Got a question regarding the qualification range for a PJP joint. These are old PQ's I am reviewing at a company I just recently hired on at. The joint geometry is a butt joint, square groove. There was no root opening on the test pieces run on the PQ. Macro images from the files show that they achieved 60% penetration on the plates (verified by the lab the macros were conducted at). The weld process was SAW. The PQs in question were qualified to Clause 4.

My question is, how would you set the qualified thickness range in this example? Table 4.3 bases the qualified thickness range for a PJP weld on the test groove depth. Since there was no groove depth here, would the penetration depth or weld size be considered the groove depth? My position is that it would, seeing as how prequalified PJP weld joints show the groove depth (S) to be equal to weld size, at least in the closest prequalified joint I can find which would be BC-P2-S. That being said, I believe that for my case, I would take 60% of the test coupon thickness as my groove depth and set the qualified thickness range based on that.

Thanks for the help.