ANSI/AWS B4.0 is an American national standard for the mechanical testing of welds. Welds are integral to the construction of metal structures, and it is critical that their properties be thoroughly tested to ensure structural integrity. ANSI/AWS B4.0 covers a wide variety of common tests including tension tests, shear tests, bend tests, fracture toughness tests, Hardness Tests, and others. This standard extensively references ASTM test methods such as ASTM E8 and specifies how to use these test methods when assessing weldments.

Materials Testing System

Due to the wide variety of tests performed to ANSI/AWS B4.0, many different test setups can be required. The high forces involved and the number of different test types required make HST'S dual space test frames (WDW and WAW Series) ideal for testing to this standard, because they allow users to test to two ANSI/AWS B4.0 applications without having to swap out fixtures. For the Charpy impact applications we recommend JBW Series system, which is capable of testing specimens from 1 - 750 joules while still meeting ASTM and NIST requirements.