McElroy Discussion Forums

Hey Guys!

Quick question regarding procedure on testing welds;

How long do you wait even after the alotted "cool time" on a weld to drill, cut, and test the coupon?

I only ask this because when welding even after the "cool time" you do not want to stress the weld too much even after the cool time until the weld would reach ambient pipe temperature.

For example 16" DR 11 I have a cool time of 36 min. Is it ok to test right after or should I wait for some time after.

The best procedure is to produce the sample after the sample has gone through the whole cool time and then allow the temperature to even out in both sections. PE strength is dependent on temperature (hotter PE has a lower yield strength than colder PE) and a hotter (or perhaps warmer( weld being tested against colder material might result in a false failing result.