Hydraulic Presses and Destructive Testing

Hydraulic Presses Use Destructive Testing for Welding Quality Control

Students who are learning welding need to be tested on their skills. The best way to do this is with destructive testing practices, a way to monitor how durable a weld is using real-world conditions.
 

The Reason Behind Destructive Testing

The purpose of destructive welding is to put a component that has been welded through its paces, beyond its physical limit. This lets the people overseeing the students to check how well the broken pieces performed under extreme conditions.

There are several indicators that the weld wasn’t done correctly, including:

• Poor fusion
• Porousness
• Lack of fusion
• Poor ductility, which is the attribute of metal that lets a fabricator hammer it thin

Likewise, if the weld performs well during the testing, it shows that the welder is competent.
 

The Benefits of Destructive Testing with a Hydraulic Press

Analyzing the quality of welds is the method that many machine shops use to perform certification testing for welders and to qualify new workers.

With an effective system of destructive testing in place, the shop foreman has a simple and effective method of figuring out which person to hire. Once established, the process is probably the most economical method of hiring qualified welders.

The results of the testing are easy to interpret and analyze. Welders still in training can benefit from the process as a way to see how well they are progressing and which areas need more skill building.
 

Popular Methods of Testing

There are four common types of destructive testing in use by machine shops. These are:

• Tensile testing, which rates strength and maximum elongation
• Nick break testing, which evaluates the ductility of welds and the fusion at the joints of welds
• Bend testing, which measures ductility
• Compression testing, which analyzes elasticity and compressive strength

Which test you use depends on which part of the weld you are assessing. You need to know where weaknesses are showing up before you can start the process of eliminating them.

The more data you have, through the use of destructive testing, the higher quality your welds will be. Your ultimate goal is to avoid defects and produce resilient parts. You progress to this point by constantly monitoring your welders. In the process, they learn to identify their weaknesses and to weld with confidence and skill. Both your company and the worker benefit.
 

Hydraulic Presses and Destructive Testing

One of the best ways to perform destructive testing is with the use of hydraulic presses. It is just one more useful feature of this workhorse of the modern machine shop.

Press Master is your best source for high quality H-Frame presses and C-Frame presses, all made in North America. Work with a company that has been a leader in the field for over 30 years. Contact us Press Master today for more information.