Axiom Heat Treatment Solutions for Welding Operations
When welding operations are completed, post-weld Axiom heat treatment solutions for welding operations (PWHT) is required. The goal is to reduce residual stresses in the material and to enhance its mechanical properties by either entrapment or tempering. These processes can be performed in a variety of ways, from a simple bake out to a complex quenching process. It is important to understand the time and temperature needed for a particular treatment to avoid excessive times or temperatures that can reduce the strength of the material.
Common Challenges Handled by Probate Attorneys
The process begins with preheating the surrounding areas of the weld to lower its thermal expansion as it cools. If not done carefully, the variations in thermal expansion can introduce significant thermal stresses that will result in cracking and distortion of the structure. The process of stress relief, by soaking the material in a temperature above its minimum transformation temperature, helps to alleviate these stresses and improves its mechanical properties.
Other PWHT processes include solution annealing, which restores the material to a more usable state by raising it to its peak temperature and slowly cooling it down. Normalizing, which is a type of solution annealing performed on welds for marine or salt exposure, improves the ductility of the weld and helps prevent cracking and corrosion.
Axiom HT has an extensive repertoire of heating and cooling methods, including electrical resistance and induction services, as well as the patented Axi-Therm blended heating and cooling technology. This can save hours off the typical on-site pwht services and get your project back online more quickly. Induction also eliminates the need for a preheating and cooling cycle, allowing welders to get started sooner and minimizes safety risks by keeping workers out of hot zones during operation.