Welder Qualification AWS D1.6

Date 01-02-2002 23:34

Question out there for the experienced stainless steel structural CWI's, when qualifying welders in ASME IX, you can qualify your stainless steel welders on carbon steel plates because the base metal is NOT an essential requirement....I believe this also applies when qualifying to this code. Is my assumption correct?

By DGXL

Date 01-03-2002 00:49

See AWS D1.6:1999, 4.7.5 (Performance Qualification Requirements-Base Metal).

By MBSims

Date 01-03-2002 04:53

You were close but not quite correct on ASME IX. Base metal P-no. IS an essential variable for welder qualification. QW403.18 applies to performance qualification for all manual and semiautomatic welding processes. I think what you meant to say was that QW-423 allows you to use P-1 base material for performance qualifications for P-8 (actually P-1 thru 11,P-34, P-4X and "similar" compositions). That's a little different than saying it is "NOT an essential requirement." You wouldn't want folks not familiar with ASME IX to get the wrong impression.

Marty

By quality101 (*)

Date 01-03-2002 15:04

Thanks Marty you are quite correct concerning QW423 and the fact that this paragraph allows alternate base metals for welder qualifications. I guess I am guilty of paraphrasing. ASME IX affords the company an opportunity to use either similar base metals ie. P8 to P8, P43 to P43; dissimilar base metals P8 to P1, P43 to P1, or using any combination allowable as stated in QW423, when conducting their welder qualifications. Most companies whom I am familiar with choose the P1 to P1 carbon base materials combination due to material costs and at times material availability. If these factors are not an issue and the company deems it in their best interest to test their welders on the actual materials used in their production welding applications they certainly have that right to do so. Thanks for your comments and thanks too to DGXL for pointing me in the right direction in D1.6.

Steve