Aircraft welding procedures involve a high level of precision because high investments and people's lives are involved. Superior quality welding procedures ensure the integrity of the aircraft's parts, durability, and people's trust. Aircraft welding involves joining multiple parts that might involve engine mounts, tanks, exhausts, and more.
Aerospace, aviation, marine, transportation, construction, and other similar industries are where welding is common. It involves complex processes, environmental conditions, and others that make it tough. Therefore, ensuring that everything is being done safely for the sake of the company's reputation is crucial.
This blog post mentions some points for measuring the quality of effective aircraft welding operations.
Skilled Labour
The first thing you need to ensure about the quality of an aircraft welding company is to check the experience level of its labor. Aircraft welding procedures are complex, and processes such as TIG or GTAW welding are labor-intensive welding techniques.
Not everybody can perform such welding procedures as they require years of experience with the right labor skills and in-depth knowledge of the technical side. This will ensure that the welding processes are in safe hands.
Cleanliness
A professional aerospace welding company would never compromise on the quality of its welding. If the welding environment is not free from dust, it can badly hamper the welding quality. Dust and dirt can result in faulty welding outputs, poor physical appearance, and weak welding joints. Therefore, you must ensure that your welding environment is contaminant-free.
Welding Bond Quality
You must ensure that the quality of the welding bond is smooth and there are no bumps or pockets in the weldings’ output. The beads ripples should be evenly spaced and have uniform thickness. Moreover, you must ensure precise application and quality afterward to check if the company is doing the process accurately. The bonding strength should be up to mark, and extra thickness should be added for maximum strength.
The Variety Of Welding
Aircraft welding doesn't rely on a single method of welding. Rather, different welding methods come in handy when you have to join different metal parts and ensure their strength. For example, the GTAW method of welding is the cleanest welding method for numerous applications as it is subjected to the lack of fusion. Therefore different materials would need different welding methodologies to avoid errors and poor quality welding.
Tests
A professional aircraft welding company will ensure that the parts will perform as expected. For this, the items may be subjected to various tests before the final flight takes place. The purpose is to ensure a safe welding procedure and the reliability of the manufactured item.
Proper Job Planning
Proper job planning can minimize the chances of errors during the welding process. It involves deciding on the best welding procedure, best welding position, time, place, and whether the job can be performed through automation processes or not.
What Are The Common Signs Of A Bad Weld?
Bad welding will never produce uniform results. Some indications of a bad weld include:
- Lack of uniformity
- Cracks down the middle of the beads
- Lack of discoloration in the metal
- Undercutting and spatter
- Porosity, and metal globules formed after the welding
Any non-uniform welding output is a sign of a bad weld.
About Acorn Welding
Acorn Welding is a Canadian-based aviation welding specialist. We are a one-stop solution for all your aerospace welding needs and aircraft-related parts. We have the right expertise for various welding processes and ensure that quality work is delivered every time.
