Many aspects of the welding industry‘s design and fabrication of welded components are governed by codes and standards. An end user frequently specifies these documents as a contractual agreement. They regulate the characteristics of welded fabrication that may influence its service provisions. The manufacturer also uses them to help develop their welding quality system.
Many end users of welded elements have developed specifications that they have assembled to address their specific provisions. Such specifications may be restricted in the application and related only to that customer’s requirements. In addition, national interest in regions like reliability and public safety has promoted the development of welding codes and standards.
Numerous committees have been developed, and they continue to evaluate the necessities of industry and formulate new welding codes and standards for a welding career. Such committees are composed of members who are technical experts. These specialists represent all interested parties, like end users, manufacturers, inspection authorities, and government agencies.
Once completed by one committee, it is ratified by a review committee. If accepted, the record is publicized in the name of the applicable engineering society. Finally, legislative bodies adopt documents that influence public health and safety.
The welding inspector should know the relevant codes or standards within their jurisdiction. He also needs to understand the prerequisites of the relevant documents and perform their inspection likewise.
This is the biggest producer of welding codes and standards in the USA. In addition, it publishes numerous documents addressing the use and quality control of welding work. These documents comprise such general subjects classification of Filler Metals, Welding Definitions and Symbols, Welding Processes, Qualification and Testing, Welding Applications, and Safety.
It publishes numerous documents relating to petroleum production, many of which comprise welding requirements. The most well-known is Standard for Welding Pipelines and Related Facilities.
It is accountable for the development of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. It includes eleven sections and covers the construction, design, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels. It also produces the Code for Pressure Piping, which has seven areas. Each section prescribes the minimum prerequisites for the materials, design, erection, fabrication, testing, and inspection of a particular piping system.
This is found at the start of the document and is significant. It will generally describe the type and extent of welding fabrication for which the codes and standards were developed and planned for use. It may also provide information about the limitations of using the document.
If the document gives a section for design, it may direct the user to a secondary data source. It may also include minimum requirements for the creation of particular welded connections.
This section will generally provide information related to fabrication methods and workmanship standards when composed in the document. It may include information and requirements on items like base materials and welding consumable classification requirements. It also covers information on the preparation and care of base material, heat treatment requirements, and other welding fabrication prerequisites.
This section will outline the requirements for qualification testing of WPS (Welding Procedure Specifications) and the provisions for welding personnel. In addition, it may give the essential variables, such as the change in regulations that govern the extent of capability. These include the welding program, filler metal type, electrical parameters, base metal type and thickness, joint design, and welding position.
This section will generally address the welding inspector’s qualification prerequisites and responsibilities. It also includes acceptance criteria for discontinuities and provisions relating to methods for non-destructive testing.
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