the soldering ends are, I suppose, always the most vulnerable locations of a soldering seam (in this case possibly allowing penetration by liquids).

Prova di trazione (compressione, flessione, piega)
Queste prove vengono per lo più eseguite su provette standard (che Eurolab è in grado di ricavare autonomamente dai campioni presentati dal Cliente) ma possono, in certi casi, essere eseguite anche su prodotti finiti (ganci, catene, bulloni, attacchi vari, ecc.). Eurolab dispone di diverse macchine prova materiali, in grado di applicare forze comprese tra 50 N (5 kg) e 600.000 N (60 T). Si ha quindi una grande versatilità che consente di sottoporre a prova tanto una sottile bandella di lamiera quanto talloni di saldatura da 25 mm. Mediante questa prova si possono rilevare:

Tensile tests (compression, deflection, bending).
These tests are performed, either on test-bars, which Eurolab is independently able to process from the specimens provided by the customer, or on finished products ( as hooks, chains, bolts, nuts, screws, gears, carters….)
The force applied by the equipment used to perform these tests ranges from 50 N ( 5 kg) to 600.000 N (60 T.) This remarkable versatility allows Eurolab to test a thin plate hoop as well as a 25 mm weld bead.

http://www.eurolab.it/eng/Labo_leghe.asp
Weld Bead
A weld deposit resulting from a pass.
http://www.bocindustrial.co.uk/technical/glossary/w.asp

Weld Bead
A deposit of filler metal from a single welding pass.
http://www.admiralmetals.com/glossary/wdoc.htm

Weld
Note: saldature in this case is welding.

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Note added at 5 hrs 11 mins (2005-01-13 03:39:18 GMT)
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This is really a welding coupon.
The coupon is a specially welded specimen, which is used for mechanical testing and for qualification testing of welders.