Re: (unknown)

From: <Christopher>
Date: Mon Mar 17 2003 - 11:37:00 EST

>Ive read a lot of posting (here and other forums) that state the purpose
>of hydro test is to check the mechanical integrity of the piping system.
I had an old timer on the ASME Code committee tell me that the Code hydro-test was a leak check for riveted joints. Actually the weld joint efficiencies evolved from the notion of riveted joint efficiency based on the ratio of the lowest permissible load carried by a riveted joint to that of the base plate.

You're right that the test pressure is too low to test structural integrity. It'll only pick up the very worst kind of construction errors. It's much more like kicking the tires and slamming the door on a used car you're going to buy. And of course the hydro-test says nothing about fatigue.

Christopher Wright P.E. |"They couldn't hit an elephant at <a href="/group/PipingDesign/post?postID=bpx-Mobz-HeQgfrut0zze7NsIpN_KL_WfXW11uhcgqir3s1CyIJqvsGAR1ltIu5uuUmGSLUSCWCLcA">chrisw@skypoint.com</a> | this distance" (last words of Gen.

___________________________| John Sedgwick, Spotsylvania 1864)

<a href="http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw">http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw</a> Received on Mon Mar 17 11:37:00 2003