What Keeps a Welded Steel Engine Stand Safe in Aviation?
What FAA aircraft weld-repair guidance and OSHA hot-work rules do and do not cover, with product data for the AGSE CFM56-7B engine stand supplied by National Aero Stands.
Section / Technical Articles
Articles
Field notes on hardbanding, hardfacing and drill string wear protection: alloy selection, welding procedure, inspection and downtime cost.
16 entries on fileHardbanding Glossary: Every Term Decoded
A plain-language glossary of hardbanding terms: arc-on time, dilution, check cracks, casing-friendly, D-Mac-style deposits, MWD interference and more, with field examples.
Oilfield Fabrication Basics for Hardband Shops
What a fabrication shop needs to hardband drill pipe profitably: handling gear, positioners, machines, base metals, layout, and first-year mistakes.
The Cost of Skipping Hardbanding: Downtime Math
A transparent, worksheet-style cost model comparing hardbanding spend against trip time, casing repair, and lost rig days. Plug in your own day rates and run the math.
Why Drill Pipe Tool Joints Wear Out
How tool joints actually wear downhole: casing friction, abrasive cuttings, doglegs, RPM and mud weight, plus rules of thumb for hardbanding ROI.
Hardbanding QA Checklist: Before the Pipe Leaves
A printable pre-job and post-weld hardbanding QA checklist: alloy verification, parameter logs, preheat records, visual inspection, and documentation for the pipe file.
Hardbanding Inspection and Acceptance Criteria
What inspectors actually check on hardbanding: deposit height, width, placement, cracks, spalling, undercut and hardness, plus why each matters downhole.
Portable vs Shop Hardbanding Machines
Portable orbital hardbanding machines versus shop lathes and automated rigs: deposit quality, throughput, mobilization cost, and QC compared for yard vs location welding.
Re-Applying Hardband Over Existing Deposits
When you can weld new hardband over old deposits and when you must strip it. Covers removal methods, prep steps, and re-application cycle limits for tool joints.
Hardbanding Welding Procedure: Preheat to Cool-Down
A practical GMAW hardbanding procedure for tool joints: preheat ranges, interpass control, bead patterns, and cooling rates you can adapt to your alloy and chemistry.
Crack-Free Hardband Alloys: What Actually Works
Which hardband alloys deposit crack-free, why check-cracking matters for corrosion and spalling, and what inspectors should actually accept on tool joints.
Non-Magnetic Hardbanding for Directional Drilling
Why magnetic hardband disrupts MWD and steering tools, which non-magnetic alloys work, and the wear-life trade-offs you accept downhole.
Tungsten Carbide vs Chromium Carbide Hardbanding
Tungsten carbide vs chromium carbide hardbanding: compare hardness, toughness, weldability, cost per joint, cracking behavior, and failure modes downhole.
Casing-Friendly vs Abrasive Hardband Alloys
Compare casing-friendly and abrasive hardband alloys: wear rates, tool joint life, cost, and a decision framework by casing grade and well profile.
How Hardband Alloys Resist Abrasion Downhole
How hardband alloys actually resist downhole abrasion: carbide metallurgy, matrix alloys, hardness versus toughness, and selection trade-offs.
Oilfield Hardbanding: The Complete Field Guide
A complete field guide to oilfield hardbanding: tool joint wear mechanisms, alloy selection, welding procedure, inspection, and QA for drilling engineers.