Checking Ti welds

[Bruce Gilbert]

Has anyone investigated using X-rays to check the weld quality on titanium frames? Is that a viable
method, or is there a better way?

Bruce

 

[Ajames54]

On Tue, 21 Jan 2003 09:48:20 -0600, "Bruce Gilbert" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Has anyone investigated using X-rays to check the weld quality on titanium frames? Is that a viable
>method, or is there a better way?
>
>Bruce
>
It is one of the standard ways ... though there are lots ...

Radiographic (X-Ray) Ultra sonic, and eddy current tests common but visual "colour change" style
tests are considered good enough for some apps...

Stick +testing +titanium +radiography +welds +NDT in google, it will give you many hits... most are
rather esoteric... but you will quickly get an idea for want is and is not going on

 

[Dion Dock]

Why just TI welds? Are steel and aluminum welds checked too?

-Dion

"Bruce Gilbert" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Has anyone investigated using X-rays to check the weld quality on titanium frames? Is that a
> viable method, or is there a better way?
>
> Bruce

 

[Ajames54]

On Tue, 21 Jan 2003 16:21:53 GMT, ajames54 <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Tue, 21 Jan 2003 09:48:20 -0600, "Bruce Gilbert" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Has anyone investigated using X-rays to check the weld quality on titanium frames? Is that a
>>viable method, or is there a better way?
>>
>>Bruce
>>
> It is one of the standard ways ... though there are lots ...
>
Damn looks like I'm flunking reading comprehension... ... I would be surprised if any bike builder
X-Rays ... it is a very expensive process and for bikes ...

I would hope that (as a minimum) a few frames were tested when fixtures or suppliers changed, and I
would expect those tests to be either ultra sonic or eddy current... But I would suspect that visual
inspection is as good as it gets for most of the production run...

 

[A Muzi]

"Bruce Gilbert" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Has anyone investigated using X-rays to check the weld quality on titanium frames? Is that a
> viable method, or is there a better way?

At SR-Sakae, for example, every single cast and every single forged crank and stem got a fluoroscope
inspection. After investing in plastic-conveyor material handlers through the XRay, you've got to
run a remote display ( so your staff isn't directly adjacent to the XRay source) then you need
dual-inspectors ( because humans can't look for spots for a full 8-hour shift effectively, c.f. Pap
smear reading) and some way to flag out the suspect ones.

All that's a major commitment and we have to assume no one would bother unless there is a
significant possibility of error and also that we can reduce that incidence of error
significantly after the capital cost and continuing operations cost. Quite a complex problem of
cost anaylsis IMHO.

This is the only similar case I know of in the industry but I was pretty close to SR management.
Anyone know of another similar system?

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971