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How Stress Relief In Welding Is Typically Applied To Pipes And Special Considerations

21 January 2020

Alexa Brooks

Pipe weld stress relief services provide stress relief to pipes that have been welded together in a manufacturing or industrial setting. Sometimes, welding may be used in plumbing, but the majority of pipe welding services range from oil and gas lines to large diameter pipes in a chemical factory. When arc welding is used to seal these pipes, it is very effective, but it also adds a great deal of molecular stress to the joint. To combat that stress, you need to hire someone who can alleviate welding stress. Here is how stress relief in welding is typically applied to pipes, and the special considerations needed for pipe welding.

Controlling Temperature During the Welding Process

If pipes are going to be welded together and have not as of yet been welded, then the stress relief practice is to control the temperature of the filler material and the overall transferred heat from the welding instruments. To do that, the welder very carefully and very slowly applies the filler, allowing things to cool in between each new bit of filler added between the pipe joints. The transfer of heat over the pipes is monitored with special instruments to make sure the temperature does not rise too high or too quickly. In so doing, the bond is just as strong as it would be with any other arc welding job, but without the concern for stress on the pipe joint.

Refining the Welding Procedures and Techniques

Good preparation for welding equals good stress relief. A welder has to approach the job by attempting to reduce shrinkage and balancing the weld. Slow and steady hands and keeping materials consistent and at consistent temperatures is a good start, but thicker welds and v-groove welding increases strength of the welding and reduces overall stress fractures in the weld. This is why only the best welders with the most experience work to help customers with welding stress relief. 

Special Considerations for Pipes

Pipes are hollow. They allow liquids and gases to run through them, and it is important that pipes do not bend where they should not. Stresses in pipes can create potential areas of danger, especially if the pipes will be transporting flammable or potentially explosive materials great distances. Welds on pipe joints have to be done right the first time, preferably before any pipe carries any material over a distance. Relieving pipe weld stress requires that whatever is typically channeled through these pipes is not channeled at all for safety reasons. 

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