sonsizore |What you should know about welding codes and standares
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What you should know about welding codes and standards
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What Are Welding Codes and Standards, When Are They Used, and How Are They Developed
Many aspects of the design and fabrication of welded components are governed by documents known as codes and standards. Other names used for
‘such documents include guides, recommended practices, regulations, rules, and specifications. These documents are often specified by an end
userfpurchaser as a contractual agreement in order to control the characteritics ofthe welded fabrication that may affect its service requirements. They
are also used by the manufacturer to assist in the development and implementation oftheir welding quality system. Many end users of welded
‘components have developed and issued specifications that have been compiled by them to adress their specific requirements. Such specifications may
be limited in application and related only to that customer's situation and requirements. National interest in areas such as public safety and reliability has
promoted the development of welding codes and standards that command broader recognition bath on a national and industry-specific basis. Numerous
‘committees have been developed over the years within national engineering and technical societies that continue to evaluate the needs of industry and
‘develop new welding codes and standards. Such committees are comprised of members who are technical experts and represent all interested partes
‘such as manufacturers, end users, inspection authorities, and goverment agencies, The membership of these committees is balanced in order to
prevent any one interest group from controling the committee. On completion of a new of revised dacument by the specific committee, iis usually then
reviewed and approved by a review committee, and if accepted, then published in the name of the applicable engineering society.
Documents that have significant influence upon public health and safety are sometimes adopted by legislative bodies or by federal regulating agencies.
In those jurisdictions, such documents become law and are often referred to as Codes or Regulations
“The wolding inspector should be aware of what codes or standards are applicable within their jurisdiction, understand the requirements of the relevant
‘documents and perform ther inspection accordingly
‘Sources Of Codes and Standards Of Interest To The Welding Industry
‘The following are some of the more popular sources of welding codes and standards found inthe USA.
‘American Welding Society (AWS) ~ Probably the largest producer of welding codes and standards in the USA. The AWS publishes many documents
addressing the use and qualiy contol of welding. These documents include such general subjects as Welding Definitions and Symbols, Classification of
Filler Metals, Qualification and Testing, Welding Processes, Welding Applications, and Safety.
‘American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) ~ This society is responsible for the development ofthe Boller and Pressure Vessel Cade, which
‘contains eleven sections and covers the design, construction, and inspection of bolers and pressure vessels. ASME also produces the Code for
Pressure Piping, which consists of seven sections. Each section prescribes the minimum requirements for the design, materials, fabrication, erection,
testing and inspection ofa particular type of piping system. Both of these documents are American National Standards.
American Petroleum Instituto (AP!) ~ This insttute publishes many documents relating to petroleum production, a number of which include welding
requirements. The most well known is possibly API Std 1104 ~ Standard for Welding Pipelines and Related Faciltes.
What The Welding Code and Standard Generally Provides
The specific content and requirements of a welding code or standard can vary in detal, however, there are a number of elements within these types of
documents which are comman and which we will examine
‘The Scope and General Requirements: This is found atthe beginning ofthe document and is important as twill normally provide a description as to
the type and extent of welding fabrication for which the document was developed and intended to be used. It may also provide information relating to the
Iitations for the use of the document, Care should be taken to use codes and standards that are applicable for your particular application
Design: the document provides a section for design, it may refer the user to a secondary source of information, ort may contain minimum
requirements for the design of specific welded connections.
‘Qualification: This section of the document wil typically outline the requirements for qualification testing of welding procedure specifications (WPS) and
{also those requirements for qualification of welding personnel. It may provide the essential variables, these being the change limitations that govern the
‘extent of qualification. Such variables are typically the welding process, type and thickness of base metal filler metal type, electrical parameters, joint
design, welding postion, and others.
‘This section ofthe document may also provide the qualification testing requirements. Usually this is divided into welding procedure and welder
performance testing requirements. Typically it wil provide the types and sizes of test samples to be welded and prepared for testing, the testing methods
to.be used, and the minimum acceptance criteria lo be used forthe evaluation of test samples.Fabrication: This section, when included in the document, wil typically provide information associated with the fabrication methods andlor workmanship
standards. It may contain information and requirements on such items as base materials, welding consumable classification requirements, shielding gas
‘qualty, heat teatment requirements, preparation and care of base material, and other welding fabrication requirements
Inspection: This section ofthe document wil typically address the welding inspector's qualification requirements and responsibilities, acceptance criteria
for ciscontinuties, and requirements relating to procedures for nondestructive testing
‘Opportunities For The Welding Fabricator To Improve Weld Quality And Reliability
With the move by more manufacturing organizations toward the implementation of quality management systems, such as ISO 9000, and the requirement
‘of such systems for process contro, we must consider welding as a special process and, consequently, its formal contol, Welding codes and standards.
are often used by the welding fabricator to assist with the development oftheir pracess control system. lf we consider the major elements of process
Contral, as spacifid by such standards for quality systems, we will recognize those same elements as being addressed within the welding code or
standard. The frst requirement for process contol is documented procedures defining the manner of production. For welding, ths isthe welding
procedure specification (WPS). A second requirement i erteria for workmanship, which shall be stipulated inthe clearest practical manner. For welding,
this may be the code or standard acceptance criteria. A thid requirement is qualfication of personnel. This may be addressed by the welder
performance qualification. Regardless of the manufacturer's overal quality system, there may be opportunities available through the selection and use of
‘an appropriate welding code or standard for welding qualty and relablity improvements
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