• Kadumberi, Arjun Prakash Thattaliyath
• Oleary, Richard
• Gachagan, Anthony

Abstract

Electrofusion welding (EFW) is a widely used technique for joining polyethylene pipes in the oil, gas and water industry. Like many welding and joining methods, the joints created by EFW can exhibit a range of flaw types that can be attributed to process variables such as: poor preparation of the parent material, contamination of the weld surfaces prior to welding and operator and/or equipment failure during the welding process. This paper describes ultrasonic testing using 128-channel linear array with a DYNARAY system to acquire data from a range of joints created using EFW. The samples were created in the laboratory with a range of defects that represent those commonly observed in the field. The samples were subsequently destructively tested using tensile testing of the coupling-pipe interface. Good corroboration was achieved between the observed weld quality from the ultrasonic data and the weld strength <br/>determined by the destructive testing. <br/>

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• surface
• strength
• defect
• ultrasonic
• joining