Approval Test Specifications call for a paper record, which can be known as:

Procedure / welder approval certificate

Procedure / welder approval record
Procedure / welder approval report
The following records should also be kept:
NDT reports
Records of visual examination or mechanical testing
Test pieces from destructive testing
Other records that are equally important are proof of regular employment on a jo
b for scheduling re-tests to avoid duplication on procedure approval.
WELDER APPROVAL
Welder approval tests are used to determine the ability of a welder to produce w
elds of an acceptable quality with the processes, materials and welding position
s that are to be used in production. Dependant on the requirements and administr
ation the manufacturer or contractor may choose to qualify their own welders or
they may employ outside personnel who can meet the requirements. These requireme
nts usually specify verification of the tests by an authorised inspector or inde
pendent body. The requirements for the qualification of welders are usually laid
down in the governing code or specification or the contract specification.
Approval tests improve the probability of obtaining satisfactory welds in produc
tion. However it is true to say that approval test welds are made with special a
ttention and effort and so cannot show whether or not the welder can do so under
every production condition. For these reasons complete reliance should not be p
laced on these qualifications - production welds should be inspected regularly t
o ensure that the standard is being kept up.
Types Of Approval Tests.
Tests that are prescribed by most codes and standards are in the main similar. C
ommon tests are:
a.
Plate and structural members.
b.
Pipe welding.
c.
Positions of welding.
d.
Testing of approval testpieces.
e.
Re-tests.
a. Plate and structural members.
The requirements for welders of plate and structural parts (including pressure v
essels) usually require the welder to make one or more test welds on plate or pi
pe assemblies with the qualified welding procedure. Each weld is tested in a spe
cific manner, often both destructively and non-destructively. The requirements n
ormally state the applicability of material thickness and welding positions that
will qualify for production work. Other details will cover joint type and direc
tion of welding when depositing vertical welds (vertically up or vertically down
).
b. Pipe welding.
The requirements for the approval of welders for pipe welding differs from those
for welding plate and structural members chiefly in the type of test assemblies
and test positions. As a rule the welds must be made on pipe and not plate. In
some cases the space within which the test piece must be welded may be restricte
d if the production work involves welding in cramped conditions. As a general ru
le welders who qualify for certain joints on pipe need not qualify for plate wor
k, but qualifications on plate do not apply to pipework.