Fabrication, welding and inspection basics for Maintenance

Engineers

This course is designed to help the engineers and managers in practice of fabrication
and welding technology by offering knowledge on materials, welding processes,
design, and inspection.

Who will be benefited? Fabrication, welding and inspection are essential part of their
responsibilities for every engineers and managers involved in project, maintenance
and plant refurbishment activities. On many occasions, during such activities, plant
engineers have to depend on the consultation and knowledge of the vendor or third
party engineering personnel. The course is designed to impart the basic training to
such plant personnel so that they acquire sufficient knowledge to handle the
responsibility on their own.
After availing this training the candidates would be able to
 Identify fabrication components on the basis of their specification
 Get a basic knowledge on different code specifications and their comparison
 Identify a material with respect to code from their composition
 Select suitable weld metal for a given parent metal from the code
 Select proper welding procedure and qualify welders for a given material
 Work out a proper fabrication and erection planning including understanding
of fabrication drawings
 Acquire basic knowledge on different welding processes and their applications
 Share the field knowledge on fabrication and welding from experienced
faculties and also get some practical tips from experienced personnel from the
field
 Acquire basic knowledge on different inspection techniques available to able
to use effectively at their work
 Learn the basic techniques of ‘reading’ a radiography plate to identify the
nature and severity of a discontinuity in welding joint
 Learn about some of the latest inspection technology with demonstration
 Learn about the use of some of the software towards welding management
and code comparison and also get few of the basic software for use.

Course Content:
I. Codes, Standards, and Specifications:
Codes and Standards are often looked at from a different viewpoint. Many consider
them to be an additional burden, which are only to be referred when it is demanded
by the job as mandatory. Whereas in effect, codes and standards can be utilized as
useful reference which can guide you during any engineering practice previously
unknown to you and save you from making a mess of it. In fact a clear
understanding of various codes and standards also enables you take a correct
decision confidently during an emergency situation. This part of the training will deal
with
i. Information on different codes and standards commonly used and their
comparison
ii. An introduction to ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code (Sections I to
IX) and B31 pressure piping codes, including B31.1 and B31.3, pipeline
material standards (API 5L), etc.

II. Material identification:

Every thing you need is readily available with the inventory at the time you want and
the way you want – now this would be the dream situation of every field engineer,
which unfortunately never becomes a reality. Many a times you are in a situation,
where you have absolutely no idea about the identity of an isolated length of pipe
piece lying at a corner of your pipe yard and you are in need of immediate
replacement of a pipe length of a specific material. Or the MOC in the BOM of the
drawing shows an alfa-numerical specification, which looks like Latin to you and you
need to decide. This part of the training will deal with
i. Base metal identification: Identifying pipes, fittings and mountings from
specification; identifying material from its composition
ii. Base metal classification systems and properties: Trade name and
standard classification for Carbon steel, alloy steel, and stainless steels
iii. Useful tips on onsite identification of material with the help of laboratory
chemicals

III. Welding procedure selection:

Selection of a proper welding process and electrodes are the most common
difficulties faced by field engineers and managers in the field of fabrication and
welding. Quite often you may find yourself the prospect of welding a typical material
about which you have no idea. This part of the training will deal with
i. General concepts of Welding Consumables: filler metal forms and uses;
fluxes and slags and their characteristics; types, function and characteristics of
Shielding gases
ii. AWS specification and classification for arc welding consumables: SMAW
for carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel coated electrodes; Tungsten
electrodes for GTAW and related filler metals for carbon steels, alloy steels and
stainless steels
iii. Consumable classification systems for trade names: SFA (ASME)
specifications and classification system, ASME F-number and A-number
iii. A brief review of welding qualifications: How to prepare WPS, PQR,
WPQ
iv. Mechanical testing of welds: Tensile tests, bend tests, hardness tests,
impact tests

IV. Techniques and tips on fabrication and welding

In fabrication and welding technology, most of the knowledge is acquired in the field
and not in a classroom or on a drawing board in the college. With continuous
advancement in fabrication and welding technology, engineers are presented with
new challenges all the time. Even the most experience field engineers in fabrication
and welding activities may encounter a situation to which they do not have a clue.
Knowledge shared by experienced and skill professionals are invaluable and rarely
available in a textbook. This part of the training will deal with
i. A guide for correctly reading a fabrication drawing, Welding symbols
ii. a. How to select the electrode for welding and repairing work (When base
metal is known but welding procedure is unknown).
b. How to select the electrode for welding and repairing work (When base metal
is unknown).
iii. Tapping the Low Hydrogen Porosity Problem
iv. Troubleshooting of Weld Defects
v. AC/DC: Understanding Polarity, use of proper current during welding
vi. Precautions to be taken against distortion during welding
vii. Taking care of heat affected zone (HAZ)
viii. Heat treatment of weld joint
ix. Tips and techniques for welding of Stainless Steels, LTCS, Aluminum Alloy,
Cast iron, Titanium Alloys, Cobalt base alloys, dissimilar metals
x. Estimating Welding cost
xi. Safety aspects in welding – what are the safety hazards related to welding
practice and precautions required to be taken.

V. Basic inspections techniques:

Discontinuity in a weld joint is the problem every engineer has to live with. Complete
homogeneity is impossible to achieve and proper detection of the discontinuity and
assessment of the severity is the challenge often faced by every field engineer. This
is usually understood to be the job of an ‘Inspection Engineer’, whereas at crunch
times, it is the field engineer who is ultimately responsible for quality and at the
same time the productivity of the job. Selection of the proper detection method is
another problem. This part of the training will deal with
i. Basic information on Visual, DPT, UT, MPT and Radiography techniques for
detection of Discontinuity in a weld joint
ii. Interpretation of codes regarding acceptance criterion
iii. Interpretation of radiography of weld joints with the corresponding defects
iv. Effective use of Ultrasonic Testing

Use of Software:

There are many Windows based program available to assist in the management of
Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) in
accordance with ASME Code, Section IX requirements and complete welder
management. Some of the software offers cross-reference tables and chemical
compositions of number of steel alloys from various countries.
Proper utilization of these software helps you maintain complete, accurate and up-to-
date records, eliminating unnecessary performance qualifications and re-
qualifications, saving time, money and inconvenience.
This section will offer the candidates some basic information on how to use these
software and also offer some basic versions of software for their practice.