International Equivalent Steels

By CodeCompliance Date 02-23-2015 18:15

I work for a global manufacturer and specify that all of our structural welding (cranes, pipe handling equipment, skids, others) have procedures and welders qualified to AWS D1.1. For manufacturing that takes place in Singapore, China, UK, Germany I am constantly asked to group foreign steels as equivalent. So a qualified WPS (including Charpy testing) can be used on other materials such as BS EN 10025, or S235JR, S355JR, etc. I am always stating that these are unlisted steels in D1.1, therefore WPS' must be qualified by testing and not substituted for other already qualified D1.1 steels.
1. Is this the correct approach (qualify any unlisted steel with testing)?
2. Is there an AWS approved listing of foreign steel equivalents?

I am certain others deal with this issue. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

By TimGary (****)

Date 02-23-2015 20:56

You should consider AWS B2.1 - Specification for Welding Procedure and Performance Qualification.
This spec has a much more broad range of listed materials, thicknesses, and adopts all ASME IX materials as well.

Tim Gary

By CodeCompliance Date 02-23-2015 21:09

thanks Tim.
I have used B2.1 for that purpose. It contains 100's more materials than the D1.1 list in Table 3.1, and is very useful. However it does not include any foreign steels.

What I need is a list of international equivalent steels. Something that says, for the purposes of weld procedure qualification, AWS considers S355 to be the equivalent of ASTM A36 (or something similar).

do you know if D1.1 allows me to say "if the CE is similar, strength is similar, then I can categorize the steel as similar and covered under the qualification testing of that similar steel"?

thanks for your reply.

By TimGary (****)

Date 02-24-2015 14:16

do you know if D1.1 allows me to say "if the CE is similar, strength is similar, then I can categorize the steel as similar and covered under the qualification testing of that similar steel"?

I'm not seeing anything in D1.1 that offers that latitude, other than that offered to the Engineer. Check out C-1.4 on page 416 of D1.1: 2010.
If an unlisted material, with a foreign, non-transferrable designation, was proven to the Engineer as having the same make-up, treatments and properties as an American listed material, he/she could accept it, but it has to be documented. In the case of non-critical weldments, like pallets, this shouldn't be too difficult. Cranes are a different story. Trustworthiness of some mills (especially those in China, Russia, Africa, etc.) to repeatedly produce and accurately identify materials also throws road blocks into the process.

One of the great things about the materials listed in B2.1 is the cross reference of ASTM specs to a UNS Number.
UNS (Unified Numbering System) is used expressly for the purpose you need. If your foriegn, unlisted material has the same UNS# as a listed material, you're good to go.

Tim

By CodeCompliance Date 02-24-2015 20:06

thanks Tim Gary. this helps a lot.
appreciate your help.