Manufacture of thick-walled pressure vessels in particular consideration of advanced welding processes and measures for quality assurance

Abstract

The use of most advanced welding processes for the manufacture of thick-walled pressure vessels is demonstrated by reference to nuclear component production. A detailed description is given of sub-arc narrow-gap welding and TIG welding as typical joint-welding processes. Surface corrosion protection is provided by weld cladding using corrosion-resistant 18 8 steels or nickel-based alloys. The sub-arc strip process has given excellent results when used for large-area cladding; a most interesting development is the electroslag weld-cladding method. The sub-arc fine-wire process is available for hollow bodies, preferentially with a small diameter. The welding processes referred to above would be incomplete if there were no reference to the special measures taken for satisfying even extremely stringent quality requirements. Quality planning, quality inspection, and quality documentation are combined to form a comprehensive quality assurance programme for ensuring high-quality production as well as the availability of complete quality records without any gaps.