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Up Topic Welding Industry / Technical Discussions / Welder Qualification for Duplex SS
- - By Swah Date 06-04-2002 20:18
Guys can anyone point me in the right direction.
I am involved in a off-shore project that requires the fabrication and welding of 347SS flowlines. Part of my job is to review contractor welding documentation. The welding contractor proposes the use of carbon steel test coupons for welder qualification using GTAW and SMAW processes. Is this ok or do they need to use stainless steel coupons?
I can't seem to find any refrence to this in Asme sec. IX or B.31.3.
I will greatly welcome your experienced comments.
Thanks.
Oops sorry guys.The flowlines
are actually Duplex stainless steel.
Parent - By pipewelder_1999 (****) Date 06-04-2002 20:26
See ASME Sec IX QW 423. This is referenced by QW 403.18 which is referenced by QW 353 for SMAW and QW 356 for GTAW.

Gerald Austin
http://weldinginspectionsvcs.com
Parent - - By GRoberts (***) Date 06-04-2002 21:04
Pipewelder is right in that it is not required by Section IX to use a stainless steel base metal for qualification with a stainless steel filler metal. However, QW-301.2 does require that the welder use a qualified weld procedure, so the contractor needs to have qualified the F#/P# combination before a welder can qualify with it.
Parent - - By MBSims (****) Date 06-04-2002 21:49
Well, that 's not quite correct. The first sentence in QW-423 states "Base metal used for welder qualification may be substituted for the P-number material specified in the WPS according to the following..."

Using the table in QW-423 this means that if, for example, the WPS used for the qualification test specifies P-8 base metal, it is acceptable to substitute P-1 for the welder qualification. There is no requirement to have qualified a WPS for P-1 base metal using the same F-number as the WPS for welding P-8.

Marty
Parent - By GRoberts (***) Date 06-04-2002 22:11
Sorry. You do have it right, Marty. I was concentrating too much on the exceptions granted in QW301.2 and forgot about the one in QW423.1. Even though I knew it was there, my brain was telling me it was for essential varaibles as reference in QW-403.18, and that first sentence wasn't registering. I think it's too late in the day to be thinking about things like this. Thanks for pointing that out.
Parent - - By TimGary (****) Date 06-05-2002 12:49
Swah,
My opinion is that you are right to question the Contract Welders abilities.
I've been in your same situation a few times and, if the situation was not carefully controlled, the "Contractor" would send out only one or two welders (if I was lucky) who actually knew what they were doing and the remainder would be dead heads who claim to be able to weld anything just to get out on the rig because they know they are getting paid well, even if they get sent home.
I've also been on the other side of the situstion where Welders form my shop had to go out to someone elses rig to make repairs.
The best way I found to handle the situation is to first have an ABS Surveyor review and approve the repair/addition plans and job specific WPS's. Then I would have the contracted welders perform a qualification test, witnessed by the ABS Surveyor, prior to being sent to the job site. That way, anyone who can't pass the test doesn't waste your time.
Of course there are different circumstances in every job concernig time, money and contract restraints, but if you don't stand your ground you'll get pushed around. The argument that I used to justify the extra time and expense to was that if you take steps to ensure the best probability of acceptable welds before you start, you most likely won't have to go through the greater time and expense costs later of the nightmarish repairs process. Also we made the Contractor eat the cost of the WPQ's as a way to prove that he can supply qualified welders.
Good Luck and be safe out there!
Tim
Parent - - By Niekie3 (***) Date 06-06-2002 18:18
The term "ABS Surveyer" is not known to me. Can you give me some more information. (I suspect that in South Africa we just have a different term for this person, but I would like to know.)

Regards
Niekie Jooste
Parent - By TimGary (****) Date 06-06-2002 19:32
Hello Nieke,

Please forgive me for not being more clear. That is a bad habit of mine.

While I was working on offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, just south of the USA, the regulatory authority concerning the mentioned type of work was the "American Bureau of Shipping" or "ABS".
An "ABS Surveyor" is a third party, or ABS, representative.

Tim Gary
Up Topic Welding Industry / Technical Discussions / Welder Qualification for Duplex SS

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