Overview
ISO 4136:2022 - "Destructive tests on welds in metallic materials - Transverse tensile test" - defines the specimen sizes and the procedure for carrying out transverse tensile tests on welded butt joints. The standard is applicable to metallic materials in all product forms and any welded butt joint where the objective is to determine the tensile strength and the location of fracture of the weld.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test principle: Apply an increasing tensile load to a specimen taken transversely from the welded joint until rupture. Testing temperature is specified as ambient 10 °C to 35 °C, or under controlled conditions at (23 ± 5) °C; the testing temperature must be reported.
- Specimen location and marking: Specimens shall be taken so the weld axis lies in the middle of the parallel length; each piece must be clearly marked to identify its origin and orientation (e.g., rolling or extrusion direction, if required).
- Heat treatment / ageing: No post-weld heat treatment shall be applied unless allowed by the relevant application standard; any heat treatment or natural ageing (e.g., aluminium alloys) must be recorded.
- Extraction rules: Mechanical or thermal cutting must not alter specimen properties. For steel, shearing is excluded for thicknesses > 8 mm; thermal cuts near the final parallel length must be ≥ 8 mm away. For other metallic materials (e.g., aluminium, copper), shearing and thermal cutting are excluded - machining methods such as sawing or water-jet are required.
- Machining and dimensions: Specimen thickness is normally equal to parent metal thickness adjacent to the weld. Flat, pipe, and solid-section specimen geometries and dimensional tolerances are specified; parallel length and shoulders must conform to the standard’s figures and tables. Final surface preparation must avoid superficial strain hardening or transverse scratches; excess weld metal is generally removed (penetration bead may be left in full-section pipes unless otherwise specified).
- Test procedure and results: Testing follows the general practices of ISO 6892-1 and ISO 6892-2. Typically the load at rupture and fracture location are recorded; fracture surfaces are visually examined and imperfections (including fish-eyes) are reported. The original parallel cross-sectional area must be determined as specified.
Applications and users
ISO 4136:2022 is used for:
- Quality control of welded assemblies in manufacturing and construction
- Weld procedure qualification and weld performance verification
- Failure investigation and root-cause analysis of welded joints
Primary users:
- Welding engineers and metallurgists
- Mechanical test laboratories and certification bodies
- Fabricators, pipeline and pressure-vessel manufacturers
- Quality and inspection personnel responsible for weld acceptance criteria
Related standards
- ISO 6892-1 - Metallic materials - Tensile testing - Method at room temperature
- ISO 6892-2 - Metallic materials - Tensile testing - Method at elevated temperature
- ISO 4063 - Welding and allied processes - Nomenclature
Keywords: ISO 4136:2022, transverse tensile test, destructive tests on welds, welded butt joint, tensile strength, fracture location, weld testing, specimen preparation, ISO 6892-1.