Guided Side-bend Tester

McElroy, a leader in pipe fusion equipment and accessories, recently introduced the Guided Side-Bend Tester. The quality assurance device performs a qualitative test for ductility in a fusion joint.

The tester is a quick, safe replacement for “bend back” tests that have been performed in the field for many years. With the new equipment, an operator can perform a bend-back test on polyethylene pipes with 1 to 7 inches of wall thickness. This testing method places the entire wall thickness into tension and gives assurance of the ductility of joints. The test unit is compact and requires just a few common tools to conduct the process.

“Our quality assurance tools are designed with the operator in mind,” said Chip McElroy, president of McElroy. “This quick and simple test, when paired with our DataLogger® recording device can ensure others that fusion procedures were followed, that destructive tests were used and that results met expectations.”

The tester works by using a planer to cut a test coupon that is then put into a hydraulically powered device. The testing device bends the coupon in a controlled manner to strain the fusion joint past the material’s yield point. If no breaks or gaps are visible in the joint, the coupon and fusion joint has passed the test. No external power is required for the device, and the tester equipment weighs less than 30 pounds.

Operators will need a saw, planer and calipers to perform testing with the tester. The tester can be used alongside McElroy’s In Field™ Tensile Tester to complete a full range of testing tools that will destructively test key elements of a fusion joint.

For more information, contact Tyler Henning, McElroy Manufacturing, Inc., 833 North Fulton, Tulsa, OK 74115, 918-836-9286, Fax: 918-831-9285, E-mail: thenning@mcelroy.com, Web: www.mcelroy.com/fusion.