HAYES Manual Butt Fusion Machines
COMBAT Series
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
A manual is only a manufacturer´s guide. It does not take the place of proper training by qualified instructors and does not exceed the experience of a professional. The information in this manual is operational and cannot cover all the situations that may occur in the field such as environmental temperature, pipe material, thickness, selected welding standard, etc.
The Hayes manual COMBAT series butt fusion machines will give many years of service if operation procedures and maintenance are followed carefully and correctly.
BEFORE THE WELDING PROCESS
Equipment Safety
Be alert and report … Anything that you see, feel, smell or hear differently than expected, or than you think is unsafe.
MECHANICAL HAZARD
Cutting Risk
Source: Trimmer
- Maintain a safe distance during facing.
- Make sure that no one has their hands or fingers close to the trimmer blades while it is running. Trimmer blades are sharp and can cut.
- Wait for the trimmer to come to a complete stop before removing it from the alignment carriage.
ELECTRICAL HAZARD
Electrocution Risk
Source: Heater/ Trimmer
- Ensure you are using the correct power source.
- Always ensure power cords are properly grounded. It is important to remember that you are working in a wet environment with electrical devices. Proper ground connections help to minimize the chances of an electric shock.
- Do not allow the cables to come into contact with chemical agents, water or mechanical stress.
THERMAL HAZARD
Risk of Fire
Source: Heater/ Trimmer
- Do not use the machine in environments with explosion risk (due to the presence of gases, flammable vapors, etc.).
- Ensure to keep out any material that could deteriorate or ignite with the heater or with the combustion of the heater such as: oil, solvents, paints or varnishes, etc.
Burn Risk
Source: Heater
- Never touch the surface of the iron directly when the iron is on.
- Move the heating plate cautiously.
- Carefully clean the heating plate.
- Do not touch the welding seam or surrounding areas before they have completely cooled down.
- Wear protective gloves and eyewear.
ERGONOMIC HAZARD
Injury Risk
Source: Machine Weight
- Move the large parts of the equipment correctly.
- Use the appropriate industrial safety positions for cargo handling.
DANGER
Both the heater and the trimmer are NOT EXPLOSION PROOF. If operating in an explosive atmosphere, heater should be brought up to temperature in a safe environment, then unplugged before entering the explosive atmosphere for fusion. Operation of heater in an explosive atmosphere without necessary safety precautions will result in serious injury or death.
Instruction of use
Before operation make sure of the following:
- Skill and knowledge are required to obtain a good quality joint.
- The machine should be placed on a stable and dry plane to operate.
- Check field generator for adequate power supply and fuel sufficient to complete the fusion joint.
- Make sure the blades of the trimmer are sharp and the Teflon in the heating plate is in good condition.
- Ensure you select the proper temperature according to the pipe manufacturer’s recommendation.
- pyrometer or other surface temperature measuring device should be used periodically to ensure proper surface temperature of the heating tool plate.
- Place the appropriate inserts for the pipe OD or the fitting being fused.
- Pouring water or applying wet cloths to the joint to reduce cooling time is not acceptable.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Non-stick coating
Coated surfaces have been treated to reduce polymer adhesion. If the polymer adheres to the heating plate, lightly wipe with a clean cotton cloth to remove. Do not use a wire brush or an abrasive.
Welding parameters
Pipe manufacturers have established qualified fusion procedures which should be followed precisely. You should obtain a copy of the pipe manufacturer’s procedures or appropriate joining standard for the pipe being fused.
Heater temperature To meet pipe manufacture’s temperature specifications, the surface temperature of the heating plate should be measured with a surface pyrometer prior to initial use and at reasonable time intervals thereafter.
TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER SETTING
- Switch on
- Press “SET” for more than 4 seconds until “Sd” is shown in the upper window
- Press “△” or “▽”key. Enter the setting temperature. Press “SET” to confirm
DEVIATION CORRECTION OF TEMPERATURE CONTROL INSTRUMENT
Switch on
Press “SET” for more than 3 seconds till “SI” is shown in the upper window
Press “SET” until “SC” is shown in the upper window
Press “△” or “▽”key, enter temperature correction value, press “SET” key to confirm
Welding procedure
Description of Method
The principle of Butt fusion is to heat two surfaces to a designated temperature, then fuse them together by application of a sufficient force. This force causes the melted materials to flow and mix, thereby resulting in fusion.
The butt fusion procedure has 4 stages:
- Cut and Clean
- Trim
- Align
Stage #2: Heating cycle
- Preheat
- Heating up
Stage #3: Welding
- Welding time
- Cooling time
Stage #4: Removing Pipe
- Inspecting
STAGE #1 PIPE PREPARATION
Cut and Clean: Cut the pipe and clean the inside and outside of both ends of the pipes with a clean lint-free dry cloth. Remove all dirt from the clamps surfaces where the pipes will be clamped in the butt fusion machine.
Trim: Face the pipe ends until the trimmer bottoms out on the stops and is locked between the clamps to establish clean, parallel mating surfaces between the pipe ends. Open the clamps, remove the trimmer and clean the inside and outside of both ends of the pipes with a clean lint-free dry cloth.
Align: Check the pipe ends for high low alignment and out-of-roundness. If adjustment is needed, adjust the high side down by tightening the high side clamp. Do not loosen the low side clamp or slippage may occur during fusion. Re-face the pipe ends if excessive adjustment is required and remove any dirt with a clean, lint-free cotton cloth. The maximum OD high-low misalignment allowed in the butt fusion procedure must be less than 10% of the pipe minimum wall thickness.
STAGE #2 HEATING CYCLE
Preheat: Verify that the heater surface temperatures are in the specified temperature range according to the standard. Please follow pipe manufacturer’s procedure. A pyrometer or other surface temperature measuring device should be used before the first joint of the day and periodically throughout the day to insure proper temperature of the heating tool plate. The thermometer on the electric box indicates internal temperature of the heater which varies from the actual surface temperature.
Heating Up: Place the heating tool in the butt fusion machine between the pipe ends. The heater must be clean and must have its Teflon coating in good condition.
NOTICE: Incorrect heating temperature can result in questionable fusion joints.
STAGE #3 WELDING
Welding time: Bring the pipe ends into full contact with the heating tool at fusion force.
After the heating cycle is completed and a slight melt is observed around the circumference of the pipe, maintain contact without force, while a bead develops between the heater and the pipe.
Remove the heater and quickly apply fusion force with the lever handle in accordance with the pipe manufacturer’s recommended fusion procedure or appropriate joining standard. The quicker you can safely do this process, the better.
A torque wrench can be used when a specified Interfacial Pressure is required. Hold this force for at least 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the locking cams will assist by maintaining jaw position during the cooling cycle.
An interfacial pressure of 60 to 90 psi (0.41 to 0.62 Pa) is used to determine the force required to butt fuse the pipe components. Multiply the interfacial pressure times the pipe area to calculate the fusion force required (lb). For manually operated fusion machines, enough force should be applied to roll the bead back to the pipe surface. A torque wrench may be used to apply the proper force. Manual fusion without a torque wrench has been used successfully by many gas utilities.
NOTICE: Failure to follow pipe manufacturer’s heating time, pressure and cooling time may result in a bad joint.
Cooling time: After the pipe has cooled sufficiently, apply closing force on the lever handle and push the locking cams down into the unlocked position. Unscrew the clamp knobs enough that they can be swiveled outward.
STAGE #4 REMOVING PIPE
Inspecting: Visually check the entire joint. The joint should be smooth symmetry, and the bottom of groove between the beads should not be lower than the pipe surface. The misalignment of two beads should not exceed 10% of the wall thickness.