largely used on
nonmagnetic materials for which magnetic particle inspection is not possible.
Magnetic particles:
Magnetic particle inspection is one of the simple, fast and traditional nondestructive testing
methods widely used because of its convenience and low cost. This method uses magnetic
fields and small magnetic particles, such as iron filings to detect flaws in components. The
only requirement from an inspect ability standpoint is that the component being inspected
must be made of a ferromagnetic material such iron, nickel, cobalt, or some of their alloys,
since these materials are materials that can be magnetized to a level that will allow the
inspection to be effective.
Ultrasonic Inspection:
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) uses a high frequency sound energy to conduct examinations and
make measurements. Ultrasonic inspection can be used for flaw detection I evaluation,
dimensional measurements, material characterization, and more. A typical UT inspection
system consists of several functional units, such as the pulser/receiver, transducer, and display
devices. A pulser/receiver is an electronic device that can produce high voltage electrical
pulse.

The use of noninvasive techniques to determine the integrity of a material, component or structure or
quantitatively measure some characteristic of an object. i.e. Inspect or measure without doing harm.

Visual Inspection

Most basic and common inspection method. Tools include fiberscopes, borescopes, magnifying glasses and
mirrors. Robotic crawlers permit observation in hazardous or tight areas, such as air ducts, reactors,
pipelines. Portable video inspection unit with zoom allows inspection of large tanks and vessels, railroad
tank cars, sewer lines.

Liquid Penetration Inspection

A liquid with high surface wetting characteristics is applied to the surface of the part and allowed time to
seep into surface breaking defects.

•The excess liquid is removed from the surface of the part.

•A developer (powder) is applied to pull the trapped penetrant out the defect and spread it on the surface
where it can be seen.

•Visual inspection is the final step in the process. The penetrant used is often loaded with a fluorescent dye
and the inspection is done under UV light to increase test sensitivity.

Magnetic Particle Inspection

The part is magnetized. Finely milled iron particles coated with a dye pigment are then applied to the
specimen. These particles are attracted to magnetic flux leakage fields and will cluster to form an indication
directly over the discontinuity. This indication can be visually detected under proper lighting conditions.
Radiography The radiation used in radiography testing is a higher energy (shorter wavelength) version of the
electromagnetic waves that we see as visible light. The radiation can come from an X-ray generator or a
radioactive source.

Eddy Current Testing Eddy current testing is particularly well suited for detecting surface cracks but can
also be used to make electrical conductivity and coating thickness measurements. Here a small surface probe
is scanned over the part surface in an attempt to detect a crack.