Issue 167 July/Augus t 2 0 1 0

September 2010
Advanced Structures Technical
Group Meeting
Milau Viaduct
Thu 9
Great Abington
5th Joint TWI/EWI Seminar
Joining of Aerospace
Materials
Tue 21 Wed 22
USA

October 2010
AWFTE Conference
Worldskills London 2011
the Greatest Skills Event in
the World
Friday 1
Rotherham
WJS Seminar
Standards for Offshore Power
and Low Carbon Energy
Tue 12
Middlesbrough
Technology Awareness Day
(Industrial Members only)
Materials Selection and
Failure Avoidance
This event will also be available
online via live streaming
Thu 14
Great Abington
Joint Technical Group Meeting
Offshore Oil and Gas and
Welding Processes
Thu 14
Aberdeen
Open Day
TWI Technology Centre
(Yorkshire)
Tue 19

The magazine of TWI

HRH The Prince of Wales

celebrates his scholars success
HRH Prince of Wales, Chancellor
of the University of Wales,
welcomed Prince of Wales
Innovation Scholars and their
company representatives to
his official Welsh residence in
Llwynywermod, West Wales,
in celebration of the projects
success on 2 July 2010.
A Clarence House spokesperson
commented: The Prince of Wales was
delighted to meet the first group of
participants from The Prince of Wales
Innovation Scholars programme following
the launch of the project last year. His Royal
Highness was keen to hear of the scholars
progress through their work with the
University of Wales Global Academy.
POWIS is a partly EU-funded scholarship
project which places a world class scholar
in a company for a period of three years,
during which time they undertake research
and development on any aspect of the
companys work; whether that is to improve
the companys products and services, their
internal processes or the way that they
interact with other companies

Rotherham

Workshops and seminars

are recognised
Continuous Professional
Development events

Sri Naga Pavan Addepalli is our TWI

POWIS Scholar under the supervision of
Professor Rod Thomas, who is responsible
for Thermographic Inspection training at
TWI. They are both based at TWI NDT
Validation Centre (Wales), Port Talbot.
The TWI project deals with adopting
w w w . t w i . c o . u k

Photo courtesy Rhys Webber

Diary events

HRH Prince of Wales with Sri Naga Pavan Addepalli

and Professor Rod Thomas

and developing the latest non-contact

infrared thermographic technology to
identify various failure modes of complex
aerospace composite materials and
establish thermography as a new NDT
technology. TWI through its Training &
Examination service has also developed
new Thermographic Inspection Training
Courses. One of the advantages of this
technology is that it is able to investigate
relatively large surface areas quickly and
efficiently. This is of particular significance to
the aerospace industry where the kissing
bond phenomena is of major concern and
is a focus of this research.

Q
JoinIT
A

What are the residual stresses in a

dissimilar metal weld?
Can non-round parts be rotary
friction welded?
What protective hardcoats are
available for plastics?

register now

www.twi.co.uk

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July/August 2010

TWI Technology Awareness Day

Materials Selection and Failure Avoidance
14 October 2010, Cambridge
TWI will hold its third Technology
Awareness Day on Thursday,
14 October 2010.

opportunity for TWI members to

get an update on the most recent
research and advances in this area.

We are pleased to welcome Professor

John Irven, chairman of TWIs Research
Board., as the keynote speaker. This
year,the day is dedicated to TWIs
Structural Integrity and Materials
Departments.

Presentations will cover corrosion

considerations in materials selection,
design and fabrication; coatings for
corrosion mitigation and corrosion
testing. The session on Life Extension
will address advances in fatigue life
management; Engineering Critical
Assessment for life extension and
management of ageing assets. For a
full programme and registration details
please go to: http://www.eventsforce.
net/10TAD.

Corrosion and structural integrity

management have been an integral
part of TWI for more than 60 years
and TWI has established a world class
reputation for supplying high calibre
services to clients across all industry
sectors. This event represents a unique

Attendees will have the opportunity

to request one-to-one meetings with

our experts on the registration form.
For the first time,we are alsooffering
an interactive online option for
members to attend this event. No
travelling required! Watch only the
topics of interest! There is also a
Q&A facility to allow you to ask
questions which will be passed on
to the speakers in real time. Please
register here http://www.eventsforce.
net/10LTAD for the online event.
The event is a membership benefit
and free for TWI Industrial Members.
For further details please contact:
viola.augstein@twi.co.uk

For further information on TWI, visit the website atwww.twi.co.uk

New Members of TWI

TWI is pleased to welcome the following as Industrial Members

Axeon Technologies Ltd

UK
Design and manufacture of
customer battery systems
Citech Energy Recovery
Systems UK Ltd
UK
Energy recovery systems
Cummins Generator
Technologies
UK
Turbochargers for commercial
diesel engines
Denso Marston Ltd
UK
Manufacture of engine cooling
components

Co n n e c t J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 0

EUTELSAT SA
France
Satellite communications
Hgans AB
Sweden
Metal powders
J Ray McDermott Inc
USA
Design, fabrication, transport
and installation of offshore
platforms and pipelines

Malaysia
Aluminium formwork

UK
Inspection of pressure systems

Nabtesco Corporation
Japan
Aerospace equipment and
precision machinery

Texmaco Limited
India
Manufacturer of railway freight
cars, steel castings and hydro
mechanical equipment

NKT Flexibles I/S

Denmark
Manufacture of flexible pipe
systems

Mecc.AL srl a Socio Unico

Italy
Heat sink manufacturer

Siemens AG,
Energy Muelheim
Germany
Power generation

MFE Formwork
Technology Sdn Bhd

R & A Kay Inspection

Services Ltd

www.twi.co.uk e-mail:twi@twi.co.uk

Vantrunk Ltd
UK
Cable management and
support systems manufacturer
Zakum Development
Company
UAE
Oil and gas production

July/August 2010

New Chief Executive

TWI is pleased to announce
that Christoph Wiesner took
up the reins as the new
Chief Executive on 1 July. He
succeeds Bob John who, for the
past six years, has presided
over the expansion of TWI both
in the UK and overseas.

methods. More recently his focus

has been on people, business and
innovation management as a key
member of TWIs Executive Board
team.

Christoph joined TWI in 1991 after

obtaining his materials engineering
degree in Germany and his doctorate
at the Swiss Institute of Technology.
He worked for twelve years in TWIs
Structural Integrity Group, first as
Senior Project Leader and later in
Section and Group management roles,
before being appointed TWI Research
& Technology Director in 2003.

Experiences and networking

activities include contributions to,
and chairmanship of, BSI and CEN
standardisation committees and the
UK Technical Advisory Group on the
Structural Integrity of High Integrity
Plant (TAGSI); membership of the
Board of Directors and chairmanship
of the Technical Management Board of
the International Institute of Welding
(IIW).

Much of his early research and

consulting work has been in the
application and development of
structural assessment and test

He oversaw the growth in TWIs

Technology Programme value through
publicly funded programmes, both
from the UK and EU and took a
leading role in the TWIs externally
accredited management systems.

Responding to the announcement

of his appointment, Christoph

commented that he is very much

looking forward to the new role as
well as the challenges it holds: I feel
honoured to have been selected and
will do my utmost to lead TWI into a
promising future in order to serve the
members, customers and staff of this
great organisation.

TWI seminars in Japan and China

Friction technologies - benefits for manufacturing
For the third year in a row, TWI is
looking forward to running seminars
in Japan and China. This years
events will take place on Tuesday
23 November 2010 at the
Northwestern Polytechnical University
in Xian, China, and a week later, on
Tuesday 30 November 2010,at
the Jidousha Kaikan (Automotive
Center) in Tokyo, Japan.
The seminars are whole day events
with the morning session being open

to TWI Members and non-Members,

the afternoon being for Members only.
This years topic is Friction technologies
- benefits for manufacturing.
Presentations will cover a broad
range of latest advances and future
developments in friction technologies
including friction stir, rotary and
linear friction welding and stationary
shoulder friction stir welding.
We believe the variety of this years

www.twi.co.uk e-mail:twi@twi.co.uk

programme includes something

of interest to everybody and are
hoping to see many of our Japanese
and Chinese business partners at
the seminars. Formal invitations will
be sent out in September In the
meantime, if you have any questions,
please dont hesitate to contact
Graham Wylde or Steve Shi at
graham.wylde@twi.co.uk or
steve.shi@twi.co.uk

Connect July/August 2010

Technolog y Transfer

Job Knowledge
107 Welding of nickel alloys
Part 1
Nickel is a relatively simple metal. It
is face centred cubic and undergoes
no phase changes as it cools from
melting point to room temperature;
similar to a stainless steel. Nickel
and its alloys cannot therefore be
hardened by quenching so cooling
rates are less important than with,
say, carbon steel and preheating if
the ambient temperature is above
5OC is rarely required. Nickel and its
alloys are used in a very wide range of
applications from high temperature

Alloy
designation

compositions of some of the more

common alloys are given in the Table.
All the conventional welding
processes can be used to weld
nickel and its alloys and matching
welding consumables are available.
As mentioned above, nickel and its
alloys are similar in many respects to
the austenitic stainless steels; welding
procedures are likewise also similar.
Nickel, however, has a coefficient
of thermal expansion less than that
of stainless steel so distortion and
distortion control measures are similar
to those of carbon steel.
The most serious cracking problem

Alloy
type

etc left behind following inadequate

cleaning; excess sulphur in the
parent or weld filler metals causing a
problem is a rare event. Machining or
vigorous stainless steel wire brushing
followed by thorough degreasing
with a suitable solvent is necessary
prior to welding, with the welding
taking place within about eight hours
to reduce the risk of contamination.
Any heat treatment must be carried
out using sulphur-free fuel or by using
electric furnaces. Components that
have been in service and require
weld repair may need to be ground
or machined prior to degreasing to
remove any contaminants that have

Typical chemical composition %

Mechanical properties

Ni

Cr

Mo

Fe

Nb

Al

Ti

Others

0.2%
proof,
MPa

UTS,
MPa

El,
%

Alloy 200

CP

99.2

0.2

Mn 0.3

148

452

45

Monel 400

SS

68

1.75

Cu 33

235

562

38

Monel K500
Alloy 600

PH
SS

65
75

15.5

1.25
8.5

2.95
-

0.55
-

Cu 32

795
305

1100
670

18
40

Alloy 617

SS

46

22

0.75

1.25

0.45

345

725

60

Alloy 625
Alloy 718
Alloy 800
Alloy 825
Alloy C276

SS
PH
SS
SS
SS

64
52
32
42
55

22
19
22
21.5
15.5

8
3
3
16

2.75
Rem
42
38
5.5

3.65
5.2
-

0.25
0.5
0.45
0.1
-

0.25
0.95
0.45
0.9
-

472
1100
290
330
345

920
1420
605
715
795

45
18
42
39
60

Nimonic PE16

PH

44

16.7

3.3

29

1.2

1.2

450

825

28

Co 12.5
B 0.004
Cu 2.25
W 3.75
B 0.004
Zr 0.03

Table. Typical composition and properties of some of the more common alloys
oxidation and creep resistance service
to aggressive corrosive environments
and very low temperature cryogenic
applications. Nickel may be used in a
commercially pure form but is more
often combined with other elements
to produce two families of alloys
solid solution strengthened alloys and
precipitation hardened alloys. Typical

Co n n e c t J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 0

with nickel alloys is hot cracking in

either the weld metal or close to the
fusion line in the HAZ with the latter
being the more frequent. The main
source of this problem is sulphur but
phosphorus, lead, bismuth and boron
also contribute. Both weld metal and
HAZ cracking are generally the result
of contamination by grease, oil, dirt,

become embedded in the surface

in or adjacent to the weld repair
area. Remember that if mechanical
wire brushing is carried out AFTER
the degreasing operation or during
welding the compressed air from air
powered tools contains both moisture
and oil and the cleaned surfaces may
be therefore be re-contaminated.

www.twi.co.uk e-mail:twi@twi.co.uk

Technolog y Transfer

Porosity can be a problem with the

nickel alloys, the main culprit being
nitrogen. As little as 0.025% nitrogen
will form pores in the solidifying
weld metal. Quite light draughts are
capable of disrupting the gas shield
and atmospheric contamination will
occur resulting in porosity. Care must
be taken to ensure that the weld
area is sufficiently protected and this
is particularly relevant in site welding
applications. With the gas shielded
processes, gas purity and the efficiency
of the gas shield must be as good as
possible. Gas hoses should be checked
for damage and leaks at regular
intervals and, with the TIG process,
as large a ceramic shroud as possible
should be used together with a gas
lens. It goes without saying that gas
purging of the root is essential when
depositing a TIG root pass.
A small amount of hydrogen (up
to 10%) added to the argon shield
gas has been found to reduce the
problem. Start and finish porosity
is a problem when MMA welding.
The weld start should be carried out
by welding back over the arc strike
position, remelting any porosity that
has formed due to the poor gas
shielding at the start of the weld.
Care also needs to be taken at the
weld end, with the arc length reduced
and travel speed increased slightly to
reduce weld pool size.
Oxygen is also a cause of porosity
in certain circumstances when it
combines with carbon in the weld
pool to form carbon monoxide.
Consumable manufacturers generally
overcome this problem by ensuring
that sufficient deoxidants (primarily
manganese, aluminium and titanium)
are present in the filler metal.
One feature of nickel alloys that is

often encountered is the formation

on the surface of the weld pool of a
viscous and adherent scum. This can
be difficult to remove and can result in
inclusions and lack of inter-run fusion
if not removed prior to depositing the
next pass. Wire brushing is frequently
not sufficient to remove this layer and
it then becomes necessary to grind
the weld surface.
The weld pool, in addition to this
surface film, is also sluggish and does
not flow freely as with a carbon or
stainless steel. This may result in a
lumpy and very convex weld bead
and a poor toe blend unless the
welder manipulates the weld pool to
avoid such defects. Although stringer
beads may be used, a slight weave to
assist the weld metal to wet the side
walls of the preparation is beneficial.
In addition, weld preparations must
be sufficiently wide to enable the
welder to control and direct the weld
pool; an included angle of 70 to 800
is recommended for V butt welds.
A U preparation included angle of
30 to 400 is acceptable and, though
more expensive to machine than a V
preparation, may be cheaper overall as
the amount of filler wire required can
be reduced, depending on material
thickness. Addition of hydrogen to
the shield gas (up to 10%H in argon)
in TIG welding also has been found
to be beneficial in reducing the weld
pool surface tension.
A further characteristic of nickel alloys
is that the amount of penetration is
less than with a carbon or stainless
steel. Increasing the welding current
will not increase penetration. The
implication of this is that the root
face thickness in single sided full
penetration welds should be less
than with a stainless steel. It is
recommended that the thickness of

w ww.twi.co.uk e-mail:twi@twi.co.uk

the root face should not be greater

than 1.5mm in a zero gap TIG butt
weld. Removable backing strips are
very useful to control root bead
shape. These can be made from
copper, stainless steel or a nickel alloy.
Carbon or low alloy steel backing
strips should be avoided.
Although weldability of nickel and
its alloys is generally good the
composition, metallurgical structure
and its heat treatment and/or
service history all affect its response
to welding. Wrought, fine grained
components have better weldability
than cast items as these often have
significant amounts of segregation.
Coarse grains may lead to microfissuring in the HAZ thus high heat
input is best avoided. All the alloys
are best welded in the annealed or
solution treated condition and this
applies particularly to the precipitation
hardenable alloys such as Inconel 718.
Further precautions to be taken with
the commoner welding processes and
recommendations on the welding of
specific alloys will be covered in Part 2.
This article was written by
Gene Mathers
Connect July/August 2010

July/August 2010

CSWIP Welding Quality Control

Co-ordinator scheme launched
The first CSWIP Welding Quality Control Co-ordinator
course will take place in Abington, UK on 23 - 27 August
(4 days training and 1 day examination). The next
course has been scheduled for 27 Sept 1 October in
Middlesbrough. It will be followed by a November course
(venue to be dependent on student location demand).
The qualification is a natural career progression
for experienced inspection personnel who wish to
demonstrate their level of competence in the field of
Quality Control Management.

The requirements for candidates to be able to take the

examination are, as a minimum:

A current valid CSWIP 3.2 Senior Welding Inspector

certification plus three years documented experience
related to the duties and responsibilities or an
International equivalent.

OR

The programme covers:

A current valid CSWIP 3.1 Welding Inspector with 10

years documented experience related to the duties
and responsibilities or an International equivalent.

OR

Planning

Inspection test plans (quality plans)

Review and acceptance of: material certification,

mechanical testing reports, welding procedures
qualifications, welder qualifications, PWHT reports and
procedures, pressure testing reports, NDT reports,
as-built drawings, engineering query, non-conformance
reports, final certification.

When the above requirements are not met, candidates

can be assessed on an individual case by case basis
for entry. (The candidate must show competence and
knowledge of subjects covered as detailed below.)

Below is a list of typical prior knowledge requirements:

Application of the requirements of codes and standards.

Use and application of inspection quality test plans/

written schemes of examination.

Knowledge of quality related procedures and associated

practices.

Identification of relevant material, components and

associated certification.

Awareness of associated manufacturing processes and

operations.

Knowledge of heat treatment procedures, recording

systems and reports.

Awareness of hydrostatic test methods, safety and best

practice and pneumatic testing.

Knowledge of non-destructive testing and destructive

mechanical testing.

Health and safety requirements and practices.

For more information or to enrol, please contact

Customer Services on +44 (1223) 899500 or e-mail
trainexam@twi.co.uk

Co n n e c t J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 0

www.twi.co.uk e-mail:twi@twi.co.uk

July/August 2010

News in brief
WJS/DVS Conference on Joining
PlasticsInternational Conference on
the latest developments in joining
plastics in mass production and
fabrication
2 November 2010
Handwerkskammer, Dsseldorf,
Germany
This event, which will be conducted
in English, is organised jointly by the
WJS of The Welding Institute and the
German Welding Society (DVS) and
will provide a unique opportunity for
fabricators, processors, manufacturers,
design engineers and product
developers to discover the latest
technical developments from industrial
and academic experts from Europe
and North America.
Twenty papers will be presented in

two parallel sessions, one dealing with

mass production welding and the
other concentrating on fabrication
welding. Areas covered will include
new developments in laser welding,
infrared welding, ultrasonic welding,
and adhesive bonding; welding of
thermoplastic tanks and pipes; joining
of composites; testing of welded joints;
and qualification of plastics welders.
For further information please contact
simone.mahlstedt@dvs-hg.de or
visit the website www.dvs-ev.de/
joiningplastics2010.

One day seminar TWI Technology

Centre (Yorkshire), Rotherham
19-20 October 2010
The seminar will include presentations
and demonstrations held at TWIs

Technology Centre in Rotherham on

the 19 October 2010, with the option
of further one-to-one discussions on
the 20 October with TWI engineers.
The day will provide overview of
the technology and highlight recent
technological advances, giving
companies the chance to see the
benefits from early industrial adoption
of the process.
Friction stir welding of steel has been
in development for over a decade, but
only in recent years have the strength
and wear characteristics of the tool
materials improved extensively.
For more information, contact
jonathan.martin@twi.co.uk or
jonathan.perrett@twi.co.uk

UK and China co-operate in steel research

The 1st UK-China Steel
Research Forum was held at
the University of Leicester
19-20 July 2010

embrittlement of
welded subsea oil and
gas transport systems
- remaining technology
gaps.

Seventy-five people attended the

forum, representing 20 universities and
15 research and industrial companies
from both the UK and China.
The forum was sponsored by the
Chinese Embassy in the UK, IOM3,
East Midland Materials Society
and other industry companies and
Universities, including TWI.
As an invited speaker, Dr Paul Woollin
gave a presentation on Hydrogen

Dr Lijuan Zhang also

presented results of
research work related
to the weldment
properties of duplex
stainless steel and
9-12%Cr steels.
Dr Paul Woollin and Dr Lijuan Zhang of TWI
The organising
at the Research Forum in Leicester.
committee has
by Wuhan University of Science and
provisionally agreed that
Technology and Wuhan Iron and Steel
the 2nd UK-China Steel Research
Forum will be held in 2012 in Wuhan, (Group) Corporation.
China, and will be jointly organised

www.twi.co.uk e-mail:twi@twi.co.uk

Connect July/August 2010

Issue 167 July/Augus t 2 0 1 0

Connect is the
bi-monthly magazine
of TWI
Editor
Penny Edmundson
Photography
Simon Condie
Production
Penny Edmundson
Copyright TWI Ltd 2010

Articles may be
reprinted with
permission from TWI.
Storage in electronic
media is not permitted.
Articles in this
publication are for
information only.
TWI does not accept
responsibility for the
consequences of actions
taken by others after
reading this information.
Published by
TWI Ltd, Granta Park,
Great Abington,
Cambridge CB21 6AL, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1223 899000
Fax: +44 (0)1223 892588
E-mail: twi@twi.co.uk
www.twi.co.uk
TWI Technology Centre
(North East)
Tel: +44 (0)1642 216 320
Fax: +44 (0)1642 252 218
TWI Technology Centre
(Yorkshire)
Tel: +44 (0)114 269 9046
Fax: +44 (0)114 269 9781
TWI NDT Validation
Centre (Wales)
Tel: +44 (0)1639 873 100
Fax: +44 (0)1639 864 679
TWI Aberdeen
Tel: + 44(0)1224 691222

Join TWIs new group

in LinkedIn!
Over 70 million professionals use
the LinkedIn social networking
website to exchange information,
business ideas and opportunities.
TWI has created a group in LinkedIn so
that you can stay informed about our news,
events, services, technologies and jobs.
We also aim to divert visitors to different
subgroups (also managed by TWI) for more
focused areas for discussion and news
sharing.
Find the people and knowledge you need
to achieve your goals. The TWI group is
composed of people with similar industry
interests.
The Welding Engineering Network
subgroup, which is up and running, is
managed by Sayee Raghunathan, one of
TWIs Technology Group Managers.

There you will be able to participate in

discussions, find out about specific events
and news related to this area, and more.
Already in LinkedIn?
Join our TWI - Technology
Engineering group: www.linkedin.com/
groupRegistration?gid=2888580
Join our Welding Engineering
Network subgroup: www.linkedin.com/
groupRegistration?gid=2948627
Not yet on LinkedIn?
Get the most from your professional
network
Join LinkedIn today: www.linkedin.com
If you have any queries, please contact
the Marketing Department on
+44 (0)1223 899000

TWI contributes towards Royal flower show gold

TWI played a major part in the
gold medal winning garden at
Sandringham in July.
Designed by Giles Landscapes, the gardens
theme was a nostalgic look back to the
industrial revolution.
TWIs contribution was an artificially aged
steel water feature which carried a steady
flow of water, at exactly the right height,
falling vertically from the end of a trough to
form a water curtain.
Quite a challenge!

Many visitors on the day, including the Prince

of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall,
complimented the designers on the award
winning garden.

8
w w w . t w i . c o . u k

e - m a i l : t w i @ t w i . c o . u k