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Preventing Catastrophic Welding Failures

Posted November 21, 2009 8:13 AM

Welding failures have resulted in catastrophic consequences. For instance, a defective 6 mm weld wrecked the Norwegian Alexander Kielland semi-submersible drilling rig, taking 123 lives in 1980. To prevent similar future disasters and economic consequences of possible weld failures in gas transport and deep-sea oil equipment, European researchers are spending €4.8 million ($7.2 million USD) on the MintWeld project. Do you think more accurate modeling of the welding process from the atomic scale up could help prevent weld failures?

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Tornado Guru Join Date: May 2009 Location: Richland, WA, USA Posts: 20970 Good Answers: 780	#1 Re: Preventing Catastrophic Welding Failures 11/21/2009 6:47 PM
	It might. What sorts of weld procedure qualifications, personnel qualifications, fit-up inspections, and weld testing (dye, magnetic particle, ultrasound, x-ray), were used in the first place? Sometimes it works to do what is already known, rather than throw all faith into this or that fancy new technology. __________________ In vino veritas; in cervisia carmen; in aqua E. coli.
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vermin Guru Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Silicon Valley Posts: 5356 Good Answers: 49	#2 Re: Preventing Catastrophic Welding Failures 11/22/2009 1:04 AM
	However, let us not lose sight of the importance of maintaining the possibility of a welding accident. Without welding accidents, no housing complex, shopping mall, or multi-purpose complex would ever be built. Every time some speculative fool starts one of these projects during a bubble, then suddenly finds out that there's been a burst, and there's absolutely no way he's going to get anyone to pay $3,000 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, a sudden "welding accident" occurs. Of course, this usually destroys the entire building site, leaving some insurance company to bail his greedy ass out. This seems to be a major cause of fire in the Silicon Valley... And has become predictable. __________________ "Perplexity is the beginning of dementia" - Professor Coriolus
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phoenix911 Guru Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 22706 Good Answers: 411	#3 Re: Preventing Catastrophic Welding Failures 11/22/2009 2:04 PM
	I agree with Tornado. use what is already in place insead of passing more requirements that may also not be implemented. p911 __________________ “ When people get what they want, they are often surprised when they get what they deserve " - James Wood
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dgibson Power-User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amarillo, Texas, USA Posts: 188 Good Answers: 10	#4 Re: Preventing Catastrophic Welding Failures 11/23/2009 11:10 AM
	Looks like they will need to use some of tcmtech's simulation software.
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Jerry New Hampshire Power-User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Northeast corner of the sphere Posts: 310 Good Answers: 7	#5 Re: Preventing Catastrophic Welding Failures 11/23/2009 6:12 PM
	Even if they produce all steel and consumables in a laboratory, and do all the welding with robots and real-time monitoring of all the parameters in a laboratory, Murphy's Law will still ensure that there will be failures. There is nothing foolproof on this planet, with the possible exception of gravity. If we try to build to zero failure potential, then nothing will be built. There is the point of diminishing returns where more time and energy is expended than will be made up for by the increase in production. Build as best as you practically can, and then monitor and repair as required. Failure in any one of these 3 areas will compromise its integrity. __________________ How can you be two places at once when you're actually nowhere at all?
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