Just changed my mind about preheating boiler tubes

Always figured preheating before welding boiler tubes was just old timers being careful for no reason. Then I read a report from the National Board that said 60% of tube failures start at the weld joint from thermal stress. Found it in their 2023 inspection data and it showed a clear pattern. Anyone else ever get humbled by the numbers like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

dianas5016d ago

Always figured preheating before welding boiler tubes was just old timers being careful for no reason." That line hit me hard because I used to think the exact same way about a totally different thing. I always thought torquing lug nuts on trailer wheels in a star pattern was just superstition until I had a wheel fly off on the highway. The numbers don't lie though, and that 60% stat is pretty eye opening. It makes you wonder how many other little steps we skip that end up causing big problems later. I guess sometimes the old ways stick around because they actually work.

oliver_wilson4916d ago

Old ways stick around because they actually work" - amen to that.