In-Field Tensile Tester

The new McElroy In-Field Tensile Tester gives contractors and pipeliners the ability to quickly and accurately test high-density polyethylene (HDPE) butt fusion joints in the field. In the past, quality assurance testing of butt fusion joints required cutting part of a completed joint out of a pipeline and sending that test sample to an off-site laboratory. The results of the testing would then take hours or days to return. Another popular testing method, the bend-back test, required specialized tooling and procedures to be performed safely on thicker pipes.

With the In-Field Tensile Tester, a hand-pump system safely tests coupons from pipes sized 2-inch IPS (63mm) and larger. The In-Field Tensile Tester also incorporates a template that is attached to the pipe to create a coupon through the use of a drill and reciprocating saw. The coupon is then inserted into the hand-pump tensile test unit that performs a destructive test to qualitatively pass or fail the joint.

“The appeal of the device is that it is light enough to be loaded into a pickup truck, taken out to the site, tested, with a quick pass or fail determination on the quality of the fusion joints being made,” said Chip McElroy, President of McElroy.

The device is patent pending, but is available now through McElroy’s extensive distribution network.

For more information, contact Tyler Henning, McElroy Manufacturing, Inc., 833 North Fulton, Tulsa, OK 74115, 918-836-8611, Fax: 918-831-9285, E-mail: thenning@mcelroy.com, Web: www.mcelroy.com.