Underwater welding

TWI has been involved in wet welding research for over 35 years for the marine, offshore and oil and gas industries. Consultancy and development work has covered consumables, equipment and automated underwater welding equipment.

Details of TWI's expertise and resources can be found in the Technology File.

Research has taken place in wet underwater arc welding covering studies on hydrogen content of underwater welds and development and evaluation of both ferritic and Ni-based MMA electrodes.

Underwater friction welding techniques include friction taper stitch welding. This and the other friction techniques can be fully automated, and have the potential for operating at great depth.

There are adhesives available for underwater adhesive bonding which have been trialled in simulated ship repair. TWI has recently been working on a project with an Industrial Member company to investigate the current state-of-the-art and future possibilities of this use of adhesive technology.

Facilities

TWI North , Middlesbrough, is the home of the largest indoor tank in Europe used for R&D and training and examination of divers in underwater welding and inspection techniques. At Great Abington, TWI has two small wet welding tanks, one of which can be used by a welder/diver. Training is also carried out in Thailand.

See also
Case study - Magnus repair
Navy underwater trials completed in TWI tank