5 Reasons to Use Destructive Testing

Destructive Testing is a common practice in the welding world. A sample of a completed weld is completely destroyed in order to study and evaluate its physical characteristics. In what situations is it best to use this kind of testing over a simple non-destructive test? Below we will discuss the top 5 reasons for using destructive testing methods.

1. Welding Procedure Qualification

A welding procedure is a guideline on how to perform a specific weld. When a new procedure is written using specific welding codes and standards provided by groups such as AWS, ASME and API, the procedure needs to go through a qualification process that includes using destructive testing methods.

2. Welder Performance Qualification

A welding procedure, talked about above, is developed for a welder to follow. In order to qualify the welder, one or several types of destructive tests are used to make sure the weld is done correctly.

3. Sampling Inspection Of Production Welds

Destructive testing can be a critical part of maintaining and monitoring quality control during production. Several tests can be beneficial to ensuring the codes and standards along with the welding procedures are all being met.

4. Research Inspection

Destructive testing is a good tool to use when a project is in the research and development stage before implementing it on the field.

5. Failure Analysis Work

Once a weld has failed the cause for failure needs to be analyzed before attempting to repair the problem. The best way to do this is through destructive testing methods which allow you to completely evaluate the characteristics of the failed weld.

The reasons discussed include the majority of times when a destructive weld test would be necessary over a visual or non-destructive test. For further research and information concerning destructive and non-destructive welds continue to follow our blog as we explore the topic in more depth.