hardness testing 1

[kanalla]

Can you do hardness tests on P1,P3,P4,P5 and nickle piping and tell them apart from the hardness results obtained?

 

[metengr]

Only Nickel-base piping can be sorted and this would be using a simple magnet, in lieu of hardness testing.

Beyond this, hardness testing will not provide any information relative to sorting the Cr-Mo pipe alloys. You need to sort these alloys by chemical analysis using a portable PMI device.

 

[kanalla]

what about the carbon steel-P1.
please explain the magnet method on the nickle.

 

[metengr]

The nickel-base piping is typically non-magnetic. Hold a standard magnet against the bare pipe surface. If the magnet does not stick to the pipe surface, it is probably your nickel-base alloy. Also note, a non-magnetic pipe could indicate an austenitic stainless steel as well, however, you did not mention this as a possibility in your original post.

 

[mrfailure]

The problem with trying to sort the steel pipes is that the expected hardness ranges of each of those alloys will largely overlap each other.

Aaron Tanzer

http://www.lehightesting.com

 

[Duwe6]

Gotta use an Alloy Analyzer -- X-ray Fluorescence 'Gun' [Niton is the best-known]. Going rate in central USA is about $250-$300 per day, with a tech to run it.