Qualifications Required to Work With a PWHT Company

Post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) is a process designed to alleviate residual stresses after welding, in order to reduce cracking and improve toughness and ductility to acceptable design levels. There are various techniques for conducting PWHT; one common one being annealing, where metals are heated below their transformation temperatures for this treatment process.

Qualifications

To work at a PWHT company, it is necessary to have the required qualifications and experience. This may involve taking part in formal training programs and certification, in addition to working independently on-site worldwide. Furthermore, you must be capable of reading and understanding PWHT charts and documentation.

Post weld heat treatment is a critical element in the construction of steel components and structures, designed to alleviate residual stresses and increase resistance against brittle fracture. Unfortunately, however, it also consumes considerable amounts of energy while creating environmental concerns.

Axiom HT offers its patented blend heating and cooling technology to shorten post weld heat treatment time and accelerate project completion, saving hours of labor costs while speeding up projects. Furthermore, their Axi-Therm technology reduces welding required to finish jobs and thus lower overall costs significantly. Furthermore, Axiom HT also offers additional services including preheating, quenching and tempering, thermal shock testing services to their customers.

Experience

PWHT technicians should possess the ability to read and interpret instructions, documentation and engineering drawings as well as understand and utilize equipment used and control heating/cooling rates, in order to pre-heat and postweld heat treat pipes of various diameters and thicknesses as part of heat treat treatment (PWHT). Furthermore, heat bands and thermocouple placement must also be included as preheating solutions prior to welding welds being heated by PWHT treatment.

PWHT at higher temperatures allows tempering and precipitation effects on certain steels to take place, which reduce hardness while improving ductility. This metallurgical change also serves to relieve residual stresses present in an as-welded structure. To support components during this process, trestles tailored specifically for their item should be placed regularly according to shape and size of component.