11 Welding - Carbon Steel

11.1 General
11.1.1 All welding shall be performed in accordance with AWS D1.1, ASME Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code (Section IX), or ASME B31.3 for process equipment,
mechanisms, structural, tankage, vessels, and piping, as applicable.
11.1.2 Welding to any other codes shall require written approval from WesTech
Project Manager, prior to welding.
11.1.3 Whenever possible, welding shall be performed in the Flat position.
11.1.4 “Down Hand” welding (weld face axis is > 15°) is only permitted, if the welder is
qualified in the downward direction of travel and the welding process, or when
making weld repairs, as noted in AWS D1.1, Clause 3.7.1.
11.1.5 Weld beads may remain in the “As welded” condition.
11.1.5.1 The weld shall be uniform in size and free from coarse ripples, abrupt
ridges, and valleys. Stops and starts shall be blended.
11.1.5.2 Additional welding and grinding may be required to blend the weld
profiles.
11.1.6 All welds shall be continuous seal welds, unless specifically noted on the detail
drawings.
11.2 Welding Symbols
The interpretation of welding symbols shall be in accordance with AWS A2.4.
11.3 Procedure Qualifications
11.3.1 The Supplier shall provide all applicable Welding Procedure Specifications
(WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) and Welder Qualification Test
Records (WQTR), upon request.
11.3.2 Each welder (Welder, Tack Welder, and Welding Operator) shall be qualified by
testing and certified by Supplier for each welding process and position used in
the Supplier’s production welding process.
11.3.3 The Supplier shall maintain current qualification records for each welder,
indicating the welding process and date last performed, in accordance with the
requirements of the applicable code.
11.3.4 Copies of WPS shall be present in the area where welding is completed and
available for reference by welders and inspectors.
11.4 Welding Machines
Welding machines shall be calibrated. The current certificate shall be available for
review.
11.5 Welding Electrodes and Filler Metals
11.5.1 Filler metal shall be 70XX minimum strength, with the exception of the root pass
on pipe, where 60XX is permissible, and as allowed by API 650.

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 11.5.2 Welding consumables shall be used and stored as recommended by the
manufacturer and the applicable code.
11.6 Thermally Cut Edges
Thermally cut edges shall be cleaned, including the complete removal of cutting slag and
oxidation.
11.7 Joint Fit-up and Pre-weld Area Cleaning
11.7.1 Weld joints fit-up shall be consistent with the WPS. Excessive root openings or
bevel angles must be addressed prior to subsequent welding.
11.7.2 Prior to welding, the welding inspector shall inspect joint preparation and fit-up
to verify all code specifications and WPS requirements are met and acceptable
such as bevel angle, root opening, landing, and cleanliness.
11.7.3 Prior to welding, base metal materials within 1” [25mm] of the weld joint areas
shall be cleaned, including the complete removal of all mill scale, cutting slag,
oxidation, moisture, and foreign debris.
11.7.4 Needle guns may be used to remove mill scale. Their use shall be minimal and
NOT result in peening the weld face.
11.8 Pre-heat and Interpass Temperatures
Prior to welding, base metal materials within 3” [75mm] of the weld joint shall be pre-
heated, for the following environmental conditions;
11.8.1 Base metal materials below 32° F [0° C] shall be pre-heated to 70° F [21° C].
11.8.2 Base metal above 32° F [0° C];
11.8.2.1 Materials over ¾” [20mm], up to and including 1 ½” [38mm] thick
shall be pre-heated to 50° F [10° C].
11.8.2.2 Materials over 1 ½” [38mm], up to and including 2 ½” [64mm] thick
shall be pre-heated to 150° F [66° C].
11.8.2.3 Materials over 2 ½” [64mm] thick shall be pre-heated to 225° F [107°
C].
11.8.3 Interpass temperatures shall be maintained in accordance with the WPS.
11.9 Post-weld Joint Area Cleaning
11.9.1 All flux and welding slag shall be removed.
11.9.2 All weld spatter, including any tightly adhered spatter, shall be removed by
chipping or grinding to achieve the highest level of surface quality for coating.
11.10 Edge and Weld Grinding (As required by PO)
The Edge and Weld grinding requirements defined below will establish the acceptable
conditions and expectations for specific lining or coating applications.
All parties (Sales, Customers, Engineers, Procurement, and Suppliers) must be in
agreement and understand the Grinding requirements. These requirements must be
submitted to the customer, approved, and noted in the PO.

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 The extent of grinding and approximate geometry of corners, edges, and welds shall be
defined by NACE SP0178, Appendix C.
11.10.1 Grinding Designations
11.10.1.1 NACE Designation ‘A’
11.10.1.1..1 Groove welds shall be ground flush and smooth with the
surface.
11.10.1.1..2 No pin holes or visual porosity is permitted.
11.10.1.1..3 No undercutting or under-fill is permitted.
11.10.1.1..4 All surface defects shall be repaired as necessary.
11.10.1.2 NACE Designation ‘C’
11.10.1.2..1 Groove welds shall be ground smooth (not flush) and
transition smoothly into the base metal.
11.10.1.2..2 Fillet and lap welds shall be ground smooth to produce a
flat or slightly concave weld face.
11.10.1.2..3 All stops and starts shall be ground smooth and weld
toes shall blend into the base metal to produce a smooth
transition.
11.10.1.2..4 All corners and edges, including those produced in
manufacturing at the steel mill, or cutting process, shall
have a minimum 1/8” [3mm] radius.
11.10.1.2..5 No pin holes or visual porosity is permitted.
11.10.1.2..6 No undercutting or under-fill is permitted.
11.10.1.2..7 All surface defects shall be repaired, as necessary.
NOTE: Care shall be taken to verify the integrity of the weld is not
compromised when grinding. The specified weld size and minimum
throat shall be maintained. When a lining manufacturer requires a
minimum inside radius, an increase in weld leg length will be required.
11.10.1.3 NACE Designation ‘D’ – Modified
11.10.1.3..1 Specific customers will accept the modifications listed
below.
11.10.1.3..2 The best practice is for the Supplier to provide two
identical samples. One shall be submitted to the
WesTech customer for approval and a duplicate sample
shall be retained at the fabrication facility for reference.
11.10.1.3..3 If the FCAW welding process is used and the finished
fillet or lap weld profiles are flat or slightly concave,
minimal grinding may be required. A smooth weld face
transitioning from weld metal to base metal is required.
11.10.1.3..4 All corners and cut edges shall have a minimum 1/8”
[3mm] radius.

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 11.10.1.3..5 Mill finish edges of rolled structural shapes shall have a
radius (not less than 1/16”) [1.5mm].
11.11 Weld Inspection
11.11.1 All welds shall be inspected by 100% visual examination. The acceptance
criteria shall be in accordance with Table 11.11 and Figure 11.11.1 of this
document.
11.11.2 Welds shall be inspected before and after abrasive blast cleaning, and prior to
any coating application.
11.11.3 Nondestructive Examination (As required by PO)
11.11.3.1 NDE of welds requiring Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT) shall be
performed in accordance with ASTM E165.
11.11.3.2 Acceptance criteria shall be in accordance with AWS D1.1, Clause
6, Part C.
11.11.3.3 NDE technicians shall be qualified in accordance with ASNT SNT-
TC-1A, Level II.

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 Table 11.11
Visual Inspection Acceptance Criteria
Discontinuity Category and Inspection Criteria

(1) Crack Prohibition

Any crack shall be unacceptable, regardless of size or location.
(2) Weld/Base Metal Fusion
Thorough fusion shall exist between adjacent layers of weld metal
and between weld metal and base metal.
(3) Crater Cross Section
All craters shall be filled to provide the specified weld size.
(4) Weld Profiles
Weld profiles shall be in conformance with Figure 11.11.1
(5) Time of Inspection
Visual inspection of welds in all materials may begin immediately
after the completed welds have cooled to ambient temperature.
(6) Undersized Welds
The size of a fillet weld in any continuous weld may not be less than
what is specified on the drawings.
(7) Undercut

Equipment – For material less than 1 inch (25 millimeters) thick,

undercut shall not exceed 1/32 inch (1 millimeters), with the
following exception: undercut shall not exceed 1/16 inch (2
millimeters) for any accumulated length up to 2 inches (50
millimeters) in any 12 inches (300 millimeters). For material equal
to or greater than 1 inch thick, undercut shall not exceed 1/16 inch
(2 millimeters) for any length of weld.

Structural – In column members there shall be no undercut when

the weld is transverse to tensile stress under any design loading
condition. Undercut shall be no more than 1/32 inch (1 millimeter)
deep for all other cases.

*Tanks Shells – Maximum permissible undercut is 1/64 inch (0.4

millimeters) in depth for vertical butt joints, vertically oriented
permanent attachments, attachment welds for nozzles, manholes,
flush-type openings, and the inside shell-to-bottom welds. For
horizontal butt joints, horizontally oriented permanent
attachments, and annular-ring butt joints, the maximum
permissible undercut is 1/32 inch (0.8 millimeters) in depth.

(8) Porosity
No visible porosity is acceptable in any weld.

*Reference API 650

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 Convexity, C or a weld or individual surface bead with dimension W shall not exceed the value of the following table:
WIDTH OF WELD FACE OR MAX. CONVEXITY, C
INDIVIDUAL SURFACE BEAD, W
W ≤5/16 IN (8 mm) 1/16 in (2 mm)
W > 5/16 in (8 mm) to W <1 in (25 mm) 1/8 in (3 mm)
2 ≥ 1 in (25 mm) 3/16 in (5 mm)

(C) UNACCEPTABLE FILLET WELD PROFILES

Reinforcement R shall not exceed:

Plate Thickness Vertical Joints Horizontal Joints
≤1/2 in (13 mm) 3/32 in (2.5 mm) 1/8 in (3 mm)
>1/2 in (13 mm) to 1 in (25 mm) 1/8 in (3 mm) 3/16 in (5 mm)
>1 in (25 mm) 3/16 in (5 mm) 1/4 in (6 mm)

(D) ACCEPTABLE GROOVE WELD PROFILE IN BUTT JOINT

(E) UNACCEPTABLE GROOVE WELD PROFILES IN BUTT JOINTS

All welds shall meet the visual acceptance criteria of Table 11.11

Figure 11.11.1 - Acceptable and Unacceptable Weld Profiles

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 11.12 Weld Repairs
11.12.1 Should the inspection reveal unacceptable welds, the Supplier shall be
responsible for all necessary repair work.
11.12.2 Removal of weld metal or portions of base metal may be done by grinding,
chipping, gouging, or machining, taking care NOT to nick or gouge adjacent
weld or base metal. Repaired areas shall be cleaned and free of slag, oxidation,
or foreign materials prior to the addition of weld metal.
11.12.3 All weld repairs shall be made in accordance with the original WPS or an
approved Repair WPS.
11.12.4 All weld repairs shall be inspected, comply with the applicable code, and
customer specifications.
11.12.5 Arc strikes outside of the weld area are to be avoided. All occurrences shall be
ground smooth and inspected for soundness.
11.12.6 Repairs Not Requiring Welding
11.12.6.1 Weld profile and surface defects which may be repaired while
maintaining the minimum acceptable weld size and minimum
thinning of base metal, in accordance with AWS D1.1, shall be
removed by grinding.
11.12.6.2 Repaired areas shall be 100% visually inspected to verify the
nonconformity has been removed or the indication has been
reduced to an acceptable limit. The repair shall blend uniformly
into the parent metal and adjacent weld metal.
11.12.6.3 Linear indications may require Liquid Penetrant testing (PT) to
verify the defect has been successfully removed.
11.12.7 Repairs Requiring Welding
11.12.7.1 Defects may be removed by grinding, chipping, or machining,
taking care NOT to nick or gouge adjacent weld metal and with a
minimal loss to the base metal.
11.12.7.2 The defect shall be completely removed to sound metal, free from
cracks, cold lap, slag inclusions, and porosity.
11.12.7.3 In preparation for welding, the surfaces shall be cleaned to bare
metal. All weld spatter, slag, oxidation, grinding burrs, and foreign
materials shall be removed a minimum of 1” [25mm] from the
weld joint.
11.12.7.4 The repair welding process shall conform to the original WPS
quality.
11.12.7.5 The weld may be left in the “As welded” condition, if it blends
uniformly into the parent and adjacent weld metal.
11.12.7.6 All completed weld repairs shall be 100% visually inspected in
accordance with the Code and the customer’s original
specifications.

END OF SECTION
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