Checking Ti welds

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

 

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

 

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

 

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...

 

"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