I need to qualify a WPS due to a small (HOT) aluminum job my company has just received. D1.2 is the standard I will reference. I'm using 3/8" 6061-T6 material with ER5356 filler metal in the 2G position. It will be tested in the (as welded) condition. Of course my company doesn't want to spend a lot of money on testing this being we never do these types of jobs.
In D1.2 Figure 3.20 (A), it calls for 7"min x 20"min plate welded to each other. All we have at our shop is a 8"x 20'x 3/8" fb. Finally, my question is how much of an impact does the roll direction of the material have on tension and bend test? I would have to weld the sides of the fb together to get the correct dimensions, but then my tension and bend test specimens would be (across the roll) and more prone to fail I'm assuming.
If the roll direction is that critical, can I make two (2) smaller test and three (3) specimens be removed from each, so I can have the tension and bend test taken from the (rolling direction)?
I appreciate any advice given.