NCPWB

The Newsletter of the National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau

BULLETIN

ASME Subcommittee IXs Response to Bureaus Inquiry

Background: Section IX requires that the manufacturer, contractor, assembler or installer be responsible for conducting tests to qualify the performance of welders which his organization employs in construction of weldments built in accordance with the Code. It also requires that the manufacturer, contractor, assembler, or installer provide supervision and control over welders while they are welding test coupons for performance qualification. Question 1: An employee of a contractor provides supervision and control over a welder during welding of a test coupon, but that welder is not an employee of the contractor at the time of the test. Is it required that the welder be an employee of the contractor at the time of qualification testing? ReplyNo. Question 2: Must the welder be the employee of any manufacturer or contractor at the time of qualification testing? ReplyNo.

High Purity Committee Activities

In a recent meeting, the High Purity Committee invited representatives of George Fischer (GF), an international supplier of components and systems for industrial applications, to present their Thermoplastic Fusion Certification (TFC) program for the United Association national membership. GF conducts marketing studies, which can identify areas with a potential demand for the thermoplastic fusion system. Based on the market report, a pilot program will be established to certify individuals in high purity thermoplastic fusion system. The marketing report will be reviewed by the UA/MCAA High Purity Committee and will be used to intensify the training program in identified areas. The industries that are currently specifying thermoplastic fusion were identified as: Semiconductor Pharmaceutical/Life Science Chemical Water Treatment OEM Institutional Marketers. GFs mission is to conduct a thermoplastic fusion certification program for United Association national membership and its goal is to: Train UA members to teach the program at their local site. Provide support and management at each authorized training center to ensure proper certification procedures. Maintain a database of certified installers.

February 2002

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

The Board has approved the following organizations as new members of the Bureau. We welcome their membership into the Bureau. Buffalo
Allied-Lynn Associates,Inc. Glauber Equipment Corp. Aero Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Joint UA/NCPWB Decal

The joint UA/NCPWB decal is now available to every certified welder. The decal was developed to identify welders who are certified either by NCPWB contractors or under the joint UA/NCPWB certification program. The decal has been distributed to NCPWB chapters. The bureau will no longer issue its welders decal.

North East PA
O & M Multi-Trade, Inc. G.M McCrossin, Inc.

Cincinnati
Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc. The Cincinnati Air Conditioning Co

Omaha
LoTemp Equipment Co.

Philadelphia
Len Parker Associates, Inc. Buena Plumbing, Inc. Falasca Mechanical Harkins & Harkins Mechanical

Connecticut
M.S.I. Mechanical, LLC James T. Kay Co., Inc.

Detroit
Kahmann Systems, Inc.

Rochester
Betlem Service Corporation

Georgia/Florida
Harding Erectors, Inc.

NCPWB

The Newsletter of the National Cer tified Pipe Welding Bureau

BULLETIN

Greater New York

Monroe Mechanical, Inc. VHP Mechanical Key Mechanical, Inc. RJR Mechanical, Inc. Heritage Air Systems, Inc. Burns Mechanical Corporation

Southern CA
A.O. Reed

is published periodically by the National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau at its national office.

St. Louis
Frueh Services WMC Mechanical

B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S
Robert B. Waddy Chairman Russell I. Mullican Vice Chairman James J. Briggs, Jr. Treasurer George B. Kearney Mark Jarnot James Sekely Robert J. Silvia Chairman, Technical Committee G.W. Spohn, III Rick Taylor Robert J. Durr, Sr. Chairman Emeritus Steve Kelly UA Representative Dariush Nikpourfard Executive Director Walter J. Sperko, P.E. Consultant

Western Michigan
Strang Mechanical Services, Inc. Plumbing and Mechanical Services, Inc.

Heart of America
Richland Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

Indiana
Bennett Mechanical Corp.

Western PA
W.G. Tomko, Inc. Kir/Con-Breco, Inc. Quality Mechanical Services, Inc.

Iowa
Baker Group Frank Millard & Co, Inc.

Western Washington
Auburn Mechanical, Inc.

Mid Michigan
Adrian Mechanical

Wisconsin
Bassett Mechanical

New England
RTH Plumbing & Heating KMD Mechanical Corporation Royal Steam Heater Company

1385 Piccard Drive Rockville, MD 208504340 3018695800 Fax 3019909690 www.mcaa.org/ncpwb

NCPWB BULLETIN

A MESSAGE FROM THE CONSULTANT

he following is a summary of the changes that appear in the 2001 edition (which includes the 2001 addenda) of ASME Section IX. These changes and related discussion are reported by Walter J. Sperko, P.E., Vice-chairman of Subcommittee IX; readers are advised that the opinions expressed in this article are those of Mr. Sperko and not the official opinion of Subcommittee IX.
Walter Sperko NCPWB Technical Consultant

Summary of Changes in ASME Section IX, 2001 Addenda

Standard Welding Procedures
It has come to the writers attention that contractors using AWS Standard Welding Procedures Specifications (SWPS) are not complying with the requirements that are listed in Article V (QW-500). Highlights of those requirements are: Not all AWS SWPSs are permitted. A demonstration test coupon must be welded and tested; QW-520 lists specific information that must be recorded as part of the demonstration. SWPSs must be used exactly as they are written; there are no nonessential variables when using SWPSs. The applicable fabrication document (i.e., construction code, customer specification, etc.) and the demonstration test number must be shown on the SPWS, and it must be signed and dated by the manufacturer or contractor. Those using SWPSs are advised to read Article V closelyand follow the rules! NCPWB members should note that B31 requires that each contractor qualify one welder following each WPS in order to adopt that WPS. This is somewhat the same philosophically as the demonstration test required to adopt SWPSs. Changes in the 2001 Edition The 2001 Edition contains metric units. Old readers may recall that ASME published an SI version of the Boiler Code in 1986; when nobody bought it, ASME stopped publishing it. This edition contains metric units as secondary units (i.e., they are in parentheses and are a conversion of the U.S. customary units rather than real metric units). Due to the extra time needed to add the metric units, the 2001 Edition hit the streets later than the July 1 official publication date. Welding Procedure (QW-200) Rule Changes When welding dissimilar thickness base metals, QW-202.4(b) permits the use of test coupons as thin as 1/4 inch to be used to support welding on unlimited thickness when welding austenitic stainless steel (P-8), nickel alloys (P-41 through P-47), titanium (P-51 through P-53), and zirconium alloys (P-61 and 62). This allowance was permitted only when impact testing of these metals was not required. Based on the fact that toughness is degraded more easily when welding thin materials than when welding thick materials, it was agreed that the impact testing limit was not necessary, so it was deleted. For those who weld on impact tested metals, there is a requirement to qualify using single-pass welds if single-pass welds are going to be made in production (QW-410.9). Its purpose was to address the fact that single-pass welds have not been tempered by subsequent weld passes that would improve the toughness of the previous passes. This has always been a requirement for the other common welding processes, but it was somehow overlooked for SMAW. That oversight has been corrected in these addenda. Those who have existing SMAW qualifications allowing welding using a single pass per side on impact-tested materials without this qualification do not need to panic and make additional tests since this rule change applies only to new qualifica-

February 2002

MESSAGE FROM THE CONSULTANT

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tions; see QW-100.3,fifth paragraph.NCPWB currently has no WPSs for welding on impact-tested materials, although a couple of contractors have qualified some materials. A recent development in autogenous GTAW is a flux that is painted on the outside of a square butt joint after fit-up. This flux changes the thermally-induced circulation of the weld pool such that the depth of penetration is significantly increased, enabling singlepass welding on materials of 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick and greater with good control of the final weld geometry. QW-404.50 has been added to address use of these fluxes. Since tests indicate that these fluxes have no effect on mechanical properties of the weld, the variable is nonessential; this, of course, means that it does not have to documented on the PQR, but it does have to be addressed on the WPS. QW-283, which deals with welds made with buttering, has been expanded.Buttered welds are typically groove welds in which the end preparation of one member is buttered with a layer of weld metal, then that member is heat treated, then it is welded to the other member.A typical application for buttering is for joints between chrome-moly steels (e.g., P-5A) and stainless steel (P-8) where heat treatment of the P-5A is required, but heat treatment of the P-8 is not desirable. In this situation, one can butter the P-5A weld end preparation with about 3/16 in. (5mm) of a suitable austenitic stainless steel or nickel-alloy filler metal, heat treat the buttered piece, then weld the joint without additional heat treatment. Several years ago, AWS published A5.32 which deals with shielding gas. It provides standard designations for shielding gas that can be used in lieu of specifying nominal composition. In addition, the specification controls the tolerance on composition and the purity level, making it superior to purchasing gas by nominal composition alone. In these addenda, AWS A5.32 was adopted as an SFA specification, and QW-408.2 was modified to permit use of shielding gas designations in accordance with SFA 5.32 to be used in lieu of nominal composition. Although other variables that deal with gas composition were not similarly modified at this time, they are on the agenda to be revised. In the inter-

im, inclusion of SFA 5.32 in QW-408.2 sets a precedent that could reasonably applied to the other variables dealing with gas composition. Future revisions of NCPWB WPSs will use the new AWS classifications for shielding gas in addition to nominal composition. Welder Qualification (QW-300) Changes A big change was made in the nonmandatory forms; QW-484, which was for documenting welder and welding operator qualifications, was separated into QW484A for welders and QW-484B for welding operators. Although the old form worked well for welders, it was incomplete and confusing for welding operators. Readers should recall that these forms are nonmandatory, so it is not necessary to transfer existing qualification records to them. The inclusion of these forms in Section IX is the result of work done by NCPWB to improve the quality and friendliness of our forms. Brazing (QB) Changes Qualification of brazers was made easier. Previously, brazers had to qualify by brazing test coupons with each base metal P-number that they would braze in production. When brazing combinations of base metals, brazers had to braze combination test coupons. This was more restrictive than was required for qualification of procedures. These addenda allow brazers qualified on more than one P-number using a single set of process, filler metal, flux, etc. to braze those P-number base metals in combination without requalification. Another simplifying change was to allow section tests on pipe between 1 and 3 in. OD to be polished on both halves of one longitudinal section instead of requiring removal of a slice from two locations as shown in QB463.2(c). The orientation of the longitudinal cut relative to the testing position was also clarified. Several years ago, Subcommittee IX adopted AWS A5.31, Specification fo Fluxes for Brazing and Braze Welding, but never incorporated any provisions to use the specification under Section IX. QB-406.1 was revised to allow the use of the AWS flux classification as an alternate to specifying the trade name or the nominal chemical composition of the flux. NCPWB BPSs already include reference to these AWS classifications, again leading the way.
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NCPWB BULLETIN

MESSAGE FROM THE CONSULTANT

Continued from previous page

Inquiries There were two inquiries of interest to NCPWB members: The first (IX-01-09) asked if a welder who qualified using GTAW and ER70S-2 (F-6, carbon steel) filler metal was also qualified to weld using GTAW and ER308L (F-6, stainless steel) filler metal. The question bordered on consulting in the writers view, but the committee answered it anyway with a yes. The second question (IX-01-12) asked if a welder who had qualified in 1995 on a 1/2 inch thick plate using one process, electrode and set of essential variables (which would have qualified him to weld up to 1 inch in thickness) could weld unlimited thickness today because of the change in thickness rules in the 2000 addenda. The reply was that the Range Qualified column on the record could be revised to show unlimited thickness provided the contractor was satisfied that at least 3 layers of weld metal had been deposited in the coupon. the contractor recertified the qualification record.

Coming Attractions Exciting things that are in the works by Subcommittee IX include reassignment of nickel alloys into a more useful and rational grouping system, the addition of nonessential variables for corrosion-resistant and hardfacing overlay, and modifications of the new welder and operator qualification forms to address the number of layers of weld metal. NCPWB members should be aware that ASME Code Committee meetings are open to the public; the schedule is available on the writers website.
Continued on page 6

Bureau Has a New Administrative Assistant

Mary Beth Luther joined the Bureau in January 2002 as the administrative assistant. Mary Beth is a native of Rockville, Maryland, and has 11 years of experience as an administrative assistant. She possesses a wide range of knowledge in the administrative field. She replaced Sharon Glenn, who left MCAA in late December.

Comparison of NCPWB with Common Arc

NCPWB Year Started Governing Codes Qualifications to All Contractors required to provide supervision and control during test? Exchange of qualifications with contractor who was not present during test? Written quality control system required Rejection by one contractor applies to all contractors Welding Procedures followed during qualification Third party independent witness required ASME or NBIC Certificates of Authorization required? Active participation by all member contractors? Active participation by all union members? 1948 ASME B31 Codes only Section IX, but not QW-300.3 No Yes, see B31.1, Para. 127.5 (typical) No Yes NCPWB Yes No No No Common Arc 1988 All ASME Codes Section IX QW-300.3 Yes No, See Section IX, QW300.3 Yes No Individual Contractors No Yes No No February 2002

MESSAGE FROM THE CONSULTANT

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Once or twice a month, the writer will get a call from a contractor who says that he has a job to weld Inconel or Hastelloy or some other trade name metal, but he does not know the ASTM or ASME material specification or UNS (Unified Numbering System) designation. Most commonly, the alloys in question are nickel-based alloys or alloys containing a lot of nickel or chromium. Since these alloys have trade names that are similar, the following table should be helpful in identifying the materials to Alloy Name Nickel 200 Nickel 201 Monel 400 Monel R-405 Hastelloy X Hastelloy G Hastelloy C-22 Nicrofer 6025HT Hastelloy G-30 CyTemp CY-40 Nicrofer 45 VDM 59 SM2060Mo AllCorr CRHC2000 CRM21 Haynes 230 SM2050 SM2550 RA333 Hastelloy C-4 Inconel 600 Inconel 601 Inconel 617 Inconel 625 Hastelloy S Inconel 686 Inconel 690 P or S # 41 41 42 42 43 45 44 43* 45 43* 46* 44 43* 43* 43 43 47 43* 43* 46* 44 43 43 43* 43 43* 43 43 UNS # N02200 N02201 N04400 N04405 N06002 N06007 N06022 N06025 N06030 N06040 N06045 N06059 N06060 N06110 N06200 N06210 N06230 N06250 N06255 N06333 N06455 N06600 N06601 N06617 N06625 N06635 N06686 N06690 Nominal Comp 99Ni 99Ni Low C 63 min Ni31Cu 67Ni30CuSi 47Ni22Cr18Fe9Mo1.5Co 44Ni22Cr19.5Fe 6.5Mo2Cb2Cu 57Ni21Cr13.5Mo4Fe3W 62.5Ni25Cr9.5Fe2.1Al 41Ni30Cr15Fe5Mo2.7W1.7Cu 77Ni15.5CrFe 45minNi27.5Cr23Fe2.8Si 57Ni23Cr16Mo 57Ni20.5Cr13Mo6Fe 51minNi31Cr10.5MoCo 56Ni23Cr16Mo1.6Cu LowC 59Ni19Cr19Mo1.8Ta 56Ni22Cr14W 2Mo 53Ni21.5Cr13Fe11MoWCu 49.5Ni24.5Cr16Fe7.5Mo 45Ni25.5Cr3.3M03.3W3.2Cu1Si 64Ni16Cr15.5Mo 72 min Ni15.5Cr8Fe 60.5Ni23Cr1.5Fe1.35Al 53Ni22Cr12.5Co9Mo1Al0.01C 58 minNi22Cr9Mo3.6Cb 58Ni15.7Cr15MoMnSiLa 56Ni21Cr16Mo3.7WLowC 58Ni29Cr9Fe Alloy Name Hastelloy G-2 Hastelloy G-3 Alloy 20Cb3 (Carpenter 20) 20Mo6 HR120 SM2035

be welded, or at least make contractors aware that they need to ask their customers for more specific information. If an alloy is not listed, please contact Nick or the writer. Based on this table and a trade name, the UNS number and the P- or S-number can be identified. With this information, it is easy to determine if NCPWB has a WPS for welding the alloy. It should be noted that Subcommittee IX is considering revising the system for assignment of P-numbers for nickel alloys, and that will require revisions to our WPSs. That change will, of course, provide fodder for another article by the Consultant. P or S # 45 45 45 45 45* 45* 45 46 46* 45 45 45 45 45* 45 45 45 45 45 45 44 44 44 44* 44 44 UNS # N06975 N06985 N08020 N08026 N08120 N08135 N08320 N08330 N08332 N08366 N08367 N08700 N08800 N08801 N08810 N08811 N08825 N08904 N08925 N08926 N10001 N10003 N10276 N10629 N10665 N10675 Nominal Comp 49.5Ni24Cr17Fe6MoTiCu 45Ni22Cr20Fe7Mn 36Ni36Fe20Cr3.5Cu2.5M0.2Cb 35Ni31Fe24Cr6Mo3CuN 37Ni32Fe25CrCbCCoMoW 36Fe35.5Ni22Cr6.5M00.5W 45Fe26Ni22Cr5MoTi 43Fe35.5Ni18.5Cr1Si 42Fe35.5Ni18.5Cr1SiTi 46Fe24Ni21Cr6Mo 46Fe24Ni21Cr6.5MoN 47Fe25Ni21Cr 39.5minFe33Ni21CrAlTiNi 39.5minFe32Ni20.5CrTi 39.5minFe33Ni21CrAlTiC 39.5minFe33Ni21CrAlTiC 41Ni22minFe21.5Cr3Mo2CuTi Fe21Cr1.5Cu4.5Mo26NiN Fe25Ni20Cr1.2Cu6MoN Fe25Ni20Cr1.2Cu6MoN 64Ni29.5MoFeCo 70Ni16Mo7CrFe 57Ni16Mo15.5Cr5.5Cu3.8W 63Ni28Mo3.5Fe1Cr 69Ni28MoFe 65minNi29.5Mo2Cr2Fe

Haynes Alloy 20 Modified RA330 RA330TX AL6X AL6XN JS700 Incoloy 800 Incoloy 801 Incoloy 800H Incoloy 800HT Incoloy 825 Incoloy 904 VDM 1925 25-6Mo Hastelloy B Hastelloy N Hastelloy C-276 Hastelloy B-4 Hastelloy B-2 Hastelloy B-3

*indicates alloys that are not ASME materials but are similar to the alloys in the given P- or S-number grouping. NCPWB BULLETIN