How many welds have you actually had fail?

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For me it is when I am tacking up tiny pieces together and I miss one side but that doesn't count.  I once rigged up a devise to pull out a piece of metal next to a tree with hydraulic jacks. It was 2" heavy wall tubing. I then had to weld on a couple of extensions for clearance.Well I only welded two sides of the extensions. When I got the two jacks up to a considerable amount of pressure, I hear a loud crack and the extensions snapped off.I would consider this more of a design failure. It was interesting that the break was in the center of the welds. I assume that is because the weld metal was less ductile?
Reply:When you get old enogh, you forget the ones that failed, and remember how to make em so they don't fail.  You also get smart enough to NOT weld things you know will fail.Like Rocky D says, "experience is the name we gove our mistakes".I figure he and I both have some experience.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:I welded my aluminum sub-frame (ATV) a few times. For some reason it can't take the off-road abuse, it broke 3 times always in the center of the weld. Usually lasts about 3 months, has to be some kind of fatigue or stress. The picture is the first break before I welded it. Attached Images
Reply:cbrxx,Why not add a gusset type plate or more to it the next time?Last edited by JustLooking; 02-01-2004 at 06:05 PM.
Reply:I finally did that the third time, and its holdin so far.
Reply:In 41 years, one broker weld (white cast)...........DLNDLN
Reply:only one that i know of and told the guy ...i can weld it but it will break again ...loader bucket that had seen better days and was wore to thin and was flexing
Reply:The wors't one was in my previous life as a boilermaker, back around 1965, (I bet boilerman can relate to this).We had to grind out and weld cracks on a superheater header on a 1200 psi boiler on a destroyer. We had ground the cracks pre heated the header welded them back up with a mirror and rod bent in a "U" shape. We were post heating with heat strips, and a temperture chart recorder.Someone from the ships crew decided it was too hot in the fireroom, and turned on a blower. This induced a draft right accross the header, in theopen boiler casing. The chart recorderwent nuts. It kind of looked like a califooy earthquake. Of course we failed Q/A. Restarted the whole process. But this time we had an electrician disconnect all the vent blowers.
Reply:lol...i cut my teeth on a 1200 psi ....ex-navy here
Reply:cbrxx, what rod wre you using when welding the atv part, for if its a cast part try 4043, if it is 6061 you must add enough filler to dilute puddle or it will crack again. Yet if it continues to be a problem a gusset may help you like previous said.J P Streets Welding LLC
Reply:it was 4043 rod, but I'm not sure what the frame was made of
Reply:I know its a really old thread, but I've had only one of my products sent back to me for a weld failure.  I'm not saying that none of my other product's welds have failed.......just sayin' only one customer said something about it.  The part was actually done by my old fabricator, seven years ago.  I'd never fabricated this part myself.  Its a turbo elbow for a CT26 Toyota turbo found in a 87-92 Toyota Supra.  Like a lot of factor elbows, the stock piece is fairly restrictive, with an inlet and outlet of about 2.25".  The inlet of the elbow is a four bolt flange, into which a 90 degree piece of 16 gauge mandrel bent 3" tubing is fit.  Lots of heat goes into the piece, as the perimiter of the tube must be increased by approximately 5/8 (a 3.5" piece of tubing, after cold forming, almost fits the four bolt flange perfectly).  After the tube is heat and beat (OA torch), its fully welded (mig) on the front and back sides of the 1/2" thick HRS flange.  The failure occurred along the backside,top of the tube, where the material is stretched the most.  Here's a pic of the inlet of the item...ceramic coated:http://rabidchimp.com/catalog/produc...mage/56/-AaronLast edited by rabidchimp; 06-08-2012 at 01:00 AM.Jet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:i think even my most nasty welds have held up the abuse. I'm not building structures where people could get hurt. My last repair was the exhaust mount tab on my friends dirtbike. he had the subframe off the rear and i had to guess the location of the tab. I knew where it broke off but the alignment was purely a guess. Even if i was off a little and he forced the bolt, i was worried the vibrations would eventually break the tab again. he installed it and said he had to angle the bolt in but its held for over a year doing 3-4 motos a week.
Reply:None that were properly engineered or not horribly overloaded.     I did attempt a to weld  the base of a nervous turtle for a friend that was completely cracked through,  both of us knew it wasn't long for this world but tried to nurse it through one last job.    needless to say, it didnt work.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:2 here that where on the plow to my bucket tractor.  I'm a little rough on equipment lol. Fixed them and reinforced the piece and no problems to date.Miller bobcat 225g  - spoolmatic 1Mm250 - 30a spoolMiller spectrum 375Thermal arc 95 Everlast Ex 250As the boiler turns, these are the days of our lives
Reply:When the backwards head YZ-450 came out in 2010 I think it was. I got a couple frames that broke in the same place (Near the front fork head area)  I welded the first frame and it came back two races later broken in the same place....Then two more frames failed.....I stopped welding them when I saw that Yamaha had a design problem.......The dealer gave them a new frame and it broke......Some things you just don't weld until you do your home work.....Last edited by B_C; 06-12-2012 at 08:35 PM.  Miller Dynasty 350Twenty Six HammersThree Crow BarsBig Rock
Reply:I had one fail yesterday. I had welded some shopping cart corrals to the concrete posts at a local grocery store. A semi backed over one of the posts yesterday, and one of the welds broke, but not completely. It was 1" angle and was holding on by a quarter inch.The post was an 18" diameter concrete column, about 4 feet tall. It ws sitting flat in the parking lot, and the cart corral was sticking almost straight up in the air long ways, I don't feel to bad about that one failing.I wish I would have thought to take a few pictures before I cut it down with my torch.
Reply:Silva have i worked with you?  Are you bm el machinist?Are you on swingshift?Your name sounds really familiar but cant picture your face.“I'm going to do the thing that God put Galen Beasley on this Earth to do:Have Salon quality hair and weld.Nothing like a good cup of coffee and the smell of 6010 burning in the morning. 971-204-3444 cell API ASME Structural NDT and Repair
Reply:yup welded up some tube that was supposed to be monel 400 with rn60 and the warehouse made a mistake and pulled 316L cracked out during the hydro test needless to say the parts were scrappedMiller Xmt 350Lincoln Ln-25Ahp 200xSmith Gas Mixer AR/HTig is my Kung FuThrowing down dimes and weaving aboutInstagram http://instagram.com/[email protected]
Reply:For me it was a house column on a marion 8720 dragline. The base plates were bolted but they had stretched and bent and the old weld repairs broke. I told the boss (a fitter) that the 2.5mm farmers rods wouldn't be enough but he insisted. I bet it broke as soon as they walked it off the pad.