Thickness range qualified per D1.3 structural sheet steel

By Saijack Date 06-06-2017 12:34

I have a question pertaining to maximum material thickness qualified per D1.3 .

I am qualifying a WPS for fillet welds using 18 and 10ga test plates and there seems to be some confusion over maximum thickness qualified.

The scope states that the code deals with material .188" or less in thickness. However in table 4.2 (PQR Essential Variables) section 10e states that "A qualification performed on 10 gage or thicker shall provide qualification for that WPS for sheet steel as thin as 16 gage and thicker, up to 2t thickness, where "t" is the thickness of the thinner sheet qualified."

So is the maximum thickness qualified .188" or .270"

Thank you for your time

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 06-06-2017 14:00

I read it this way:

The limitations of "Scope" (Clause 1.1) define what we can call sheet steel, meaning; equal to or less than 3/16" (.188)... Meaning; base metals with a thickness in excess of 3/16" are not sheet steel... They are structural supporting members.

So if you are welding "sheet to sheet" than something thicker than 3/16" would be outside the scope of the code.

Now you may certainly weld "sheet to supporting structural member" Meaning something less than 3/16" to something more than 3/16" (thick to thin) (See table 4.1)

But in my opinion, if you are welding one piece of base metal thicker than 3/16" to another piece of base metal thicker than 3/16" D1.3 is not the code to choose.

By Saijack Date 06-07-2017 12:47

Excellent and thank you. That really clarified things.