11/10/2020 Bend Testing - TWI

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BEND TESTING

  

The bend test is a simple and inexpensive qualitative test that can be used to evaluate both the

ductility and soundness of a material. It is often used as a quality control test for butt-welded

joints, having the advantage of simplicity of both test piece and equipment.

No expensive test equipment is needed, test specimens are easily prepared and the test can, if

required, be carried out on the shop oor as a quality control test to ensure consistency in

production.

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The bend test uses a coupon that is bent in three point bending to a speci ed angle.

The outside of the bend is extensively plastically deformed so that any defects in, or

embrittlement of, the material will be revealed by the premature failure of the coupon.

The bend test may be free formed or guided.

The guided bend test isSubscribe

where thetocoupon is wrapped
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to receive a former
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and is the type of test speci
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speci cations. For example, it may be a requirement in ASME IX, ISO 9606 and ISO 15614 Part
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As the guided bend test is the only form of bend test speci ed in welding quali cation

speci cations it is the only one that will be dealt with in this article.

Typical bend test jigs are illustrated in Fig.1(a) and 1(b).

Fig.1(a) shows a guided bend test jig that uses a male and a female former, the commonest
form of equipment

Fig.1(b) shows a wrap-around guided bend test machine that works on the same principles as a
plumber's pipe bender

The strain applied to the specimen depends on the diameter of the former around which the

coupon is bent and this is related to the thickness of the coupon 't', normally expressed as a
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multiple of 't' eg 3t, 4t etc.
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The former diameter is speci ed in the test standard and varies with the strength and ductility
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of the material - the bend former diameter for a low ductility material such as a fully hard

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11/10/2020 Bend Testing - TWI

aluminium alloy may be as large as 8t. An annealed low carbon steel on the other hand may

require a former diameter of only 3t. The angle of bend may be 90°, 120° or 180° depending

on the speci cation requirements.

Fig.2 Material over 12mm thick is normally tested using the side bend test that tests the full
section thickness

On completion of the test the coupon is examined for defects that may have opened up on the

tension face. Most speci cations regard a defect over 3mm in length as being cause for

rejection.

For butt weld procedure and welder quali cation testing the bend coupons may be oriented

transverse or parallel to the welding direction.

Below approximately 12mm material thickness transverse specimens are usually tested with
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the root or face of the weld in tension. Material over 12mm thick is normally tested using the
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side bend test that tests the full section thickness, Fig.2.
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Where the material thickness is too great to permit the full section to be bent the speci cations

allow a number of narrower specimens to be taken provided that the full material thickness is

tested. Conventionally, most welding speci cations require two root and two face bend

coupons or four side bends to be taken from each butt welded test piece.

The transverse face bend specimen will reveal any defects on the face such as excessive

undercut or lack of sidewall fusion close to the cap. The transverse root bend is also excellent

at revealing lack of root fusion or penetration. The transverse side bend tests the full weld

thickness and is particularly good at revealing lack of side-wall fusion and lack of root fusion in

double-V butt joints. This specimen orientation is also useful for testing weld cladding where

any brittle regions close to the fusion line are readily revealed.

Longitudinal bend specimens are machined to include the full weld width, both HAZs and a

portion of each parent metal. They may be bent with the face, root or side in tension and are

used where there is a di erence in mechanical strength between the two parent metals or the

parent metal and the weld. The test will readily reveal any transverse defects but it is less good

at revealing longitudinally oriented defects such as lack of fusion or penetration.

Whilst the bend test is simple and straightforward to perform there are some features that

may result in the test being invalid.

In cutting the coupon from the test weld the e ects of the cutting must not be allowed to a ect

the result. Thus it is necessary to remove any HAZ from ame cutting or work hardened metal

if the sample is sheared.

It is normal to machine or grind at the face and root of a weld bend test coupon to reduce the

stress raising e ect thatSubscribe

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The edges of transverse bend coupons from small diameter tubes will experience very high

tensile stresses when the ID is in tension and this can result in tearing at the specimen edges.

Weld joints with non-uniform properties such as dissimilar metal joints or where the weld and

parent metal strengths are substantially di erent can result in 'peaking' of the bend coupon.

This is when most of the deformation takes place in the weaker of the two materials which

therefore experiences excessive localised deformation that may result in premature failure.

A dissimilar metal joint where one of the parent metals is very high strength is a good example

of where this may occur and similar peaking can be seen in fully hard welded aluminium alloy

joints.

In these instances the roller bend test illustrated in Fig.1(b) is the best method of performing a

bend test as each component of the coupon is strained by a similar amount and peaking is to a

great extent eliminated.

Related Speci cations

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BS EN ISO 5173 Destructive
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in Metallic Materials - Bend Tests

ASME IX Welding and Brazing Quali cations

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ASTM E190-92 Guided bend Test for Ductility of Welds

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11/10/2020 Bend Testing - TWI

This article was written by Gene Mathers.

This Job Knowledge article was originally published in Connect, November 2004. It has been

updated ( gure 1b) so the web page no longer re ects exactly the printed version.

For more information please email:

[email protected]

Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6AL, UK

+44(0)1223 899000

[email protected]

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