Just read that some old boilers can still hold pressure after 80 years

I was looking up some history on industrial equipment for a project and found a case study from a plant in Pittsburgh. They decommissioned a steam boiler from the 1940s, and when they tested it, the shell still held its rated pressure. That's wild to me, considering the cycles and heat it went through. The report said it was due to the specific grade of steel and the original riveted construction. Makes you think about the build quality back then versus some of the thinner stuff we see now. Has anyone else worked on a boiler that old and been surprised by its condition?

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3 Comments

ray1586mo ago

Wow... did the report mention if they did any non-destructive testing on the welds or just the pressure test?

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the_troy5mo ago

Wow" seems like a big reaction for a pressure test.

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verar216mo ago

Actually, I read it differently. The report seemed to focus heavily on the pressure test results as the final proof. A good weld should hold under that stress without needing extra checks first.

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