State Committee of the USSR for Supervision over Safe Conduct of

Operations in Nuclear Power

Approved by Order of
Gosatomnadzor of Russia of

Unified Testing Methods of Basic Materials (Semi-Finished Products), Weld

Joints and Weld Overlays of NPI (Nuclear Power Installations) Equipment
and Piping.
Visual Inspection and Measuring

PNAE G-7-016-89

Effective since
01.07.1990

Moscow 1990
 LIST OF CONTENTS

1. General Provisions
2. Visual and Instrumental Inspection Procedures
3. Visual and Instrumental Inspection Instruments and Tools
4. Qualification of Inspectors
5. Assessment of Inspection Results and Reporting Documentation
Format
 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1.1. Visual inspection of base materials is carried out to detect surface cracks,
peeling, rolled-ins, non-allowed dints, bubbles, skins, slag inclusions and other
non-integrities.

1.2. Visual inspection of welded joints is carried out to detect surface cracks, loss
of fusion, delamination, burns through, knots, bulges, blowholes and splash of
metal, non-allowable undercuts, surface inclusions and clusters.

1.3. Visual inspection of semi-finished products is carried out to verify

compliance of their geometrical sizes (assortment) to the requirements of
standards or other specifications for specific semi-finished products as well as
whether the sizes of the visually revealed surface dints, blowholes, slag
inclusions and other non-integrities may be allowed as per the relevant
requirements of standards or specifications and ma.

1.4. Instrumental inspection of parts and assemblies is carried out to verify

compliance of their geometrical sizes as well as whether the sized of base metal
surface non-integrities revealed during inspection may be allowed as per the
relevant requirements of the design documentation.

1.5. Instrumental inspection of parts prepared for welding (overlaying) is carried

out to verify whether the shape and sizes of structural elements (their edges and
surfaces) comply with the requirements of the document “Equipment and
Pipelines of Nuclear Power Installations. Welding and Overlaying. Basic
Provisions. PN AE G -7-009-89" and design documentation.

1.6. Instrumental inspection during assembling of parts for welding is carried out
to check whether the gap sizes, displacement of dulling and edges and
geometrical positions of axes or surfaces of assembled parts (knee or
perpendicularity) meet the requirements of PN AE G-7-009-89 and design
documentation.

1.7. Instrumental inspection of fabricated welded joints (overlays) is carried out to

check whether the sizes, locations and number of inclusions and clusters
detected in the course of visual inspection, as well as sizes of undercuts, pockets
between beads and their surface scaliness, width and weld surface camber
(concavity), weld root camber and concavity, displacement of the welded part
edges, minimum distance from the weld camber boundary to the fusion zone of
the pre-overlay and base metal, thickness of the first layer and total thickness of
the overlaid corrosion resistance coating and over overlays, and geometric
positions of axes or surfaces of welded parts meet the requirements of PN AE G-
7-009-89 “Equipment and Piping of Nuclear Power Installations. Welded Joints
and Overlays. Rules of Inspection. PN AE G-7-009-89” and design
documentation.

1.8. Visual and instrumental inspection of semi-finished products is carried out

during the incoming inspection of base materials in the scope established in the
process and control documentation (PCD).

Inspection of parts and assembling units is carried out in the scope established in
the design documentation and PCD.
1.9. Visual and instrumental inspection of welded joints and overlays is carried
out in the scope established by PN AE G-7-010-89 and design documentation.
The dimensions of zones subject to visual inspection of welded joints should
comply with those set forth in PN AE G-7-010-89.

1.10. Before inspection surfaces of base materials and welded joints (overlays)
should be cleaned of slag, metal spray, dross, corrosion products and other
soiling that prevents inspection (annealing color is allowed on the surfaces being
inspected).

1.11. The inspected surfaces should be sufficiently illuminated to allow reliable

detection of defects, illumination being in correspondence with the requirements
of GOST 23479-79 but in any case should be not less than 300 lux.

1.12. All measurements should be done either after visual inspection or

simultaneously. Measurements of parts prepared for welding should be done
before the assembling.

1.13. In case the base materials are accessible for visual inspection from both
sides the inspection as of the outer as of the inner surfaces should be carried
out.

1.14. Visual inspection of base materials and welded joints (overlays) subject to
heat treatment is carried out as before as after such treatment.

1.15. In case a base metal or a welded joint (overlay) is subject to machining

(including removal of a part of the weld or overlay) or deformation visual
inspection should be carried out after the above operations.

1.16. The defects revealed in the course of visual and instrumental inspection
should be corrected before inspection by other techniques. After the defects
have been corrected by welding the surface of base metal and welded joint
(overlay) in the machined defective zone to be welded should be subjected to
visual and instrumental inspection. The controlled area should include the whole
surface of the welded defective zone as well as the ajoint base metal surface of
not less than 20 mm width when the base metal defects are eliminated and not
less than it is set forth in PN AE G-7-010-89 when the welded joint (overlay)
defects are eliminated.

1.17. In cases described in PCD the inspected base materials and welded joints
(overlays) are stamped to confirm the positive inspection results.

2. VISUAL AND INSTRUMENTAL INSPECTION PROCEDURES

2.1. Visual and instrumental inspection of semi-finished products is carried out in

accordance with the requirements and directives of standards or specifications
for the semi-finished products being inspected and PCD, and that of parts and
assembling units is carried out in accordance with the requirements and
directives of design documentation and PCD.

2.2. Visual and instrumental inspection of welded joints and overlays is carried
out in accordance with the requirements and directives given in PN AE G-7-010-
89, design documentation and PCD.
2.3. Instrumental inspection of structural elements of parts and assembling units
prepared for welding (see para. 1.5), gap sizes, displacement of dulling and
edges of the parts prepared for welding as well as the sizes of pockets between
beads and their surface scaliness, width and weld surface camber (concavity),
weld root camber and concavity, minimum distance from the weld camber
boundary to the fusion zone of the pre-overlay and base metal on the fabricated
welded joints should be done in accordance with PN AE G-7-009-89.

2.4. During instrumental inspection of thickness of the overlaid corrosion

resistant coating (and other overlays) the measurements are carried out on the
cylindrical surfaces at each 0.5 m and in tangential direction at each 60o in case
o
of manual overlaying and at each 90 in case of automated overlaying.

Flat and spherical surfaces are measured not less than once at each section with
dimensions 0.5 x 0.5 m in case of manual overlaying and at each section of 1 m
length (in the overlaying direction) and 0.5 m width in case of automated
overlaying.

2.5. Butt weld camber (concavity) is assessed by maximum height (depth) of

weld surface against the surface level of welded parts.

2.6. Angle weld camber (concavity) is assessed by maximum height (depth) of

weld surface against the line joining the edges of weld surface in one cross-
section.

2.7. Weld root camber (concavity) is assessed by maximum height (depth) of

weld root surface against the level of surfaces of the welded parts.

2.8. Characteristics of geometrical positions of the axes or surfaces of welded

parts (knee, perpendicularity) should be measured in accordance with the
instructions given in the design documentation.

3. VISUAL AND INSTRUMENTAL INSPECTION

INSTRUMENTS AND TOOLS

3.1. Visual inspection of base materials and welded joints (overlays) is carried
out with a naked eye.

It is allowed to use up to x7 magnifying glass.

3.2. For instrumental inspection the measurement error should not exceed the
values indicated in the below table unless the design documentation establishes
more rigid requirements.
 Permissible Measurement Error for Instrumental Inspection

Measured value range, mm Measurement

error, mm
Up to 0.5 0.1
More than 0.5 up to 1.0 0.2
More than 1.0 up to 1.5 0.3
More than 1.5 up to 2.5 0.4
More than 2.5 up to 4.0 0.5
More than 4.0 up to 6.0 0.6
More than 6.0 up to 10.0 0.8
More than 10.0 1.0

3.3. For instrumental inspection the instruments and tools should have the
accuracy class that ensures reliable determining of measured values with an
error not more than it is indicated in the Table (or in the design documentation in
the case described in para. 3.2).

3.4. Measurement instruments and tools should be periodically subjected to

check by metrological services within timelines established in regulatory and
technical documentation for corresponding instruments and tools.

Measurement instruments produced by the manufacturing enterprise

(assembling organization) of equipment and piping for in-house use should be
qualified by a metrological organization and are subject to the above periodic
check.

3.5. The following should be used for measurements:

• metal measurement rulers as per GOST 427-75;

• beam compasses as per GOST 166-80;

• micrometers as per GOST 6507-78;

• metal measuring tapes as per GOST 7502-80;

• indicators as per GOST 577-68 and GOST 5584-75;

• measuring magnifiers as per GOST 25706-83;

• other instruments and tools indicated in the design documentation or

PCD including stencil and probe sets of relevant design to inspect
shape and size of grooving and fabricated welds as well as gaps in
the joints assembled for welding.

It is allowed to use mirrors, periscopes, fiber optic light guides and TV cameras
provided the defects are reliably detected pursuant the requirements of PN AE
G-7-010-89.
3.6. It is allowed to apply physical inspection techniques using ultra-sonic
defectoscopes, thickness gages, etc. to measure wall thickness of parts,
assembly units or products.

3.7. It is allowed to use molds of the inspected sections to measure depth and
height of dimples (bulges) of base metal, scaliness of weld and pockets between
beads. The mold is cut (without any deformation) in such a way that the size to
be determined is within the cut area. Molds may be made of plasticine, wax or
other plastic materials.

4. QUALIFICATION OF INSPECTORS

4.1. The inspectors qualified pursuant the requirements of PN AE G-7-010-89

are allowed to carry out visual and instrumental inspections of welded joints and
overlays of NPI equipment and piping.

4.2. The inspectors qualified pursuant the procedures similar to those outlined in
PN AE G-7-010-89 are allowed to carry out visual and instrumental inspection of
base materials.

5. ASSESSMENT OF INSPECTION RESULTS AND

REPORTING DOCUMENTATION FORMAT

5.1. Assessment of the semi-finished product inspection results is carried out in

accordance with the requirements of standards or specifications for the semi-
finished products being inspected.

5.2. Assessment of inspection results of parts and assembly units is carried out
in accordance with the requirements of the design documentation.

5.3. The reporting documentation regarding the inspection of base materials is

formatted in accordance with the requirements of GOST 23479-79. At this a
report or a registry log should indicate the grade and batch number of the
material, standard or specification for the material and drawing number (the latter
relates to parts and assembly units only).

5.4. Assessment of inspection results and generation of the reporting

documentation concerning inspection of welded joints and overlays (including
control over preparation and assembling for welding) are carried out in
accordance with the requirements of PN AE G-7-010-89.