Experimental Analysis of Weld Slag Separation in Pipelines

Abstract In order to effectively eliminate welding slag from pipelines, ensure equipment operates normally, and reduce production costs, experiments were conducted based on field construction operations, with a focus on the intensity and frequency of tapping. The study findings indicate that a tapping force of 341.8 N leads to a stabilization in the rate of welding slag removal. Following manual tapping of the pipelines, the welding slag removal rate is approximately 60 %, and it stabilizes gradually after four tapping instances. To provide guidance for on-site operations, an empirical expression capturing the pattern of welding slag removal was derived from experiments by establishing the correlation between tapping frequency, tapping force, and welding slag removal rate.