Hello Allen;
API 1104 is the API standard for qualifying welders and procedures. They provide little in the way of direction for the contractor or the welder. Everything is pretty much left up to the contractor and the company. Preheat, interpass temperature, post weld heat treatment, etc. is left to the contractor to figure out. The process of qualifying the WPS establishes the parameters. From there on out, API simply suggests what range of thicknesses are qualified, what diameters are qualified, etc. It is like a watered down version of ASME Section IX. ASME Section IX serves as the basis of how a WPS or welder is qualified, but Section IX is tied into a construction code that further modifies the requirements of Section IX. From what I can see API 1104 is pretty much a standalone document.
Back to evaluating qualification specimens, API uses the nick break test as the primary means of testing for soundness. They also permit alternatives, but in the end, even when the sample "fails" to meet the published acceptance criteria, the contractor can pretty much disregard the criteria and say "good enough.
I've made the motion to discontinue offering API 1104 as an open book alternative for the CWI examination. Very little is written in "concrete" in API 1104. As welding standards go, it is the most useless welding standard I've worked with. Woops! Back the train up, nothing beats the welding standard used by the open web joist manufacturers. Reconsidering my comment on API 1104, I have to say the welding standard used for OWJ is the most useless. I believe it was modeled after the Farm Code.
That's just my opinion on the subject. I'm sure others will have different opinions, but what other welding standard have you used would allow a pipe test coupon to have "burn through" and still be acceptable? Only in API 1104 is a complete joint penetration groove weld considered to be a fillet weld (specifically: branch connections).
Loosey goosey is the best description I can come up with.
If I were to run a welding school with the sole purpose of turning out "qualified welders", I would test the students to API 1104. It would be hard to fail anyone. I could claim a 95% passing rate! Maybe I am exagerating a little, but not by much.
Best regards - Al