News

David Harvey PhD AWeldI has worked in welding metallurgy and welding engineering for over 60 years, whilst also being a specialist in arc welding process and more.

He talks us through his career in engineering, his experience being a Professional Member as well as his advice to his younger self, and more.

About You

I am a specialist in metallurgy, arc welding process, and fabrication of various metals, including steels, stainless alloys, tooling materials, titanium, magnesium, cobalt and nickel super-alloys, and proprietary materials.

As well as working in the application of welding metallurgy, I am involved in welding engineering and filler metal selection as well as gas and steam turbine and aerospace metal joining, including MRO of expensive critical components.

Introduction to you and a career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

My uncle was the Chief Metallurgist of British Rail and a founder member of the Institution of Metallurgist in 1947, and it was due to him that I became interested in engineering as a young schoolchild! I work with 650 alloys!

When did you join The Welding Institute?

I joined The Welding Institute in 1959 as a metallurgical apprentice at International Combustion Ltd in Derby.

Early Professional Membership

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

International Combustion Ltd designed and manufactured advanced power station pressure vessels; and welding technology was a vital aspect of manufacturing and site installation. I am also a Member of similar societies.

 As one of The Welding Institute’s longest serving Members, what are one or two of your fondest memories from being a Member?

Branch committee memberships, member of the Aerospace Group, attending many seminars, having many friends and colleagues at TWI, presenting lectures, helping and inspiring and encouraging staff. Creating SMAW coated electrodes, flux-cored filler wire, submerged arc fluxes and a wide range of high purity GTAW filler alloys.

Current Membership

How would you say professional membership has helped you throughout your career?

It is a necessary link with fellow scientists for fellowship, identification with career progress, inspiration, cross-checking data, procedures and specifications. It has also provided me access to library services, with attending meetings with my peer group, and sharing enthusiasm with similar minded engineering folk with the understanding that the special knowledge benefits industry and universities. It is also a great asset for welders and their managers. It interfaces well with other learned societies.

Future

What advice would you give to your younger self, beginning your career in engineering?

Continue to become a very significant benefit to the industry by solving important problems, especially when no other is capable of such activity. It is so satisfying to save countless millions of pounds for businesses by solving their critical fabrication issues, especially in advanced engineering such as gas turbine production and associated MRO requirements and also general aerospace, nuclear construction, military and defence activities (often against overseas competition). It is encouraging to be a national asset in wealth creation.

Our Structures and Infrastructures Technical Group will be hosting their next Technical Group webinar, from 9:00AM – 11:00AM (UK time) on 19 September 2023.

The event, which is titled, ‘Back-to-Basics: Improving Fatigue Resistance in Welded Joints,’ will be useful for those interested in steelwork fabrication, installation industries, as well as factors affecting the fatigue life of welded joints.

Who Should Attend?

Those involved with the design, detailing, fabrication and installation of structures.

Speaker and Presentations:

• Dr Carol Johnston, Consultant, TWI Ltd - Back to basics: Fatigue Performance of Welded Joints
• Joanna Bonnett, Vice President (Technical Oversight)/Kyriakos Antoniou, Senior Project Manager, COWI UK - Gade Valley Viaduct: A Case Study of Assessment and Remediation of Fatigue

FULL EVENT AND REGISTRATION DETAILS

Our Welding and Joining Processes Technical Group will be hosting their first in-person Technical Group, from 9:30PM – 3:30PM (UK time) on 14 September 2023.

The event, which is titled, ‘In Person: SMRs/AMRs – Manufacturing the Nuclear Future,’ will be useful for those interested in the future of SMR/AMR manufacture.

Who Should Attend?

Designers, manufacturing and production engineers, welding engineers and anyone with an interest in the future of nuclear power generation and vessel manufacture.

Speaker and Presentations:

• Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive, Nuclear Industry Association on Modular and Advanced Nuclear Technologies: Towards Delivery in the UK
• Tristram Denton, Director of Commercial Development, MoltexFLEX on AMRs – Design and Manufacture
• TBC, Sheffield Forgemasters on Manufacture of Nuclear Grade Forgings
• Chris Punshon CEng FWeldI, Head of New Energy Applications, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering on Electron Beam Welding of Vessels for Nuclear Applications
• Dr William Kyffin, Head of Welding and Materials, Nuclear AMRC on Slope Out Welding Development for Thick Section Electron Beam Welding for Pressure Vessel Applications
• Pallav Chattopadhyay, Director Consumables R&D&I EMEA, Lincoln Electric Deutschland GmBH on Developments in Electro-slag Cladding
• Marcello Consonni, Consultant Welding Engineer, TWI Ltd on Overview of Welding Standards for Nuclear Vessel Manufacture - ASME III and IX

FULL EVENT AND REGISTRATION DETAILS

Claire Christey MSc IEng MWeldI is a Team Leader within Port Engineering at the Shetland Islands Council. She has achieved her MSc in Mechanical Engineering and BEng (hons) in Mechanical and Energy Engineering, both from the University of the Highlands and Islands.

She talks us through her career in engineering, her Membership as well as Professional Registration.

About You

When did you join The Welding Institute?

I joined the Welding institute as a student member in 2018 and achieved Incorporated Engineer in 2020.

Please describe your current job role and responsibilities/a typical day in your role:

In my current role I have line management responsibility for a team of senior technical engineers, electrical and marine engineers and responsibility for the maintenance of all the Councils marine fixed assets, ranging from navigation buoys to the Sullom Voe Terminal Oil Export Jettys.

A typical day is highly varied and can involve anything from onsite inspections and surveys at some of the UK’s most remote sites, many of which can only be accessed by ATV or boat to preparation of tender documents and specifications for contracts.

Intro to you and your career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I love the variety of engineering, especially in the marine sector.  I gain an immense amount of satisfaction from fixing things or coming up with improvements.

Early Professional Membership

Tell us a bit about the process of becoming a Member of The Welding Institute.

I joined the Welding Institute as a student Member in 2018 whilst I was undertaking my bachelors degree and working for a local engineering and fabrication company.  Once I had passed my degree, I submitted my application and engineering council competence mapping and after passing my interview, I was awarded Incorporated Engineer in 2020.

Professional Membership and Registration: IEng

When and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

I chose to become professionally registered as soon as I had completed my BEng (hons) and was eligible for professional registration.  Professional registration was important to me, being in a remote and isolated location means that the support of an organisation such as The Welding Institute provides resources that otherwise would not be available.

What was the most difficult aspect of becoming registered as IEng and how did you overcome it?

I find talking about myself particularly challenging and so the interview aspect was hard for me.  I focused what I have done through my career and the interviewers were really good at asking questions that helped me to open up.

Current Membership

Which membership benefits do you use the most and find the most helpful and why?

Access to webinars and other online training opportunities are invaluable for maintaining my CPD and keeping up to date with latest developments.

Future (Membership and Career)

What are your engineering aspirations? 

I am currently preparing my competence mapping for CEng and hope to submit and achieve that this later this year.

Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?

Yes I would recommend membership, the support is excellent and access to resources has meant that I can progress in my career.

Our Structural Integrity Technical Group will be hosting their first in-person Technical Group, from 12:00PM – 17:00PM (UK time) on 12 September 2023.

The event, which is titled, ‘In Person: Structural Integrity in the Nuclear World,’ will be useful for those interested in the nuclear industry.

Who Should Attend?

Managers, engineers and technicians involved in structural integrity at all levels, and from all sides of the nuclear industry (manufacturers to regulators).

Speakers and Presentations:

• Dr Jack Beswick, Structural Integrity/Finite Element Senior Consultant, Jacobs on, ‘Recent development in R6’
• Dr Steve Jones CEng FWeldI, Professor of Joining technologies: Welding, Brazing and Bonding, University of Sheffield, on, ‘Can we improve welding integrity from an artificial perspective – PROBABLY: The expansion of a Welding Engineer’s toolbox for the future’
• EUR ING Charles Schneider, Technology Fellow, TWI Ltd on, ‘Advanced ultrasonic NDT of austenitic pipework for stress corrosion cracking’
• Dr Huan Wu, Senior Numerical Simulation Engineer, TWI Ltd on, ‘A probabilistic model for the prediction of the distribution of breaching times of carbon steel canisters’
• Dr Gareth Hopkin, Principal Inspector of Nuclear Installations, Office for Nuclear Regulation on, ‘The use of probabilistic safety assessments in the nuclear industry – a regulatory view’

FULL EVENT AND REGISTRATION DETAILS

Having joined The Welding Institute in 1962, Michael B. Flannery IEng MWeldI MEIT is one of our longest-serving Professional Members.

Alongside his links to The Welding Institute, Michael also has an association with The Institution of Engineering and Technology and achieved his ‘Advanced Examination Electric Arc Welding with Credit in 1965’ and ‘Advanced Examination Oxy-acetylene Welding with Credit’ in 1966. From there, he obtained a full Technological Certificate in Fabrication and a Welding Engineering Technicians Certificate with distinction in 1975.

Michael walked us through why he became interested in engineering, his journey within the industry and how being a Member has aided him.

He began, “I first became interested in welding when my father was a vehicle mechanic with The British Oxygen Company,” adding, “He introduced me gas and arc welding associated with vehicle repair.”

Michael’s career saw him work as a welding apprentice at Fraser and Chalmers Engineering Works in Erith, Kent as well as at G. A. Harvey, in Charlton, London.

This followed with work for international companies in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, with Michael revealing, “My field of work in welding, included welding supervisor, welding engineer, lecturer in fabrication and welding, chief field engineer, and construction manager.” He continued, “For the past 7 years I have been engaged as facility manager for the Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta, Canada.”

Having joined The Welding Institute in 1962, Michael revealed that he was encouraged to join while attending training at TWI, explaining, “The Welding Instructor in the training school encouraged me to join The Welding Institute to keep up with developments in the welding environment.”

Michael was a regular attendee at branch meetings for The Institute in London and Kent, where he was able to “keep myself appraised of developments in welding,” adding that, “on two occasions, I attended The Welding Institute at Abington on seminars related to pipe welding.”

He continued, “The Welding Institute is the source where so many answers to questions are available and has provided information I required on many occasions.”

Looking back over his career so far, Michael said, “My career has covered many different aspects of engineering insofar that welding is and always will be significant in tomorrow’s world,” adding, “Encouragement to my son-in-law to teach welding for the past 16 years and a granddaughter to be in her third year as an apprentice is proof of my commitment to the future.”

While Michael looks to the future and using his expertise to help the next generation, as one of The Welding Institute’s longest serving Members, we had to finish by asking him about his fondest memories from being a Member.

Michael concluded by saying, “As a young apprentice, I became a Member of the Welding Institute with great enthusiasm. My attendance to meetings in London and Kent were very informative, which assisted both my work and technical college training, for City & Guilds of the London Institute,” noting, “As time went on, I attended many lectures and practical applications on research, technology and training by The Welding Institute at Abington and other locations.”

The British Welding Research Association (BWRA), a predecessor to today’s TWI Ltd, purchased Abington Hall in 1946 for £3850, with the surrounding land becoming the headquarters for both TWI and The Welding Institute.

Before this purchase by the BWRA, the land had been used by the military during the Second World War, with both British and overseas troops being billeted on the site as well as at the nearby village of Abington.

The Bertram family, who had been in residence at the Hall when the war broke out, soon moved to live in Devon during the war years, leaving Mr Raymond Lane in charge as bailiff. Mr Lane himself served in both World Wars, first in the army and then as an RAF plotter based at nearby Duxford.

The Military Arrives

Rumour had started to spread through Abington that the army was going to be stationed in the area and before long, lorries began to arrive and tents were erected in preparation for the arrival of the troops.

The London Irish Rifles Regiment were the first troops to arrive in the area, having walked from Cambridge station after coming back from Dunkirk. They were followed by the Royal Medical Corps, the Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers, Lancers, Signals, the Canadian troops, Cameron Highlanders, and the Lothian Border Tanks Regiment. The tank regiment parked their tanks down Church Lane in Abington before heading off to join the fighting in the Middle East. The Duke of Gloucester while stationed in the area, where they dammed the river so they could test run their vehicles through three to four foot deep water, inspected the tank regiment.

While the troops found themselves camped out under canvas during the war, the officers were billeted in the Old House and Abington Lodge, as well as at Abington Hall itself. Hetty Pavitt (née Cutter), who lived in the area at the time, recalled delivering newspapers to the officers at Abington Hall, having cycled across the nearby meadows.

In addition, there were a number of Polish soldiers stationed at the Hall and camped in the gardens of the Old House for a short while, who were remembered as being “polite and well liked.” Canadian troops also passed through for a weekend of rest and recuperation, where they played softball and a group of Belgian soldiers also passed through before heading off to help relieve Brussels. Meanwhile, Italian prisoners of war were also put to work in the village and on nearby Grange Farm.

The U.S. 8^th Army also spent time stationed in the grounds of Abington Hall ahead of the onset of D Day, with reports saying they enjoyed drinking in the local pubs – The Railway Inn at Pampisford, The Princess of Wales and The Crown. The Three Tuns pub in Abington was, however, the preserve of the officers in the area.

The Crown pub also acted as the section HQ for the local Home Guard, who manned a gun point to defend a bridge behind the Old House, while England cricketer Frank Woolley commanded an RAF searchlight battery at the park.

The War and the Local Community

Aside from the many troops who were stationed at and around the Hall, there were a number of incidents that impacted the local community. Air raid shelters were erected in the gardens of local people and there are reports of a bomb landing on the bridge between Great and Little Abington, another striking the road at the entrance to Abington Hall and a third bomb landing on the nearby North Road. Fortunately nobody was hurt by these bombs, but V1 and V2 rockets were sighted overhead by villagers.

Of course, a number of men went to fight in the war – joining the RAF, army and the Royal Navy, some of whom lost their lives while fighting. The local GP, Dr Wilson, also did his bit locally, training the Red Cross in first aid.

Clearing the Site

At the end of the war, the site was initially cleared by the Royal Pioneer Corps before a small group were formed to continue this work. Mr Tom Patten was released from his military service in November 1945 and joined this group to clear the site on June 1946 as the BWRA moved into Abington Hall.

Of course, as mentioned above, some of the army buildings were repurposed for use by the BWRA while other items, such as a searchlight battery on the site, were decommissioned. The upper floors of the Hall were converted into flats and the history of TWI and The Welding Institute at Abington near Cambridge had begun.

TWI Ltd has launched its Digital Library, a new platform that will connect Professional Members of The Welding Institute to more than 80 years of TWI’s unique technical knowledge.

The TWI Digital Library includes:

A state-of-the-art Member-only knowledge discovery platform that searches across multiple repositories to bring you the right information when you need it.

Thousands of newly digitised reports, papers, conference proceedings and journals that, until now, have been archived and inaccessible to many Members.

Members also benefit from access to Scholarly OneSearch which takes you beyond TWI’s collections.

All existing technical content such as Members’ Reports, Job Knowledge, FAQs and e-books is included too. When fully populated, the TWI Digital Library will provide a single point of access to over 20,000 items on all aspects of welding and joining, materials performance, integrity management and inspection.

Access the TWI Digital Library and select the 'Professional Member Login' option.

Ibrahim Nuruddin Katsina CEng SenMWeldI is currently a deputy manager of mechanical piping and pipelines at (NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company) NGIC, NNPC Ltd. With a undergraduate degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at AB Zaria in Nigeria, he then went on to achieve his Masters at Cranfield University in Welding Engineering, leading him to pursue and attain a PhD, specialising in oil and gas pipeline welding and infrastructure from Cranfield University.

About You

When did you join The Welding Institute?

I joined The Welding Institute in 2008 after completing my exam for the GradWeldI grade in 2009, then became a Member

Please describe your current job role and responsibilities:

Now, I am focusing on gas infrastructure at NNPC Ltd as well as being responsible for pipeline infrastructure: building, maintenance, project management and pipelines integrity. I also manage my team and facilitate projects, i.e. design and implementation. Finally yet importantly, I oversee safety and standardisation with my team and the projects we work on.

Introduction to you and your career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

When I was a schoolchild, I used to go to my uncle’s company ITEC Nigeria Ltd and work there during the summers; this is where my interest began. He was my role model, may his gentle soul rest in peace.

What’s one of your biggest career highlights or achievements that you’re most proud of?

When I was first starting out, as a young entrepreneur with little to no capital, I started a welding workshop. Within my first year, I built it into an established company.

What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome this?

I was managing a project and there were some instructions given to a new welder to follow a procedure. He failed to follow the instructions well which in turn led to expensive damages of a valve. This led to my team having to think very quickly on the spot to fix the issues caused.

Another challenge that I had to face was linked to my workshops. A construction company approached me to manufacture over a thousand windows and burglary proofs, and hundreds of handrails and balustrades. The time frame was the challenge; they needed all of these in 4 weeks. I took on the challenge and it became one of the biggest challenges at that young age. I had to manage hundreds of people and subcontract part of the work in order to achieve the set target, but we delivered the last pieces on the last day!

Early Professional Membership

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

I found out about The Welding Institute through an Institute talk and I became interested and came to Great Abington, Cambridge. I thought it would be the right place to gain knowledge and experience.

Tell us a bit about the process of becoming a Member of The Welding Institute:

I first joined as a Student Member. Then I later pursued a PhD, at this stage I applied for a Senior Member I went through the Professional review interview process.

Professional Registration

Are you professionally registered?

Yes, I became a Chartered Engineer at the same time as applying for Senior Member.

What was the process of Professional Registration like and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

After my first professional review interview with The Welding Institute, I was informed that I needed more experience and therefore, I pursued more work to aid my professional development.

Current Membership

How has professional membership/registration helped you throughout your career?

I believe Professional Membership is important and it gives prestige, knowledge and value to your career . An example of how professional registration aided my career was in that when I applied for a job, they noticed I hold CEng and SenMWeldI status and therefore a better job offer was made of becoming a manager. This demonstrated the value that employers hold of being professionally registered.

What membership benefits do you use the most and find the most helpful and why?

The Welding and Joining Matters Journal, the technical talks and webinars as well as the Branch events.

About Volunteering

What current volunteer roles do you undertake?

I volunteered for The Welding Institute events such as Welding with Chocolate. I found this to be an insightful experience being able to work with inquisitive minds. I also became a Professional Board Member as well as becoming an assessor for those applying for CEng registration. This role entails me conducting professional review interview for candidates.

Why do you undertake these volunteer roles and what are the benefits of volunteering with The Welding Institute?

It feels good to give back and to be able to teach engineering to younger minds. It is also rewarding to have the ability to help others applying to become CEng and for Professional Members. I love being able to give back to institutions that have helped in building me and my career.  

What advice would you give to anyone considering, or even currently undertaking volunteer roles with The Welding Institute?

I will always advise young engineers that volunteer roles give you many advantages and experiences as well as being able to connect with mentors and likeminded peers. This in turn leads you to be able to build relationships for the future. Always volunteer with an open mind as well so that you’re able to learn more each time.

Future (Membership and Career)

What are your engineering aspirations?

I hope to become a Fellow of the Institutes I am a part of as well as to continue developing my career. But for now, my current goal is to understand my new role and to get used to it.

Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?

I do recommend it, as can be seen with when I was offered a better job offer once they learned that I held CEng and Senior Member status. The added benefits of networking are immeasurable.

What advice would you give or what would you say to your younger self beginning your career in engineering?

Engineering and welding is much more than you think! The impacts you make can be as big or small as you imagine, so keep learning!

Either remove the you, ot change the last sentense top value to your career.

Fellow CEng Alan Gifford worked for International Combustion Ltd, a major engineering business based at Derby offering products for the nuclear engineering industry, for over 40 years.

With 2023 marking the 100^th anniversary of The Welding Institute, Alan sent us an excerpt from International Combustion Ltd’s house magazine, ‘The Peak.’

The excerpt, from a 1959 issue of the magazine, was written by section leader John Adams and dates from a time when the company’s welding department had just appointed their first welding engineer, E.K. Keefe.

While Mr Keefe’s role would be taken over by Alan around 18 months later, John Adams recognised the importance of welding to International Combustion’s future enterprises so attended a course run by The Institute of Welding at Princes gate in London.

Following the course, John visited The British Welding Research Association (BWRA - a forerunner to today’s TWI) at Abington near Cambridge.

It was here that he was shown around the laboratories and was given the chance to see the welding process of metals, which he enjoyed.

It was this visit that formed the basis for John’s article in the Peak, which included details of research being carried out at the time and the importance of the work of the BWRA.

He also highlighted some confidential research work on ‘Sno Cats,’ which were tracked vehicles used for a transantarctic expedition. The BWRA were asked to test the tracks following their failure and found that the welds had been “made without the necessary control over welding conditions,” going on to note that, “none of the welds failed” after the BWRA had machined out the original joins and re-welded them under strict metallurgical control.

John’s article also highlighted the importance of the work of the BWRA at the time given the absence of instruction in welding technology at universities and technical colleges, adding that, “it is left to industrial firms to provide this training, but the British Welding Research Association are investigating the formation of a new design advisory service.”

The article shows how the Institute and BWRA were proving influential for industry at the time, and you can read the article as forwarded by Fellow CEng Alan Gifford, in full, below:

Advances in Welding - J Adams- The Peak 1959.pdf