The

Issue

01
Welding
Institute

2017

www.welding-and-cutting.info Technical journal for welding and allied processes

MULTI-PROCESS WELDING MACHINE (6 IN 1)

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Weldability of the L485 (X70) pipe High temperature corrosion An introduction to automated
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contact with molten chlorides scene
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lists the quality requirements for production of arc welded
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ded joints during production in a clear manner.

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 EDITORIAL

What’s in a word? – Some

considerations when
buying personnel certification

Competence is the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge, skills,

experience and behaviours to achieve expected results. The special
process of welding demands special competence in welding, welding
inspection and welding coordination personnel to achieve the ap-
propriate quality level required by regulations, standards and specifications. Third-party certification
of personnel competence is subcontracting of some of an employer’s competence management
responsibilities. However, granting authority to work remains the responsibility of the employer.

The editorial on page 37 provides you with guidance on some of the important features that
will enable you to select reliable personnel certification.

EurIng Chris Eady BSc(Hons) MSc MRAeS FWeldI

Associate Director Professional Affairs and Certification, TWI Ltd
President of the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting (EWF)

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 3

 CONTENTS WELDING AND CUTTING 01/2017

News 6 New study shows intellectual property is

good for the European Economy
7 James Elliot crowned the UK’s best
welder at “SkillWeld 2016“
8 The “LASIMM“ project: development
of novel hybrid approaches for additive
and subtractive manufacturing machines
9 The “OpenHybrid“ project: Moving from
computer-aided design into production
with advanced all-in-one machines
10 New home and new capabilities for TWI

10
At the “Morpheus Cup“ 2016. in Middlesbrough
10 European Championship of universities
and major schools announces the third
“Morpheus Cup“
12 Multimillion-euro project launched to
boost European shipbuilding

From Companies 14 “tigSpeed“ – save up to 50% with the TIG

wire feeder
16 Hand and handle become one – “MB Evo
Pro“ and “MB Evo“ welding torches
18 Customised energy source for perfect in-
duction heating

14
Welding site in the Hering AG production
20 Leading German manufacturer of special
hall. The pipe is mounted on a rotating bear-
ing and turns automatically. This means that
cabins favours Danish high-tech welding
the tube-flange connections can always be technology
welded in PA position. (Photo: EWM AG) 20 Friction stir welding research services
from PTG
22 Purpose-built pressure testing facility
opens for business at TWI
23 Short Messages
24 Products

Welding Practice 26 Information about practical welding

Events 28 “SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2017”:

World’s premier fair for the welding, cut-
ting and joining sectors announces first
highlights
28 “4th IEBW International Electron Beam
Welding Conference” in March in
Aachen/Germany

Reports 32 High temperature corrosion testing of

16 35
engineering alloys in contact with molten
chlorides
An introduction to automated brazing –
“MB Evo Pro 36“ (air cooled) Part 1: Setting the scene

4 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

 The
Issue

01
Welding
Institute

2017

www.welding-and-cutting.info Technical journal for welding and allied processes

Technical journal for welding and allied processes of

the DVS – German Welding Society, Düsseldorf,

18
the Professional Division of The Welding Institute, Cambridge, Shading rings for electric motors are
and the Institut de Soudure, Paris soldered using a medium-
frequency generator with a field-
Produced in Collaboration between guided ring inductor.

Specialist Articles 44 Weldability of the L485 (X70) pipe strip

grade
Peter Ohse, Carolin Radscheit, Jöran
Sprungk
52 A review of keyhole gas tungsten arc
welding for CRA (corrosion resistant
alloys) materials
Irene Kwee, Koen Faes
“Crawford Swift Powerstir“ FSW, from PTG
Heavy Industries.
20
57 Editorial Preview
58 Books
58 Imprint/Ad Index

National Pages 30 Information from the DVS – German

Welding Society
37 The Welding Institute News

“SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2017”:

World’s premier fair for the
welding, cutting and joining sectors
announces first highlights.
28

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 5

 NEWS

New study shows intellectual property is good for

the European Economy
In October 2016, the European Patent
Office (EPO) and the EU Intellectual Prop-
erty Office (EUIPO) published their second
EU-wide study of the impact of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) on the European
economy in terms of gross domestic prod-
uct (GDP), employment, wages and trade.
The study finds that more than 42% of
total economic activity in the EU (some €5.7
trillion annually) is generated by IPR-inten-
sive industries and approximately 38% of
all employment in the EU (82 million jobs)
stems from such industries that have a high-
er than average use of IP rights. The report
also finds that average wages in IPR-inten-
sive industries are more than 46% higher
than in other industries. These industries
also appear to have shown more resilience
in the face of the economic crisis: A com-
parison of the results of this study (which Contribution of IPR-intensive industries to GDP in the European Union (Picture: EPO/EUIPO)
covers the period 2011-2013) with those of
the previous edition (covering 2008-2010)
reveals that the contribution of these indus- nesses, including SMEs, and are protected European businesses also excel in de-
tries to the EU economy has increased effectively against infringements, in order sign. Industries which intensively use de-
slightly. to help the EU to retain its innovative sign contributed more than 243 billion eu-
strengths and further leverage jobs and ros to the EU external trade balance in 2013.
Positive impact on jobs, growth growth.“ Design-intensive companies generated 18%
and prosperity The study covers a broad range of IP of the EU’s GDP and created 38.7 million
EPO President Benoît Battistelli said: rights – patents, trade marks, designs, copy- jobs.
“Our second joint report confirms the ben- right, geographical indications (GIs) and According to the report, about half of
efits of patents and other IPRs for the Euro- plant variety rights – identifies the industries all EU industries are IP-intensive, with en-
pean economy. Intangible assets are in- that use them relatively intensively, and gineering, real estate, financial and insur-
creasingly important for innovative compa- quantifies the contribution of these IPR-in- ance activities, manufacture of motor vehi-
nies today, especially for SMEs, but also for tensive industries to a variety of economic cles, computers and pharmaceuticals
research centres and universities. We again indicators, in particular GDP, employment, among the top 20 IPR-intensive industries
see that this has a positive impact on jobs, wages and external trade, at EU level. It uses in Europe.
growth and prosperity. But in order to re- a similar methodology to the previous EPO-
main competitive in the global economy, EUIPO study published in 2013 and com- Comparable findings for the US
Europe needs to encourage even further the parable studies conducted in the US. economy
development and use of new technology A similar study published in September
and innovations.“ EU industry strong in green tech- 2016 by the US Patent and Trademark Of-
António Campinos, Executive Director nologies fice resulted in comparable findings for the
of the EUIPO said: „The rapidly changing According to the report, IP-intensive in- US economy. The share of employment and
nature of business in the 21st century means dustries account for approximately 90% of GDP in IPR-intensive industries is some-
that the EU and global economy relies the EU’s trade with the rest of the world. what higher in Europe than in the US. IPR-
strongly on Intellectual Property Rights such The study finds that the EU is particularly intensive industries also strongly contribute
as trade marks, designs, patents and other strong in Climate Change Mitigation Tech- to US external trade, but in somewhat lower
rights. The current report shows this re- nologies (CCMTs), with this sector employ- proportions than in Europe. Both studies
liance is continuing to grow and that these ing 1.2% of the EU workforce, but generating find the same 46% wage premium for work-
rights are often used inter-dependently. 2.1% of the economic output and significant ers in IPR-intensive industries. (According
This poses the challenge of ensuring that proportion of the positive balance of trade to press information from EPO/EUIPO)
IP Rights are more accessible to all busi- between the EU and the rest of the world.

6 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1


James Elliot crowned the UK’s best
welder at “SkillWeld 2016“
A talented welder from GE, James Elliot,
has beaten his personal best to be crowned
champion of the UK’s national welding
competition, “SkillWeld 2016“. The “Skill-
Weld“ final, held at The Skills Show at the
National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham
in November, put 10 welders through their
paces during an intensive three day com-
petition. The contestants were asked to per-
form various joint configurations and
processes on different metals, including low
carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium,
to demonstrate their skills across a variety
of materials. Judging was conducted
through x-rays, pressure testing methods
and visual inspections by some of the UK’s
leading welding experts. James Elliot scored
the highest number of points and took the
gold medal.
“SkillWeld“, now in its 17th year, forms
a part of “WorldSkills UK“ and is backed by
leaders across the welding, skills and man-
ufacturing industries. “WorldSkills“ plays a
vital role in raising standards, esteem and
levels of expertise amongst young welding
talent.
After letting the victory sink in, Elliot
commented: “I’m absolutely over the moon.
It’s a tough, intense and exciting competi-
tion, and I’m pleased all the hard work has
paid off. You don’t often get the opportunity
to show off the skills you learn at work, but
‘SkillWeld’ has allowed me to do just that.
I’d also like to say well done to all the other
competitors who were superb to see in ac-
Winner James Elliot shakes hands with Kevin Sherry from Air Products.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Precision-
Welding Tables
from the world
market leader.
tion and can’t wait to put what I’ve done
during the event to use at work!“
Kevin Sherry, Lead Application Special-
ist – UK and Ireland Metal Fabrication Team
at Air Products, the company that sponsors
the ,SkillWeld’ competition, added: “It’s
great to see so many talented welders excel
at this year’s competition and we’d like to
congratulate James for his impressive
achievement. His enthusiasm, skill and
drive to claim first place has been remark-
able and he thoroughly deserves the title.“
Jason Farrell, Senior Welding Instructor
and James’ manager at GE said: „James is a
fantastic apprentice and has always worked
hard to develop his welding skills. We always
get excellent feedback from the GE sites that
James has worked on, so I asked James if he
would like to compete in the ‘SkillWeld’ com-
petition with a couple of our other appren-
tices. James winning the competition is a fan-
tastic outcome for James and GE, we are
proud to produce welders of this standard.“
“SkillWeld“ returns in 2017 and is aimed
at any welder who is currently undergoing
training in the welding industry, at an ad-
vanced or higher level. It tests the competi-
tors’ skills in three core welding processes:
Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Metal Active Gas
(MAG) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG). The
closing date for competition entries is 7th
April 2017. For more information or to enter
the competition, please visit www.airprod-
ucts.co.uk/skillweld. (According to press in-
formation from Air Products)
Visit us at our booth and test
our welding and clamping tables.
inTEC, Leipzig
07.03. - 10.03.2017
Hall 5, Booth B40/C41
If you have any questions, please
contact us or the dealer of your trust.
Bernd
B e r nd Siegmund
Sie g mu nd Gm
GmbH
bH
A
Aehrenstrasse
eh rens t r as s e 29
29 | 886845
6 8 45 G
Grossaitingen
ross ai t in g en | G
Germany
er many ((Bavaria)
B a v a r i a)
PPhone
h o n e 00049
0 49 ((0)
0) 8822 0033 / 9966 0077 - 0 | iinfo@siegmund.com
n f o@si e g m u n d .co m
7
www.siegmund.com
w w w.siegmund.com
 NEWS

The “LASIMM“ project: development of

novel hybrid approaches for additive and subtractive
manufacturing machines

Reducing costs, improving efficiency

and production flexibility are core pillars to
improve Europe’s industrial competitive-
ness. The “LASIMM“ project (Large Additive
Subtractive Integrated Modular Machine)
aims to address this need through the de-
velopment of large scale and flexible all-in-
one hybrid machines, based on a modular
architecture that is easily scalable, and en-
suring that the properties of the material
produced surpass those of a forged material.
It will enable the production of a
part/product directly from computer-aided
design (CAD) models within a reduced time
frame and without the need of post-process-
ing steps. The machine resulting from this
project will be equipped with both subtrac-
tive and additive manufacturing technolo-
gies, as well as featuring additional capabil-
ities for machining, cold-work, metrology
and inspection that will provide the opti-
mum solution for the hybrid manufacturing
of large engineering parts, with cost benefits
of more than 50% compared to conventional
machining processes.
Specifications will create new
opportunities and applications for
additive manufacturing
In order to produce large scale engi-
neering structures, material needs to be de-
posited at a relatively high rate, with excep-
tional properties and excellent integrity. To
achieve such result, the deposition process
will be based on wire + arc additive manu-
facture (WAAM). Another unique feature
of the machine will be the capability for
parallel manufacturing, featuring either
multiple deposition heads or concurrent
addition and subtraction processes.
This parallel manufacturing process re-
quires that the machine architecture is
based on robotics. To ensure that the sur-
face finish and accuracy needed for an en-
gineering components is obtained, a par-
allel kinematic motion (PKM) robot is em-
ployed for the subtractive step. This robot
is also used for application of cold work by
rolling between passes. This ensures that
material properties can be better than those
of a forged material. A key part of this proj-
ect is the development of the ICT infra-
structure and toolboxes needed to pro-
gramme and run the machine. The imple-
mentation of parallel manufacturing is ex-
tremely challenging from a software per-
spective and will require a strong focus
within the project.
Project partners
There are ten partners engaged on this
ambitious project, comprising six companies,
including the entire supply chain needed to
produce such a machine, two universities
and two research institutes. Project partners
include the European Federation for Welding,
Joining and Cutting, BAE Systems (Opera-
tions) Ltd., Foster + Partners Limited, Vestas
Wind Systems A/S, Cranfield University,
Global Robots Ltd., Loxin2002, S.L.,
Helmholtz-Zentrum, Geesthacht Zentrum für
Material- und Küstenforschung GmbH, Del-
cam Ltd. and Instituto Superior Técnico.
The “LASIMM“ project has received
funding from the European Union’s “Hori-
zon 2020“ research and innovation pro-
gramme under grant agreement No. H2020-
FoF-2016-723600-LASIMM. (According to
press information from EWF)

In this issue you find a loose insert of:

SLV Halle GmbH / Halle, Germany
We ask for your attention!

8 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

The “OpenHybrid“ project: Moving from
computer-aided design into production with
advanced all-in-one machines
tries, and the rapid deployment and com- • Laser ultrasonic non-destructive testing
mercialisation of the new technology. inspection for defect analysis;
• Enhanced gas shielding, medium
Creating the groundwork for a shielding through a trailing shield and
Currently, it is not possible to undertake more widespread adoption of high shielding through a flexible enclo-
a wide range of processes in a seamless au- additive manufacturing sure;
tomated operation with a single manufac- By creating new hybrid machines, • Mechanical stress relieving through the
turing system. The “OpenHybrid“ project equipped with both subtractive and additive development of ultrasonic needle
has been designed to address the technical manufacturing technologies, “OpenHybrid“ peening head;
and commercial limitations of current hy- will be a game changer for faster creation of • Contamination control through the de-
brid manufacturing systems by developing new opportunities and applications for addi- velopment of a cleaning head;
a single manufacturing system which can tive manufacturing (AM). This new solution, • Enhanced inspection utilising com-
achieve this goal. This new system will pro- when implemented, will increase the level of bined thermal and optical imaging.
vide additional competitiveness to some of robustness and repeatability of such industrial
the most demanding and important indus- processes, will optimise and evaluate the in- Project partners
tries in Europe, which will validate the ap- creased performance of production lines in The partners of this project include a rel-
proach through the production of industrial terms of productivity and cost-effectiveness evant set of international organisations with
demonstrators. The industries will range and, finally, it will assess the sustainability, field experience with these technologies. Part-
from power generation to automotive and functionality and performance of the pro- ners include The Manufacturing Technology
mining equipment sectors. Its impact can duced new materials. Beyond new parts pro- Centre Limited (United Kingdom), Siemens
be better perceived through the expected duction, this new manufacturing method will AG (Germany), Weir Group PLC (United
25% reduction in time and costs when com- also allow for a very effective repair technique. Kingdom), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur
pared with current equipment and process- A number of technologies will be lever- Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V.
es, as well as the 15% increase in productivity aged and developed to ensure the project’s (Germany), Mikron Agie Charmiles AG
for high-volume additive manufacturing long term success, creating a solid base for (Switzerland), ESI Group (France), Hybrid
production. Lastly, it is also expected to gen- the future widespread adoption of additive Manufacturing Technologies Limited (United
erate a 20% reduction in inventory and 40% manufacturing, and among them: Kingdom), Gudel AG (Switzerland), TWI
on work floor space even by enlarging the • Smart laser cladding heads, incorporat- Limited (United Kingdom), BCT Steuerungs-
working volume of the machine by scaling ing temperature sensors and material und DV-Systeme GmbH (Germany), Centro
axes from millimetres (today) up to 20 m (at feed sensing; Ricerche Fiat scpA (Italy), ESI Software Ger-
the end of the project). • Laser scanning head for heat treatment, many GmbH (Germany), Picasoft (France).
Furthermore, the new system will be polishing and texturing; (According to press information from EWF)
able to switch between powder and wire
feed-stock within a single part, providing
unmatched flexibility in terms of materials,
a must-have for these industries as they look
for optimisation on cost, weight and re-
sources utilisation, to which the ability to
use several materials within the same piece
is paramount. Moreover, the process can be
fitted to a diverse range of platforms (with
minimal machine modification being re-
quired) as well as to existing machine tools,
it strongly reduces the investment needed
while at the same time provides new capa-
bilities to large and small companies.
The success of one project can be better
perceived by its ability to provide for an ef-
fective technology transfer, made available
through technology services at affordable
costs and, as an end result, facilitating the
collaborating with EU SME and large indus-

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 9

 NEWS
New home and new capabilities for TWI in Middlesbrough
TWI’s Middlesbrough Technology and
Training Centre has moved into its new
home – the flagship building in the new
Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park. The
move was planned and executed in a way
that ensured minimal disruption to TWI’s
Members, who can now benefit from the
greatly enhanced capabilities available from
the new building.
Constructed in partnership with Mid-
dlesbrough Council and the Tees Valley
Combined Authority Local Enterprise Part-
nership, the purpose-built facility represents
a sizeable boost to engineering consultancy
and industry training capability in the
Teesside region.
Training and engineering services
Training services available from the new
centre include underwater inspection – de-
livered in a large dive tank equipped with
modern diving apparatus – a dedicated plas-
tics joining facility, weld inspection and the
full suite of non-destructive testing tech-
niques. Engineering services are provided
from a bespoke engineering hall, designed
and equipped with a particular focus on
thick-section welding and electron beam
European Championship of universities and
major schools announces the third “Morpheus Cup“
Already adopted by hundreds of cam-
puses from 20 different countries in 2015
and 2016, the “MorpheusCup“ event is now
Europe’s largest competition for talent, pro-
jects, ideas and startups in twenty disci-
plines. The third event will take place on 28
April 2017 in Esch-sur-Alzesse/Luxembourg.
Supported from its launch by the European
Commission, the “Morpheus Cup“ offers
two great opportunities for European stu-
dents to compete remotely and/or on-site.
“Morpheus Prize“: 500 ideas, pro-
jects and startups competing
Students are invited to submit a sum-
mary in one of 20 “Morpheus Prize“ cate-
gories, such as FinTech, Artifical Intelli-
gence, Healthcare, Retail, Coding, Design,
Space, Telecom, Mobility and many others.
What is on offer is the “Morpheus Prize“ for
best student project by category, but a place
10
TWI Middlesbrough Technology and Training Centre.
technology to support the offshore and fab-
rication industries.
Companies in the region can also benefit
from extensive materials characterisation
and modelling services, including advanced
surface characterisation, weld modelling,
fitness-for-service assessments and additive
manufacturing simulation support.
Certification support
The Ferrous Road facility also houses an
office for TWI Certification Ltd, from where
compliance verification engineers, all of
whom are professionally qualified and expe-
rienced welding engineers, deliver assess-
ments of manufacturers and training
in the final to pitch to world-class jury and
the winners in other categories.
An endowment of 25,000 euros in cash,
connections with employers and investors
as well as equipment are up for grabs. The
“Morpheus Prize“ is very easy to take part
in: simply register individually or in teams
and submit the draft electronically on the
website www.morpheuscup.com before 1
March 2017.
“Morpheus Cup“: a day of disrup-
tive challenges and experiences
Welcomed and challenged by the most
innovative companies in Europe, students
from universities or colleges wanting to
combine for the Cup must this time form a
team of 2 to 3 competitors, and be present
on-site, in the House of Knowledge (Lux-
embourg) on 28 April 2017. In the morning,
all students without distinction will gather
providers against European and international
standards. Locally, nationally and interna-
tionally, fabricators and colleges can gain cer-
tification that assures their competence and
the quality of their products and services.
The new facility is located in the Teesside
Advanced Manufacturing Park on Ferrous
Road, just a few hundred metres from TWI’s
previous Riverside Park address. TWI is op-
erating the new building with an open access
policy for local companies and TWI Members
interested in finding out about available serv-
ices. Call +44 (0)1642 216320 or email
twinorth@twi.co.uk to arrange a visit or find
out more. (According to press information
from TWI)
for generic tests in the round: culture, cre-
ativity and speed. Bonuses, fun and experi-
ential events are offered on stands or in the
lecture hall by local and international
brands. Warner Bros, Mars One, ING, De-
loitte, FC Barcelona and Vogue, for example,
have taken part in the competitions in 2015
and 2016.
In the afternoon, students are grouped
by area of expertise and choose a specific
course: Business Games, Coding Games, Ar-
chitecture Games, Marketing Games, Fi-
nance Games, Engineering Games etc ac-
cording to their choice. Specific prizes are
available for the best “performers“ on each
course, kept secret right up to D-Day.
In 2016, it was the Homelife team from
HEC Paris that won the favour of a jury com-
posed of international personalities such as
Jelena Djokovic (Novak Djokovic Founda-
tion), Chanda Gonzales (Google Lunar
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
XPrize), Olivier Schaack (Canal+) and
brought the trophy to France.
Two events that showcase the MBA, but
in which students from other courses could
go home with special awards, those for Best
Performers in each category (Engineering,
Fintech, Design etc.) in the afternoon, and
end up on the podium.
Will 2017 be the year of coders, designers
or engineers? Which countries or campuses
will dominate the rankings for the third year
of the prize? One thing is certain; the enthu-
siasm felt today is greater than the 750 places
available: it is recommended to register as
soon as possible. A unique competition in
the world, involving European students as
well as employers, personalities individuals
and leading investors, the “Morpheus Cup“ At the “Morpheus Cup“ 2016.
will once again be an unforgettable experi-
ence for young talents and companies res- fort than submitting an application online pheuscup.com/registration-2017/. (Accord-
olutely oriented to the future. Participation through the website in the section Registra- ing to press information from Farvest;
is simple and free and involves no other ef- tion for the “Morpheus Prize“: www.mor- www.farvest.com)

Conferences and Exhibitions

Date Place Event/Information
16.03.-17.03.2017 Cambridge/ 4th International Linear Friction Welding Symposium 2017
UK Information: TWI, Internet: www.twi-global.com/news-events/events/4th-international-linear-friction-
welding-symposium-2017/
21.03.-22.03.2017 Aachen/ 4th IEBW International Electron Beam Conference
Germany Information: DVS, Internet: www.dvs-ev.de/iebw2017/
28.03.-30.03.2017 Kielce/ “Welding“ – 12th International Fair of Welding Technology and Equipment
Poland Information: Targi Kielce Exhibition & Congress Centre, Internet: www.targikielce.pl/en/
11.04.-14.04.2017 Gyeongju/ International Welding and Joining Conference Korea 2017
South Korea Information: IWJC-Korea 2017 Secretariat, Internet: www.iwjc2017.org
16.05.-17.05.2017 Düsseldorf/ 5th International Congress and Exhibition on Aluminium Heat Exchanger Technologies for HVAC&R
Germany Information: DVS, Internet: www.dvs-ev.de/call4papers/?&vid=86
17.05.-19.05.2017 Metz/ “ICWAM 2017“ – 1st International Congress on Welding, Additive Manufacturing and Associated
France Non-destructive Testing
Information: Institut de Soudure & Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Internet: www.icwam.com
07.06.-09.06.2017 Düsseldorf/ “ITSC 2017“ – International Thermal Spray Conference & Exposition
Germany Information: DVS, Internet: www.dvs-ev.de/itsc2017
13.06.-16.06.2017 London/ First World Congress on Condition Monitoring
UK ISCM & BINDT, Internet: www.wc-cm.org
25.06.-30.06.2017 Shanghai/ 70th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference
China Information: Chinese Welding Society, Internet: The dedicated website will be open soon
27.06.-30.06.2017 Shanghai/ 22nd “Beijing Essen Welding and Cutting“ International Trade Fair
China Information: Messe Essen, Internet: www.beijing-essen-welding-cutting.com
16.08.-18.08.2017 Halle (Saale)/ 3rd Young Welding Professionals International Conference 2017
Germany Information: SLV Halle, Internet: www.slv-halle.de/tagungen/ypic-2017
25.09.-29.09.2017 Düsseldorf/ “Schweissen & Schneiden 2017“ – International Trade Fair for Joining, Cutting and Surfacing
Germany Information: Messe Essen, Internet: www.schweissen-schneiden.com
01.10.-04.10.2017 Milan/ “Euro PM2017“ – International Powder Metallurgy Congress & Exhibition
Italy Information: European Powder Metallurgy Association, Internet: www.europm2017.com
10.10.-11.10.2017 Amsterdam/ Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) 2017
The Netherlands Information: Navingo BV, Internet: www.offshore-energy.biz
11.10.-13.10.2017 Metz/ “FSWP2017“ – 5th International Conference on Scientific and Technical Advances in Friction Stir
France Welding & Processing
Information: Institut de Soudure, Internet: www.fswp-2017.com
01.11.-03.11.2017 Seoul/ JEC Asia International Composites Event 2017
South Korea Information: JEC Group, Internet: www.jec-asia.events

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 11

 NEWS

Multimillion-euro project launched to boost

European shipbuilding
TWI – The Welding Institute, Cam-
bridge/UK, is leading a research project for
the shipbuilding industry that has just been
awarded 6.2 million euros by the European
Commission.
“SHIPLYS“ (Ship Lifecycle Software So-
lutions) brings together a team of 12 leading
maritime companies and research facilities
from several European countries to develop
simulation and modelling tools that will min-
imise the time and costs involved in ship de-
sign and production.
The main objective of “SHIPLYS“ is to
improve the competitiveness of European
shipyards by supporting SME naval archi-
tects, shipbuilders and ship-owners in the
following ways:
• improving their capability to reduce the
time and costs of design and produc-
tion,
• developing the ability to reliably pro-
duce better ship concepts through vir-
tual prototyping,
• meeting the increasing requirements for
LCCA (life-cycle cost analysis), environ-
mental assessments, risk assessments
and end-of-life considerations as differ-
entiators.
Calculation and modelling tools currently
used to overcome these needs are difficult
to use and time consuming, especially for
SMEs. To address these challenges,
“SHIPLYS“ project partners will produce
new techniques for quick, reliable multidis-
ciplinary modelling capability for the marine
industry.
The development work in the project ap-
plies to two main areas: virtual prototyping
and simulation modelling, and the
“SHIPLYS“ life-cycle suite of tools (called
“SHIPLYS LCTs“) that include LCCA, envi-
ronmental assessments, risk assessments
and multi-criteria decision support mod-
ules.
The idea is to develop and integrate rap-
id virtual prototyping tools with life-cycle
tools that will be compatible with existing
early design software, such as “FORAN“,
“Ship Constructor“ and others. These rapid
prototyping tools will be able to establish a
model in a short timeframe, enabling mul-
tiple alternatives to be explored easily and
efficiently.
The “SHIPLYS“ consortium led by TWI
comprises 12 partners in total, representing
different sectors:
• three shipyards: Ferguson Marine En-
gineering Ltd. (UK), Varna Maritime
(Bulgaria), Astilleros de Santander SA
(Spain)
• an international marine engineering
specialist: BMT Group Ltd (UK) and its
operating companies BMT Smart (UK),
a vessel performance management sys-
tems provider, and BMT Nigel Gee Ltd
(UK), a leading independent naval ar-
chitecture and marine engineering de-
sign consultancy.
• two SMEs providing naval architecture
and supply chain solutions: as2con-
Alveus d.o.o. (Croatia) and Atlantec En-
terprise Solutions GmbH (Germany)
• three universities: University of Strath-
clyde (UK), Instituto Superior Tecnico
(Portugal) and National Technical Uni-
versity of Athens (Greece)
• two industrial R&D institutions: TWI
Ltd. (UK), Fundacion Centro Tecnologi-
co Soermar (Spain)
• one standards and validation body:
Lloyd‘s Register EMEA (UK)
The project, launched in September 2016,
will run for three years. For more informa-
tion visit www.shiplys.com or contact TWI
via www.twi-global.com. (According to press
information from TWI)

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12 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1






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 FROM COMPANIES
“tigSpeed“ – save up to 50% with the TIG wire feeder
Separated by thick, black curtains, the
welding booths line up one next to the other
along the large production hall. Tubes of all
lengths, thicknesses and diameters outnum-
ber everything else on the workbenches:
From thin-walled stainless steel tubes with
diameters of just a few millimetres to large
tubes that could easily swallow a man whole.
In black steel and in stainless steel. Hering
AG is a German company based in Gunzen-
hausen in Bavaria’s Middle Franconia re-
gion. They turn these pipes into customised
heat exchangers for an enormous range of
applications, from large power stations,
through equipment for the chemical indus-
try, to equipment for the food industry. All
of them are one-offs – except occasionally
when a customer orders two of the same
heat exchanger. “There is probably not a sin-
gle bar of chocolate in Germany whose raw
material didn’t pass through our heat ex-
changers,“ says Christian Rasch, CEO of Her-
ing AG.
Production depends on welding
At the heart of a heat exchanger is the
tube bundle that carries the fluid. It is em-
bedded into a large outer tube, or shell, that
contains the coolant. The large surface area
between the fluids facilitates the transfer of
heat. Welding is by far the most widely used
joining technique in production. Orbital
Welding site in the Hering AG production hall. The pipe is mounted on a rotating bearing and turns
automatically. This means that the tube-flange connections can always be welded in PA position.
(Photo: EWM AG)
14
weld seams are used to join the tube bundles
to the tube plates. The shells have a wide se-
lection of connection nozzles and flanges
welded to them. The requirements on the
weld seams are onerous, with fault-free weld
seams being essential to ensure that the dif-
ferent fluids in the heat exchanger cannot
mix with one another. It is extremely impor-
tant that distortion is kept to an absolute
minimum to provide the accuracy of fit be-
tween the tube bundle and the shell. In use,
these heat exchangers can experience tem-
perature differences of several hundred
Kelvin, which leads to extreme thermal loads
on the components. Nonetheless, the weld
seams must retain their integrity in the face
of these extremes. Previously, the welding
procedures of choice were MMA and
A heat ex-
changer from
Hering AG with
a variety of
tube-flange
connections.
(Photo: Hering
AG)
MIG/MAG welding. TIG welding had played
a fairly insignificant role at Hering.
“tigSpeed“: superb seam quality at
top speed
Robert Bernhard works for Slatina
Schweißtechnik, a sales partner for EWM, a
welding machine manufacturer based in
Mündersbach, Germany. He has been sup-
porting manufacturing at Hering AG for
many years and is always on hand to offer
advice and assistance to the Head of Pro-
duction, Manfred Lepp. On one of his visits,
Bernhard suggested that Mr Lepp might
wish to consider an alternative technique
for welding the many tube-flange connec-
tions: TIG welding with “tigSpeed“.
EWM “tigSpeed“ is a TIG wire feed weld-
ing machine that is perfectly suited to weld-
ing tube-flange connections. It mimics man-
ual TIG welding by introducing forward and
backward movement in addition to a con-
tinuous wire feed. As a result, the welding
consumable is repeatedly drawn out of the
weld pool and passes over drop by drop. In
the case of hot wire welding, the welding
consumable is preheated. This further in-
creases the deposition rate, which allows the
consumable to flow better, thereby produc-
ing a very uniform weld seam.
The advantages are obvious: thanks to
the automatic wire feeding, the welder can
concentrate totally on the welding process.
Their second hand remains free and can
support the guide hand. “It’s a great help,
particularly with long seams,“ explains
Valmir Xhaferi, a welder at Hering AG. “A
flange can be welded onto the tube in a sin-
gle step – and there are no contact points
caused because I don’t need to change weld-
ing rods.“
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

The tube-flange connection before welding. (Photo: EWM AG)
A positioner makes the tube turn con-
tinuously. This means that the operating
point remains in the same place in the flat
position. For the outer seam, this is on top
of the tube, and for the inner seam, it is on
the upwards-facing side of the inside of the
tube. Combined with the high deposition
rates of the hot wire technique, this constant
working position means that high welding
speeds can be achieved while at the same
time ensuring outstanding seam quality.
Easy handling – quiet working
It only took the welders at Hering AG
half an hour to get fully up to speed with
“tigSpeed“. Controlled using one-knob op-
eration, handling is really straightforward,
and a digital display guarantees repro-
ducible parameter settings.
Thanks to its ergonomic construction,
the welding torch is particularly easy in the
hand and also allows welders to work for
long periods without tiring. Because all func-
tional controls are integrated into the torch
neck, there are no cables to worry about.
What’s more, the wire feed has a variable
setting range from 15° to 42°, making the
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
A controller with “The biggest benefit is how quiet the ma-
one-knob opera- chine is,“ notes Valmir Xhaferi, “much
tion makes quieter than the machines from other man-
handling really ufacturers that I know.“
straightforward,
When Robert Bernhard wanted to col-
and the digital
lect the “tigSpeed“ again a week later, the
display guaran-
tees reproducible
welders were already arguing about who
parameter set- would get to work with the machine. It did
tings. (Photo: not take long before Hering AG decided to
EWM AG) get a “tigSpeed“ to call its own. And they
have added another one every year. An in-
creasing number of tube-flange connec-
tions that were previously welded using
MMA are now being welded with the
“tigSpeed“ – delivering savings of up to 50%
thanks to the reduction in non-productive
time alone.
“Imagine how high the savings must be
at companies that don’t have the set-up
time that we do,“ speculates CEO Christian
Rasch. Currently, each of the three welding
procedures – MMA, MIG/MAG, and TIG –
is used for about a third of the welding
tasks. This means that many seams that
were welded using MMA in the past are
now TIG welded using “tigSpeed“.
Christian Rasch is clear about the qual-
ity, “Our customers say there are many heat
exchangers on the market. But none as fine
as ours. And they are not talking about fine
design or construction, but rather the weld
seams. They are always the first thing that
torch particularly adaptable to a huge range our customers look at.“ (According to press
of applications. information from EWM AG)
During welding, the arc crackles quietly
while the wire feeder emits a discreet hum.
Totally satisfied with the introduction of tigSpeed at Hering AG: Head of Production, Manfred Lepp,
Hering AG; welder Valmir Xhaferi, Hering AG; Robert Bernhard, Slatina Schweißtechnik; Dieter Raab,
Slatina Schweißtechnik. (Photo: EWM AG )
15
 FROM COMPANIES

Hand and handle become one – “MB Evo Pro“ and

“MB Evo“ welding torches
New handle ergonomics for im- Lightweight and
proved handling more robust cable
The “MB Evo Pro“ and “MB Evo“ torches assembly
offer clearly optimised handling thanks to Air-cooled “MB
the completely new developed handle er- Evo Pro“ torches are
gonomics. The width and angle of the han- equipped with the
dles were improved, the position and shape “Bikox“ (LW) cable as-
of the switch optimised and an innovative sembly, which has
ball joint construction was designed. been further devel-
Through this, the welding torch forms a oped. This reduces its
strong unit with the welder’s hand and can weight by up to 34% in
be held excellently in every working posi- comparison with the
tion, even over longer periods. In addition, predecessor model Torch handle and hand merge into one unit.
the machine-side connections were com- “MB Grip“. Thanks to
pletely reworked and are now much more the new robust cable assembly, liquid-
compact and easier to assemble. cooled “MB Evo Pro“ torches are ideally suit-
ed for heavy-duty work in industrial produc-
tion. The special protective fabric of the flex-
ible rubber hose (FRH) that is used makes
the cable assembly particularly resistant to
aggressive coolant components and at the
same time keeps it comfortably flexible. The
new robust interface between torch neck
and cable assembly also contributes to the
torches’ high strength.

Improved cooling, more output

Cooling of wearing parts in the liquid-
cooled models was considerably improved
as well, so that around 10% more output is
“MB Evo Pro 501“ achieved with the “MB Evo Pro“ torch types.
(liquid cooled)
The air-cooled “MB Evo Pro“ torches achieve
the global best ratio of power (ampere) to
weight and thus set new benchmarks for the
market.

Tested in the lab and in the field

The new “MB Evo Pro“ torch series was
tested intensively in order to obtain reliable
statements on the torches. The Institute of
Sports Medicine at the Justus-Liebig-Uni-
versity in Gießen/Germany carried out a
study in which welding quality criteria such
as work angle, speed and free wire end were “MB Evo Pro 36“ (air cooled)
taken as the basis for the evaluation. An
augmented reality welding simulator cap-
tured and evaluated this data during weld-
ing. The results of the study conform to the
European field test in industrial companies: precise production of welds in out-of-posi-
the new handle ergonomics and the low tion welding (over a longer period).“
“MB Evo Pro 36“ weight relieved the stress on the welders’ K. Weinberger, a welder and one of the
(air cooled) muscles significantly. The study stated: testers in the field test, summed up his ex-
“This leads to the conclusion that an ‘MB periences with the new torch series suc-
Evo Pro 36’ welding torch enables a more cinctly as follows: “Just what I need.“

16 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

 Along with the “MB Evo Pro“ premium
line, Abicor Binzel, Buseck/Germany, is
launching the “MB Evo“ classic line at the
same time. This uses the same ergonomic
handling concept as the “MB Evo Pro“ and
is just as convincing in handling and per-
formance. The air-cooled models are com-
bined with the proven robust “Bikox R“ cable
assemblies, and the liquid-cooled torches
with PVC hoses.
The colours of the ball joints and the
colour combination of the ergonomic han-
dles fitted with easy-to-grip soft components
for the best grip serve as optical distinguish-
ing features of the two lines.
The European start for the two torch
series was October 2016. (According to press
information from Abicor Binzel)

MB Evo Pro 36“ in welding position PE “MB Evo Pro 36“ in welding position PA
(overhead welding). (horizontal welding of butt and fillet welds).

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 17

 FROM COMPANIES
Customised energy source for perfect induction heating
“Customised” is the key word when it
comes to delivering a perfect production so-
lution in plant and machinery manufacture.
Each technology is to a large extent individ-
ually tailored to the customer’s environ-
ment, guaranteeing a highly efficient, opti-
mally configured process. Induction heating,
especially, is one technology that must be
“customised”, because the quality of the pro-
cedure depends on a whole range of very
specific details in the user’s application. The
generator, being the energy source, plays an
important role in this, as the experts at Emag
subsidiary eldec, based in Dornstetten/Ger-
many, know very well. They have been de-
veloping a wide variety of generators for
more than 30 years, including many cus-
tomised models in their “Custom Line“.
Their approach is to engineer all the reso-
nant-circuit components in conjunction
with the control architecture to form a cus-
tomised product, which provides induction
18
eldec “Custom
Line“: the energy
sources can be
configured with
single or multiple
outputs and a
wealth of power
and frequency
combinations.
heating with high efficiency, controlled ap- There are many possible application
plication of energy, and stable processes. In areas for induction hardening technologies.
order to make this process successful, close This efficient technique is used in the man-
collaboration with the customer is required ufacture of plant and machinery, in the au-
throughout the entire development process tomotive sector, in aerospace, and in tool
of the generator. and die making. In the latter case, it is used
to harden precisely those features of the tool
The technology or die that carry the greatest load later in the
is also used in punching or embossing machine. Another
standardised
typical area of application is the heating of
applications like
components for a subsequent joining
induction braz-
process. The technology is also used in stan-
ing and solder-
ing, especially in dardised applications like induction brazing
the energy sec- and soldering, especially in the energy sec-
tor. Shown here: tor. Its decisive advantage here is precise tar-
soldering of a geting: The electromagnetic field applied
shading ring. can be adjusted perfectly to the workpiece
in terms of its frequency, output and field
characteristics, so only a very precisely de-
fined area is actually heated. This precise
application of energy also ensures speed,
minimal workpiece distortion, and econom-
ical energy consumption.
In many respects, however, the result de-
Shading rings pends on the technology used. Apart from
for electric mo- the inductor, it is the generator that attracts
tors are soldered the special attention of the developers. The
using a medi- induction specialists at eldec therefore offer
um-frequency their customers not only the standardised
generator with a models of the “Pico“, “Mico“ and the “Eco“
field-guided series, but also the tailored products of the
ring inductor.
“Custom Line“. Harry Krötz, head of Electri-
cal Engineering R&D at eldec, explained the
situation: “We always adjust the resonant
circuit, the inverter and the inverter control
to match the inductor, the required frequen-
cy and the output. We do that even with our
more standardised series, with which we can
currently cover about 80% of applications.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
With our ‘Custom Line’, however, virtually
all the components can be configured in a
fully variable way – from general device con-
trol to the outputs and interfaces.”
Almost infinite number of possible
variations
Just how far this approach goes can be
seen by taking a look at the details of the
configuration. Such as the outputs, for ex-
ample: The eldec engineers are not only
able to equip their technology with single
or multiple outputs, but also to distribute
the output of the generator however they
wish. For example, it can be made available
in parallel for independent control, or it
can be supplied in an “either-or” arrange-
ment so it is only ever available at one of
the outputs at a time. What are the advan-
tages of multiple outputs for the user? “That
depends on the heating task,” Krötz ex-
plained. “For example, you could use them
to heat several locations on the part at the
same time, speeding up the cycle time. You
could also connect a variety of inductors
to just one generator and operate them one
after the other. This would allow you to re-
duce your purchasing costs for heating
equipment if the cycle time was of second-
ary importance.” At the same time, eldec is
always able to modify the power and fre-
quency features of its devices in virtually
unlimited ways to adapt the process to the
customer’s needs. The scope ranges from
medium-frequency generators with 20 to
1,500 kW power output and a frequency
range from 8 to 40 kHz up to high-frequen-
cy generators with 20 to 1,500 kW output
and frequency ranges from 80 to 400 kHz.
A multitude of combinations are possible.
It is ultimately the part or the contours
that need to be heated that determine the
final design. This may even entail values
greater than or less than the values quoted
above. “More and more often customers
are asking for HF generators with very low
frequencies, even below the 80 kHz mark,”
Krötz said. “Typically, we can even satisfy
those requests. eldec also offers customised
generators for outputs below 20 kW. For in-
stance, we have built an ‘MFG 5’ with eight
outputs several times for one customer. In
fact, every second ‘Custom Line’ generator
constitutes a new system, one we have nev-
er before put together in that particular way
before. We have a lot of experience now in
expanding our technology toolkit.” The
same also applies to the “adjustment
range,” which refers to the ratio of the
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Induction heating is used in a variety of applications, ranging from shrinking, soldering, brazing,
expanding and joining through to melting, annealing and induction surface hardening.
smallest inductor to the largest, or the
range of frequencies which can be operated
with a single generator. As can be seen from
all of the above examples, eldec can cover
a very wide range.
Stable processes ensure quality
To ensure the quality and stability of the
technology, eldec uses a high degree of ver-
tical integration, more than 90%. All the cen-
tral components are designed in Dornstet-
ten and assembled by hand. In addition, the
whole sequence, from first customer contact
to delivery of the product, is clearly defined:
In the first step, the technical sales staff clar-
ify the heating task with the customer. Crit-
ical factors include, for example, how deep
the heat needs to penetrate into the part and
at what points. The results of this conversa-
tion affect the shape of the inductor and the
configuration of the generator. In this ex-
ploratory phase it is also possible for pre-
liminary testing to be performed at eldec,
where there is a laboratory available with
several generators for different frequency
and output ranges. Once the heating task
for the customer’s part is defined, the tech-
nical sales staff holds a meeting with the de-
velopment team to clarify technical details.
This is when the initial design of the cus-
tomer-specific generator is created, as the
basis for a quotation. Once the quotation
phase is completed, a handover meeting
takes place between the development team
and the production departments, who con-
figure the technology on that basis – from
the resonant circuit and generator control
(including the interfaces to the customer’s
technology) through to the mechanical con-
struction. The actual production phase takes
approximately six weeks. Completion is fol-
lowed by endurance testing with the original
inductor at the frequencies requested. “In
our testing we normally subject the device
to significantly greater stress than would be
the case in the customer’s process later on,
to ensure its process reliability. In certain
situations we may at this stage also make
small modifications to the frequency or sim-
ilar fine tuning. The sequence concludes
with the acceptance, when the customer is
presented with a solution that is precisely
on target, effective and reliable,” Krötz said.
Perfectly positioned
All in all, eldec believes that its highly
customizable generator range puts it in an
ideal position in the marketplace. “We have
at our disposal a huge pool of knowledge
gained from practical experience, we are
continuously improving the technology, and
we only supply components that are opti-
mally configured and robust,” Krötz said.
“On top of that, our high level of vertical in-
tegration gives us the advantage of quick re-
action times and high flexibility. That is a
sought-after quality, especially for heating
applications, which are often very spe-
cialised.” (According to press information
from Emag)
19
 FROM COMPANIES
Leading German manufacturer of special cabins favours
Danish high-tech welding technology
KML Miller, situated in the Southern
German city of Lahr, has been a manufac-
turer of special cabins for centuries. The
company has built up a strong reputation in
the markets, in particular with its plug & play
cabin solutions. Customers’ advantage with
these plug-in cabins is the easy way of con-
necting the supplied cabins to any chassis
or crane, construction machine or compost-
ing plant. IT, sanitary, air conditioning and
all other technical equipment are prein-
stalled in the cabin and directly connectable.
From fire-fighting to aircraft
tractor
Vehicles and plant manufacturers from
around the world gladly fall back on the
products from KML Miller because of KML
Miller’s short delivery time and high level
of self-manufactured products. Among ex-
perts, KML Miller is well-known for its high
accuracy, delivery reliability and customer
focus. The company’s engineers are special-
ists in materials, requirements and loads.
Over the years, they have gained a wealth of
experience in the construction of cabins for
offshore cranes in the Atlantic and aircraft
tractors in the desert as well as crew cabins
for fire-fighting vehicles and overpressure
controlled cabins for composting facilities,
which toxic gases must not penetrate. The
portfolio also includes special products,
such as horse trainer cabins which were re-
cently supplied to the UK.
Pulse arc perfect for use with
high-tensile steel
At the Miller factory, high-tensile steel,
aluminium and stainless steel are being
processed, depending on the subsequent
purpose of the cabin. When it comes to
Friction stir welding research services from PTG
Only 12 months after the successful
launch of its UK-based friction stir welding
(FSW) sub-contract welding facility, PTG
Heavy Industries from Elland, West York-
shire, is to offer research services to organ-
isations looking to investigate new oppor-
20
welding equipment, the company has over
the years used several Migatronic welding
machines of the types “Sigma“ and “Au-
tomig-i“. Owing to customers’ increasing de-
mand for products made of high-tensile
fine-grained steel, the company has increas-
ingly put its trust in Migatronic. The proven
Migatronic pulse arc, for example, enabling
almost spatter-free welding at optimal heat
input and high welding speed, results in
technologically and aesthetically perfect
welding seams. For KML Miller, metallurgi-
cal precision as well as optical perfection
are decisive. This saves mechanical post-
processing and improves efficiency and pro-
ductivity. The Miller cabins also differ
favourably from competitors’ cabins through
the exquisite design: elegant and harmonic
curves as opposed to edgy shapes, elaborate,
comfortable interior design and sustainable
surface coatings. To achieve this high per-
fection and customer satisfaction, Miller also
relies on suppliers’ high-quality products.
When it comes to Migatronic, the supplier
of welding equipment, Miller’s engineers
tunities for the FSW process. “Our new sub-
contract welding division has proved a con-
siderable success, attracting projects from a
number of sectors,” comments Applications
Manager, Peter Jowett. “With that in mind,
we decided the time was right to extend our
From left to
right: S. Fleig,
supervisor at
KML Miller, M.
Siegel from ABS,
Migatronic’s
dealer in Offen-
burg, S. Lewen,
IWE and welding
supervisor in
charge at KML
Miller and F.
Haubach, man-
ager at Miga-
tronic Germany.
and welding operators are primarily enthu-
siastic about the ease-of-operation and pre-
programmed welding processes for almost
all applications, whether for the frequently
used fine-grained steel or for extruded alu-
minium profiles in various alloys. The Mi-
gatronic website allows welders to download
approved welding procedure specifications
(WPS‘s) according to the EN 1090 standard.
The compact structure of the welding ma-
chines was also decisive for KML Miller’s
choice of welding machine supplier, because
of the need for mobility in the production
of the relatively small cabins. The welding
operators are very satisfied with their every-
day tool and emphasise for example the ro-
bust cover which protects the display from
grinding dust, an apparently minor detail of
the welding machines. Welding specialist
Stephan Fleig is also very satisfied with the
“sound” of the Migatronic machines, proving
their outstanding and stable performance.
So also acoustically, Migatronic collects plus
points. (According to press information from
Migatronic)
offering to include research into welding
techniques – particularly when involving
small-scale components or the jointing of
exotic and particularly difficult to weld al-
loys. Accordingly, we have installed one of
our ‘Crawford Swift Powerstir’ FSW ‘labora-
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
“Crawford Swift Powerstir“ FSW, from PTG Heavy Industries.
tory’ machines at the facility expressly for
that purpose.”
Recognised as a global leader in
FSW
Ever since PTG Heavy Industries intro-
duced its range of “Crawford Swift Power-
stir“ machines, the company has been
recognised as a global leader in friction stir
welding. Its new research service uses a ‘lat-
est generation’ “Powerstir“ FSW machine
that is capable of welding both flat and cylin-
drical surfaces.
The choice of research institutes
Research bodies that have invested in
“Powerstir“ FSW laboratory machines from
PTG Heavy Industries include the globally
renowned ISF Welding and Joining Institute
at RWTH Aachen University in North Rhine-
Westphalia/Germany, and The University of
Manchester’s Institute of Science and Tech-
nology (UMIST), Manchester/UK.
Vital feedback of performance
data
RWTH Aachen University’s research
programme includes investigating the po-
tential to accelerate the speed of the friction
stir welding process. RWTH Aachen selected
the PTG machine for its uncompromising
build quality and stability, as well as for its
ability to provide real-time data logging – vi-
tal feedback of precise performance data,
such as production monitoring, force con-
trol, weld temperature monitoring and joint
tracking. UMIST was one of the very first ac-
ademic institutions to acquire a “Powerstir“
laboratory machine.
Helping advance FSW technology
“Research departments from across the
global aerospace and transport sectors have
made ‘Powerstir’ machines central to their
studies into creating stronger, lighter and
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
more aesthetically pleasing welds,” adds Pe-
ter Jowett. “It is also worth noting that here
in the UK, The Welding Institute uses a
‘Powerstir’ machine for its ongoing work in-
to FSW processes, joint strength and tool de-
velopment.”
Excellent results with exotic alloys
As part of its FSW research activities,
PTG Heavy Industries has successfully weld-
ed aerospace-grade steel alloy and aero-
space-grade titanium in thicknesses of 3 mm
and 8 mm, using its fixed pin tooling tech-
niques. PTG Heavy Industries has also
achieved excellent results when working
with various exotic aluminium alloys, rang-
ing from 2 mm to 35 mm in thickness, in a
number of challenging configurations.
These include:
• Longitudinal welding of flat plates, using
PTG fixed pin, retracting pin and bobbin
‘floating’ pin tooling technologies
• PTG bobbin tool welding of aluminium
aerospace-grade alloys
• Rotary (C axis) welding of flat plates
using PTG fixed pin and retracting pin
technologies
• Longitudinal seam welding of large di-
ameter cylinders using PTG fixed pin
and retracting pin technologies
• Rotary (C axis) radial welding of large
diameter cylinders using PTG retract-
ing pin FSW technology
• Rotary (C axis) welding of dome-
shaped spheres using PTG retracting
pin tool technology
• PTG welding fixtures designed and
supplied for all the above welding tech-
nologies and component structures/
configurations
“As a result of our successes, we especially
look forward to applying our findings, ap-
proach and technologies to robust testing
on other bespoke alloys that are used across
the avionics sector,” adds Peter Jowett. “Our
new research capability provides consider-
able opportunities for design engineers look-
ing to balance weight and structural rigidity
in order to achieve performance, capability
and efficiency in fuselage and component
design.”
Superior high-strength joints
Since their launch, “Powerstir“ FSW ma-
chines have attracted considerable interest
from organisations seeking an innovative
way of creating superior high-strength weld-
ed joints. Used primarily for jointing alu-
minium, magnesium, copper, titanium,
steel, lead and zinc, the “Powerstir“ FSW
process provides a clean, highly aesthetic
alternative to traditional welding. It delivers
proven weld quality, excellent mechanical
properties, virtually no porosity and the op-
portunity for reduced wall thickness in many
applications.
Over recent years, “Powerstir“ models
have found particular favour with compa-
nies from across the avionics and high-speed
rail sectors. In a joint venture with its tech-
nology partners, for example, PTG Heavy In-
dustries developed a “Powerstir“ model for
use in the manufacture of railway car bodies
similar to those used with China’s record-
breaking ‘Harmony’ high-speed train. This
required the design and build of a “Power-
stir“ machine with a 30 m x 4 m gantry – a
machine not only able to produce the
longest single FSW railway panel welds in
China at over 15 m in length, but also proof
of PTG Heavy Industries’ commitment to
meeting each customer’s most exacting re-
quirements.
PTG’s smaller “Powerstir“ laboratory
models are typically used for educational
and research purposes or for the manufac-
ture of small components. They are partic-
ularly suited to welding thin wall sections,
such as: hydraulic cylinders, suspension
dampers and heat exchanger components.
21
 FROM COMPANIES
About “Crawford Swift Powerstir“
friction stir welding
Patented by TWI (The Welding Insti-
tute), friction stir welding is a unique and
innovative means of jointing metals. The
process combines frictional heat with pre-
cisely controlled forging pressure to produce
extremely high-strength joints that are vir-
tually defect free. Friction stir welding trans-
forms the parent metal from a solid to a plas-
Purpose-built pressure testing facility opens for
business at TWI
TWI Industrial Members now have a
new supplier for their pressure testing re-
quirements. In combination with TWI ca-
pabilities in project management, welding,
specimen preparation, strain gauging, be-
spoke testing, fracture testing and resonance
fatigue testing, the addition of a new pur-
pose-built containment facility means that
the organisation can provide a one-stop
shop for full-scale component testing.
There is a growing need from industry
for tests of pressure-containing equipment
such as pipelines, risers and pressure ves-
sels. These components are subject to com-
plex loading conditions during their life-
times, and highly specialised testing is re-
quired to accurately reproduce the environ-
ment in which they operate. While results
from small-scale tests can to some extent be
extrapolated to predict the behaviour of larg-
er components, this method usually does
not satisfy the safety concerns of oil and gas
companies, who require the level of assur-
ance only full-scale tests can provide.
In response, TWI designed, built and
commissioned a new pressure containment
facility, which enables large components to
be subject to high internal and/or external
pressure, in combination with axial or bend-
ing loads. The facility is now available for
use.
Capabilities
Applications for the pressure pit include:
• carrying out large, full-scale tests of
components with internal water pres-
sure to check for leak tightness and/or
determine burst pressure
• performing proof of concept tests on
new component design
• testing new connector designs in line
with the requirements in ISO 13628-7
22
ticised state. This occurs during a process
that involves mechanically stirring the ma-
terials together to form a high-integrity, full-
penetration welded joint.
Typical “Powerstir“ FSW applications
are:
• Locomotive train and carriage panels
(aluminium)
• Aircraft fuselage and avionics develop-
ment
Annex I or API 17G
• carrying out bend tests on components
containing internal water pressure of
up to 29,000 psi
• testing components under axial loads
(static or cyclic) whilst containing in-
ternal water pressure.
The new facility is designed to safely apply
axial tensile or compressive loads of up to
1,500 tonnes (15,000 kN) (static) and 500
tonnes (5,000 kN) (cyclic), and vertical loads
on each of the cross beams up to 1,000
tonnes (10,000 kN) (static). Test fixtures can
be designed which allow combined loads
(axial plus bending) to be applied to com-
ponents. During all of these load scenarios,
internal pressures up to 2,000 bar (29,000
psi) or external pressures up to 1,000 bar
(14,500 psi) can be applied to specimens in-
side the facility.
It is fully serviced by an overhead crane
with two hooks of 5 tonnes each (10 tonnes
total capacity). There are video cameras
• Truck bodies, caravans and space
frames
• Heat sinks and electronics enclosures
• Boat and ship panel sections
• Flat and cylindrical fuel tanks and bulk
liquid containers
• Aluminium bridge sections, architec-
tural structures and frames
• Pipelines and heat exchangers
• Electrical motor housings
(According to press information from PTG)
TWI full-scale component test facility.
within the pit so that tests can be viewed re-
motely, as they take place.
The facility adds to TWI’s existing capa-
bilities of designing test machines, fixtures
and fittings and so a range of specimen
shapes and sizes can now be tested with in-
ternal pressure.
Specification
The pit is 3.7 m wide and 3.45 m tall. Its
total length is 13.5 m. A partition can be
added to make two shorter containment fa-
cilities if necessary. It has a blast proof lid for
containment of fragments and pressure, al-
lowing burst tests to be carried out. There are
a number of attachment points on all four
walls, and I beams across the pit, and so ten-
sile, compressive and bending loads can be
applied to specimens. Components such as
sections of pipeline and other pressure con-
taining equipment up to 10 m in length can
be tested in the facility. Shorter lengths can
be tested across the width of the pit.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Pressure testing at a glance
• Dimensions 3.7 m x 3.45 m x 13.5 m
• 1,500 tonnes (15,000 kN) tensile or
compressive axial static loads
• 500 tonnes (5,000 N) tensile or com-
pressive axial cyclic loads
• 1,000 tonnes (10,000 kN) vertical load
on cross beams
• Up to 2,000 bar (29,000 psi) internal wa-
ter pressure
• Up to 1,000 bar (14,500 psi) external wa-
ter pressure
• Lifting capacity of 10 tonnes
• Remote viewing via video camera
To find out more about the specialised test-
ing services available at TWI please see the
website (http://www.twi-global.com/capa-
bilities/integrity-management/bespoke-
mechanical-testing) or contact: http://
www.twi-global.com/contact/.
(According to press information from TWI)
Short Messages
Reorganisation sets stage for
further growth
Scanlab’s history continues to be a suc-
cess story with many open chapters still to
be written. Following last year’s 25th an-
niversary, 2016 sees on-time completion of
headquarters expansion and reorganising
the company’s legal form to reposition for
coming years. This includes moving Scanlab
AG’s operative business and contractual re-
lationships to Scanlab GmbH, effective im-
mediately. The existing AG thereby converts
into a pure financial holding corporation,
functioning as the Group’s parent. There-
under, along with Scanlab GmbH (manu-
facturer of high-precision scan solutions),
are Blackbird Robotersysteme GmbH (spe-
cialist for remote laser welding) and Next
Scan Technology BVBA (experts for polygon
scanners) – all as independent legal entities
interconnected via a strategic partnership.
The management teams of all corporate
units remain unchanged. “These changed
With over 20,000 systems produced annually,
Scanlab GmbH is an independent OEM manu-
facturer of scan solutions for deflecting and
positioning laser beams in three dimensions.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
formalities have no effect on our trust-based
customer and business relationships, and
certainly present no disadvantages to our
strong global team. Scanlab’s growth strategy
also remains unchanged – but now our man-
agement teams’ decision-making can be
even more effective and swifter,“ says Scan-
lab GmbH CEO Georg Hofner about the
Group’s restructuring.
WITec establishes new office in
China
Dr. Ding Shuo,
the newly-
appointed re-
gional director
for WITec’s
China opera-
tions.
WITec GmbH, industry leading manu-
facturer of scanning-probe nano-analytical
microscopy systems, has opened a new of-
fice in Beijing/China. The facility in the cul-
tural, scientific and administrative capital of
the fastest growing large economy in the
world will enable WITec’s current market
presence to be expanded while better serv-
ing its growing client base. The direct local
representation will offer sales and after-sales
technical support along with customer event
organisation. On-site product demonstra-
tions and sample measurements will pro-
vide an opportunity for scientists to witness
first-hand the advantages of WITec’s Raman,
AFM, SNOM and correlative microscopy so-
lutions. “China’s technological advancement
is proceeding at an astonishing pace, with
varied initiatives and a scale of investment
second to none. Our innovative spirit will
be a perfect fit for the dynamism there and
our new office will ensure an open line of
communication with the people looking to
make breakthroughs,” says WITec co-
founder Joachim Koenen. According to the
newly-appointed regional director for
WITec’s China operations, Dr. Ding Shuo,“It’s
exciting to handle the Chinese business of
WITec, a renowned and pioneering German
company working right on the edge of Ra-
man and correlative microscope develop-
ment. Their technology and expertise will
benefit Chinese scientists from basic re-
search to industry.” Ding Shuo has a decade
of experience in the high-performance mi-
croscopy industry in addition to a Doctorate
in Physics and a Master of Business Admin-
istration. The WITec Beijing Representative
Office is located in the German Centre of
the Landmark Towers in the Chaoyang Cen-
tral Business District.
Waterjet system for Jet Edge’s
distributor Aquablast
Jet Edge, Inc. announces that its long-
time UK distributor Aquablast Ltd. has in-
stalled a Jet Edge “Edge X-5“ 5-axis waterjet
cutting system at its headquarters in Beccles,
Suffolk/UK. Aquablast has represented Jet
Edge waterjets for more than 20 years and
has extensive knowledge of ultra-high pres-
sure waterjet technology and its countless
applications. In addition to representing Jet
Edge, Aquablast also manufactures its own
line of waterjetting equipment and carries
a wide range of mobile waterjet systems and
support products. The company also offers
precision waterjet cutting services, mobile
waterjet cutting and surface preparation
services, and safety training. Aquablast is
authorised to sell and service Jet Edge’s full
product line in the UK, including Jet Edge’s
CE-marked 5-axis and 3-axis waterjet mo-
tion systems, its hydraulic intensifier and di-
rect drive pumps, and portable cutting sys-
tems and water blasting equipment. Jet Edge
offers the widest range of waterjet pumps in
the industry, from 36 to 280 hp, in 2,500 bar
(36 KSI), 4,000 bar (60 KSI) and 6,200 bar
(90 KSI) models, electric and diesel. “We are
excited to have a waterjet demonstration
showroom and training facility in the UK,”
said Dave Anderson, Jet Edge international
sales manager. “When customers see Jet
Edge’s capabilities in person, it’s much eas-
ier for them to visualise how waterjet can
help them solve their manufacturing chal-
lenges, reduce costs and increase produc-
tivity. Plus they can benefit from Aquablast’s
extensive waterjet applications expertise and
hands-on knowledge of Jet Edge products.”
Longtime Jet Edge distributor Aquablast plans
to showcase waterjet cutting capabilities, launch
waterjet operation and maintenance training
facility.
23
 FROM COMPANIES
New service for SMEs
The Saint Exupéry Technological Re-
search Institute (IRT), Toulouse/France, is
launching a new modular service for small-
and medium-sized enterprises, the SME Ad-
ditive Manufacturing Pack. This initiative is
part of a nationwide programme coordinat-
ed by IRT Saint Exupéry, in which several
IRTs participate: Jules Verne in Nantes, M2P
in Metz and SystemX in Paris. As part of this
programme, IRT Saint Exupéry is receiving
5 million euros in funding from the Occi-
tanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region. The
SME Additive Manufacturing Pack is the
fruit of collaboration with the Pôle Aero-
space Valley and Madeeli, the regional
agency for economic development, export
and innovation. Its purpose is to support
and guide small- and medium-sized busi-
nesses concerned by additive manufactur-
ing technologies through several specific ini-
tiatives: advice to SMEs, special training, and
access to technical platforms, as well as as-
sistance in putting projects together and get-
ting products on the market. By autumn of
2017, SMEs will be availed of awareness-
raising workshops on additive manufactur-
ing and demonstrations on a metal 3D print-
ing machine.
Additive (Layer) Manufacturing, better known as
3D printing, comprises all the techniques that
involve creating an object by adding successive
layers of material that are bonded together by
an energy source.
24
Products
Fig. 1
High efficiency and small foot-
print
The “Triline TL-I 30“ (Fig. 1) direct-drive
pump has a power rating of 22 kW (30 HP)
and so attains a delivery volume of 3.1 liters
of cutting water per minute. At a working
pressure of 3,800 bar, this is sufficient to op-
erate a water jet with a diameter up to 0.3
mm – this is where the greater efficiency
compared to a pressure intensifier pump
comes into its own because a higher delivery
volume can be attained for the same motor
power. An electric motor provides power di-
rectly to three crankshaft-driven pistons via
an easy to maintain belt pulley system. The
pistons operate with a phase displacement,
meaning they deliver a virtually constant
high-pressure flow of water. A direct-drive
pump has a relatively high efficiency (up to
85%) by virtue of this direct power transmis-
sion. This method of power transmission is
also uncomplicated and comprises fewer
parts than a hydraulic circuit. So operators
of direct-drive pumps benefit from easier
fault rectification when problems occur in
the drive system. The heart of the “TL-I 30“
direct-drive pump is therefore the crankcase
– designed for highest performance and
straightforward maintenance. The concept
is based upon a stainless steel base plate
with integrated cooling ducts, meaning the
guide rods are not exposed to environmental
factors. The direct-drive technology is ex-
cellently suited to simple applications in
which the machine is deployed as a stand-
alone pump. The recommendation here is
to continually use the direct-drive, high-
pressure pump as a water pressure genera-
tor. The level of efficiency is extremely high
when the cutting time is at least 80% of the
time the motor is running. Its small footprint
and high efficiency when used continually
mean it is ideal for small workshops and
contract cutting firms performing conven-
tional and simple cutting work. It also rep-
resents an excellent alternative to a pressure
intensifier pump when the space require-
ment, initial investment or electrical power
input on site represents a challenge. (KMT
GmbH, Hohe Straße 4-6, 61231 Bad
Nauheim/Germany; www.kmt-waterjet.
com)
Fibre laser machines
The “Phoenix FL 4020“ and “Phoenix FL
6020“ (Fig. 2) are two laser cutting machines
designed to handle sheet dimensions of 4,000
mm x 2,000 mm and 6,000 mm x 2,000 mm
respectively. Available in 3, 4 and 6 kW ver-
sions, the new “Phoenix“ models offer high
versatility as all-round machines able to de-
liver first-class cut quality in both thin and
thick materials in standard steels as well as
non-ferrous materials and process large
sheets quickly and economically. “Phoenix
FL“ machines achieve superior cut quality
through an advanced cutting head design
that allows automated adjustment of focus
position and focus diameter, known as
“zoom focus.” The lasers provide high dy-
namic processing and fast cutting speeds
thanks to the 1 μm fibre wave length. Accel-
eration and overall accuracy is further sup-
ported by the machine’s rigid welded steel
frame construction. An integrated control
and drive system ensures the highest repro-
duction of programmed contours at fast pro-
cessing speeds. The machines keep uptime
high with an integrated automatic shuttle
table system that allows one table to be
loaded while the machine is cutting on the
other table. A touchscreen control and the
“Touch-L“ user interface make the
“Phoenix“ easy to use and operate, further
increasing machine uptime. The 19-inch
touch screen and icon-driven user interface
guide the user through all necessary man-
machine interactions. “Touch-L“ also incor-
porates a part programming and nesting fea-
ture so users can import drawings directly
into the control, applying cutting technology
and nesting sheets at the machine. (LVD
Company nv, Nijverheidslaan 2, 8560 Gul-
legem/Belgium; www.lvdgroup.com)
Fig. 2
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Welding management service
Fig. 3
„Avanto“ (Fig. 3) is a process manage-
ment solution for welding. The new service
will provide enhanced traceability and sig-
nificantly increased efficiency and quality
assurance in welding operations. Initially
targeting customers in the structural steel
segment, the service will eventually address
the needs of customers across a number of
sectors involved in metal fabrication. “Avan-
to“ leverages advanced cloud-based tech-
nology to capture, monitor and analyse the
vast amount of data that is required to man-
age a modern welding operation. Stored in
a single, centralised repository, the data can
be retrieved via PC or mobile devices, ex-
tending access and analysis of information
beyond the office to the shop floor and re-
motely to any location. Incorporating a fully
integrated software system, “Avanto“ man-
ages, end-to-end, the entire welding work-
flow – from job and welding procedure cre-
ation, management of welder qualifications
to the allocation of resources required to
complete a weld, such as consumables,
shielding gas, welding equipment and
welder. Confirmation of job completion to
expected standards and subsequent quality
test results can provide everyone involved
in the job, from welding engineers and su-
pervisors to quality assurance managers,
with full visibility of the process and easy
compilation of documentation packs for
customers. The introduction of European
regulations such as EN 1090 in the structural
steel segment have placed greater emphasis
on the need to streamline the collection of
welding data required to meet full traceabil-
ity. Many companies meeting these regula-
tions do so using manual processes thereby
adding cost and complexity to their busi-
ness. A key aspect of “Avanto“ is that it is of-
fered as a service available via a subscription
model, so providing a genuine alternative
to current welding management offerings –
usually comprising high end welding ma-
chines combined with software solutions re-
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
quiring professional installation and high
upfront investment. “Avanto“ is also ideal
for companies operating machines from
multiple welding OEMs. It will initially be
available in the UK and Germany and will
be rolled out to other geographies in due
course. (Linde AG, Linde Gases Division,
Seitnerstrasse 70, 82049 Pullach/Germany;
www.linde.com)
Precision plasma cutting
Featuring “HeavyCut“ technology to im-
prove cut quality and precision perform-
ance, the “i“-series (Fig. 4) superior cut qual-
ity enables parts to go directly from the cut-
ting table to welding, painting or assembly
without expensive secondary operations. It
also provides piercing capacity up to 50 mm
at 400 A on all materials including stainless
steel and aluminium. The “i“-series delivers
ISO Class 3 or better cuts on any material
from gauge to 50 mm thick, noticeably re-
ducing bevel and the need for post-cut fin-
ishing. The “Water Mist Secondary“ (WMS)
process, which incorporates nitrogen as the
plasma gas and ordinary tap water for
shielding, produces superior cut quality and
a lower cost per cut on non-ferrous materi-
als. On stainless steel, according to the man-
ufacturer, the “WMS“ process cuts up to
300% faster and lowers cost-per cut by 20%
or more compared to systems that use ar-
gon-hydrogen for the plasma gas. The “i“-
series also lowers the cost per cut by using
“XTremeLife“ wear parts for cutting at 300
and 400 A. These consumables use a multi-
ple hafnium insert as opposed to a single
insert and feature a two-piece tip that runs
cooler. Better cooling extends parts life and
cut accuracy across the life of the tip, espe-
cially when piercing at higher amperages.
These combined features can lower operat-
ing cost up to 30% on mild steel, which in
turn reduces cut cost per metre. The “i“-
series is available in 100 to 400 A configura-
tions for cutting plate up to 50 mm thick. All
Fig. 4
models feature a common cabinet and com-
ponents as well as “StepUp“ modular tech-
nology, allowing users to increase the output
from 100 A all the way up to 400 A by adding
inverter blocks. Its modular design minimis-
es parts inventory and repair time. An LED
error display indicates machine status to ac-
celerate troubleshooting, and should an in-
verter block malfunction, cutting can con-
tinue with the remaining blocks. (Esab
Group (UK) Ltd, Warlies Park House, Horse-
shoe Hill, Upshire, Essex EN9 3SL/UK;
www.esab.com)
eLearning package
Students enrolling on the “CSWIP 3.1
Welding Inspector“ course with TWI Train-
ing can boost their chances of success by in-
cluding a pre-course eLearning package.
The eLearning materials for “CSWIP 3.1“
have been in demand since the TWI Virtual
Academy launched at the end of 2015. Com-
prising 11 modules the online add-on pro-
vides an excellent way of familiarising stu-
dents with the knowledge you need to gain
internationally recognised “CSWIP 3.1“ cer-
tification. The eLearning materials include
videos, animations, images and interactive
activities. Each module concludes with an
assessment is designed to test the knowl-
edge and highlight gaps in the student’s
learning. Once enrolled, students can access
the eLearning materials for 60 days. Opting
for the eLearning package has been proven
to lead to better results. In a direct compar-
ison, students who included the eLearning
add-on when enrolling on the “CSWIP 3.2
Senior Welding Instructor“ course outper-
formed those who did not. For more infor-
mation visit the “CSWIP 3.1 Welding Inspec-
tor Theory Pre-course“ eLearning Package
course page at the website mentioned be-
low, where students can access an interac-
tive demo taken from the destructive testing
module. For any questions about eLearning
with TWI, please email trainexam@twitrain-
ing.com. (TWI Training & Examination Serv-
ices, TWI Ltd, Granta Park, Great Abington,
Cambridge CB21 6AL/UK; www.twitrain-
ing.com)
25
 WELDING PRACTICE
Full-scale fatigue testing using the resonance method
Introduction
S-N curves, published in standards such
as BS 7608 or DNV-RP-C203, describe the
fatigue strength of welded details for differ-
ent combinations of weld geometry and ap-
plied loading. When designers specify a new
welding procedure they must be confident
that these new welds will have sufficient fa-
tigue strength to survive the applied cyclic
service loads without cracking. This is par-
ticularly important in structures with no re-
dundancy in the design, such as girth welds
in risers and flowlines.
Girth welds can have a wide range of fa-
tigue strengths. Those made on a backing
bar are BS 7608 Class F2 details whereas ‘de-
fect-free’ girth welds with the weld caps
ground flush are BS 7608 Class C details –
this difference can result in as much as a
factor of 10 on fatigue life for a given stress
range. In addition to these weld-design con-
siderations, there are many other factors
which influence a weld’s fatigue strength
which are less easy to control. These include
weld profile, joint misalignment, the pres-
ence of defects and residual stresses. The
way in which each of these factors influences
the fatigue behaviour of a weld is difficult to
predict. Therefore, the safest way to deter-
mine the fatigue strength of a girth weld that
has been made using a new welding proce-
dure is by testing representative specimens.
This way, designers can gain confidence that
the welds produced will withstand the ex-
Notes
Normalised bending stress
Normalised specimen half-length
26
pected service loads or that they will be at
least as strong as the required design curve.
Options for determining fatigue
strength
There are two main methods to deter-
mine the fatigue strength of girth welds
through testing. One is by extracting strips
from pipes and then testing these in hy-
draulic test machines. These tests are usually
run at a frequency of up to 5 Hz and can be
run at high stress ranges and in environ-
ments other than air. However, when strips
are cut from pipes containing girth welds,
the residual stress profile is no longer rep-
resentative of the complete joint and the
specimens produced may not contain the
most fatigue-critical section of the girth
weld. This can result in an over-prediction
of fatigue strength (particularly in the high
cycle regime) and fatigue limit (Maddox and
Zhang, 2008).
The alternative is to perform full-scale
fatigue testing. The main benefit is that the
whole girth weld, in its natural as-welded
condition, is subjected to the fatigue load
cycle. Conventional test methods require
huge load capacities, but for testing in ro-
tating bending the resonance method is a
fast and energy-efficient approach. It is also
a very efficient method for determining the
fatigue strength of other tubular structures
such as pipes with polymeric coatings and
mechanical connectors. The test frequency
Fig. 1 • Schematic
showing the principle of
Applied resonance fatigue test-
Force ing (in two dimensions).
In practice the spinning
applied force causes the
specimen to precess in a
circular orbit.
Fig. 2 • Bending stress
(or alternatively bend-
ing moment) profile in
a resonance fatigue test
specimen with a circular
cross section.
is high, at around 30 Hz. There is no stan-
dard that defines a resonance fatigue test;
however, TWI has over 15 years’ experience
of running resonance fatigue testing pro-
grammes.
The principle of resonance fatigue
testing
Resonance fatigue testing involves ex-
citing a test specimen close to its first mode
of vibration by applying a rotating radial
force to one end. A bending moment is gen-
erated in the specimen, which rotates about
the pipe axis, resulting in all of the longitu-
dinal fibres in the specimen experiencing
the same bending moment during one rev-
olution of the excitation force, Fig. 1. The
specimen vibrates in the first mode, and so
there are two locations along the specimen
length at which there is no deflection. Spec-
imens are supported at these nodal points.
Along the specimen length, the bending
moment is a maximum at the mid-length
and decays to zero at the specimen ends as
shown in Fig. 2.
The resonant frequency of a test speci-
men depends on the specimen’s mass and
stiffness, and therefore the outer diameter
and wall thickness of the pipe being tested.
Specimen lengths are chosen so that they
have a resonant frequency of around 30 Hz.
At this frequency, approximately 2.5 million
cycles are applied to the test specimen in
each 24 hour period. TWI’s resonance test
machines can accommodate pipes in the
range 8 in to 36 in outer diameter. Typically,
8 in outer diameter specimens are around
4.5 m long and 36 in outer diameter speci-
mens are around 10.5 m long, Fig. 3.
Tests are run below the resonant fre-
quency so that the applied stress range can
be carefully controlled, Fig. 4. By altering the
speed of rotation of the excitation force
(which in practice is achieved by altering
the motor speed), the deflection and there-
fore strain range can be controlled.
Practical considerations
The applied strain is monitored using
strain gauges that are located in the area of
interest, Fig. 5.
When qualifying girth welds to deter-
mine whether their fatigue strength is at least
as good as a particular design S-N curve, the
nominal applied stress range is needed. In
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
order to measure the nominal stress range,
strain gauges are positioned such that they
are remote from the weld to avoid any sec-
ondary bending stresses associated with
misalignment at the joint, but close enough
that they are not significantly affected by the
decrease in applied bending moment re-
mote along the specimen length, as shown
in Fig. 2. A distance of 60 mm from the weld
toe is the ideal strain gauge location for this
purpose. The resonance method is capable
of applying nominal stress ranges between
around 50 MPa and 250 MPa.
The resonance test method applies a ful-
ly alternating stress cycle with a stress ratio,
R, equal to 0. However, since the residual
stress profile in girth welds is difficult to pre-
dict it is important that a high tensile mean
stress is applied to them during fatigue test-
ing so that the results are conservative. In
almost all cases, a mean stress which is at
least half of the highest stress range used in
the tests is applied to specimens by inter-
nally pressurising them with water. This pro-
duces a positive R-ratio and so ensures that
the full applied stress range is tensile.
The added benefit of using internal pres-
sure to apply a mean stress is that it also acts
as a means of crack detection, and so reso-
nance tests are set up to stop automatically
when the internal water pressure drops due
to the presence of a through-wall crack. At
TWI, alternatives to using internal pressuri-
sation include carrying out tests with a me-
chanically applied tensile or compressive
mean load, or with cooling water flowing
through specimens.
When cracking occurs, stresses redis-
tribute and this can also be detected by
strain gauges located close to the crack po-
sition. The ability to detect cracking via the
strain gauge readings is particularly useful
in complex connector specimens in which,
for example, a crack may initiate in a loca-
tion which does not result in a drop of in-
ternal pressure or in specimens tested with
a mechanically applied mean stress rather
than internal water pressure.
Typical test programmes
In a resonance testing programme to
qualify girth welds, engineering judgement
is used to select the number of specimens
to test. The industrially accepted approach
is to test nine specimens, three at each of
three stress ranges.
In a typical test programme, high and
medium stress range tests would be run un-
til through-wall cracking occurred, while low
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Fig. 3 • Four of
TWI’s resonance fa-
tigue test ma-
chines, capable of
testing pipes with
diameters ranging
from 8 in to 24 in.
Amplitude Fig. 4 • Resonant
response showing
how the specimen
deflection is con-
trolled by altering
the speed of rota-
tion of the excita-
tion force.
Amplitude
range
Frequency
Operating Resonant
speed range frequency
Fig. 5 • Uniaxial
strain gauge ap-
plied to a pipe, and
used to control and
monitor axial strain
applied during the
resonance fatigue
test.
stress range tests could be stopped as
‘runouts’ (above the target life but before
cracking has occurred). The results from
Correction
Concerning the welding practice ar-
cracked welds would then be compared to
ticle ”Dual-tube electrode” in issue 6/
a target curve which is based on a design S-
2016, p. 357, we received the following
N curve (from BS 7608 or DNV RP C203) and
comments from our reader Dr David Tay-
gives a specified level of statistical confi-
lor (extract): “... Manual metal arc elec-
dence that the results qualify to that fatigue
trodes have coatings and not tubes. The
class.
correct expression for these types of MMA
(Information prepared by Carol John-
electrode is ‘Double Coated’ and not
ston, TWI, copyright TWI 2017)
‘Dual-Tube’. Manufacture is only possible
using an ‘Oerlikon’ type press, which ex-
References
[1] BS 7608 (2014) ‘Guide to fatigue design and trudes the coatings onto the core wire
assessment of steel products’. British Stan- which is fed horizontally through the cen-
dards Institution, London. tre of the coating slug. The ratio of these
[2] DNV-RP-C203 ‘Fatigue design of offshore double coatings can also be adjusted ac-
steel structures’. Det Norske Veritas, Norway.
[3] Job knowledge articles 78, 79 and 80 on fa-
curately to ‘fine-tune’ the final operability
tigue testing; http://www.twi-global.com/ characteristic. Perhaps the correct term
technical-knowledge/job-knowledge/. has been lost in translation ...“
[4] Zhang Y-H, 2011: ‘Comparison of the fatigue Dr Taylor is right and we apologise for
performance of full scale girth welded pipes this error. We would like to thank our at-
and small scale strip and plate specimens: A
literature review’. TWI Industrial Member
tentive reader Dr David Taylor for his feed-
Report 986/2011. back.
27
 EVENTS
“SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2017”:
World’s premier fair for the welding, cutting and
joining sectors announces first highlights
When “SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN“
opens its doors from 25 to 29 September
2017, an attractive programme will await the
international trade visitors at the world’s
premier fair for joining and cutting tech-
nologies. Exhibitors from all over the world
will present the complete value added chain
for everything to do with join-
ing, cutting and surfacing –
with products and services
from shaping via pretreat-
ment and post-treatment
right up to the testing of the
workpieces. All the market
leaders have already regis-
tered, amongst others Air
Liquide, Esab, Fanuc, Fronius,
Kuka, Lincoln Electric, Messer Group, Mi-
croStep, Trumpf, voestalpine Böhler Weld-
ing and Yaskawa. Because of the moderni-
sation work at Messe Essen, “SCHWEISSEN
& SCHNEIDEN 2017“ will make a one-off
guest appearance in Düsseldorf/Germany.
The most important new feature: For
“SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN 2017“,
Messe Essen’s team has, for the first time,
reorganised the halls in an intelligible way
according to thematically appropriate main
focal points. Thus, it will be even easier for
the trade visitors from all over the world to
orient themselves. These key topics have al-
ready gone down very well with the regis-
tered exhibitors now because they will offer
them an appealing, thematically appropriate
“4th IEBW International Electron Beam Welding
Conference” in March in Aachen/Germany
The American Welding Society (AWS),
the German Welding Society (DVS) and the
International Institute of Welding (IIW) are
organising the “4th International Electron
Beam Welding Conference“ (IEBW) in
Aachen/Germany from 21 to 22 March 2017.
The conference location will be RWTH
Aachen University, SuperC, Hall Ford, Tem-
plergraben 57, 52062 Aachen/Germany.
The event will also receive further sup-
port from the Japan Welding Society. The
28
environment and will ensure that they are
found in an even better way. Thus, the pre-
requisites will be optimum for the most sig-
nificant information and ordering platform
in the sector.
Here, the companies will present their
products and services for everything to do
with the newest joining, cut-
ting and surfacing technolo-
gies. Every four years,
“SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEI-
DEN“ thus becomes the num-
ber-one international meeting
place in the sector. Moreover,
further stimuli will originate
from the comprehensive net-
working programme with nu-
merous conferences, congresses and com-
petitions.
The first high-
lights of the compre-
hensive supporting
programme have al-
ready been decided
now: The joint booth
for Underwater Tech-
nology in Hall 14 with
especially set-up div-
ing containers will
give an insight into
their challenging ac-
tivities. Freshly
founded firms will
present pioneering
IEBW Conference will bring together scien-
tists, engineers and technical personnel from
around the globe involved in research, de-
velopment and application of electron beam
welding processes.
Also IEBW provides an excellent oppor-
tunity for experts not using the electron beam
presently but to getting to know the technical
capabilities and advantages of the electron
beam. Common fields where the electron
beam is used are for example aircraft and
solutions on the joint booth for “Young In-
novative Companies“ in Hall 15. The joint
booth for “Thermal Spraying“ in Hall 15 will
provide information about new surfacing
processes. Moreover, the Robot Welding
Competition will give its premiere in Hall 13.
In front of an international trade public, the
participants will aim to pit their wits against
each other in programming, teaching and,
of course, welding on robots and welding
power sources. Germany’s most promising
welding talents will be sought in the DVS
“Young Welders“ competition in Hall 14. The
winners will encounter participants from
other nations in the Weld Cup on the Euro-
pean level and in the subsequent Interna-
tional Welding Competition. (According to
press information from Messe Essen)
Photo: Messe Essen
aerospace, automotive and transportation,
shipbuilding and off-shore constructions, rail,
nuclear, oil gas and chemical, military and
defense, construction and general fabrica-
tion, electronics and medical.
The registration address is: DVS – Ger-
man Welding Society, P.O. Box 10 19 65, 40010
Düsseldorf/Germany or use the online reg-
istration at: www.dvs-ev.de/iebw2017.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
 English Edition

Basic knowledge of joining technology – explained in a

comprehensible way!
„Fundamentals of joining technology – Welding, brazing and adhesive bonding“

The new standard work for joining technology explains the three joining technologies (welding, brazing and adhesive
bonding) in a detailed and comprehensible way.

In this case, consideration is always given to the area of conflict between the technical possibilities and necessities, the
materials, the design-related configuration and the economic boundary conditions. Newcomers and experts are thus be-
ing provided with reliable, comprehensive notes in order to choose the joining process appropriate for each application.

The book is directed at engineers and technologists with tasks in design, work planning as well as fabrication or quality
assurance from industry and skilled trades.

With its more than 400 pages, the specialist book is not only a reference work but also a lecture-accompanying textbook.
Thus, it will become a genuine learning aid, above all, for students of engineering sciences.

Also
available „Fundamentals of joining technology –
in
German Welding, brazing and adhesive bonding“

U. Reisgen and L. Stein

472 pages, 334 photographs and illustrations
1st edition 2016
Order no. 180015

Price: Euro 78.00

Also available as an e-Book.

DVS Media GmbH • Aachener Straße 172 • 40223 Düsseldorf

T +49. (0)2 11. 15 91-162 • F +49. (0)2 11. 15 91-250 • vertrieb@dvs-hg.de • www.dvs-media.eu
Change in management at GSI – Gesellschaft für
Schweißtechnik International mbH
Since 1 November 2016, GSI – Institute (SLV) in Duisburg, 100% affiliated company of DVS – German
Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik a branch of GSI mbH. Welding Society. The eight branches in Ger-
International mbH has been man- Moreover, the manage- many (SLV Berlin-Brandenburg, SK Bielefeld,
aged by Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Vogelsang. ment of a company is noth- Bildungszentren Rhein-Ruhr, SLV Duisburg,
He has succeeded Dr.-Ing. Klaus ing unknown to Vogelsang. SLV Fellbach, SLV Hannover, SLV München
Middeldorf who, after four years The graduate metallurgist and SLV Saarbrücken) as well as foreign com-
at the head of GSI, is dedicating has previously worked in panies in Egypt, Estonia, Russia, China,
himself to new projects from Jan- various mediumsized en- Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey be-
uary 2017. terprises in the metal pro- long to GSI mbH. As cooperating facilities,
The new GSI Managing Direc- cessing industry, most re- the GSI group also includes SV Halle GmbH,
tor is certainly familiar with the Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Vogelsang is cently as the Managing Di- SLV Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH, TC-
world of joining, cutting and coat- the new Managing Director rector of a family-owned Kleben GmbH, SLV Mannheim GmbH and
ing technologies. On the one of GSI – Gesellschaft für company with approx. SLV Nord gGmbH.
Schweißtechnik Interna-
hand, because he successfully 1,000 employees. The portfolio of services rendered by the
tional mbH.
concluded the course of studies in Jörg Vogelsang is begin- GSI group encompasses the fields of activi-
(Picture: krinke-fotografie)
Materials Sciences in the specialist ning the new task with the ties entitled “Training and Further Educa-
field of Metallurgy at the Clausthal University best wishes of the DVS Board which wishes tion“, “Research and Development“, “Mate-
of Technology and, on the other hand, be- him not only a lucky hand but also a good rials Engineering“, “Quality Assurance“,
cause he completed the further education to eye for entrepreneurial decisions. “Process Optimisation“ as well as compa-
become an International Welding Engineer GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik ny-specific services. More information at
(IWE) at the Welding Training and Research International mbH, founded in 1999, is a www.gsi-slv.de/en/.

As a double pack: DVS practical workshops at Fliess and GTV

Two of the popular DVS practical work-
shops took place in November 2016. 22
prospective academics visited Hermann
Fliess & Co. GmbH in Duisburg and 10 stu-
dents came to GTV Verschleißschutz GmbH
in Luckenbach in the Westerwald region in
order to obtain information about the firms
and their main focal points in situ.
The workshop at Fliess, a manufacturer
of welding consumables with international
operations, began with a lecture about the
fundamentals of manufacturing welding
wires. The workshop culminated in the de-
tailed demonstrations about wire drawing,
quality assurance as well as cutting and
packing. Alexander H. Fliess, Managing Di-
rector, did not want to miss the opportunity
to greet the participants himself.
GTV Verschleißschutz GmbH has been Participants in the practical workshops at Hermann Fliess in Duisburg.
an expert for thermally sprayed component
surfaces for over 30 years and uses the par- Managing Director of GTV GmbH, greeted with them. Brief lectures and a tour of the
ticle bombardment technology for its coat- the students and, in his lecture, examined firm with various demonstrations such as
ing procedures. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Nassenstein, the question of “What is thermal spraying?“ suspension spraying or laser cladding gave

30 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

the interested participants insights close to
practical conditions.
The DVS practical workshops offered the
students a look at everyday life in joining
technology. Excursions to various firms are
planned for this year too.
“Young professionals“ and companions
who took part in the practical workshop
at GTV Verschleißschutz.
“Young welders“ in Düsseldorf: DVS with three
competitions at “Schweissen & Schneiden 2017“
With torches in their hands, the up-and-
coming welders will start into a competi-
tion-rich year 2017 under the leadership of
the DVS – German Welding Society. The Dis-
trict DVS “Young Welders“ Competitions will
begin on the regional level in the spring and
will reach their climax in the National DVS
“Young Welders“ Competition, in the “Weld-
cup“ and in the “International Competition“
at the “Schweissen & Schneiden“ fair which,
this time, will take place at Messe Düsseldorf
on 25 to 29 September 2017.
The DVS “Young Welders“ Competition
consists of three stages until the four nation-
wide victors in the Gas Welding, Manual
Metal Arc Welding, Metal Active Gas Weld-
ing and Tungsten Inert Gas Welding disci-
plines have been decided. All the competi-
tion tasks will be oriented to the stipulations
of the welder qualification test which com-
plies with DIN EN ISO 9606-1 and is recog-
nised on the European and international
levels. Therefore, whoever reaches the re-
International winners.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
quired number of points in the National DVS
“Young Welders“ Competition will be de-
lighted about an internationally recognised
vocational qualification.
First of all, the welding contest will be
staged on the regional level in the over 70
DVS district branches. Thereafter, the re-
spective winners will participate in their
State DVS Competitions. Whoever emerges
as the victors there will encounter strong ri-
vals in the National DVS Competition.
“Here, really the best up-and-coming
welders will come up against each other and
the contests in the four disciplines are al-
ways extremely exciting,“ reports Hans-Jörg
Herold, Chairman of the Working Group for
the National “Young Welders“ Competition.
This year, the battle for the best weld
should become even more exciting when
the young welders line up under the eyes of
the interested public at “Schweissen &
Schneiden“ in Düsseldorf. Directly after the
National DVS “Young Welders“ Competi-
Concentration during the competition.
tion, the “Weldcup“ is planned. In this case,
talented up-and-coming welders from the
whole of Europe will come up against each
other.
As the last competition, the “Interna-
tional Competition“ is planned. Then, there
will once more be a brisk onrush in front of
the welders’ cabins at the best-known Ger-
man fair in the sector. Because young
welders from all over the world will be able
to take part in this event and gauge them-
selves against each other. However, even if
significance is attached to victory and hon-
our during the welding competitions, em-
phasis will always be placed on fun, inter-
national contacts and thrills.
If you are interested in participating in
the international welding competition,
please contact Martina Esau, phone +49.
(0)211. 1591-175, e-mail martina.esau@dvs-
hg.de. Because of the limited number of
welding places, DVS will consider registra-
tions on a first come, first serve basis.
31
 REPORTS
An introduction to automated brazing –
Part 1: Setting the scene
It will perhaps be a surprising fact to
newcomers to brazing to learn that in terms
of use, furnace brazing makes the greatest
numbers of joints, but the greatest numbers
of brazing applications are still being satis-
fied by the use of flame heating.
The primary reasons for this continuing
and on-going popularity of flame brazing
are these:
• It is a very flexible heating process.
• A very wide range of fuel gases can be
used.
• Even relatively unskilled operators can
produce acceptable results when braz-
ing with a hand-held torch.
• It is very easy to develop alternative
heat patterns when ‘new’ jobs have to
be done.
• The equipment for flame brazing with
a hand-torch is readily portable.
• Brazing on both ‘outside’ locations,
and within the workshop, is easily un-
dertaken.
• One of its main attractions is that it is
equally satisfactory for both ‘one-off’
joints made with a hand-held torch
with a floor-to-floor time of 2 min, and
for complex automated brazing sys-
tems that incorporate all manner of
specialised automated procedures and
where the output rate from the system
can approach 4,000 brazed assem-
blies/h.
It is therefore clear that flame brazing has
a very wide range of application, and be-
cause the various possibilities and limita-
tions of the process are not fully appreciat-
ed by production engineers, this sometimes
means that it is not being employed to best
effect.
It is considered by a large cross-section
of industry that the process falls into two
well-defined areas of application:
1. Flame brazing by hand
2. Mechanised flame brazing
It should, however, be immediately obvious
that these two procedures are no more than
simply two different applications of the same
heating process for use in making of brazed
joints. Essentially, the difference between
these two procedures is related to their dif-
fering levels of technical complexity in the
methods used to achieve the required level
of quality and production volume.
32
It should be understood that technical
problems and particularly economic ones
can, and do, arise if a user becomes mes-
merised by the technological possibilities
that are available when it is planned to
mechanise a brazing process. It is clear that
flame brazing by hand is technologically
much less demanding than making the
same joint on a simple trolley machine. In
turn, the simple trolley machine is much
less technologically complex than a six- or
eight-station rotary indexing machine … and
so on. However, while there are certainly at-
tractions in terms of simplicity when hand-
torch brazing is being undertaken, it always
has to be remembered that this process is
entirely under the control of the operator.
Clearly, this is not always an advantage, par-
ticularly in terms of reproducibility of the
heat pattern from one joint to the next!
It is very important that a Production
Engineer must recognise that it is always a
fundamental consideration in brazing that
he must never lose sight of the primary ob-
jective of the mechanised process, i.e. the
cost-effective and efficient production of a
properly brazed joint, irrespective of
whether it is to be made by an operator who
is brazing with a hand-torch or by the use of
a special-purpose brazing machine.
It might be a case where a machine un-
der consideration would need to be fitted
with a wide range of automation devices.
For example, where the heating for brazing
is provided by one or more burners mounted
at several stations, and where the machine
Fig. 1 • The effect on process flexibility as machine complexity increases.
also incorporates automated loading, auto-
mated fluxing, air blast cooling, water
quenching and pick-and-place unloading.
Such machines are relatively common, but
for obvious reasons they are expensive and
can only be justified after a detailed analysis
shows that the purchase price of the ma-
chine will be amortised in less than about
15 months. Failure to take this message to
heart can lead to the engineer who recom-
mended the purchase of the ‘all singing, all
dancing’ machine having to explain to his
superiors why the weekly production re-
quirement for brazed assemblies is being
achieved by about 4 pm on Monday after-
noon each week! This type of discussion of-
ten leads to the engineer that recommended
to Management that the machine should be
purchased having to seek employment else-
where!
This article, however, is primarily in-
tended to help both relative newcomers and
experienced Production Engineers con-
cerned with making their joints by brazing,
to become familiar with the “do’s and don’ts”
of the various possibilities that are available
when the subject of automated brazing has
to be considered.
The first question that has to be an-
swered is: What advantages will I have if I
automate my brazing process?
For once, this is a question that is very
easy to answer since there are only six con-
siderations that need to be taken into ac-
count, and these are:
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
1. To improve productivity.
2. To improve the quality of the brazed as-
sembly.
3. To improve the rate, and hence the vol-
ume, of production per unit time.
4. To ensure that the quality level of the
product is consistent.
5. To reduce the per part cost of the part be-
ing produced.
6. To reduce the unit cost of producing the
parts.
It is a feature in such cases that whichev-
er of the above six goals is your objective,
when you attain it you invariably get all the
other five as a bonus!
It is important to recognise that the au-
tomation of a brazing process does not imply
the use of any particular heating method.
There are examples of automation being
employed in conjunction with the three
‘popularly used’ heating methods, namely:
• Flame heating
• Induction heating
• Reducing atmosphere furnace brazing
It is, however, a fact that where automation
is incorporated into the process cycle it is
almost always found that approximately:
• 90% of the machines will employ flame
heating
• 9% of the machines will employ induc-
tion heating
• 1%, (maximum) will be continuous
conveyor furnaces, or vacuum equip-
ment of one sort or another.
In view of the fact that about 90% of all
mechanised brazing systems employ flames
as the heat source for brazing this article
provides the reader with an initial introduc-
tion to the technology of mechanised flame
brazing and Table 1 presents the concept of
the process complexity scale as it applies to
flame brazing processes. From a study of
this Table it can be seen that all possible ap-
plications of the process will fit somewhere
on a scale that lies between 0 and 10. It is al-
so abundantly clear from this fundamentally
important Table that the higher one goes in
the hierarchy of process complexity the
greater is the degree of mechanisation so-
phistication present on the brazing machine.
However, it is also vital to realise that this
also automatically means that the higher the
level of machine complexity the lower is the
production flexibility of the installation, see
Table 1. It is both relevant and significant
that hand torch heating occupies ‘zero’ on
this scale!
Manual flame brazing is recognised as
a process that is under the complete control
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Table 1 • Process complexity scale for flame brazing technology
10 The fully automatic machine
This type of machine can be considered to be a machine tool that has the facility to produce brazed
assemblies
9 In-line, step-indexing machines fitted with automated brazing material application, automated
loading and part ejection; temperature control with optical pyrometers
8 Rotary indexing machines fitted with automatic application of the filler materials, automatic part
removal and, perhaps automatic loading and temperature control
7 Simple rotary indexing machine, perhaps with automatic part removal and filler material appli-
cation
6 In-line continuous conveyor machines, and continuous rotary machines
5 Shuttle machines with independent control of two or more stations, temperature regulation of the
parts (The ideal machine type for short runs of aluminium components that are to be used in the
automotive industry)
4 Double shuttle machines, with independent control of the heating stations
3
Single shuttle machines of varying complexity
2
1 Simple, static, bench-mounted array of two or more fixed burners, often incorporating a simple
process timer
0 Flame brazing by hand!
of the operator. Because an operator is not d. A second robot, under the direction of
a robot it is clear that one very important the eye and the brain, that is told when
feature of manual flame brazing, namely that to ‘advance’ and feed alloy to the joint:
of process time, is outside the control of the the other arm!
operator. It is therefore clear that if a fixed Even if it was possible to develop a robot
number of brazed parts needs to be pro- that would be able to duplicate every aspect
duced hour-by-hour, day-in day-out, the of what a human operator can do, the cost
process time must both be known and close- would run into many millions of units of
ly controlled! These requirements are satis- whatever currency one uses. Thus whatever
fied in all systems that fit in the complexity the level of sophistication of the machine
hierarchy between 2 and 10 in Table 1, as that is introduced into the factory, the reality
well as in many of those that fall into com- is that the equipment is really only a means
plexity level 1. Clearly, the fact that on ma- of controlling production time, and hence
chines designed for automated brazing the the rate of production. It needs to be under-
process time is controlled is only one im- stood that the fact that a machine can, per-
portant factor in the equation, other steps haps, do ‘several other things’ simultane-
in the brazing process can be mechanised ously, is the bonus that persuaded manage-
and controlled as well. However, before ment to install it in the first place! However
moving on it is necessary to point out that the system flexibility that is inherent in a hu-
the most sophisticated ‘machine’ that we man operator at ‘level nought’ on the scale
have available in the field of flame brazing becomes increasingly reduced as one moves
is, perhaps surprisingly, ‘the operator’! up the complexity hierarchy scale, see Fig. 1.
Think about it for a moment or two. However, a word of caution! It is a well-
While they cannot control the process time, established fact in automated brazing tech-
operators come equipped with some vital nology that it is very easy to be carried away
accessories that are needed for the success- by excitement, and become convinced that
ful completion of a manual flame brazing a machine at ‘complexity level’ 7 or 8 is what
procedure. is needed for a particular job. Later, when
These are: the cost implications of a level 7 machine
a. Two optical pyrometers that indicate calls for a reassessment of the project to be
how the job is going: the eyes! made, an in-depth look at the reality of the
b. Software this is constantly re-program- situation might show that the production-
ming itself: the brain! and cost-objectives can effectively be satis-
c. A robot that moves the torch under the fied by the use of a ‘complexity level 5’ sys-
direction of the eye and the brain: tem! A considerable amount of time and
the arm! money can be saved if this tendency towards
33
 REPORTS
‘technological excitement’ is eliminated
from the project during its initial assessment
stage. As can be clearly seen in Fig. 1, the
higher that one goes on the scale towards
‘level 10’, the less and less ‘flexible’ becomes
the machine that will be produced!
From Table 1 it is clear that with more
sophisticated machines, and where auto-
matic application of the brazing filler mate-
rials, post-braze quenching and automated
part removal is undertaken as an integral
part of the process cycle, the operator is re-
quired only to assemble and load compo-
nents. In these conditions the output is
largely dependent upon the speed with
which the components are loaded. From
complexity level 8 and above, it is frequently
the case that the sole task of the operator is
to ensure that regular supplies of compo-
nents are loaded into vibratory bowl feeders,
or perhaps magazine hoppers. This is be-
cause the full cycle from assembly of com-
ponents to the ejection of the brazed part is
completed fully automatically. Such systems
have been built, and these can provide out-
put rates approaching 4,000 pieces/h, but
machines of this level of complexity and so-
phistication are very rare indeed: probably
no more than two or three across the world
are being designed and built in any given
year.
This matter is so very important in terms
of the development of the most cost-effective
‘best practice’ solution to a brazing problem
that a table similar to the above can also be
produced for other heating methods com-
monly used for production brazing opera-
tions. Such tables are not presented here
since this article is concerned with the au-
tomation possibilities that exist in flame
brazing technology. However the approach
to be adopted for other heating methods
needs to be based on the concept presented
in Table 1. Indeed, such a project will pro-
34
vide an interesting learning curve for per-
sons engaged in a Process Analysis Proce-
dure to develop their own Process Complex-
ity Table, for example, for reducing- or vac-
uum-atmosphere furnace brazing or, per-
haps, induction heating. Having done so
successfully they can be certain that they
understand the fine details that are to be
found in the heating processes that they
have examined on the way to producing
their own Process Complexity Tables. The
added benefit that will be derived is that
they will be confident that their knowledge
of the various heating processes will enable
them to explain to others why a particular
choice of heating method is recommended
as ‘best practice’ for a given application!
It cannot be over-emphasised that the
most important aspect of the use of a com-
plexity scale is that enables an engineer to
determine for himself the degree of com-
plexity that is actually needed to produce
the desired result in the job that is under
consideration. While there are obvious at-
tractions in using a sophisticated machine
for a particular job it always has to be re-
membered that the greater the level of so-
phistication the greater will be the capital
cost and the lower the inherent flexibility of
the machine, see Fig. 1. This latter feature
can sometimes be a problem if the product-
mix within the factory changes. In such cases
it is not unknown for a sophisticated ma-
chine to be unsuitable for the production of
the ‘new’ parts; something far simpler, and
hence possessing much greater flexibility,
would be capable of being converted at low
cost to handle them relatively easily. In
short, it can be a major disadvantage to be-
come obsessed by the attractions of a highly
automated and sophisticated machine if the
reality derived from a properly conducted
Process Analysis shows that a relatively sim-
ple machine will be capable of producing a
quality product at an acceptable rate of out-
put. Clearly, while there is always an inner
glow of satisfaction in owning a machine
that will braze parts at a rate of, perhaps, 360
parts/h, such a glow disappears very rapidly
on being required to explain the economic
case to ‘the boss’ why such a machine is re-
quired if the planned output is only 3,600
parts/week!
Perhaps it will come as no surprise to
learn that suppliers of special purpose braz-
ing machines do not always view this matter
in quite the same light as the end user. The
level of added value generated (and hence
the eventual purchase cost!) associated with
the manufacture of a sophisticated machine
is often an order of magnitude greater than
that which can be derived from a simple
double-trolley machine that is quite able to
do the job. I have often wondered if this
commercial fact could possibly be an expla-
nation of why a manufacturer recommends
to the end user that he should order the so-
phisticated machine?!
Machine types
Machine types that are suitable for au-
tomated flame brazing fall into three clearly
defined sub-groups:
• Moving trolley (sometimes known as
‘sliding-bed’) machines.
• In-line machines that can either incor-
porate the step-indexing of the compo-
nents or their continuous transporta-
tion along the machine.
• Rotary machines, that can either be in-
dexing or which incorporate a contin-
uously moving table that transports the
parts through the process cycle.
These options are discussed in detail in Parts
2 and 3 of this series of articles.
P. M. Roberts,
Delphi Brazing Consultants,
Congleton, Cheshire/UK
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
High temperature corrosion testing of engineering
alloys in contact with molten chlorides
Background
The bulk of the Core Research Pro-
gramme Project 18470 focused on coating de-
velopment for biomass applications and has
been reported previously (S Paul, TWI CRP
18470.02/2010/1412.3, 2010). This work is a
sub-project, intended as a supplement to the
above work, on demonstrating material re-
sistance to aggressive high temperature envi-
ronments and development of testing
methodology for use in these systems. It is
also an extension of prior high temperature
corrosion studies on both uncoated substrate
and coated materials, intended to expand and
develop TWI’s knowledge and performance
data of materials in aggressive environments
at elevated temperatures.
Molten chlorides are extremely corrosive,
but find several uses in heat treatment, metal
processing/production and particularly in the
nuclear industry for dissolution and electro-
refining of radioactive materials including lan-
thanides and actinides. The eutectic mixture
of lithium chloride and potassium chloride
(LiCl-KCl) is of particular interest, due to its
low melting point (353°C) and wide solubility
range for a variety of metals and compounds
and was selected as a model salt mixture. This
work is intended as a study of the resistance
of several materials to this mixture at elevated
temperatures and under an oxidising atmos-
phere in order to develop an accelerated test-
ing method with respect to usage of molten
salts under an inert cover gas.
Objectives
• To determine resistance of various ma-
terials to attack in and in the vicinity of a
molten chloride salt environment at el-
evated temperature in an air environ-
ment.
• To determine the corrosion products
formed and their morphologies.
• To work towards developing a rapid test
procedure for molten salt corrosion.
Experimental approach
A series of corrosion coupons of AISI 310
stainless steel, nickel-based alloy 625 and P91
steel were prepared and then exposed to
molten LiCl-KCl (the eutectic mixture, melting
point 353°C) in a ZrO2-glazed alumina vessel.
Exposure was in a cyclic fashion, for up to and
including 6 x 1 week cycles at 600°C, with part
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
of the sample protruding above the salt sur-
face. After the third cycle, the salt was replaced
for all remaining samples, due to observed
losses of salt. After extraction, the salt was re-
moved by gentle washing with warm water,
leaving the corrosion scale intact as far as was
possible. An additional set of specimens were
also tested using the above procedure, but
heated to 500°C.
Cross-sections were taken above the salt
line and below the salt line. These cross-sec-
tions were then studied by macro photogra-
phy, light microscopy, scanning electron mi-
croscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analy-
sis. Images were taken of all features of interest
as appropriate.
The X-ray diffraction spectra were taken
of scale samples, and compositional maps
were prepared of typical corroded regions.
A duplicate set of samples was tested un-
der the same conditions in each case, but
weighed before testing, after extraction from
the salt and after removal of all corrosion
scale.
Results and discussion
After extraction from the salt, all samples
exposed to the environment at 600°C had
suffered significant corrosion, greater in the
middle (closer to the salt-air interface) than
at the top and the bottom. The typical cal-
culated corrosion rates were in the region of
5 to 6 mm/year for Alloy 625 and 8 to 10
mm/year for P91 and 310 stainless steel.
There was a large amount of scatter present
in the results and significant variation in the
amount of scale retained. One sample (310
stainless steel, 6 weeks cyclic exposure) fully
broke apart upon handling. Tests conducted
Mass changes and corrosion rates for samples exposed for up to 3 x 1 week intervals
Sample % change from initial mass
310SS - 1 week at 600°C -14.45
310SS - 2 weeks at 600°C -16.76
310SS - 3 weeks at 600°C -16.03
P91 - 1 week at 600°C -10.64
P91 - 2 weeks at 600°C -19.73
P91 - 3 weeks at 600°C -17.62
625 - 1 week at 600°C -4.20
625 - 1 week at 600°C -13.64
625 - 1 week at 600°C -13.51
on samples 500°C indicated that under these
conditions the salt had improperly melted
and thus these tests were invalid and not re-
producible.
The macro photography showed large
reductions in cross-sectional area over the
test duration, with the attack being fairly uni-
form on all sides of the specimen. The level
of attack was similar above and below the
salt line in the locations analysed.
For the 310 stainless steel, the corrosion
mechanism was classic intergranular attack,
with depletion of chromium from the sub-
strate and subsequent loss (by dissolution,
spallation or other mechanisms) of chromi-
um-containing phases into the molten salt.
Little chromium was detected in the adher-
ent scale, but relatively large amounts of iron
and nickel were detected. 310 stainless steel
was also detected in the bulk of the corrosion
product (by X-ray diffraction), indicating that
some material was detached from the bulk
without being fully oxidised.
The study of the P91 steel indicated that
the corrosion mechanism in this case was
by pitting in a rapid fashion, with formation
of chromium oxide and iron-chromium ox-
ides. The scale formed did not adhere to the
surface and was rapidly lost into the molten
salt. Far less scale was recovered from this
material than from the 310 stainless steel.
While the calculated corrosion rates were
similar (due to a higher surface area of P91),
the absolute amount of P91 corroded was
much greater, with the worst case showing
40.5% of a P91 coupon being dissolved in
only 6 weeks of exposure (0.64 g/cm2), indi-
cating the extreme aggression of the envi-
ronment.
Calculated instantaneous corrosion
rate (mm/year) (assumes linear
corrosion rate up to that point)
17.5
10.0
6.4
11.6
12.2
7.8
5.1
9.6
6.0
35
 REPORTS
The alloy 625 appeared to suffer a mixture
of the two observed mechanisms. In some re-
gions, the substrate surface below the scale
was relatively flat, conforming to the original
shape of the corrosion coupon and with little
or no evidence of intergranular attack. How-
ever, in other regions, deep pits were present
with clear signs of intergranular attack at the
base and sides of the pit. Little or no chromi-
um was detected in the relatively adherent
corrosion scale, indicating its formation and
rapid loss into the molten salt. Nickel, molyb-
denum and niobium were the primary ele-
ments remaining, forming an easily perme-
able scale.
While the alloy 625 showed the greatest
resistance to molten LiCl-KCl, none of the en-
gineering alloys tested were particularly suit-
able for prolonged usage under cyclic condi-
tions, but may potentially be utilised for oc-
casional exposure or as a consumable in the
environment.
The proposed test method successfully
generated rapid corrosion and allowed analy-
sis of the corrosion mechanism and relative
ranking of materials. The majority of the attack
occurred in the vicinity of the salt-air interface,
demonstrating that the bulk of the attack will
occur in ‘splash zones’ in a similar manner to
that observed in aqueous corrosion.
Main conclusions
• Alloy 625 performed the best but all ma-
terials were severely attacked by molten
LiCl-KCl (molar ratio 0.592:0.408, 600°C)
in air, with estimated corrosion rates in
the 5 to 15 mm/year region.
• Corrosion was heaviest near the salt-air
interface, which shifted over time, but
the corrosion rates were similar above
and below the salt surface.
• The corrosion product for 310 stainless
steel in this environment is a thick, rela-
tively adherent, scale containing a series
of layered Ni and Fe-rich oxides of vary-
ing morphology, with trapped chloride
particles in the oxide. Chromium also
appeared to dissolve into the molten salt.
The morphology close to the interface
was characteristic of intergranular attack,
with unreacted Cr-depleted grains of
varying size surrounded by oxide.
• P91 corroded by pitting in this environ-
ment, with formation of chromium ox-
ides and iron-chromium oxides at the
surface and occasional regions of unre-
acted material in a layer structure caused
by temperature cycling. It bore similari-
ties to scale formed in air under identical
36
Cleaned corro-
sion coupons
after 3 x 1
weeks exposure
to molten LiCl-
KCl at 600°C.
temperature conditions. The scale was
generally not adherent and rapidly
spalled into the molten salt.
• Alloy 625 corroded by a mixture of pitting
and intergranular attack in this environ-
ment, with formation of a thinner porous
two-layer scale layer containing primarily
nickel and molybdenum oxides with
some niobium particles. The majority of
the Cr2O3 formed dissolved into the
molten salt.
• The test method successfully led to rapid
corrosion in a relatively short period of
time and a corresponding ranking of ma-
terials.
• Further refinement of the method is still
required before it can be standardised –
in particular maintaining a consistent
specimen geometry and salt-gas inter-
face position while still ensuring even
melting of mixed salts.
Recommendations
310 stainless steel, alloy 625 and P91 cor-
roded heavily in this model molten chloride
environment at this temperature. It is thus
recommended that they not be utilised in di-
rect contact with this molten salt in an oxi-
dising atmosphere unless it is for short periods
or as a consumable – as demonstrated by the
very high corrosion rates, the risk of failure is
too high. The use of these materials in related
environments (e.g. other chlorides, lower tem-
peratures) may be feasible but would require
further testing.
The test method is likely to be of use to
two segments of industry. Firstly, the method
is of use to industries that experience molten
Macro photo-
graphs of cross-
sections of alloy
625 (left) and
P91 (right) after
cyclic exposure
to molten LiCl-
KCl at 600°C.
salts as an unwanted by-product during other
processes, e.g. biomass burning or waste-to-
energy. Materials in these environments will
be intermittently exposed to molten salts (par-
ticularly low temperature chloride eutectics),
which may be rapidly removed or remain on
the surface for an indefinite period.
The second segment would be those in-
dustries which deliberately use molten salts,
e.g. nuclear waste reprocessing, metal pro-
cessing and production, heat treatment, ther-
mal storage and fuel cells. This test method
would be of great use in process develop-
ment or material selection. With a refined
test method, the prediction of material life-
time is also a possibility, as well as determi-
nation of the corrosion products likely to be
present in the molten salt that can lead to
contamination of other processes.
The proposed test method displayed rap-
id corrosion in a short period of time and al-
lowed detailed studies of the corrosion mech-
anism to be made. The test method can be
used in order to rank various materials resist-
ance to a molten salt environment, but there
are still several factors to be resolved in order
to standardise the test, independent of tem-
perature or salt system. These include main-
taining a consistent salt-gas interface, ensur-
ing even melting of mixed salts, using consis-
tent size/shape of corrosion coupons and tight
control of thermal cycling. It is believed that
the test method is suitable for preliminary in-
vestigations of material fitness for service, but
further investigation of these factors is rec-
ommended in order to standardise the test.
R. Barnett, TWI, Cambridge/UK
(Copyright TWI Ltd., 2017)
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
 N EWS
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE WELDING INSTITUTE
Editorial
What’s in a word? – Some considerations when buying personnel
certification
Unless it is mandated by a regulation, personnel certification for
role-specific competence assurance is a customer choice; third-
party personnel certification is effectively a subcontracting of the
employer’s responsibilities to analyse the competence require-
ments of roles affecting product quality, and assessing that per-
sonnel possess adequate competence to undertake the related
tasks. However competence requirements are identified and as-
sessed, it remains the responsibility of the employer to ensure that
only personnel who are fully competent to undertake tasks and
discharge responsibilities are authorised to do so. Third-party per-
sonnel certification must have high reliability for employers to be
able to depend on it for their competence assurance.
Certification is sufficiently well defined in standards that its pur-
chase should not be a case of ‘buyer-beware’. Credible third-party
personnel certification is able to provide high customer confidence
by ensuring that only competent personnel are employed in assu-
ring the quality of products and services, and supports employers
in selection, recruitment and staff development. However, person-
nel certification is a product, and its marketing often employs
words that may be unfamiliar enough for them to be used in a way
that could be misleading.
If you are considering buying personnel certification and, more li-
kely, if someone is trying to sell you personnel certification, you
will often be faced with the following words:
standard, accredited, multilateral recognition, harmonised, equi-
valent, international.
Whilst definitions of these words are available in the dictionary,
the implementation of them for use in terms of personnel certifi-
cation is important to understand what you are buying.
Personnel certification is intended to be third-party attestation of
conformity with competence requirements for a specific role or oc-
cupation. Those requirements may be taken from a published
standard or set out in a private document that, if widely adopted,
may be considered to be a pseudo-standard. The development of
standards, such as those published by ISO and CEN, is generally
required to involve a diverse group of contributors representative
of relevant government bodies, industry groups, consortia of
firms, individual companies and NGOs. These process controls
are designed to ensure that the standard has broad agreement for
wide implementation, without unnecessarily restricting interna-
tional trade or mobility of personnel.
The function of standards is to set requirements that will improve
the consistency of outputs from production or application of pro-
cesses or services, and increase the compatibility of products; stan-
dards state “the what”, not “the how” and, consequently,
certification should not be a requirement of a standard.
Whether a standard exists or not, the role and its tasks, the com-
petences and how they will be assessed need to be set out in a cer-
tification scheme document. The requirements for certification
schemes are defined in ISO/IEC 17024, the international standard
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
January
February
2017
for conformity assessment – general requirements for bodies ope-
rating certification of persons. In the same way that CEN and ISO
require a broad stakeholder involvement in standards develop-
ment, ISO/IEC 17024 requires fair representation of the interests
of all concerned parties, without any interest predominating. This
stakeholder involvement is essential in ensuring industry rele-
vance of the scheme and also in making the certification body ac-
countable to the industry it serves. In the case of CSWIP, all
certification scheme documents are developed and operated
under the control of management committees and a governing
board that are comprised of relevant industry professionals with
interests in the performance of the roles concerned.
The marketing of personnel certification is likely to be aimed at
persuading you to adopt third-party attestation of your personnel
competences. You then have the right to insist that any certification
you purchase is delivered by a certification body that has itself gai-
ned third-party attestation of its competence; third-party attesta-
tion of a certification body’s conformity with ISO/IEC 17024 is
termed accreditation. To ensure that you purchase credible person-
nel certification, you should select a certification body that is accre-
dited to ISO/IEC 17024 by an accreditation body that is a member
of the International Accreditation Federation (IAF) with ISO/IEC
17024 in its scope for the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement
(IAF MLA).This multilateral recognition operates under the prin-
ciple of “certified once, accepted everywhere”, and uses peer re-
view of accreditation bodies to establish the quality of the service.
The word “harmonised” is commonly used to imply universal ac-
ceptance. Indeed, harmonised standards are intended to set out
broad agreement to requirements (the what), in order to reduce
barriers to international, or cross-border trade. When the word
“harmonised” is applied to personnel certification products, it
often refers to a single certification scheme document (the how)
that has been adopted by a number of certification bodies. An as-
sociation of certification bodies may be useful in extending the
supply of a single certification scheme but, under the IAF MLA, it
does little to increase its international recognition. In fact, appli-
cability of the certification still depends on the role and task des-
cription, and competence requirements set out in the scheme
document. The downside of a harmonised certification scheme de-
livered through an association of bodies could be to eliminate
competition between certification products, thereby reducing cus-
tomer choice and possibly increasing costs.
The ISO definition of equivalence (ISO/IEC 17000) is, “sufficiency
of different conformity assessment results to provide the same
level of assurance of conformity with regard to the same specified
requirements”. From this definition, it would be more appropriate
for harmonised certification schemes to be termed “equivalent cer-
tification”. However, in marketing material, you may well be faced
with assurances that the certification scheme being offered is
“equivalent” to your existing or other established certification pro-
ducts in the market. It is clear from the ISO definition that if the
certificates are generated from different specified requirements,
37
 THE WELDING INSTITUTE NEWS
that is from different scheme documents, then the certificates cannot
be considered to be equivalent. Recognition, however, should be
possible under appropriate accreditation using the IAF MLA.
International trade is trade between two or more countries. A per-
sonnel certification scheme may be considered to be “international”
if it has been found to be relevant to role competence requirements
in more than one country. However, as mentioned above, the ap-
plicability of the certification is dependent upon the relevance of
the role, tasks and competences defined in the scheme document,
rather than inclusion of the word “international” in the title of the
certificate. True international certification is effective, reliable com-
petence assurance, delivered internationally to customers working
in a variety of countries. True international certification will also
welcome your involvement in stakeholder-led governance to adapt
existing scheme requirements to your needs or to create new per-
sonnel certification solutions for emerging needs.
A competent person is a person who can demonstrate that they
possess and are able to apply adequate knowledge, skills, experi-
ence, and behaviours to perform their assigned tasks and disch-
arge their allocated responsibilities to the expected standard and
level of performance. The overall purpose of personnel certifica-
tion is to recognise an individual’s competence to perform a spe-
cific role or set of tasks. The employer chooses certification as a
third-party attestation of personnel competence, and the chosen
certification body takes on the responsibility to define the role and
its tasks, and identify the required competences and how to assess
them, and ensures that only those persons who demonstrate com-
petence are awarded certification.
Reliable third-party certification of personnel competence provides:
• Employer confidence to recruit and authorise personnel for roles
affecting realisation of product quality.
Report for Manufacturing Technical Group (TG1)
Meeting: Weld Quality
Introduction
The Manufacturing Technical Group Meeting, which focused on
weld quality, was held on 5 April 2016 at TWI Ltd, Granta Park,
Great Abington, Cambridge. The chairman of this technical group,
Dan Thompson, a welding engineer from WFEL Limited, welco-
med the delegates and speakers (a total of 60 people) at the start of
the event. Summaries of the speakers’ talks and biographies are
given below.
Ian Hogarth, Principal Compliance Verification Engineer, TWI Ltd
Abstract
Ian gave an overview of the role of certification in welding coordi-
nation, also in relation to specific tasks and responsibilities. The role
of the responsible welding coordinator and its compliance with BS
EN ISO 3834 requirements were explained. Ian highlighted the im-
portance of understanding that the required technical knowledge
level (Comprehensive, Specific, or Basic) is only relevant to the
welding technology and the type of product being manufactured.
Furthermore, a brief explanation highlighting the benefits of com-
38
• Customer confidence in supplier competence and ability to de-
liver product quality.
• Public confidence and trust in product quality and safety.
When buying third-party certification of personnel competence,
you should:
• Select a personnel certification scheme document that ade-
quately defines the roles, tasks and responsibilities your organ-
isation requires.
• Select a certification body accredited to ISO/IEC 17024 by an
IAF member with ISO/IEC 17024 in the scope of its membership
of the IAF MLA (Multilateral Recognition Agreement).
• Select a certification product with a proven record of reliable and
impartial competence assurance.
The purpose of certification of role-specific competence is to pro-
vide confidence to employers, their customers and the public. Per-
sonnel certification is clearly defined in the ISO/IEC 17024
standard. The requirements of that standard aim to ensure that
personnel certification products deliver independent, impartial
third-party attestation of the knowledge, skills, experience and be-
haviours necessary to achieve the required standard and quality
of production or service delivery.
As a customer, you should always have a choice. To purchase re-
liable personnel certification, ensure that you can see through the
marketing to choose a reliable certification body.
EurIng Chris Eady BSc(Hons) MSc CEng MRAeS FweldI
Associate Director Professional Affairs and Certification, TWI Ltd
President of the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting
(EWF)
panies being certified to BS EN ISO 3834 and BS EN 1090 standards
was also covered during the talk.
Biography
Ian Hogarth is the principal verification engineer for TWI Certifi-
cation Ltd. He is an elected member of TWI Professional Board, the
Teesside TWI branch president and sits on several of the CSWIP
management committees. A professional engineer with extensive
experience in welding engineering, training and certification, Ian
has broad engineering knowledge and detailed understanding of
personnel competence assurance requirements for compliance with
regulations, standards and specifications.
Dan Hudson, Welding Engineer, Severfield
Abstract
Dan presented the topic of manufacturing structural elements in ac-
cordance with the BS EN 1090 standard. The requirements of EN
1090 for manufacturing structural elements at differing execution
class levels were outlined, in order to comply with mandatory CE
marking. Emphasis on welding and cutting requirements was given
and examples of real projects, showing typical requirements, were
presented during the talk.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
 THE WELDING INSTITUTE NEWS
Biography
Dan Hudson graduated from the University of Manchester in 2009
with MEng (Hons) and started as a graduate engineer for Severfield
(which was then Watson Steel Structures) before becoming a design
engineer in 2011. He moved into welding engineering in 2014, be-
coming a RWC and welding engineer for UK business on comple-
tion of his IWE diploma.
Examples of his projects:
Manchester City extension
Liverpool FC main stand extension
American embassy
Francis Crick Institute
2012 Olympic handball arena
2012 Olympic orbit
Dean Baker, Welding and Quality Engineer, Cleveland Bridge
Abstract
Dean gave an overview of how weld quality is typically addressed
in the context of a bridge project. An example of a real bridge con-
struction project was presented for this exercise. The importance of
using material with good through-thickness properties was ad-
dressed, as well as approaches enabling reduction of the risk of
lamellar tearing and distortion.
Biography
Dean Baker completed a four-year apprenticeship as a welder in the
late 1980s with Cleveland Bridge. He then worked on various site-
based contracts with a number of fabrication companies, until the
early 2000s when he qualified as a visual and NDT inspector and
then worked in the oil and gas and nuclear industries, running dif-
ferent inspection teams and departments.
In 2010 Dean started on the TWI welding engineering diploma and
in 2014 returned to Cleveland Bridge, taking the position of welding
engineer.
Steve Purnell, Product Manager, Equipment, Lincoln Electric
Abstract
Steve presented latest advances in welding plant technology, focus-
ing on weld quality monitoring of arc welding processes. Quality
assurance can be addressed before, during and after welding. Be-
fore welding a series of precautionary actions are typically consid-
ered; examples are the selection of good quality consumables and
equipment generating appropriate heat input distributions, which
enable reduced spatter while increasing the welding speed. During-
welding quality assurance is addressed through process and param-
eters control and monitoring. In this case integrated weld quality
systems enable increased operational efficiency by performing high-
speed real-time monitoring at the arc (eg fast 120kHz data sampling
rate). After welding, more conventional weld inspection methods
are used, as well as weld data logging.
Biography
Apprentice trained at Portsmouth Naval Base
Four years’ production and R&D welding at Goodwood Metalcrafts
Involved in technical sales since 1989 in varying roles in companies
including:
Rapid Welding Supplies
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Arc Machines Inc (Orbital Welding)
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques
ESAB Group
Now equipment product manager at Lincoln Electric
Steve Jones, Professor in Manufacturing and Material Engineering,
Coventry University
Abstract
Steve’s presentation aimed to discuss and challenge current manu-
facturing philosophies, to maximise quality output within the con-
text of what is being used presently and that viewed as being on the
horizon. Quality problems commonly encountered during fabrica-
tion can be a result of inadequate manufacturing techniques, lack
of skills or material make-up to name just a few. Often embedding
a robust assessment procedure (as a post-fabrication safety net) will
not result in improvements in quality. Therefore, a qualitative and
quantitative approach to reducing manufacturing uncertainty was
presented, including appropriate tools and methods to improve ca-
pability.
Biography
Steve Jones has been involved with joining sciences since 1980 and
was previously Rolls-Royce’s global engineering specialist, provid-
ing joining solutions applied to some of the most complex materials
and fabrications used within the world today. Steve now leads join-
ing research activities within Coventry University as their professor
of manufacturing systems and processes.
Charles Corrie, Business Programme Manager, Secretary of ISO
9001 Committee, BSI Group
Abstract
Charles’ presentation gave an overview of the changes to ISO 9001
from its 2008 edition to the 2015 edition. This included details on
the incorporation of the ‘Annex SL High Level Structure’, which is
being applied to all ISO management system standards (eg ISO
14001, ISO 27001), to assist in their integration into an organisation’s
own management system.
Biography
Charles Corrie joined BSI in 1993, and has been the secretary of
ISO/TC 176/SC2 since that time. Subsequently, he has been re-
sponsible for the development of ISO 9001 for its 1994, 2000, 2008
and 2015 editions. Other responsibilities include:
OHSAS 18001 on occupational health and safety management sys-
tems
ISO/PC 283, for the ongoing development of ISO 45001 also on
OH&S
ISO/TC 251 on asset management, and the ISO 55000 series of stan-
dards
Conclusions
The Manufacturing Technical Group Meeting was a success and
positive feedback was obtained for all presentations, the meeting
location and venue. Some suggestions were made by the delegates
for topics they wish to be covered at future meetings.
39
 THE WELDING INSTITUTE NEWS

International Structures in Fire Conference Report Princeton University (USA), 8–10 June 2016
I am very thankful for being chosen as one of the recipients of the tion in which the field of structural fire engineering is going,
Armours & Brasiers 2016 travel awards, which I used to attend which will be hugely beneficial as I begin to round up my research
the 9th International Conference on Structures in Fire (SiF) at and prepare my thesis.
Princeton University, USA. I am also thankful for the new friendships formed and look for-
The conference was very in-depth, with countless opportunities ward to future opportunities to catch up and present the progress
from breakfast till evening to network and discuss my work with of my research.
researchers, specialists and design professionals who each play a
role in shaping the future of structural fire engineering across the Dorothy Winful
world. I had the opportu-
nity to present my re-
search, which included
preliminary results on the
strength and stiffness of
various commercial high-
strength steels at temper-
atures up to 800°C.
The feedback received
was positive, and has
given me confidence in
the work I have com-
pleted so far and has
helped me refine my
methodology. In addition,
listening to other re-
searchers and profession-
als present their work has
given me great insight
into the history and direc-

Northumbria Branch of the Welding Institute
lecture report
Date: 8 September 2016
Title: Introduction to Hot Tap Welding
Presenters: Mark Atkinson, MACAW Engineering Ltd
Venue: MACAW Engineering Ltd., Gosforth, Newcastle
The Northumbria branch of The Welding Institute’s September
lecture, ‘Introduction to hot tap welding’ was given by Mark
Atkinson of MACAW Engineering. The meeting was held at
MACAW Engineering offices on 8 September.
Hot tap welding is often used as a term to describe the operation
of welding onto in-service pipelines operating under pressure. The
scale of operations carried out can vary greatly, from small patch
weld deposition repairs to full line stop (stopple) and bypass op-
erations requiring a number of split tees and fittings to be welded
onto the pipeline. The most common scenarios for the use of in-
service welding were given as follows:
• Connecting a new pipeline into an existing pipeline
• Diversion of an existing pipeline
• Modification of an existing pipeline
• Repairs to damage and corrosion
The technique of in-service and hot tap welding has been around
since the 1950s and has been widely used in many regions of the
world. It is now a common operation in pipeline maintenance.
Due to the associated risks in welding onto pressurised pipelines,
the operation must be carefully and correctly controlled.
The fittings welded to pipelines can vary greatly in size, shape and
purpose, from localised sleeve fittings, flanged split-tee assemblies
and set-on attachments such as branches and cathodic plate at-
tachments. Regardless of the component(s) being welded to the
pipeline, much of the upfront preparation, inspection and analysis
required is the same.
A hot tap connection is a procedure that makes a new pipeline con-
nection while the pipeline remains in service, carrying natural gas
under pressure. It involves attaching a split-tee flanged branch
connection and a permanent valve on the operating pipeline. The
pipe wall is then cut within the branch and the section removed
through the valve. Hot tapping avoids product loss, methane
emissions and disruption of service to customers.
An overview of the equipment was provided describing the vari-
ous components used including details of the fitting, valve, cutter,
boring bar and tapping machine. Some details regarding the cut-
ting head were discussed along with a video showing the cutter
working its way through the pipe wall. The pilot drill could also

40 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

 THE WELDING INSTITUTE NEWS
be seen, along with the coupon-retaining pins and springs.
The stopple assembly was discussed with schematics showing
how it is deployed and retracted, covering the two main types, the
swivel type and the folding type.
A schematic showing an overview of a stopple operation showed
the configuration of the tee fittings on the pipeline and how they
are required for the bypass and the stopple, as well as other small-
bore branches for the purpose of venting and pressure regulation
during the bypass.
The speaker provided an overview of the type of information that
is required to be checked before welding is carried out, covering
pipe and ground inspections, dimensional checks, NDT and the
proximity and quality of existing welds. The existing pipe condi-
tion is thoroughly assessed and any welds in the excavation
checked using visual, MPI and X radiography to confirm the stan-
dard of construction.
The specific qualifications required for welders are based on spe-
cific thickness groups used and the requirements for both testing
and prolongation are generally more onerous than for standard
welding applications. Similarly, the requirements for the welding
inspector not only include formal qualifications, but also previous
experience of hot tap operations.
The process of preheating is of critical importance during all weld-
ing stages of in-service welding, with specific requirements for the
longitudinal seam welds and circumferential fillet welds including
the buttering passes. Prior to any welding on the carrier pipe, a
thermal decay test must be conducted to characterise the cooling
effect the process fluid flow has on the welded area. This value is
then used by the welding inspector to provide an indication of the
available welding time before it is necessary to interrupt welding
to reapply further preheat to the weld zone. Due to the high power
of the preheating torches used for in-service welding they pose a
greater risk to the work zone, materials and personnel than during
more conventional welding operations. As a result, there are min-
imum training requirements for personnel using the preheat
equipment during hot tap welding operations.
Due to the limited NDT that can be carried out on the welds, vi-
sual inspection is carried out at a more elevated level than usual.
This involves a more rigorous review of many elements of the
process, including the following:
• Materials and fit-up
• Inspection intervention at every stage of the welding operation
• Inspection on both sides independently for larger diameters
• Preheat and interpass temperature checks
• Heat loss and thermal decay measurement and monitoring
• Consumables, equipment and parameters
Longitudinal seam welding takes place with up to two welders ei-
ther side. The weld is onto a backing bar to prevent the longitudi-
nal weld impinging on the carrier pipe and the ends of the fitting
seam are attached with run-on and run-off plates to ensure that
start-stop regions within the length of the fitting are minimised.
Low-hydrogen E8018G electrodes are used.
Before circumferential welding can begin, the thermal decay test
must be carried out. This is a check carried out at top dead centre
of the carrier pipe which records the time taken for the pipe wall
surface to cool between 250°C and 150°C. The recorded time must
be 40 seconds or greater. If it is lower, no welding can take place.
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
As gas flow changes as a factor of the pipeline network demand
over the course of the day, the thermal decay test must be period-
ically repeated.
The butter layer has three main purposes:
1. Carefully controls the amount of penetration into the carrier
pipe
2. Can be used to bridge gaps between pipe and tee if gap is at the
upper end of fit-up tolerance
3. Decreases susceptibly to under-bead cracking and lamellar tear-
ing.
As part of the butter layer welding, a temper bead placement tech-
nique is used to maintain required properties in specific locations.
The temper bead layer is subject to visual and MPI inspection prior
to fillet welding.
The fillet weld which follows the butter layer is deposited using a
specific sequence of weld passes to ensure that weldability issues
are minimised and both weld and HAZ properties are optimised.
To maintain preheat, welding is carried out in blocks keeping the
welding arcs at least 50mm apart at the top and bottom. The two
circumferential welds are carried out separately, the second side
after the first has been completed and cooled to ambient temper-
ature to avoid thermal stresses developing that could lead to
cracking. Once complete, the welds are subject to visual and MPI
inspections, and the fittings are then pressure-tested with nitrogen.
Hot tap operations often involve the attachment of smaller set-on
fittings as well as other components such as cathodic protection
plates and strain gauges. These are welded using specific WPS
documents which must be monitored accordingly and many of the
elements of hot tap welding still employed.
Mark Atkinson
The Welding Institute Northumbria Branch Vice Chairman
MI-21 Consumables
New Data October–December 2016
Standards:
EN ISO 3677: 2016 Filler metal for soldering and brazing.
Designation (Braze welding no longer included)
EN ISO 17672: 2016 Brazing. Filler metals
Trade Products:
Esab UK New products – Name changes to existing
products (2016)
Esab – Make a Weld of Difference/Product
Range (1980s)
Selectrode OK Welding Wall Chart (1979)
Esab Product Information (1968)
Esab Russia Updates (2016)
Esab India Esab India range (2016)
Esab Product Catalogue (1989)
Esab Italy Updates (2016)
41
 THE WELDING INSTITUTE NEWS

New members (02 November 2016 to 10 January 2017)

Member No Name Member Grade EngC Registration Branch Prev. Member Grade

503414 ROUZBEHAN, Anousheh Fellow n/a UNOS 0

697198 BALAKRISHNAN, Jeyaganesh Member CEng SD 0
654344 LARUELO, David Member CEng UNOS 0
520276 GARTLAND, Mike Member IEng TEE 0
532912 FOWLER, Dominic Member IEng NWN 0
692442 BECK, Christopher Member n/a ECS 0
681008 NEWTON, Lloyd Member n/a SD 0
685440 GREEN, Jason Technician EngTech SWN Associate
581748 STANTON, Terry Technician EngTech SCS
546214 NASKABIR, Vengassy Technician EngTech UNOS
604266 MOHAMMED ISMAIL, Ishack Technician EngTech UNOS
642288 John Byrne Technician EngTech N/IRE
646805 Ah Hen Kuiek Technician EngTech UNOS
533614 Jason Stephen Cullum Technician EngTech TEE
695830 Bernd Van Niekerk Technician EngTech MDW

EUROCORR 2016 Conference Report

Montpellier (France), 11–15 September 2016
Francisco Anes-Arteche (Brunel University London and TWI Ltd)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Worshipful Com-

pany of Armourers & Brasiers and TWI for providing me this
chance to attend one of the most prestigious international confer-
ences in the world, EUROCORR, by covering partially some of the
expenses associated with this trip. EUROCORR, the annual event
of the European Federation of Corrosion, is the major congress on
corrosion in Europe.
This conference took place in Montpellier, France, at the Congress
Center Le Corum, from 11 to 15 September 2016. Organised by CE-
FRACOR in cooperation with Chimie ParisTech, it covered all as-
pects of corrosion science, technology, and engineering.
About 1000 participants attended the conference, representing 57
countries. It featured three plenary lectures, 17 keynote lectures,
more than 500 oral presentations (mine among them) and 142
posters. A total of 11 sessions were running in parallel, so sometimes
it was very difficult to decide which ones to attend – everything was
very interesting!
The EUROCORR 2016 Conference was a great experience and a
good opportunity to present my paper, ‘Correlation of pipeline cor-
Figure 1. EUROCORR 2016, in Montpellier, France, at the Congress Center Le
Corum
Figure 2. Presentation during one of the sessions at EUROCORR
rosion and coating condition with ECDA survey results’, which was
presented in the cathodic protection session. I would like to thank
my supervisors Ujjwal Bharadwaj and Keming Yu for the support
provided for this publication.
My main focus during the week was to attend the cathodic protec-
tion session. However, I was also present at some presentations in
the corrosion in oil and gas production session. I learned a lot from
experts in the field and got some very good ideas to continue my
research.
I presented my work on the second day of the conference, and since
it was in the morning, it was very busy, with more than 100 people
in attendance. When I finished I received many questions and good
feedback. During a coffee break after the presentation, several peo-
ple approached me to ask more questions. It felt great to see how
the topic of my work was a subject that people were interested in.
During the posters and networking session I met a few people with
whom I had very good conversations about relevant topics; we ex-
changed business cards and remain in contact. I also met some of
the people whose books I’ve read over the past few years and took
this chance to ask them personally some questions related to their
work.
Overall, EUROCORR was a total success and a great opportunity
to meet new people and experts in my research field. I would like
to encourage students to apply for this travel award from the Ar-
mours & Brasiers Company. Attending EUROCORR has been one
of the best experiences of my PhD, and it could be the same for you.

42 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

 THE WELDING INSTITUTE NEWS
The Welding Institute – Kent Branch
Meeting Report
17 November 2016
Thatcham and the 21st-Century car
This presentation was made by Andrew Hooker, Future Vehicle En-
gineer and Advanced Repair Studies Manager at Thatcham Re-
search, Thatcham, Berks. Andrew indicated that the current
principle driving forces for automobile design were a reduction of
CO2 emissions, despite the requirements being different in markets
around the world, and the safety of vehicle occupants when in-
volved in various crash scenarios. The former criterion leads to con-
sidering vehicle weight reduction, whilst the second leads to
increased strengthening of the passenger cage. In some respects,
these requirements are opposed to one another. They have led to
the continuing demise of the use of mild steels and the increasing
use of high-strength steels, carbon fibre and composites that achieve
both aims, as well as the design of modular elements which can be
used on different vehicles.
Andrew demonstrated this with various slides indicating where cer-
tain materials and composites are used on current vehicles together
with analyses of the percentage of different material types as a mar-
que was upgraded. However, the use of these materials and com-
posites had implications in crash tests, as induced stresses could
manifest failure (or deformation) well away from the point of im-
pact due to the passenger cage becoming stiffer. Notwithstanding
that, repair procedures can become very complex, particularly
where composites are involved.
Andrew continued by indicating how the development of electric
cars and the increasing use of sensors had also made crash repair
more difficult. For example, was a repaired system sensing beam
pointed in the same direction as per original build? In addition, the
existence of high-voltage electricity in some vehicles presented
safety problems to the emergency services when dealing with a
crashed vehicle, when there was the need to cut away bodywork
containing cables to extract an injured occupant. It seems the design
developments are always ahead of the data required by crash re-
pairers and the emergency services.
The development of driverless cars and the feedback of data to a
central office gave us all some concern for the commercial use of
this data and the implications in the event of data hacking, in re-
spect of the potential criminal use of the data and remote control of
the vehicle. This aspect of the future gave rise to many unanswer-
able questions!
The Kent Branch Committee sincerely thanks Andrew Hooker (also
a member of TWI) for his time and for such an interesting and
thought-provoking presentation on the developments in vehicle
construction and its implications. It is 40 years since the branch in-
vited Thatcham to make a presentation and it is evident that the
pace of change demands that we should not leave it another 40
years before the next. Attendance: Total 23, TWI 5.
N E Baldwin – President, Kent Branch
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Eastern Counties Branch of the Welding Institute
Meeting Report
Event: Lecture
Subject: Building Britain's most powerful steam locomotive
By: Rob Morland BSc (Hons) CEng FIET, Director Electri-
cals, A1 Steam Locomotive Trust Ltd
Venue: TWI, Granta Park, Great Abington CB21 6AL
Date: Wednesday 16 November 2016
Report by: J Weston
Steam has an enduring pull and a full-house audience listened with
fascination to the presentation by Mr Rob Morland. He noted that
in 1990 a group of people got together to share an extraordinary am-
bition: to construct a brand new Peppercorn A1 Pacific steam loco-
motive. They formed The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
(www.a1steam.com) and in 2008, after 19 years of incredible effort,
that locomotive, No. 60163 Tornado, moved under its own power
for the first time. The same group is now building a second loco-
motive, a Gresley P2 2-8-2 to be named Prince of Wales. When it is
complete it will be the most powerful steam locomotive operating
on the British main line.
Rob began by telling us something of the organisation, how it raised
and needs to raise money, and how the whole process of locomotive
construction is organised and managed. He then told us more of the
Tornado story, the search for and development of plans, the design
and construction and their recent operations – all an amazing tale
of cooperation. He treated us to some of the engineering challenges
faced in maintaining a steam locomotive whose construction, elec-
tronics and electrics were built (by Rob) and modified as necessary
to meet the tough requirements needed for today’s main line oper-
ation. He also mentioned the requirements of the tender and sup-
port carriage. After a short break he outlined some of the features
of the new P2 which will set it apart from the original locomotives
and ensure that it turns heads wherever it goes.
This very brief report does not do justice to the broad range of in-
formation imparted by Rob nor allow us to present the magnificent
pictures he showed of Tornado in construction and operation. For
that you must go to their website.
The vote of thanks was given by Mike Hawkins of RAeS Cambridge
following a question and answer session.
43
SPECIALIST ARTICLES
Weldability of the L485 (X70) pipe strip grade
In today’s times, the transport of crude oil and natural gas is indispensable
and, for this purpose, the use of pipelines is the most sensible solution for
many sections. In order to guarantee reliable operation, these pipelines are
subject to a large number of requirements which are mainly oriented to the
medium to be transported. During the manufacture and laying of pipelines,
one main requirement on the material is good processability by means of
welding technology. In most cases, the requirements are defined in sets of
standards and the compliance with them is ensured within the framework
of a material authorisation and fabrication-accompanying tests. However,
it is hardly possible to optimise the welding parameters in a fabrication-ac-
companying way during the manufacture of the pipes since tight limits are
set by the manufacturing process in question. In order to characterise the
weldability more precisely, this investigation included establishing typical
processing conditions during the manufacture of the pipes in the factory,
varying the welding conditions within the framework of laboratory welds
and determining the most important properties of the welded joints. The
use of material from the same coil made it possible to assess the transfer-
ability of the results between laboratory welds and welds during the manu-
facture of the pipes. Submerged arc welding, gas-shielded metal arc welding
as well as welding-simulating heat treatment were considered using the ex-
ample of the L485 (X70) material.
1 Base material and requirements on stan-
dards
For the manufacture of pipelines for oil and gas trans-
port, reference is mostly made to the DIN EN ISO 3183
standard [1] and, in the Anglo-American region, frequently
to the counterpart, API 5L [2]. The L485 (X70 according
to API  5L) material investigated here is a microalloyed
hot strip whose properties were set by a thermomechan-
ical treatment. The chemical composition of the test ma-
terial is specified in Table 1.
2 Effect of welding on the structure
The heat input associated with fusion welding causes
an alteration in the structure in the region of the welded
joint. The weld metal solidifies dendritically and its prop-
erties depend not only on the process management but
also on the compositions of the filler material and the
base material. Structures which essentially depend on the
heat input and the heat dissipation and thus on the dis-
Fig. 1 • Structure
of a heat-affected tance to the fusion line occur in the heat-affected zones
of transformable steels, Fig. 1.
zone (HAZ) of a
Temperatures higher than ap-
single-pass weld.
prox. 1,100°C are reached in the
coarse-grained region (1) directly
next to the fusion line. This pro-
motes the growth of austenite
grains. Because of the risk of em-
brittlement, investigations relating
to welding technology are fre-
quently oriented to this tempera-
ture range, e.g. by creating a steep-
flanked single-V butt weld accord-
ing to SEP 1201 [3].
44
The fine-grained region (2) is characterised by peak
temperatures between 900°C and 1,100°C. Carbides and
nitrides act as nuclei and promote the formation of fine
grains. This zone generally exhibits a high toughness.
Temperatures just above Ac1 (approx. 723°C) are
reached in the intercritically heated region (3). The austen-
ite forming locally in this respect exhibits a high carbon
content. Depending on the cooling speed, this causes the
THE AUTHORS
From 1991 to 1999, Dr.-Ing. Peter Ohse stud-
ied Ship Technology at the University/Compre-
hensive University of Duisburg/Germany, the
University of Duisburg-Essen today. From 2000
to 2001, he completed a volontary traineeship
at Schifffahrts-Verlag “Hansa“ and was subse-
quently employed as an editor for the journal
“Binnenschifffahrt“ (“Inland Navigation“).
After a further education course to become a
Welding Engineer, he worked as a scientific em-
ployee at the Welding and Joining Institute at
the RWTH Aachen University from 2002 to
2007. Since 2008, he has been employed in the
Research and Development Division of
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG and has dealt
with all-encompassing subjects relating to join-
ing technology.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carolin Radscheit is a Professor
for Welding Technology and Materials Engi-
neering in the Mechatronics and Mechanical
Engineering Faculty at the Bochum University
of Applied Sciences in Bochum/Germany.
Jöran Sprungk, B. Eng. concluded a training
course to become an Industrial Mechanic. Ac-
companying his occupational activities at
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe (TKSE) AG, he com-
pleted Mechanical Engineering studies at the
Essen University of Applied Sciences for Eco-
nomics and Management (FOM)/Bochum Uni-
versity of Applied Sciences. From 2014 to 2015,
he was employed in the Research and Develop-
ment Division of TKSE AG and worked on differ-
ent subject areas relating to joining technology.
Since 2015, he has been a student at the
Bochum University of Applied Sciences in the
Masters study course in Mechanical Engineer-
ing.
KEYWORDS
Metallurgical questions, pipe manufacturing, gas-shielded
arc welding, submerged arc welding, heat treatment, mate-
rial questions
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
 Table 1 • Chemi-
cal composition of
the L485 base
material (propor-
tions in % by
mass) and carbon
Table 2 • Require-
equivalents.
ments on pipe speci-
mens and character-
istic values of the
base material ac-
cording to
DIN EN ISO 3183.

formation of pearlite or of hard martensite with a low Fig. 2 • Positions

toughness. However, this region occupies such a small
space that it is not relevant to the utilisation properties of
the joint as a rule.
In the adjacent tempered zone (4), austenitisation no
longer takes place at temperatures under 700°C. In the
case of steels with high hardnesses, softening may arise
here.
3 Pipe manufacture
Spirally welded pipes are mostly manufactured in the
pass/cap pass technique. In this respect, a fundamental
distinction is made between procedures with common
and separate forming and welding processes. In the case
of the procedure with separate processes, the pipe is
formed, tack-welded with the GMA procedure and then
supplied to a separate submerged arc welding stand.
In the case of the common procedure considered here,
the forming and the welding are performed in a continu-
ous process. In this respect, the hot strip delivered in the
form of coils is unreeled and straightened. The coil end is
trimmed and welded with the coil end of the previous hot
strip. After the edge preparation, the strip is formed into
a pipe in a three-roll bending system, at a defined run-in
angle which determines the subsequent pipe diameter,
and welded. As a rule, the pass is welded on the inside
and the cap pass on the outside. In the case of pipes with
larger diameters, the welding of the pass is frequently also
preceded by tack welding with the GMA procedure. After
the welding, the pipe ends are trimmed and the pipes are
subjected to non-destructive testing.
4 Test piping operation
Within the framework of the investigation, test piping
operations were accompanied at a pipe manufacturer.
The objective was to record and describe the variables
important for the replication of the processing by means
of welding technology.
The requirements on the base material and the welded
joint depend on the diameter and intended purpose of
the pipe. The pipes considered for the comparison of lab-
oratory welding and fabrication welding were intended
to satisfy the PSL2 requirement in DIN EN ISO 3183 and
had an outside diameter of 914  mm. The requirements
and the base material properties are specified in Table 2.
The requirements relate to the formed pipe. The unwind-
of the notches
during the
notched-bar bend
impact test using
the example of a
specimen with the
t8/5 cooling time of
83 s (top) and po-
sitions of the
specimens taken
from the base ma-
terial (1) and the
welded joints (2).
ing of the strip results in angles of 33° in relation to the
rolling direction of the coil for the tensile and notched-
bar bend impact test specimens which are made of the
base material and are taken from the pipe (Fig. 2 bottom,
Specimen 1) and 90° for specimens from welded joints
(Fig. 2 bottom, Specimen 2).
Less stringent requirements apply to the welded joints:
The minimum notched-bar impact energy is 27 J at 0°C
for the weld deposit and the heat-affected zone (HAZ)
and the minimum tensile strength is 570 MPa. Moreover,
a hardness of 345 HV 10 must not be exceeded in any re-
gion with a size larger than 50 mm.
The objective of accompanying the test piping opera-
tion was to ascertain the processing conditions. One suit-
able and established concept for this is to determine the
time needed for the cooling from 800°C to 500°C, the so-
called t8/5 time. In this temperature range, the structures
of transformable steels change over from the face-centred
cubic (fcc) lattice to the body-centred cubic (bcc) lattice.
Different structures with their respective properties form
depending on the cooling speed. The t8/5 time mainly de-
pends on the preheating temperature, the heat input and

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 45

SPECIALIST ARTICLES
the geometry of the joint and can be not only measured
but also calculated. Details about this are included in
SEW 088 [4].
The t8/5 time is ideally measured by inserting thermo-
couples into the molten pool. This approach was not pos-
sible during the welding of the pass because of the lack of
accessibility. The mathematical connections mentioned
in SEW 088 were therefore used. For the welding of the
cap pass, it was forbidden to apply the mathematical con-
nections from SEW 088 since the region around the weld
was not heated homogeneously in a sufficient width. This
was ascertained with a thermal imaging camera and ther-
mocouple measurements. Therefore, the insertion
method was applied in order to establish the cooling time
of the cap pass. Table 3 specifies the pipe dimensions, the
energies per unit length and the cooling times of two test
piping operations. A wire/flux combination which leads
to a weld metal with the ISO  14171-A-S  46  4  AB  S2Mo
classification was used in this respect.
5 Laboratory welding
A test programme was elaborated on the basis of the
determination of the processing conditions during the
pipe manufacture. In this respect, the objective was to
characterise the weldability of the material in a wide pa-
rameter field. Reference was made to the t8/5 time as a di-
mensioning variable. In addition, it was established
whether an improvement in the mechanical-technological
properties could be achieved by applying a higher-strength
wire/flux combination (WFC). Table 4 shows the param-
eters and boundary conditions used for the investigation.
In order to do justice to the possibilities of the laboratory
equipment, the welds were executed on flat, non-formed
plates.
The welding was performed in the rolling direction
so that it was possible to orient the longitudinal axis of
the specimen transverse to the rolling direction as in the
case of pipe welding. For the SA procedure, the welds
were prepared as double-V butt welds with root faces, 60°
weld preparation angles, 6 mm root face thicknesses and
zero gaps. The GMA welding was performed on a double-V
butt weld with a 1.5 mm air gap.
46
Table 3 • Geome-
tries and charac-
teristic welding
technology data
of test piping op-
erations.
Table 4 • Bound-
ary conditions
during welding in
the laboratory.
A welding-simulating heat treatment was executed in
addition. In this respect, blanks from notched-bar bend
impact test specimens were, by means of conductive heat-
ing, subjected to a temperature cycle such as arises in the
region of the HAZ directly next to the weld during welding.
In the case of real welded joints, this coarse-grained region
usually exhibits the lowest notched-bar impact energy
and may be viewed as the worst case scenario.
6 Mechanical-technological testing
The mechanical-technological properties of the weld-
ed joint were characterised using a notched-bar bend im-
pact test, a tensile test, a hardness test and a structural
investigation. The position of the notch during the
notched-bar bend impact test has an essential influence
on the result. Four notch positions were planned for an
investigation which was as extensive as possible, Fig. 2.
Notch Position 1 corresponds to the weld metal of the
cap pass. 50% of Notch Position 2 runs through the weld
deposit and 50% through the HAZ together with the coarse
grains of the cap pass. Notch Position 3 runs through the
base material and regions of the HAZ of the cap pass.
Notch Position 4 runs through the weld metal as well as
the HAZ of the pass. Depending on the overlapping of the
pass and the cap pass, a part of the HAZ of the cap pass
may also be covered by Position 4. Positions 1 and 3 con-
stitute demands from DIN EN ISO 3183 and API 5L.
The tensile test was executed on specimens with ma-
chined-off weld reinforcements and the HV 10 hardness
test in the middle of the plate cross section and, in each
case, 2 mm under the plate surface on the pass and cap
pass sides.
7 Results of the notched-bar bend impact test
Fig. 3 shows results of the notched-bar bend impact
test on welds with a normal-strength WFC and with a nor-
mal-strength filler material and a higher-strength WFC.
The minimum requirements in the standard (i.e. a
notched-bar impact energy of 27 J at 0°C) were exceeded
many times over for all the notch positions.
In this investigation, the notched-bar impact energy
also exhibits only a slight dependence on the t8/5 cooling
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

time and thus on the heat input. With a t8/5 cooling time
of 5  s which was implemented during GMA welding,
Notch Positions 2, 3 and 4 do not exhibit any significant
differences. This is presumably caused, amongst other
factors, by the comparatively narrow HAZ and the quench-
ing and tempering effect due to the multipass weld build-
up. Moreover, the GMA weld exhibits a considerably
greater sidewall angle than the SA weld. With Notch Posi-
tion 2, the proportion of the coarse-grained zone is con-
siderably lower than in the case of the SA welds. It is con-
spicuous that the toughness of Notch Position 1 located
in the weld metal is comparatively low due to the utilised
filler material. The decrease in the toughness with Notch
Position 4 and a t8/5 cooling time of 118 s is presumably
caused by the influences exerted on the pass by the weld-
ing of the cap pass. Fig. 4 illustrates the influences of the
sidewall angle and the size of the HAZ on the structural
region checked during the notched-bar bend impact test.
The decrease in the angle formed by the fusion lines as
the cooling time rises is clearly recognisable here. This
means that not only an influence of the alteration in the
structure but also an influence of the alteration in the
weld geometry come to bear when the dependence of the
notched-bar impact energy on the cooling time is estab-
lished. In summary, it may be stated that Notch Positions
1 and 2 constitute the most critical ones and considerably
higher values may be expected with Notch Positions 3
and 4.
Because of the small influence of the cooling time on
the notched-bar impact energy, it is sensible to compare
the welds with a normal-strength WFC (t8/5 = 78 s) and a
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
higher-strength WFC (t8/5 = 83 s). For
all the notch positions, the notched-
bar impact energy of the higher-
strength variant is on a higher level
than that of the low-strength variant.
For Notch Positions 1, 2 and 4, this
may be caused by the higher quality
of the filler material. For Notch Posi-
tion 2 which only runs through the
HAZ and the base material, this is
presumably caused by inaccuracies
when the specimens were taken. A
comparison largely independent of
the geometry of the fusion line is pos-
sible for Notch Position 1. In this re-
spect, the notched-bar impact energy
of the higher-strength WFC is 196  J
Fig. 3 • Results of and that of the low-strength WFC 167  J. In summary, it
the notched-bar may be stated here that a higher notched-bar impact en-
bend impact test ergy can be achieved using a higher-strength WFC but
at T = 0°C. this makes little sense in the case of conventional require-
ments because of the high level of the low-strength WFC.
8 Results of the tensile test
Fig. 5 shows a comparison of the characteristic values
established in the tensile test. The tensile test was per-
formed on specimens ground flush with the plate and the
characteristic values of the base material were established
on specimens from the coil. For the tensile strength, it is
not possible to recognise any significant influences of the
WFC, the cooling time or the welding procedure. All the
Fig. 4 • Weld
geometries and
Notch Positions 2
and 3 (according
to Fig. 2) of the
GMA weld (left)
and the SA welds.
Fig. 5 • Characteristic values for the proof strength Rt0.5 and the tensile strength Rm
from the tensile tests on various welded joints in comparison with the base material
(BM: base material, WM: weld metal, WJ: welded joint).
47
SPECIALIST ARTICLES
tested joints exhibited tensile strengths in the same range
as that of the base material (Rm BM). The standard stipu-
lates that the welded joint should exhibit a tensile strength
of min. 570 MPa (Rm min. WJ) and this requirement is sat-
isfied reliably for all the variants. The proof strength Rt0.5
demanded for the base material only is specified too. Here,
it is possible to establish a decrease in the proof strength
as the cooling time rises. There are conspicuous differ-
ences in the yield strengths of the specimens in which
failures occurred in the HAZ/base material region. Here,
the proof strength of the weld with a high-strength WFC
is considerably lower than that of the weld with the low-
strength WFC and the t8/5 cooling time of 24 s. This may
be caused by the higher heat input in the welding process
with a higher-strength WFC. In this respect, the HAZ is
subjected to more extreme softening and thus to extreme
local elongation which, in relation to the measuring
length, results in slight elongation. This effect becomes
noticeable in the case of the specimen similar in relation
to the cooling time (i.e. t8/5 = 78 s) since the failure occurred
in the weld metal here. However, this detailed considera-
tion of the elongation phenomena in the region of the
welded joints illustrates to what influences the proof
48
strengths of welded joints may be
subjected.
In comparison with the low-
strength variant, the higher-strength
WFC does not lead to any advantages
since the failure location is shifted
from the weld metal into the HAZ or
base material due to the application
and the better properties of the weld
deposit do not come to bear. Since
the weld reinforcement means that,
in practice, the stresses in the weld
deposit will be even lower than those
of the ground specimens investigated
here and the tensile strengths of the
investigated specimens are on very
similar levels, the production of a
weld deposit whose properties are
better than those of the ISO
14171-A-S 46 4 AB S2Mo classification
Fig. 6 • Tempera- appears to make little sense with re-
ture/time course gard to the tensile test.
for a t8/5 cooling
time of 25 s.
9 Welding-simulating heat
treatment
Fig. 7 • Notched- A welding-simulating heat treat-
bar impact ener- ment was executed in order to estab-
gy/temperature
lish the influence of the cooling con-
curves of the
ditions on the notched-bar impact
specimens sub-
energy irrespective of the geometries
jected to a weld-
ing-simulating of the welded joints. In this respect,
heat treatment the blank from a notched-bar bend
with the t8/5 cool- impact test specimen has the dimen-
ing time of 80 s. sions 10  mm x 10  mm x 70  mm, is
heated conductively and is cooled
following a nominal value. The blank
produced in this way is subsequently machined off to a
length of 55 mm according to DIN EN ISO 148-1 and is
provided with a V notch with a depth of 2  mm. A heat
cycle such as is typical of the coarse-grained zone of the
HAZ next to the fusion line was applied in this investiga-
tion: The specimen was heated up to 1,350°C and kept at
this temperature for one second. The subsequent cooling
was performed according to the desired t8/5 cooling speed.
Fig. 6 shows an example of a temperature/time course for
an annealing simulation with a t8/5 time of 25 s.
This approach makes it possible to test a coarse-
grained structure typical of the cooling time in question,
with the exclusion of the geometrical influences arising
with true welded joints. Due to the small sizes of the
coarse-grained zones in the case of real welded joints, the
notched-bar impact energy values of specimens subjected
to a welding-simulating heat treatment are considerably
lower in comparison as a rule. A direct conclusion about
the values of real welded joints is thus excluded but the
influence of the cooling time on the toughness of the
coarse-grained zone can be established in an outstanding
way with this method.
Fig. 7 shows the notched-bar impact energy over the
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
testing temperature for specimens
subjected to a welding-simulating
heat treatment with a t8/5 cooling time
of 80 s. Three parallel specimens were
impacted at each testing tempera-
ture. The high reproducibility of the
welding-simulating heat treatment
and the typical course from the depth
position via the transition region into
the high position are easy to recog-
nise. The temperature at which a
notched-bar impact energy of 27 J is
to be expected (i.e. the T27J transition
temperature) is marked too.
Table 5 shows the T27J transition
temperature for the t8/5 cooling times
of 25  s, 80  s and 120  s. The cooling
time of 5 s was not simulated since a
coarse-grained zone comparable
with that in SA welding does not arise
during the GMA welding procedure to be used here as a Fig. 8 • Hardness pected, the HAZs of the SA welds undergo increasing soft-
result of the multipass weld build-up. traverses for vari- ening as the t8/5 cooling time rises. Such an effect does
The requirements in the standard (i.e. a notched-bar ous t8/5 cooling not arise in the case of the GMA weld as a result of the
impact energy of min. 27 J at 0°C) are still satisfied in spite times, welding high cooling speed although the tempering of the tested
of the very unfavourable heat cycle. As a supplement, the procedures and region and thus a tendency towards lower hardnesses
filler materials
influence of the rolling direction was established with the may be assumed here because of the multipass weld
(measured 2 mm
cooling time of 120  s using different orientations of the build-up.
under the surface
longitudinal axes of the specimens in relation to the rolling on the cap pass
The hardness values measured in the weld deposits
direction. The T27J transition temperature was –10°C both side). of the SA-welded joints are largely independent of the
longitudinal and transverse to the rolling direction. Thus, cooling time and the WFC on similar levels while the
it is not possible to recognise any influences of the rolling GMA-welded joint exhibits a considerably higher hard-
direction on the notched-bar impact energy. ness. The requirement in DIN EN ISO 3183 for a hardness
under 345 HV 10 is satisfied reliably in all cases.
Table 5 • T27J On the basis of metallographic sections, the structures
transition temper- were evaluated using the examples of the SA weld with
atures of the the t8/5 cooling time of 78 s, Fig. 9, and the GMA weld with
specimens sub- the t8/5 cooling time of 5  s, Fig. 10. In this respect, the
10 Hardness test and metallography jected to a weld- higher heat input and deposition efficiency of the SA pro-
Fig. 8 shows the results of the HV 10 hardness test on ing-simulating cedure lead to a larger weld metal volume and a wider
the cap pass side, measured 2 mm under the surface. This heat treatment. HAZ. It is also conspicuous that the coarse-grained zone
region was chosen since an influence of the cooling time forms with ferritic and bainitic structures while the GMA-
can be established here in the case of the submerged arc welded joint exhibits only a bainitic structure in this re-
welds and, unlike in the core region, the heat inputs of gion. This is presumably caused by the higher cooling
the pass and the cap pass are not superimposed. As ex- speed of the GMA-welded joint. In the coarse-grained

Fig. 9 • Structure and grain size of the SA-welded joint with the t8/5 Fig. 10 • Structure and grain size of the GMA-welded joint with the t8/5
cooling time of 78 s. cooling time of 5 s.

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 49

SPECIALIST ARTICLES
zone typical of grain growth, both joints exhibit Grain Size
8 according to ASTM [5] and thus no differences in this
property.
11 Comparison between the pipe fabrication
and the laboratory
Notched-bar impact energy values of laboratory welds
and of welded joints fabricated in the pipe manufacture
are compared on Fig. 11. Since welded joints were tested
in a fabrication-accompanying way in the pipe manufac-
ture, merely tests at –20°C and –40°C were executed here.
The t8/5 cooling times were 78 s with the laboratory welds
and 61 s with the welds in the pipe manufacture. As ex-
plained above, these differences in the cooling times are
not expected to cause any notable changes in the notched-
bar impact energy values. For Notch Position 3, both fab-
rication variants exhibit similar values at both testing tem-
peratures. Greater differences can be recognised in the
case of Notch Positions 1 and 2. In Notch Position 2, com-
paratively great differences in the individual values of the
notched-bar impact energy arise at both testing temper-
atures. The laboratory weld undergoes the drop in the
notched-bar impact energy in this interfacial region, as
was proven by testing at higher and lower temperatures.
The welded joint produced in the pipe manufacture is
presumably subjected to a comparable effect. Since no
testing was executed at temperatures under -40°C, this
assumption cannot be checked. In Notch Position 1, com-
paratively slight fluctuations in the individual values arise
with both fabrication variants. The differences in the
notched-bar impact energies of the weld metals may be
caused by different approaches during the redrying of the
welding flux, by the dilution or by the solidification be-
haviour. The results of the static tensile tests on tensile
test specimens from the welded joint which were ma-
chined off flush with the plate are specified in Table 6.
The tensile strength and the proof strength are on similar
levels but the laboratory welds tend to exhibit higher yield
strengths. It should be pointed out once again that the
specimen deformation considered for the determination
of the yield strength predominantly occurred in the region
of the weld and its properties thus exerted essential influ-
ences on the yield strength.
Therefore, it is possible to compare laboratory welds
and welded joints fabricated in the pipe manufacture. For
the notched-bar impact energy of the weld deposit and the
yield strength, slightly lower values may be expected during
the pipe manufacture.
12 Outlook and conclusions
The recording of the boundary conditions during the
pipe manufacture showed that t8/5 cooling times between
60 and 70 s may be expected in the plate thickness range
50
Fig. 11 • Compar-
ison of the between 20 and 23 mm. Because of the unsteady conditions,
notched-bar im- it does not make sense to calculate the cooling time for the
pact energies of cap pass. It is recommended to take measurements by in-
laboratory welds serting a thermocouple into the still liquid weld metal.
and of welded
In the notched-bar bend impact test, the lowest values
joints fabricated
are to be expected in the region of the weld metal and in
in the pipe manu-
the interfacial region between the weld metals and the
facture for vari-
ous notch posi- HAZ. In the tested range with the t8/5 cooling time between
tions and testing 5 and 118 s, it is possible to establish that the notched-
temperatures. bar impact energy is only slightly dependent on the cool-
ing time. Although the use of a higher-strength wire/flux
combination leads to higher notched-bar impact energy
values, no improvement in the utilisation properties of
the pipe are to be expected due to this in view of the high
level of the normal-strength wire/flux combination.
The tensile strengths of the welded joints are in the
same range as that of the base material for all the t8/5 cool-
ing times. Any variation of the cooling time, the welding
procedure or the wire/flux combination merely led to a
shift in the failure location. It appears to make little sense
to consider the yield strength in order to assess the quality
of the welded joint.
The highest hardness arose in the region of the weld
deposit of the GMA-welded joint. No significant drop in
the hardness in the HAZ is to be expected up to the t8/5
cooling time of 24 s. SA-welded and GMA-welded joints
do not exhibit any significant differences with regard to
the maximum grain sizes. For welds with higher heat in-
puts, an increase in ferritic structural proportions must
be assumed in the region of the coarse-grained zone.
Literature
Table 6 • Results [1] DIN EN ISO 3183 “Erdöl- und Erdgasindustrie-Stahlrohre
of the tensile für Rohrleitungstransportsysteme“ (March 2013 edition).
tests on laborato- [2] API Spec 5L “Specification for line pipe“ (45th edition).
ry welds and on American Petroleum Institute, Washington 2012.
welds fabricated [3] SEP 1201 “Ermittlung des Einflusses der Schweißbedingun-
during the pipe gen auf die Zähigkeit in der Wärmeeinflusszone von Einla-
manufacture. genschweißungen“. Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf 1986.
[4] SEW 088 “Schweißgeeignete Feinkornbaustähle; Richtlin-
ien für die Verarbeitung, besonders für das
Schmelzschweißen“. Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf 1993
[5] ASTM 112 “Standard test methods for determining average
grain size“ (2004).
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
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SPECIALIST ARTICLES
Electromagnetic pulse technology for novel hybrid
metal-composite components in the automotive industry
The current trend to reduce weight and fuel consumption within the auto-
motive industry has resulted in multi-material designs, which allow to ex-
ploit the optimal material with desired properties for each part of the au-
tomotive component. However, the next generation of novel hybrid me-
tal-composite components poses major challenges regarding the joints
between metals and composites. This was the driving force behind the
“MetalMorphosis“ research project, which addressed different joint design
concepts for metal-composite tubular and sheet joints, using the electro-
magnetic pulse technology. The acquired knowledge was validated at an
industrial level by manufacturing a hybrid metal-composite brake pedal.
1 Introduction: Trend towards lightweight
materials
Trends towards increasing vehicle weight in the au-
tomotive industry are arising due to continuous and strin-
gent demands imposed on the improvement in safety,
passenger comfort and electronic systems. Therefore, the
need to reduce the vehicle weight and fuel consumption
has resulted in a gradual substitution of the materials cur-
rently present in vehicles. In particular, lightweight mate-
rials such as composites offer the most suitable solution
due to their considerably lower density. However, the need
for the next generation of novel hybrid metal-composite
components brings along major challenges regarding the
joints between different material types. This is the driving
force behind the “MetalMorphosis“ research project,
which was carried out as a collaboration between eight
European research and industrial partners.
2 Composites
The major advantage of composites is their high ratio
between their stiffness and strength and their low density.
Composites thus offer the possibility to achieve impressive
weight reductions for the next-generation products. An
important drawback however is their brittleness.
The structure of composites consists of two con-
stituent materials. The first constituent is a reinforcement
material (for example fibres) that contributes to the me-
chanical and physical properties of the composites and
allows for the transfer of tensile forces. The second con-
stituent is a matrix material (for example polymers) that
maintains the position of the reinforcement and allows
for the transfer of compressive forces and shear stresses.
Both constituents combine their properties in a synergetic
manner, hence achieving characteristics significantly dif-
ferent from the individual constituents.
3 Research project “MetalMorphosis“
3.1 Objective and outline
The global objective of the European FP7 research
project “MetalMorphosis“ was the development of a new
range of hybrid metal-composite components, based on
52
the innovative electromagnetic pulse joining process. Cur-
rently, this technology is used for joining similar and dis-
similar metals. In this project, its scope was expanded to-
wards fast and cost-effective joining of composites and
metals. In this way, it was demonstrated that the electro-
magnetic pulse technology is a valuable process for real-
ising high-performance joints.
This article discusses the research performed con-
cerning the hybrid metal-composite tubular and sheet
connections. In the framework of this project, the Belgian
Welding Institute investigated the applicability of electro-
magnetic crimping of tubular metal workpieces onto com-
posite workpieces. Furthermore, the development of a
hybrid metal-composite brake pedal using the electro-
magnetic pulse technology, in collaboration with indus-
trial partners, is illustrated.
3.2 Working principle of the electromagnetic pulse
technology
The electromagnetic pulse technology (also known
as electromagnetic pulse forming, crimping and welding)
THE AUTHORS
ir. Irene Kwee is a research engineer and member of the solid-
state welding research group at the Belgian Welding Institute. She
is involved in research projects (CorNet Era-Net, FP7, H2020) in the
field of electromagnetic pulse technology, where she performs re-
search on the characterisation and materials science aspects of
electromagnetic pulse welds. Previously, she was a researcher at
the Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven University in
Leuven/Belgium, where she was involved in a FP7 project concern-
ing the electrodeposition, tribology and materials characterisation
of nanostructured coatings. She obtained a B.Sc. in electrical and
materials engineering and M.Sc. in nanotechnology engineering
at the KU Leuven, Belgium.
Dr. ir. Koen Faes is a senior project leader and leader of the solid-
state welding research group at the Belgian Welding Institute. He
has worked with innovative joining processes for more than 17
years. He obtained his PhD in the frame of a research project con-
cerning the development of a new friction welding process for join-
ing pipelines. He has been involved in CorNet Era-Net collective re-
search, FP7 and H2020 projects. He specialised in solid-state join-
ing processes, and in particular in the electromagnetic pulse tech-
nology and friction-based joining processes. Currently, he is the
chairperson of the subgroup “Joining” of the International Impulse
Forming Group I²FG.
KEYWORDS
multi-material design, lightweight materials, automotive man-
ufacturing, hybrid metal-composite components, electromag-
netic pulse technology
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
is an innovative automatic production
technique which uses electromagnetic
forces to deform and join products. Since
this advanced technology does not make
use of heat to realise a connection, it of-
fers attractive possibilities for joining of
dissimilar materials, compared to tradi-
tional joining techniques.
It is a high-speed deformation pro-
cess that uses a pulsed magnetic field for
contactless forming of metals. The basic
principle of the process is shown in
Fig. 1. A tool coil is placed over the work-
pieces which have to be joined, but does
not make any contact. The energy stored
in a capacitor bank is then discharged
rapidly through the coil. The magnetic
field produced by the coil generates Eddy currents in the form, cut or perforate a sheet using a special-shaped die. Fig. 1 • Principle
adjacent metal workpiece with good electrical conduc- Under precisely controlled conditions and process pa- of the electro-
tivity. These currents, in turn, produce their own magnetic rameters, a solid-state weld can be realised. During the magnetic pulse
field. The forces generated by the two magnetic fields op- welding cycle, large amounts of electrical energy are dis- technology.
pose each other. Consequently, a repelling force between charged in a very short time period. Some equipment sys-
coil and workpiece is created that accelerates the outer tems can even discharge 2 million Ampères within
workpiece towards the inner workpiece at a high velocity. 100 μs.
This results in a permanent deformation. Therefore, the Specific advantages related to this technology make
forces generated can for example be used to collapse a it particularly suitable for joining of dissimilar materials:
tube with high velocity onto an internal workpiece, or to • “Cold” joining process: the outer workpiece only heats

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Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 53

SPECIALIST ARTICLES
Fig. 2 • Principle
of electromagne- up through Eddy currents and plastic deformation.
tic riveting for
Therefore, since no heat is employed to join materials,
joining of sheet
no heat affected zone is created, and thus the resulting
workpieces.
joint properties are not deteriorated;
(Source: Poynting
GmbH, Germany) • Parts can immediately be further processed after join-
[1] ing, since the temperature increase is very local and
reaches no more than 30-50°C at the surface of the
outer workpiece;
• High repeatability due to accurate control of applied
forces;
• Automatic process;
• Ecological process, as no heat, gas, or smoke is pro-
duced.
In the “MetalMorphosis“ project, three variants of the
electromagnetic pulse technology were applied. For tu-
bular joints, electromagnetic pulse crimping was em-
ployed and for sheet joints, electromagnetic pulse welding
and electromagnetic riveting were used.
3.3 Electromagnetic pulse crimping
Joints manufactured by electromagnetic forming can
be classified into two categories, according to the domi-
nating mechanism against an external load, namely joints
based on interference fit or on form fit. Interference fit
joints are created by a plastic deformation of one and an
elastic deformation of the other joining partner. As a result,
friction and interference stresses between both joining
partners are generated. Form fit joints are manufactured
by forming one joining partner’s material into an undercut
(for example a groove) of the other joining partner. In this
way, the joint is locked against an external load (mecha-
nical interlock).
3.4 Electromagnetic pulse welding
Electromagnetic pulse welding is used for joining a
metal workpiece to a composite workpiece in which a
54
metal part is embedded. If the workpieces are impacted
at a high velocity and under a certain angle, a jet is created
along the materials’ surface prior to contact. This jet re-
moves surface contaminants, after which an intensive lo-
cal plastic deformation and local heating takes place, re-
sulting in bonding.
3.5 Electromagnetic riveting
In electromagnetic riveting, the electromagnetic pulse
process is used to accelerate a punch over a few mm up
to a significant high speed (10-100 m/s). In this way, a
magnetically accelerated rivet can join a hybrid metal-
composite sheet with a metal sheet. The working principle
is illustrated in Fig. 2. Because riveting is a process with a
short cycle time, up to 60 rivets per minute, it is essential
to work at the lowest possible discharge energy through
the coil. Otherwise, for temperature reasons, it is not pos-
sible to decrease the cycle time below 4-5 per minute (typ-
ical speed for electromagnetic forming processes).
4 Hybrid metal-composite tubular joints
The hybrid metal-composite tubular workpieces were
manufactured using electromagnetic pulse crimping. Sev-
eral joining concepts were developed to join aluminium
tubes (EN AW-6082 T6) onto composites. The resulting
metal-composite tubular joints were examined for their
transferable force and failure modes during tensile test-
ing.
4.1 Selected composites
Since automotive components are usually subjected
to impacts throughout their life cycle within in a vehicle,
a high impact resistance of the composite is required. Ad-
ditionally, the composite should be resistant against high
temperatures. Polyamides are suitable matrices, as they
can be modified to improve their impact behaviour. They
also possess high mechanical properties at elevated tem-
peratures and a high wear resistance. Carbon fibres are
among the strongest and stiffest fibres available. Moreover,
they exhibit a very low density, which results in an excel-
lent ratio between their mechanical properties and weight.
Based on these requirements, the following types of
composites in rod- and tube-like form were selected: con-
tinuous carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy, continuous glass
fibre-reinforced epoxy (EP GC22) and short glass fibres-
reinforced polyamide (PA6.6 GF30). The fibre volume frac-
tion and the length of the fibres (short or continuous)
were varied, in order to obtain the different types of com-
posites.
4.2 Joining concepts for hybrid metal-composite tu-
bular joints
Different joining concepts were developed and eval-
uated for electromagnetic pulse crimping of metal tubes
onto the selected composites. These joining concepts were
based on interference and form fit joints. Different test
series were identified based on either the geometry of the
composite workpiece (for example depth, radius and angle
of the groove) or on the variation in gap distance between
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

Fig. 3 • Cross-section of a crimp connection, based on interfer-
ence fit (1st joining concept), between an aluminium tube
(EN AW-6082 T6) and a continuous carbon reinforced epoxy
rod. (Source: Belgian Welding Institute, Belgium) [2]
Fig. 4 • Cross-
section of a crimp
connection, based
on form fit (2nd
joining concept)
between an alu-
minium tube and
a long fibre glass
reinforced epoxy
tube. (Source:
Belgian Welding
Institute, Bel-
gium) [2]
the aluminium tube and the composite workpiece. This
distance was created by varying the wall thickness of the
aluminium tube or by modifying the outer diameter of the
composite workpiece. Within each test series, the discharge
energy level, necessary to create the joint, was varied.
4.2.1 Joining concept 1: based on interference fit
In a first joining concept, based on interference fit, an
aluminium tube was joined onto a composite rod, by elec-
tromagnetic pulse crimping. The plastic deformation of
the aluminium tube and the elastic deformation of the
composite rod generated friction and interferences stress-
es, which contributed to the joint strength. Fig. 3 illustrates
the cross section of such a crimp connection, based on
interference fit, between an aluminium tube and a con-
tinuous carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy rod.
4.2.2 Joining concept 2: based on form fit
In a second joining concept based on form fit, an alu-
minium tube was joined onto a composite rod and tube
Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1
Fig. 5 • Compari-
son of the maxi-
mum transferable
forces achieved
for crimp connec-
tions between
with a groove by electromagnetic pulse crimping. In this aluminium tubes
way, the aluminium tube can deform into the groove of and short glass
the composite, through which a mechanical interlock be- fibre reinforced
tween both workpieces was achieved. This can possibly polyamide rods
result in a higher transferable force. It is however necessary (PA6.6 GF30) and
to evaluate whether or not the integrity of the groove and aluminium tubes
and continuous
composite part was maintained.
glass fibre rein-
Fig. 4 shows a cross section of such a crimp connection
forced epoxy
based on form fit, between an aluminium tube and a
tubes (EP GC22),
continuous glass fibre reinforced epoxy tube (EP GC22). with different
Fig. 5 compares the transferable forces achieved for crimp groove geome-
connections between an aluminium tube and short glass tries, according to
fibre-reinforced polyamide rod (PA6.6) on the one hand, 2nd joining con-
and a long glass fibre-reinforced epoxy tube (EP GC22) cept. (Source: Bel-
on the other hand. For each composite type, several test gian Welding In-
series were conducted, in which the groove geometry was stitute) [2]
varied. Based on the results achieved, it was concluded
that the crimp connections between aluminium tubes and
continuous glass fibre-reinforced epoxy tubes achieved a
higher range of transferable forces than the crimp con-
nections between aluminium tubes and short glass fibre-
reinforced polyamide rods. This can partially be explained
by the high tensile strength of the continuous glass fibre-
reinforced epoxy tubes (typical tensile strength of 285
MPa), compared to the tensile strength of the short glass
fibre-reinforced polyamide rods (152 MPa). In general, a
higher transferable force was achieved at a higher dis-
charge energy level and a larger deformation of the alu-
minium tube into the groove. This deformation is amongst
others determined by the groove geometry.
Two different failure modes during tensile testing were
observed. In the first failure mode, the diameter of the
aluminium tube enlarged, after which the tube bent out
of the groove. Nevertheless, no fracture of the tube oc-
curred (see Fig. 6). In the second failure mode, the alu-
minium tube bent out of the groove and subsequently
cracked along its longitudinal direction (see Fig. 7).
55
SPECIALIST ARTICLES

Fig. 6 • First fail- others, manufactures automotive brake pedals that are
ure mode of a currently completely made out of metal. In the “Metal-
crimp connection Morphosis“ project, a re-design of this brake pedal was
between an alu-
performed, in which a steel component of this pedal was
minium tube and
substituted by a composite component and subsequently
a continuous
joined onto the remaining metal components.
glass fibre rein-
forced epoxy tube The following objectives were taken into account
(EP GC22). when the hybrid metal-composite brake pedal was fabri-
(Source: Belgian cated:
Welding Institute, • Reduction of the risk of serious lower limb injuries
Belgium) [2] of the driver in a frontal collision, whilst simultane-
ously ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
Fig. 7 • Second • Reduction of the weight of the brake pedal assembly.
failure mode of a
The state-of-the-art steel brake pedal has a weight
crimp connection
of 0.6 kg. Partial replacement by a composite should
between an alu-
result in a 15% weight decrease.
minium tube and
a continuous • Reduction of the cost and production time, due to
glass fibre rein- the smaller number of operations and components.
forced epoxy tube The introduction of the composite should also prefer-
(EP GC22). ably be accomplished without any product cost in-
(Source: Belgian crease. A total product cost increase of € 1 to € 2/kg
Welding Institute, 5 Hybrid metal-composite sheet joints saved weight is however allowable.
Belgium) [2] The hybrid metal-composite sheet joints were manu- The actual demonstrator of the hybrid metal-composite
factured using electromagnetic riveting and electromag- brake pedal is illustrated in Fig. 9. It was fabricated by
netic pulse welding. Fig. 8 shows an example of electro- crimping an aluminium square tube onto two short glass
magnetic riveting of a metal sheet (aluminium EN AW- fibre-reinforced polyamide (PA6.6GF 30) workpieces con-
6016, thickness of 1.2 mm) to a sandwich sheet. The latter taining a groove, according to the second joining concept.
consists of two metal layers (steel DC04, both thicknesses The mechanical interlock, obtained by the deforma-
of 0.5 mm) with a composite intermediate layer (carbon tion of the tube into the groove, partially contributed to
fiber reinforced plastic, thickness of 0.8 mm). The cross the transferable forces achieved. This is shown in Fig. 10,
section shows a good spreading of the rivet in the joint, in which the deformation is illustrated as a function of
as well as a deformation of the carbon fiber material with- the discharge energy necessary to create the joint. The
out visible fiber damage. Furthermore, it was determined maximum transferable force was achieved at an optimal
that a rivet with a lower hardness resulted in a higher discharge energy, after which the transferable force again
transferable force, compared to a rivet with a higher hard- decreased. This illustrates that there was a trade-off be-
ness. tween the different phenomena that took place during
tensile testing. On the one hand, the deformation of the
6 Demonstrators aluminium tube into the groove contributed to the in-
Three specific demonstrator parts were fabricated, crease of the transferable force, due to the larger mechan-
which were representative for potential industrial appli- ical interlocking achieved. On the other hand however,
cations and satisfied the requirements set by the industrial necking of the aluminium tube during tensile testing could
partners. In this way, the acquired knowledge regarding have resulted in a decrease in the transferable force.
the developed joining concepts and design strategies were
validated at an industrial level. One demonstrator part, a 7 Conclusion
hybrid metal-composite brake pedal, will be highlighted The “MetalMorphosis“ research project demonstrated
hereafter. that the electromagnetic pulse technology is a valuable
process for realising high-performance joints between
6.1 Hybrid metal-composite brake pedal metals and composites. This promising technology allows
Toolpresse is a Portuguese company that, amongst
Fig. 8 • Cross sec-
tion of a sheet
joint between an
aluminium plate
and a hybrid
steel-composite
plate, using elec-
tromagnetic rivet-
ing. (Source:
Poynting GmbH, Fig. 9 • Demonstrator of the hybrid metal-composite brake
Germany) [1] pedal. (Source: Belgian Welding Institute, Belgium) [2]

56 Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1

a range of new hybrid metal-composite components to
be manufactured, which matches the current trend to-
wards lightweight materials in the automotive industry.
Based on the novel insights acquired, demonstrator parts
specifically targeted at the automotive market were de-
veloped. The manufacturing of a hybrid metal-composite
brake pedal was highlighted in this article.
More information on the MetalMorphosis project and
an overview of the results achieved can be found at:
http://www.metalmorphosis.eu/

References
[1] Poynting GmbH, Germany. Available online:
http://www.poynting.de/de/homepage.html
Fig. 10 • Hybrid
[2] Belgian Welding Institute, Belgium. Available online:
metal-composite
http://www.bil-ibs.be/en/research
[3] Toolpresse, Portugal. Available online: http://www.tool-
ACKNOWLEDGEMEN TS brake pedal: max-
presse.pt/ imum transferable
The specialised and multidisciplinary
[4] Tenneco Automotive Europe, Belgium. Available online: force versus ap-
MetalMorphosis consortium consisted
http://www.tenneco.com/europe/ plied discharge
[5] Centimfe, Centro Technologico de Industria de Moldes, of nine European partners: Belgian energy. (Source:
Portugal. Available online: http://www.centimfe.com/ Welding Institute (Belgium) [2], Tenneco Belgian Welding
index.php/en/ Automotive Europe (Belgium) [4], Poynt- Institute, Bel-
[6] Foundation Cidaut, Transport and Energy Research and ing (Germany) [1], Toolpresse (Portugal) [3], CENTIMFE (Portu- gium) [2]
Development, Spain. Available online: http://www.
gal) [5], Cidaut (Spain) [6], IK4-IDEKO (Spain) [7], STAM (Italy)
cidaut.es/en/
[7] IK4-IDEKO, Research Alliance, Spain. Available online: [8] and Regeneracija (Slovenia) [9].
http://www.ideko.es/ This project has received funding from the European Union’s
[8] Stam, industrial research, Italy. Available online: Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for research, technolog-
http://www.stamtech.com/ ical development and demonstration under grant agreement
[9] Regeneracija, Slovenia. Available online:http://www.regen-
nr 609039.
eracija.hr/index.php/en/

Welding and Cutting – editorial preview

Issue 2 (March/April) Issue 3 (May/June)
• Automation using robots and sensors for joining and cutting • Developments for gas-shieded metal-arc welding
• Thermal spraying: status, materials and applications • Use of laser and electron beams for welding and cutting
• ITSC 2017 – International Thermal Spray Conference • Use of brazing/soldering for the joining of materials

Closing date for editiorial contributions: 10 March 2017 Closing date for editiorial contributions: 10 May 2017
Closing date for advertisements: 23 March 2017 Closing date for advertisements: 24 May 2017

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James Burton, TWI, Cambridge/UK, e-mail james.burton@twi.co.uk

Welding and Cutting 16 (2017) No. 1 57

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