There has been lots of theory work to go along with the practical side and typing up just one page of notes can take me hours when I get distracted looking things up in more detail.
The practical work has been progressing at a good pace and I have now completed 4 test pieces that all passed, only one other student is also that far along with one or two not far behind us.
These are the side cut out views of the 3 test pieces I have passed this month.
The multi run fillet is just 3 runs but they are all done holding the electrode at a different angle. The middle 50mm section is then cut out and tested by breaking it. By breaking it you can tell if the weld fused properly to the two pieces of 10mm plate and it will show up any slag inclusions between your runs.
The closed V butt took the longest to complete, I had to grind back a lot of my runs to remove slag and smooth out the welds to prevent slag inclusions on the next run. After completing the top side it is then turned over and grinded back into the first run and tested with a dye penetrant which will show if there are any defects like cracks. After passing this test it is then filled with a final run. The middle 20mm is cut out of the piece and tested by means of a bend test of around 6 tons, the weld must withstand the weight without cracking or breaking.
The open corner is tricky to get set up and the first run is even trickier to do right. Because there is a gap between the two pieces of plate you must learn a new technique called 'key-holing'. The middle 50mm section is cut out for a break test in the same way as the multi run fillet was.
I will try to remember to take some pictures of my test pieces next time I'm in the workshop. We have to keep them in our lockers because some students have been stealing other peoples work and there has even been some vandalising of unfinished pieces. Personally I think you should have to pass some kind of maturity test before being allowed in a workshop.
Its now half term so I wont be doing any more welding for nearly two weeks, so I think I'll be catching up on some tv shows and reading.
