Keeping Inspection Technology in Pace with Weld-Industry Advancements As the welding industry expands, inspection technology tools must be improved The 19th century marked the beginning of the modern welding age, and up to the present day there have been continuous advancements in the science and technology of the global welding industry. Naturally, this evolution created a demand for more advanced welding quality standards, and therefore a coinciding evolution in welding inspection technology. Today we use more inspection techniques, testing methods, and nondestructive examination (NDE) equipment than ever before to achieve weld quality assurance. Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) and Certified Welding Educators (CWEs) uphold the standards of weld quality and safety published by the American Welding Society (AWS). In order to adhere to these crucial standards, CWIs and CWEs must use the most advanced inspection equipment and visual inspection methods available. Looking for visual clues in prior-to-weld examination, using specialized cameras during the weld process, and utilizing NDE equipment must be done in parallel in order to achieve complete weld quality assurance — Fig. 1. This also presents the need for using this inspection equipment in the welding classroom to ensure the latest weld testing techniques are passed down to future CWIs and CWEs. History of Welding Industry Quality Standards The history of joining metals can be dated back several millennia to the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe and the Middle East. It was not until the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century that the modern-day electric arc was discovered. Electric arc welding techniques and technologies remained rudimentary up until World War I and II — Fig. 2. During this time period, especially in the United States, the manufacturing industry saw a massive increase in demand for military equipment, and therefore quality standardization became a necessity. Scientific standards needed to be objectively documented and published as the welding industry rapidly accelerated. The AWS began continually publishing the Welding Journal in 1922, and from there has published more than 100 codes, procedures, and safety regulations that provide welding quality assurance across the global industry. In order to uphold these standards and keep pace with this rapid, scientific evolution of the industry, demand grew for weld inspection technology that could satisfy the complex quality standards and regulations. The Reliable Eye Despite all of the modern inspection technologies in today’s welding industry, unaided visual examination continues to be the primary method to control satisfactory welding. An experienced set of eyes remains the key performance indicator for ensuring weld quality before, during, and after the weld process. Visual examination is fundamental to ensure joint fitup, setting and marking hold/check points, and checking for base metal discontinuities and cleanliness. This sets the groundwork for a proper weld and usually requires no visual aid equipment unless the target area of the weld is blind. It is not until the actual weld 48 WELDING JOURNAL / NOVEMBER 2015 BY WILL HABERMANN Fig. 1 — Live weld inspection using the Visible Welding WeldWatch V 2015-Z camera aides a welder by providing realtime, light-filtered video while recording work performed. Fig. 2 — Women workers weld handles during World War II. Fig. 3 — Live weld viewing images of the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The electrode and feed rod are clearly visible to ensure alignment during filler passes.
Welding Journal | November 2015
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