CHAPTER 9

WELDING
PROCEDURE AND
WELDER
QUALIFICATION
PURPOSE
 To define the welding procedure
specification, including its types, content,
documentation, and application;
 To explain the qualification of the welding
procedure;
 To define circumstances when certain parts
of the specification may require
requalification;
 To define the welding inspector’s
responsibility during the qualification
process and later during the fabrication
inspection process.
WELDING PROCEDURE
 Details the steps by which the welding
of a specific joint or weldment is to be
accomplished;
 Gives the prescribed values or ranges
of values for all the controllable
variables in the process;
 Specifies all materials to be used;
 Determines the mechanical properties
of a welded joint.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
 Defines and documents the details
that are to be carried out in welding
specific materials or parts.
 Quality Assurance Manual that
establishes the responsibilities for
preparation, review, and approval,
although the procedures themselves
will not ordinarily be included in the
quality assurance manual.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
Written welding procedure specification
– Arranged in accordance with the
contract or purchase requirements;
Information – Sufficiently detailed to
ensure that the welding will meet all
requirements of the applicable code,
standard or specification.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
Welding Inspector – He is not responsible for
producing the welding procedure
specification.
The generation of a welding procedure is the
specific responsibility of the manufacturer or
contractor and not the welding inspector.
According to ASW QC1, the CWI “verifies
that the welding procedures are as specified
and qualified and that the welding is
performed in accordance with the applicable
procedure”
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(1) Scope – Types of welding, the materials and the
governing specifications.
(2) Base Metals and Applicable Specifications
Chemical composition and applicable
composition;
Conditions before welding (normalized, annealed,
quenched and tempered, solution treated, etc.);
Identity of all materials;
Rolling direction of the plate.
(3) Welding Process
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(4) Type, Classification, and Composition of
Filler Metals
Composition, identifying type, or
classification designation to ensure proper
use;
Sizes of filler metals or electrodes (welding
different thicknesses in different
positions);
Types of filler metals on each individual
pass or layer;
Condition of electrodes (baking
requirements).
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(5) Type of Current and Current Ranges
Proper polarity (DCEP or DCEN);
Current ranges for different electrode
sizes, different positions and various
thicknesses.
(6) Welder Qualification Requirements
Applicable specifications or
paragraphs.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(7) Joint Designs and Tolerances
Joint design details;
Designated welding sequence;
Tolerances for all dimensions.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(8) Joint Preparation and Cleaning of Surfaces to be Welded
Oxifuel cutting, air carbon arc cutting, plasma arc cutting;
Machining, grinding;
Special cleaning – vapor, ultrasonic, dip or lint-free cloth
cleaning;
Weld ant-spatter compound.
Cleaning;
Methods or practices specified for production work are also
specified for qualifying the welding procedure.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(9) Tack Welding
Practices;
Applicable codes.
(10) Joint Welding Details
Electrode sizes for different portions of
each position;
Arrangement of weld passes;
Thickness of each pass;
Pass width or electrode weave
limitations;
Amperage ranges.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(11) Positions of Welding
Groove Welds;
Fillet Welds.
(12) Preheat and Interpass
Temperatures
Temperature limits.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(13) Peening
Details of application.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(14) Heat Input – Desirable properties in the
HAZ
Preheat and interpass temperatures;
Arc voltage;
Current;
Travel speed
(15) Root Preparation Prior to Welding Second
Side
Chipping, grinding, air carbon arc cutting,
oxiacetylene gouging, etc.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(16) Removal of Weld Sections for Repair
Methods.
(17) Repair Welding
Methods;
Procedures.
(18) Examination
Type and extent:
Visual (spelled out); radiography,
magnetic particle, ultrasonic, penetrant,
or other types of testing.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(19) Postheat Treatment
Specify the full description of the
heat treatment.
Reference of suitable heat treating
note, drawing, or document.
(20) Marking
Required welders identification
marks.
WELDING PROCEDURE
SPECIFICATION
(21) Records
(22) Welding Procedure Specification
Sample
WELDING PROCEDURE
QUALIFICATION
Demonstrate that the materials
and methods of Procedure
Specification produce weld joint
mechanical properties that meet
the application and specification
requirements.
WELDING PROCEDURE
QUALIFICATION
(1) Preparation and welding of a
suitable samples;
(2) Testing of representative
specimens;
(3) Evaluation of overall preparation,
welding, testing, and END results
(4) Approval.
WELDING PROCEDURE
QUALIFICATION
(1) Preparation of Procedure
Qualification Sample Joint
Size, type and thickness of test
assembly
Number, type and size of
specimens to be removed for
testing
WELDING PROCEDURE
QUALIFICATION
(2) Testing of Procedure Qualification
Welds
Destructive tests
Nondestructive examination
Welding inspector should be
certain that the records show how
the procedure qualifications welds
were made and tested.
WELDING PROCEDURE
QUALIFICATION
(3) Evaluation of Test Results
Records of joint preparation,
welding and testing, acc. to
applicable specification.
WELDING PROCEDURE
QUALIFICATION
(4) Approval of Qualification Tests and Procedure
Specifications
Before any production welding;
Required tests have been completed and approval
has been obtained;
Authentic documentary evidence must be available
to show that the joints were qualified as
satisfactory;
Welding inspector:
Witness the welding and testing of all specimens, if
possible;
Request requalification, if production use shows that
the procedure is not producing consistently reliable
results.
 CODE QUALIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS
(1) AWS D1.1, Structural Welding Code –
Steel
Welding of various structures, including
buildings, bridges, and tubular structures.
Prequalified Weld Joints:
No actual procedure qualification testing is
required as long as the welding is performed in
acc. with the design, workmanship, and
technique requirements set forth in the code.
Outside these limitations require actual
qualification testing.
 CODE QUALIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS
(2) ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code –
Section IX
Welding of pressure vessels.
Any welding must be done using welding
procedure qualified in acc. with the Code.
Also applies to qualification of pressure piping
welds in acc. with ASME B31, Code for
Pressure Piping.
Unlike AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX always
requires procedure qualification tests.
 CODE QUALIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS
(3) API 1104 Standard for Welding Pipelines
and Related Facilities
Welding of cross-country pipelines and
other types of petroleum equipment.
Describes the inspection and quality
requirements for the production welding.
Like ASME Section IX, any change in a
qualified procedure requires actual
qualification testing.
 CODE QUALIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS
When a welding inspector is working with
more than one code, it is important to
consult the code frequently to verify that
code’s requirements.
It is all too easy to “remember” a code
requirement that comes from a different
code and is not applicable to your
immediate situation.
Consult the code book often.
 WELDING INSPECTOR
RESPONSIBILITIES
(1) Welding Procedure Qualification
Before any production welding, verify that
welding procedure have been established and
that they are capable of producing welded
joints of the type and quality required.
Witness the welding and testing of qualification
weld specimen
Authentic documentary evidence that the joints
were satisfactory must be available.
 WELDING INSPECTOR
RESPONSIBILITIES
(2) Welding Inspection
Passing the test does not ensure proper application of
the procedure.
Inspection is necessary to verify how the qualified
procedure is being applied.
Changes in any welding procedure in excess of the limits
prescribed for the essential variables;
Procedure specification is changed accordingly;
Determine weather requalification of the procedure is
required, and verify that modified procedure is not applied to
production work until requalification testing has been
completed and the changes has been proven satisfactory.
Repairs are performed using qualified welding
procedures.
The welding and quality requirements for the repair are the
same as those for the original welding.