ARTICLE D-4
WELDED JOINTS
AD-400 WELDED JOINT CATEGORIES
The term category, as used herein, defines the location
of a joint in a vessel, but not the type of joint. The
categories established by this paragraph are for use
elsewhere in this Division in specifying special require-
ments regarding joint type and degree of examination
for certain welded pressure joints. Since these special
requirements, which are based on service, and thickness,
do not apply to every welded joint, only those joints
to which special requirements apply are included in
categories. The joints included in each category are
designated as joints of Categories A, B, C, and D
below. Figure AD-400.1 illustrates typical joint locations
included in each category.
AD-400.1 Category A Locations. Category A loca-
tions are longitudinal welded joints within the main
shell, communicating chambers,1 transitions in diameter,
or nozzles; any welded joint within a sphere, within
a formed or flat head, or within the side plates2 of
a flat-sided vessel; and circumferential welded joints
connecting hemispherical heads to main shells, to transi-
tions in diameter, to nozzles, or to communicating
chambers.1
AD-400.2 Category B Locations. Category B loca-
tions are circumferential welded joints within the main
shell, communicating chambers,1 nozzles or transitions
in diameter including joints between the transition
and a cylinder at either the large or small end3 and
circumferential welded joints connecting formed heads
other than hemispherical to main shells, to transitions
in diameter, to nozzles, or to communicating chambers.1
1
Communicating chambers are defined as appurtenances to the vessel
which intersect the shell or heads of a vessel and form an integral
part of the pressure containing enclosure, e.g., sumps.
2
Side plates of a flat-sided vessel are defined as any of the flat
plates forming an integral part of the pressure containing enclosure.
3 B, an angle joint connecting a transition in diameter
See AD-400.4 for the joint category for the intersection of a cylinder
and the small end of a transition designed in accordance with
AD-212.3.
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AD-400.3 Category C Locations. Category C loca-
tions are welded joints connecting flanges, Van Stone
laps, tubesheets or flat heads to main shell, to formed
heads, to transitions in diameter, to nozzles, or to
communicating chambers1 and any welded joint con-
necting one side plate2 to another side plate of a flat-
sided vessel.
AD-400.4 Category D Locations. Category D loca-
tions are welded joints connecting communicating cham-
bers1or nozzles to main shells, to spheres, to transitions
in diameter, to heads, or to flat-sided vessels; nozzles
at the small end of a transition in diameter when
designed in accordance with AD-212.3; and those joints
connecting nozzles to communicating chambers.1
AD-410 TYPES OF JOINTS PERMITTED
AD-411 Category A Locations
All joints of Category A shall be Type No. 1 butt
joints (see AF-221).
AD-412 Category B Locations
All joints of Category B shall be Type No. 1 butt
joints or, except as limited in AD-415, Type No. 2
butt joints (see AF-222).
AD-412.1 Removal of Backing Strips of Type No.
2 Joints. Backing strips shall be removed from Type
No. 2 joints unless access conditions prevent their
removal. When fatigue analysis of Type No. 2 joints,
from which backing strips will not be removed, is
required, stress concentration factors of 2.0 for mem-
brane stresses and of 2.5 for bending stresses shall be
applied.
AD-412.2 Angle Butt Joints for Transitions in
Diameter at Category B Locations. When butt joints
are required elsewhere in this Division for Category
to a cylinder shall be considered as meeting this require-
ment provided the angle ␣ (See Fig. AD-400.1) does
 AD-412.2 PART AD — DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
FIG. AD-400.1 ILLUSTRATION OF WELDED JOINT LOCATIONS TYPICAL OF CATEGORIES A, B, C, AND D
not exceed 30 deg and the requirements of Type No.
1 butt joints are met. All requirements pertaining to
the butt joint shall apply to the angle joint.
AD-413 Category C Locations
All joints of Category C shall be Type No. 1 butt
joints, full penetration corner joints (see AF-223) except
as limited in AD-415 and AD-416; or, for the limited
applications permitted by AD-711.1, they may be fillet
welded joints (see AF-225).
AD-413.1 Forged Flat Heads With Hubs for Butt
Joints
(a) Hubs for butt weldings to the adjacent shell head,
or other pressure parts such as hubbed tubesheets and
flat heads as shown in Fig. AD-701.1, shall not be
machined from flat plate. The hubs shall be forged in
such a manner as to provide in the hub the full minimum
tensile strength and elongation specified for the material
in the direction parallel to the axis of the vessel. Proof
of this shall be furnished by a tension test specimen
(subsize, if necessary) taken in this direction and as
close to the hub as is practical.4 The minimum height
of the hub shall be the greater of 1.5 times the thickness
of the pressure part to which it is welded or 3⁄4 in.
(19 mm), but need not be greater than 2 in. (51 mm).
(b) Hubbed flanges as shown in Fig. 3-310.1 sketches
(d), (e), and (f) shall not be machined from flat plate.
AD-413.2 Corner Welds. When shells, heads, or
other pressure parts are welded to a forged or rolled
plate to form a corner joint as shown in Fig. AD-
701.3 for flat heads and in Fig. 3-310.1 sketch (h) for
4
One test specimen may represent a group of forgings provided they
are of the same design, are from the same heat of material, and are
forged in the same manner.
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AD-414
flanges, the welds shall meet the requirements given
below.
(a) On the cross section through the welded joint,
the line between the weld metal and the forged or
rolled plate being attached shall be projected on planes
both parallel to and perpendicular to the surface of the
plate being attached, in order to determine the dimen-
sions a and b, respectively.
(b) For flange rings of bolted flanged connections,
and for flat heads and supported and unsupported
tubesheets with a projection for a bolted connection,
the sum of a and b shall be not less than three times
the nominal wall thickness of the abutting pressure part.
(c) For other components, the sum of a and b shall
be not less than two times the nominal wall thickness
of the abutting pressure part. Examples of such compo-
nents are flat heads and supported and unsupported
tubesheets without a projection for a bolted connection
and the side plates of a rectangular vessel.
(d) Joint details that have a dimension through the
joint less than the thickness of the shell, head, or other
pressure part or that provide attachment eccentric thereto
are not permitted.
AD-414 Category D Locations
(a) The joints of Category D may be any of the
following types:
(1) Type No. 1 butt joints;
(2) full penetration corner welds (see AF-223)
except as limited in AD-415;
(3) full penetration corner welds at the nozzle
neck and /or fillet welds (see AF-225) except as limited
in AD-416.
 AD-414 2001 SECTION VIII — DIVISION 2
(b) In addition to the requirements of this paragraph,
see Article D-6 for specific requirements for the design
of these welds.
AD-414.1 Locations at Which No External Load
Is Imposed. Except as limited in AD-415, joints for
attaching instrument connections and studded pad type
connections that have no external loadings (such as
instrumentation openings, inspection openings, etc.) may
be made with partial penetration welds and /or fillet
welds (see AD-621, AD-635, AF-224, and AF-225).
AD-414.2 Joints for Fittings With Internal
Threads. Except as limited in AD-415, welded joints for
internally threaded pipe fittings shall be full penetration
groove welds or fillet welds as required by AD-620.
AD-415 Special Limitations for Joints of
Materials Listed in Table AQT-1
(a) In vessels and vessel parts constructed of heat
treated steels covered in Table AQT-1 except as permit-
ted in (b) below, all joints of Categories A, B, and
C, as defined in AD-400, and all other welded joints
between parts of the pressure containing enclosure
which are not defined by the category designation shall
be Type No. 1 (see AF-221). All joints of Category
D shall be in accordance with Type No. 1 (see AF-
221) and Fig. AD-613.1 when the shell plate thickness
is 2 in. (51 mm) or less. When the thickness exceeds
2 in. (51 mm), the weld detail may be as permitted
for nozzles in Fig. AD-610.1 and Fig. AD-613.1.
(b) For materials SA-333 Grade 8, SA-334 Grade
8, SA-353, SA-522, SA-553, and SA-645 the joints of
various categories (see AF-220) shall be as follows:
(1) all joints of Category A shall be Type No. 1
of AF-221;
(2) all joints of Category B shall be Type No. 1
of AF-221 or Type No. 2 of AF-221;
(3) all joints of Category C shall be full penetration
welds extending through the entire section at the joint;
(4) all joints of Category D attaching a nozzle
neck to the vessel wall and to a reinforcing pad, if
used, shall be full-penetration groove welds.
AD-416 Special Limitations for Joints in
Lethal Service
All joints in Category A shall be Type No. 1 (AF-
221) and in Categories B and C shall be Type No. 1
or Type No. 2 (AF-222). All joints in Category D
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AD-420
shall be Type No. 1 butt joint or full penetration corner
weld through the vessel or nozzle wall (see AF-223).
AD-417 Joints Attaching Nonpressure Parts
and Stiffeners
Welded joints attaching nonpressure parts and stiffen-
ers may be butt welds, full penetration groove welds,
partial penetration welds, fillet welds, or stud welds.
In part, the type of weld permitted depends on the
nature of the attachment and on the material to which
the attachment is to be made. (For specific requirements
see AD-900, AD-911, and AD-912.)
AD-420 TRANSITION JOINTS BETWEEN
SECTIONS OF UNEQUAL
THICKNESS
Unless the requirements of Appendices 4, 5, and 6
are shown to be satisfied, a tapered transition as shown
in Fig. AD-420.1 shall be provided at joints of Catego-
ries A and B (see AD-400) between sections that differ
in thickness by more than one-fourth of the thickness
of the thinner section or by more than 1⁄8 in. (3.2 mm).
The transition may be formed by any process that will
provide a uniform taper. When the transition is formed
by adding additional weld metal beyond what would
otherwise be the edge of the weld, such additional
weld metal buildup shall be subject to the requirements
of AF-229. The butt weld may be partly or entirely
in the tapered section as indicated in Figs. AD-420.1
and AD-420.2. When Appendices 4, 5, and 6 are not
used, the following additional requirements shall also
apply.
(a) The length of taper shall be not less than three
times the offset between adjacent surfaces.
(b) Figure AD-420.1 shall apply to all joints of
Categories A and B except joints connecting formed
heads to main shells, for which case Fig. AD-420.2
shall apply.
(c) When a taper is required on any formed head
intended for butt welded attachment, the skirt shall be
long enough so that the required length of taper does
not extend beyond the tangent line.
(d) An ellipsoidal or hemispherical head which has
a greater thickness than a cylinder of the same inside
diameter may be machined to the outside diameter of
the cylinder provided the remaining thickness is at least
as great as that required for a shell of the same diameter.
 AD-420 PART AD — DESIGN REQUIREMENTS AD-420.1

FIG. AD-420.1 BUTT WELDING OF SECTIONS OF UNEQUAL THICKNESSES

The requirements of this paragraph do not apply to
flange hubs.
AD-420.1 Nozzle Neck to Piping Transition. In
the case of nozzle necks which attach to piping [see
AD-120(a)(1) and AD-602] of a lesser wall thickness,
a tapered transition from the weld end of the nozzle
may be provided to match the piping thickness although
the thickness is less than otherwise required by the
rules of this Division. This tapered transition shall meet
the limitations as shown in Fig. AD-420.3.

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 Fig. AD-420.2 2001 SECTION VIII — DIVISION 2

FIG. AD-420.2 JOINTS BETWEEN FORMED HEADS AND SHELLS

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 PART AD — DESIGN REQUIREMENTS Fig. AD-420.3

1/ in. (6 mm) min. radius

4

18.5 deg max.;

1/in. (6 mm) min. 14 deg min.
4 30 deg max.
radius
18.5 deg max.;
30 deg max. 14 deg min. tn trn See
tn [Note (1)] Note (2)
[Note (1)]
trn See t1 [Note (3)]
Note (2) 30 deg max.
18.5 deg max.;
14 deg min.
t1 [Note (3)] 1/ in. (6 mm) min. radius
4

(a) (b)
NOTES:
(1) As defined in AD-540.2.
(2) Weld bevel is shown for illustration only.
(3) t1 is not less than the greater of:
(a) 0.8trn where
trn = required thickness of seamless nozzle wall
(b) minimum wall thickness of connecting pipe

FIG. AD-420.3 NOZZLE NECKS ATTACHED TO PIPING OF LESSER WALL THICKNESS

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