WelderDestiny › Welding Engineering Tools
Welding Engineering Tools
It is important for Welders to gain an understanding of welding engineering tools, because automation has the potential to push some aspects of the welding engineer's job onto Welders and other shop floor workers in the future.
A lot of focus has been placed on the loss of blue collar jobs, such as Welder jobs, to mechanization and robotics. Actually the easiest area for work automation is in the area of knowledge work, rather than skill based work. In the welding industry, this is the world of the welding engineer. A large part of the welding engineer’s job can be automated, as can the work of many different engineering disciplines.
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As
the machine age takes hold, and engineer's jobs are automated, it is anticipated that a lot of the work
currently performed by welding engineers will devolve to Welders and welding inspectors.
This means that you as a Welder will need to have a working knowledge of the
typical concepts and tools used by welding engineers. In this section of
WelderDestiny we will look at the most common of these welding engineering tools
and concepts.
Gas Platform During The Hook-Up and Commissioning (HUC) Phase of ConstructionCalculating Hardenability of Steel
This is one of the most common welding engineering tools. A
common concern when welding steel is to have an easy way to predict and express
the hardenability of the steel. Typically, the harder the steel is once welded,
the more brittle and susceptible to hydrogen assisted cold cracking. (HACC) The
go-to method of doing this is to calculate the carbon equivalent of the steel. Click here to get an understanding of how that
is done.
Welding Engineering Tools for Dissimilar Metal Welding
When
welding together dissimilar metals, it is important to be able to estimate what
metallurgical microstructure will form in the weld metal. Some microstructures
will be very brittle, resulting in cracking, while some microstructures will be
susceptible to hot cracking. To ensure that an acceptable microstructure is
formed, one of the most widely used welding engineering tools is the Schaeffler Diagram. Click here to get a run down on how to use a
Schaeffler Diagram.
Post Weld Heat Treatment
Welds
are often given a post weld heat treatment. (PWHT) There are various reasons
for this, and various methods of applying this PWHT. There are also certain
risks associated with PWHT. Click here
to get an explanation of the issues surrounding PWHT.
Comparing Heat Treatments
Often
the question arises whether two heat treatments performed at different
temperatures and times are equivalent. This question is especially pertinent
when multiple heat treatment cycles are involved, as the heating and cooling
parts of the cycle also have an effect. To answer this type of question,
one of the main welding engineering tools to use is the Holloman Jaffe parameter calculation. Click here to learn how to calculate the Holloman Jaffe
parameter for heat treatment cycles.
Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steels
When
welding stainless steels, we are often concerned with the effect of the welding
on the corrosion resistance of the completed weld. In particular, the pitting
resistance of the stainless steels are important. The Pitting Resistance
Equivalent Number (PREN) is one of the welding engineering tools for calculating the pitting resistance of
different alloys and welds. The ASTM G48 corrosion test is a more practical way
of assessing the pitting resistance of higher alloyed stainless steels. Click here to get the low down on how the PREN
and ASTM G48 test is used.
Fracture Mechanics as Welding Engineering Tools
In
modern engineering structures, it is important to be able to understand the
interaction of applied stresses, material properties and material defects. The
study of how these factors interact is called fracture mechanics. This is
particularly important in welds, as welds are typically the place where defects
(or rather discontinuities) are most prevalent. While fracture mechanics is generally seen as a design engineering field of study, it is also an important set of welding engineering tools. For welding people, its importance is mostly from a conceptual point of view. Click
here to get a high level discussion of what fracture mechanics is,
and how it is practically implemented during the welding process.
Welding Without Hydrogen Cracking
When
welding stronger steel materials, Hydrogen Assisted Cold Cracking (HACC) is a
real problem. HACC is characterized by cracks that form in the weld and/or heat
affected zone of the base metal once the weldment reduces temperature. With
adequate welding procedures, and care during welding, HACC can largely be
eliminated. Click here to see what
welding engineering tools can be used to reduce the probability of hydrogen cracking.
Calculating Welding Costs and Times
Welding
can be a significant part of the costs in fabricating welded structures and
components. Knowing how to estimate the volume of weld to be deposited, and the
typical time it will take to perform the welding, is important to prepare
quotations and also to plan schedules. Click
here to get a general methodology for performing these calculations.
WelderDestiny › Welding Engineering Tools
The WelderDestiny Compass: Weekly e-zine Subscription
You can take a look at "The WelderDestiny Compass" back-issues by clicking here.