I have a project that requires a lot of ASTM A252 gr. 3 structural pipe.

There are CJP groove welds in corner joints where the ASTM A36 base and cap plates meet the pipe. There are fillet welds where ASTM A36 plate attachments are welded to the pipe, and there are CJP Groove welds where (2) pieces of the pipe are joined together to reach the required length. I'm trying to figure out how I can test for this and cover all of our bases.

All of the CJP groove welds can be done using steel backing. All of the pipe is 3/8" wall, 24" diameter and larger, and all of the welding can be done in the flat position for grooves, or horizontal for fillet welds.

Because ASTM A252 gr. 3 is not listed in table 3.1 we need to qualify by testing per Clause 4 part B. Since ASTM A252 is listed in AWS B2.1 as a group 1 steel I originally thought a test using A252 to A252 in the 1G position with backing would qualify us for welding A36 to A252 as well. According to the last line of AWS D1.1- Table 4.8 I don't think that is true.

So my question is can I roll form a piece of 3/8" ASTM A36 plate to the same diameter as the A252 pipe and weld those in the 1G position to qualify for A36 to A252 CJP groove welds and fillet welds? My next question is do I then need to do an additional test using A252 to A252 to qualify for the shop splices?

It looks like these test pieces each will need to be welded, Visually Inspected, RT, Bend Tested and Tensile tested. This is going to be a big expense if I need to do several different weldments. Has anyone dealt with this issue before? This can't be that uncommon.

Thank you in advance for your help!