Product quality testing

RathGibson products undergo comprehensive quality testing. When you choose a RathGibson product, you can be assured that it is of the highest quality.

Test		Type	Typical Specifications	Products	Who performs the testing?	Minimum Sampling	Description
Strength	Tensile	Destructive	A370, E8	Standard	RathGibson	Heat Lot Order	Finds the maximum amount of force required to pull the product to its failure point.
Strength	Burst	Destructive	—	Standard	RathGibson	Heat Lot Order	Ascertains the maximum amount of internal pressure a product is able to withstand before reaching its failure point.
Hardness	Rockwell	Destructive	E18, A370	Standard	RathGibson	Heat Lot Order	An indentor is applied to a sample under a minor and then a major load. The difference in depth of penetration determines the placement of the material in relation to the Rockwell scale.
Hardness	Micro	Destructive	E92	Optional	RathGibson	Heat – Lot Order	Calculated from the length of the impression made after a precision diamond indenter is applied into the material at a certain load.
Hardness	Eddy Current	NDE	E309	Standard	RathGibson	100%	An encircling coil that the tubing is passing through is energized inducing eddy currents in the tubing. The presence of any discontinuities in the entire circumference of the tubular product will alter the normal flow of currents and this change is detected.
Soundness	Ultrasonic Testing	NDE	E213	Optional	RathGibson and/or Independent Lab	100%	As a transducer is passed over the pipe or tube, it releases pulsewaves. Imperfections are detected by analyzing the returning waves.
Soundness	X-Ray	NDE	—	Optional	RathGibson and/or Independent Lab	100%	Especially useful in weld inspections.
Leak & Strength	Hydrostatic	NDE	A1016	Optional	RathGibson	100%	The inside of a tube or pipe is pressurized by a nearly incompressible liquid, and then examined for leaks or permanent shape changes.
Leak	Air Under Water	NDE	A1016, A1046	Optional	RathGibson	100%	Air is injected and then the tube/pipe placed underwater for visual leak detection.
Leak	Pressure Decay	NDE	A1046	Optional	RathGibson	100%	Air is injected and the air pressure within the pipe/tube is measured over time.
Bend Testing	Reverse Bend	Destructive	A370	Standard	RathGibson	1500’ or Heat Lot Order	Ductility, the physical property of sustaining large irreversible deformations without fracturing of the tube/pipe and/or the weld, is measured.
Bend Testing	Flattening	Destructive	A370	Standard	RathGibson	1500’ or Heat Lot Order	Ductility, the physical property of sustaining large irreversible deformations without fracturing of the tube/pipe and/or the weld, is measured.
Bend Testing	Reverse Flattening	Destructive	A370	Standard	RathGibson	1500’ or Heat Lot Order	Ductility, the physical property of sustaining large irreversible deformations without fracturing of the tube/pipe and/or the weld, is measured.
Bend Testing	Flange	Destructive	A370	Standard	RathGibson	1500’ or Heat Lot Order	Ductility, the physical property of sustaining large irreversible deformations without fracturing of the tube/pipe and/or the weld, is measured.
Dimensional	OD, Wall, Straightness	NDE	—	Standard	RathGibson	1500’	All these tests ascertain the integrity of any welds and the verification of wall thickness throughout the length of pipe.
Metallurgical	Grain Size	Destructive	E112	Optional	RathGibson	Heat Lot Order	Grain Size is derived from a digital image analysis of the metal surface. It is generally considered that strength and toughness are found with fine-grained steels, while coarse-grained steels are considered to have better machinability.
Metallurgical	Sensitization	Destructive	A262/A or E	Optional	RathGibson	Heat-lot Order	Sensitization involves the microstructural analysis of the product to see how it may respond to intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
Metallurgical	Corrosion	Destructive	Alloy Dependant	Optional	RathGibson	Heat-lot Order	RathGibson’s Technical Services group will recommend which of the dozen different corrosion tests will be appropriate based upon alloy, application, and possible failure modes.
Metallurgical	Phase balance or intermetallic	Destructive	E562, E1245	Optional	RathGibson	Heat-lot Order	Microscopic examinations from the weld cap to weld root to check for non-metallic or third phase precipitates.
Metallurgical	Metallographic	Destructive	—	Optional	RathGibson	Heat-lot Order	Mounted cross sections are magnified to determine condition, quality, structure, strength, corrosion, wear, and effectiveness of any treatments.

Download related literature

Welded Decay Testing and Stainless Alloys Technical data sheet