During construction of new wind turbine structures, defects were discovered in the welding. Thorough weld failure analysis was required before work could continue.
THE INCIDENT
Our client was contracted by a large offshore wind farm company to assemble a key part of the turbine structures. During the welding process, deficiencies were found and construction had to be halted.
OUR WORK
There can be many types of weld failure causes, so our metallurgical consulting services were required to complete a thorough weld failure analysis. Advanced metallurgical analysis was used to investigate the issues with the welding joints.
With optical and scanning electron microscopy, we discovered problems with both the joint preparation and the actual weld process itself.
THE RESULT
Following our weld failure analysis, it was concluded that incorrect joint preparation had led to the issue, and stricter control of the welding process was needed. It was also recommended that recertifying of welders should be carried out, to ensure their knowledge and skills were maintained to the highest standard.