Nick Break
* One full pipe section Figure 16-29 shows the location of the
tensile test specimen
may be used for pipe 15/16 test coupons that are to be removed and
Under Face Bend or and smaller. indicates the type of testing to which they
Top of Pipe
23/8* Side Bend must be subjected in accordance with the
Root Bend or
Tensile API standard. Figures 16-30 and 16-31 give
Section
Root Bend
Side Bend Nick
this same information in order to qualify
23/8 to 41/2 and 41/2 and Over 41/2 Break the work under the ASME codes. The prepa-
smaller when wall Root Bend or
to 123/4 Inc. ration for these specimens for the ASME
thickness Top of Pipe Side Bend
codes are shown in Chapter28 under Prepa-
is over 1/2.
Nick ration of Test Specimens, pages 922-926.
Break
Nick The special nature of the test coupons for the
Root Bend
Break
or Side API code are shown in Figs. 16-32 through
Tensile Bend 16-36. Consult Table 16-4 (p. 487) for type
Nick Section
Break
Face Bend and number of test specimens for proce-
or Side
Root Bend Bend dure qualification test requirements for API
or Side code and Table 16-5 (p. 487) for the ASME
Bend
Top of Pipe code. A tested procedure can produce qual-
Root Bend or Side Bend Face Bend or Side Bend
ity welding only if the welder has the abil-
Nick Break Nick Break ity to apply the procedure. Each welder must
Tensile Section Tensile Section be properly qualified by demonstrating the
Face Bend or Side Bend Root Bend or Side Bend ability to make acceptable welds with the
tested procedure that has been accepted
Over 123/4 for a particular job. Welder qualification is
usually recognized only on a particular job
or for the current employer and only in the
Root Bend or Side Bend Face Bend or Side Bend range allowed by the procedure. Such as pipe
Nick Break Nick Break diameters, wall thickness range, welding po-
Tensile Section Tensile Section sitions, fillet or groove welds, type of pipe
Face Bend or Side Bend Root Bend or Side Bend materials, and electrode groups. Some pip-
ing contractors require the welders in their
Fig. 16-29 Location of groove weld butt joints test specimens for procedure employ to retest every 6 months.
qualification.
Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 16485
Specimen may be machine or oxygen
cut. Edges shall be parallel and smooth.
Approx. 9
Notch cut by hacksaw. Specimen may Fig. 16-34 Allowable discontinuities in the specimen shown in
be machine or oxygen cut. Edges shall Fig. 16-33.
be parallel and smooth.
Specimen may be machine 1/8
max. radius, all
Approx. 1/8 or oxygen cut. corners.
Approx. 1/8
Approx. 9 Approx. 9 Minimum
Weld
Wall Thickness
Do not remove reinforcement Wall Thickness
of weld on either side of specimen.
Weld reinforcement shall be removed from both faces, flush
with the surface of specimen. Specimen shall not be flattened
Fig. 16-33 Nick-break test specimen. prior to testing.
Specimens may be machine cut to 1/2 width, or they 1/8 max. radius,
The Welder Qualification Tests The welder may be oxygen cut to approximately 3/4 wide and all corners.
qualification tests are the ones that the stu- then 1/8 removed by machining or grinding. Cut
dent welder is asked to perform and pass. surfaces shall be smooth and parallel.
Width of Specimen
They are generally referred to as Welder
Performance Qualifications (WPQs). The 1/ 2
486Chapter 16Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe)
Table 16-4 Test Requirements for Procedure Qualification in Pipeline According
to the APL Standard 1104
Type and Number of Test Specimens for Procedure Qualification Test
Under 238 0 2 2 0 0 4*
2 8 to 4 2 inclusive
3 1
0 2 2 0 0 4
Over 4 2 to 12 8 inclusive
1 3
2 2 2 2 0 8
Over 1234 4 4 4 4 0 16
Wall Thickness (over 2 in.)
1
4 2 and smaller
1
0 2 0 0 2 4
Over 4 2 to 12 4 inclusive
1 3
2 2 0 0 4 8
Over 1234 4 4 0 0 8 16
*One nick-break and one root-bend specimen from each of two test welds or for pipe 1516 in. and smaller, one full pipe section tensile specimen.
Source: American Petroleum Institute
Table 16-5 Test Requirement for Procedure Qualification in Pressure Piping According
to the ASME Code Section IX
See code for further limits on range of thickness qualified and also for allowable exceptions.
1
Four side-bend test may be substituted for the required face- and root-bend test, when thickness T is 38 in. and over.
3
See code for details on multiple specimens when coupon thicknesses are over 1 in.
4
For welding processes specified in code only; otherwise per note 1 use 2T or 2t, whichever is applicable.
5
Source: Reprinted from ASME 2010 BPVC, Section IX, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
and 1631. The preparation for these specimens is de- qualified on is an important consideration. This will
scribed in Chapter 28 under Preparation of Test Spec- determine what range of pipe diameter can be welded
imens, pages 922-926. Consult Table 16-6 (p. 488) for on the job. Table167B (p. 488) is representative of the
type and number of test specimens for welder qualifi- ASME code. The smaller the diameter of the pipe, the
cation test requirements for the API standard and Table more difficult it is to weld. The larger the diameter of
16-7A (p. 488) for the ASME code. The diameter of pipe the pipe, the easier it is to weld. In some cases a plate
Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 16487
Top of Pipe * One full pipe section tensile test test can qualify a welder to weld on pipe 24
Nick Break specimen may be used for pipe
inches or greater in diameter.
13/16 and smaller.
Under The above information concerns butt
2 3/8*
Top of Pipe joint groove welds only. The procedure and
Tensile
Section Tensile Section welder qualifications for fillet welds is as
Nick Break follows. For the API standard, Table 16-8
Root Bend
lists the type and number of test specimens
Over 41/2 to
required. Figure 16-38 indicates the location
Top of Pipe Root Bend or
Side Bend of these test specimens in the pipe joint, and
Nick Break
123/4 Inc. Fig. 16-39, page 490 indicates the nature of
the preparation of the test specimens.
Nick Break
Root Bend Figure 16-40, page 491 shows a sample
Face Bend
or Side Bend
or Side Bend form that can be used as a record of testing.
This form comes from the API standard and
Nick Break can be used for both procedure and welder
23/8 to 41/2 and 41/2 and smaller when
Root Bend qualification on butt joints. The record form
or Side Bend the wall thickness is over 1/2.
in Fig. 16-41, page 492 is from the ASME
Root Bend or Side Bend Top of Pipe code and is used for welder qualification for
Tensile Section groove and fillet welds.
Nick Break
Nick Break For qualification, the exposed surfaces
Tensile Section
Face Bend or Side Bend of the specimen must show complete pen-
Over 123/4 etration and no more than 6 gas pockets per
square inch of surface area with the greatest
dimension not to exceed 116 inch. Slag inclu-
sions must not be greater than 132 inch in
Face Bend or Side Bend Tensile Section
depth, or greater than 18 inch or 12 the nomi-
Nick Break Nick Break
nal wall thickness of the thinner member
Tensile Section Root Bend or Side Bend in length, whichever is smaller. Such inclu-
sions must be separated by at least 12 inch of
Fig. 16-37 Location of groove weld butt joint test specimens for welder sound metal.
qualification.
Table 16-6 Test Requirements for Welder Qualification in Pipeline According to the API
Standard 1104
Type and Number of Test Specimens for Welder Qualification Test and for Destructive Testing of Production WeldsButt Joints
*Obtain from two welds or one full pipe section tensile specimen for pipe 1516 in. and smaller.
Source: American Petroleum Institute
488Chapter 16Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe)
Table 16-7A Test Requirements for Welder Qualification in Pressure Piping According
to the ASME Code Section IX
Performance Qualification
4
To qualify for positions 5G and 6G, as prescribed in the code, two root-bend and two face-bend specimens or four side-bend specimens,
as applicable to the test coupon thickness, are required.
Face- and root-bend tests may be used to qualify a combination test of (a) one welder using two welding processes, or (b) two welders using the same or a different welding process.
5
For a 38-in. thick coupon, a side-bend test may be substituted for each of the required face- and root-bend tests.
6
A side-bend test may be substituted for each of the required face- and root-bend tests.
7
8
Test coupons shall be visually examined per code and (a) coupons shall be visually examined over the entire circumference, inside and outside, and (b) coupons shall show complete
joint penetration with complete fusion of weld metal and base metal.
Test coupon weld deposit shall also consist of a minimum of three layers of weld metal.
9
Source: Reprinted from ASME 2010 BPVC, Section IX, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Table 16-7B Groove-Weld Diameter Limits Table 16-8 Fillet Weld Test Specimen
According to the ASME Code Section IX1,2 Requirements for Procedure Qualification
According to the API Standard 1104
Outside Diameter of Outside Diameter Qualified (in.)
Test Coupon (in.) Min. Max. Number of Root-Bend
Pipe Size (OD in.) Specimens
<1 Size welded Unlimited
Under 238 4 (Obtain from 2 welds)
1 but <2 8 7
1 Unlimited
2 8 to 12 4 inclusive
3 3
4
278 278 Unlimited
Over 12 43
6
The type and number of tests required shall be in accordance with Table 16-7A.
1
The outside diameter of 278 in. is the equivalent of NPS 212 in.
2 Source: American Petroleum Institute
Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 16489
Use an electrode similar to
that used on the job.
May Be Hacksaw 1 (25 mm) Sound root penetration is
Notched Approx. essential.
Do not become overly con-
cerned about weld appearance.
Good penetration and fusion
are more important.
Hacksaw Cut Welding procedure should be
Flame Hacksaw Approx.
1 (25 mm) Approx.
the same as that employed on
Cut Cut 45
the job.
1
Approx. Keep the plates hot during
30 Bevel
(25 mm) welding and allow them to
Approx.
2 Flame Cut cool slowly after the comple-
(50 mm) Approx. 2 (50 mm)
Approx. tion of the test joint. Never
quench the pipe in water nor
Fig. 16-39 Preparation of fillet weld specimens. blow air on them. If test is
taken outside, provide a shield
from the wind.
A change in the direction of welding from vertical-up The test specimen must be free of nicks or deep
to vertical-down or vice versa scratches. All grinding or machining must be length-
A change in filler metal from one classification group wise on the specimen.
to another Remove all face and root reinforcement and round the
A change in pipe diameter from one group to another edges of the specimen. Do not quench in water after
A change in deposited weld metal thickness beyond grinding.
the range qualified
A change in pipe wall thickness and a change in pipe Methods of Testing and Inspection
material from one group to another A variety of testing methods are used in determining the
A change in position other than that already qualified quality of pipe joints and piping systems, and fall into two
A change in the joint design (from backing strip to no major categories: nondestructive and destructive testing.
backing strip or from V-bevel to U-bevel) Following is a listing of the tests used. For additional in-
After you have passed these tests, you will have formation you are urged to read Chapter 28.
earned the right to look upon yourself as a skilled welder
Visual Inspection Visual inspection (VI) is actually a form
with better than average knowledge and skill. Code pipe
of nondestructive testing and is best applied before, during,
welding is one of the most demanding forms of the weld-
and after welding is completed. Before welding make sure
ing trade, and it is the highest paid of all the fields of
the welding procedure requirements are being met. Check
welding.
the condition of the welding equipment. Check quality and
condition of base and filler metals to be used. Verify the
Making the Test Weld A skilled welder may fail a test
joint preparation, fitup, alignment, and cleanliness. If pre-
because of reasons that have nothing to do with his or her
heat is required, make sure it is appropriate. During weld-
ability to deposit a sound weld bead. Following are test
ing, frequent observations are made to determine whether
conditions that must be given careful attention to ensure
or not the prescribed welding procedure is being followed
satisfactory test results:
by each welder. Welding current, number of passes, inter-
The test plate should be of a material similar to that pass temperature control, and cleaning between passes are
used on the job. particularly important and frequently checked.
P roper plate preparation is a must. Correct angle of Completed welds are inspected visually for general ap-
bevel, root face, root opening, and proper tacking are pearance. The amount of reinforcement, the presence or
essential. absence of undercutting, the nature of the penetration, and
Pipe strength must be similar to that on the job. If it is any signs indicating a lack of fusion are noted. These are
greater than the weld metal, the weld will break when the same characteristics that you have learned to look for in
subjected to the face- and root-bend tests. your previous welding practice.
490Chapter 16Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe)
COUPON TEST REPORT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Coupon stenciled
Maximum load
Tensile strength
Fracture location
1.
2.
3.
4.
Remarks on bend tests
1.
2.
3.
4.
Remarks on nick-break tests
1.
2.
3.
4.
Note: Use back for additional remarks. This form can be used to report either a procedure qualification test or a welder qualification test.
Fig. 16-40 Sample record form for a weld coupon test report. Source: American Petroleum Institute
Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 16491
QW-484 SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR WELDER/ WELDING OPERATOR
PERFORMANCE QUALIFICATIONS (WPQ)
(See QW-301, Section IX, ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code)
Manual or Semiautomatic Variables for Each Process (QW-350) Actual Values Range Qualified
Backing (metal, weld metal, welded from both sides, flux, etc.) (QW-402)
ASME P-No. to ASME P-No. (QW-403)
Plate Pipe (enter diameter, if pipe) (QW-403)
Base metal thickness OFW (QW-403)
Filler metal F-No. (QW-404)
Filler metal product form [solid/cored/flux-cored GTA/PAW (QW-404)]
Consumable insert for GTAW or PAW (QW-404)
Weld deposit thickness for each welding process (QW-404)
Welding position (1G, 5G, etc.) (QW-405)
Progression (uphill/downhill) (QW-405)
Backing gas for GTAW, PAW, or GMAW; fuel gas for OFW (QW-408)
GMAW transfer mode (QW-409)
GTAW welding current type/polarity (QW-409)
Automatic/Machine Welding Variables for the Process Used (QW-860) Actual Values Range Qualified
Direct/remote visual control
Automatic voltage control (GTAW)
Automatic joint tracking
Welding position (1G, 5G, etc.)
Consumable insert
Backing (metal, weld metal, welded from both sides, flux, etc.)
Multiple or single pass per side
Change from automatic to machine
Filler for EBW or LBW
Laser type
Drive type for FRW
Vacuum type for EBW
Organization
Date By
This form (E00008) may be obtained from the Order Dept., ASME, 22 Law Drive, Box 2300, Fairfield, NJ 07007-2300.
Fig. 16-41 Recommended form for the manufacturers record of welder performance qualification tests on groove and fillet
welds. Source: Reprinted from ASME 2010 BPVC, Section IX, by permission of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. All rights
reserved
492Chapter 16Pipe Welding and Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 16-J1J17 (Pipe)