An inspector friend of mine has been having trouble recently getting a contractor to remove slag from puddle welds on roof decking. My friend (and I also) feels like it is the contractor's responsibility to remove the slag. The contractor told him no one had asked him to remove slag for years. D1.1 wants welds to be cleaned, but D1.3 does not address the issue... directly. It does have 4 criteria to be visibly acceptable: 1) No cracks; 2) Minimum reinforcement; 3) Undercut allowance defined; and 4) Fillet weld face. My stance in the past has always been they needed to be cleaned to be inspected, and I was not being paid to clean them for the contractor, so he needed to perform the slag removal. Seems like a no brainer to me. My friend was presented today with a letter from the engineer stating welds did not need to be cleaned, but needed to be acceptable in accordance with D1.3. Does anyone have a suggestion how the welds can be inspected without slag being removed? In your experience, is the contractor normally responsible to remove the slag? I usually hate to question the engineer too much, but I will suggest my friend to write his own inquiry to the engineer, asking for a suggestion how he should accomplish the inspection (on his behalf) without the slag being removed. Any opinions welcome.
Your friend does have a problem. I always tell the guys in my shop when they leave slag on welds, that I am a Certified Welding Inspector not a Certified Slag Inspector. Last time I checked I thought a welder was suposed to check his own welds for the obvious defects. If the welder ain't cleaning them then he/she ain't checking them. If I cannot see the weld I cannot pass the weld. I will tell you like I tell the guys I train to check welds, when in doubt FAIL IT.
I'm on the production end of the spectrum, but all of our welders remove their slag. It's part of their job to clean their welds, period. In our shop, if the slag and spatter is not removed, the weld is not finished.
It doesn't sound like the engineer put a lot of thought into his response. Since D1.3 addresses visual inspection, you can't perform visual unless the welder removes the slag. Without removing the slag, how does the welder know whether or not he is making sound and visually acceptable welds? I don't think your friend should arbitrarily reject the welds with the slag still on them, but I do agree that he should address his concerns with the engineer.
Where is the decking going? If it is going on structure that is being built according to AWS D1.1, then you friend needs to read page 1 of the D1.1. I only have the 2002 D1.1 with me at this time, but i do not think it was changed in the new code book.Just in case you do not have one handy. Section 1.2 Limitations (2) Steels less than 1/8 in. thick. When base metals thinner than 1/8 in. thick are welded the requirements of AWS D1.3 should (not shall)apply. When used in conjuction with AWS D1.3,conformance with the applicable provisions of this code shall apply. The way I read it (my name is the one on the report saying the welds are up to code) if I am on a job site where the erection of structural steel is taking place AWS D1.1 applies from the top of the roof down to the floor. AWS D1.1 states (5.30.2) slag shall be removed from all completed welds. I could not find the section that says ya'll can leave the slag on as long as the engineer approves it.
OK maybe failing all of the welds that had slag on them is a little extreme, but you just cannot be nice to some people.Some people think nice means they can walk all over you. I always say I don't get paid to be nice.
Have your friend read the project specs- all specs I've worked under require roof deck welds to be painted. The contractor has to clean them to paint them.
But- yes I agree as noted above, it's the responsibility of the welder to slag the welds.
I don't even UT a weld unless it has been cleaned as noted in AWS 5.30.2 - and I don't carry a scraper.
Cheers
Inspection can not be performed with slag on the weld, just as it can not be performed if the concrete has been poured or other work performed that does not permit access to the weld. The acceptance criteria are such that it can not be determined if the weld is acceptable in accordance with AWS D1.3 until the slag is removed. The welds need not be rejected until the interference (slag) is removed to permit access for inspection. The contractor is blowing smoke, as many do, to avoid doing what he's already getting paid to do and to minimize work. All the inspector can do in this case is note in his daily report that slag on the weld prevents access for inspection.
Also, I don't have the AISC Manual of Steel Construction available, but doesn't it require the erector to cooperate with the inspector to permit inspection or some other provisions that address this?
Marty,
Good point. I think you're referring to the Code of Standard Practice, where it states that the erector shall provide the Inspector access to all places where the work is being performed. 8.5.3 states that inspection of field work shall be promptly completed without delaying the progress or correction of the work. 8.5.4 basically states that non conformance rejections are permitted during the work, but the Owner or Inspector are are not relieved of the obligation for timely, in-sequence inspections. 8.5.5 states in part that the erector shall be informed of deficiencies that are noted by the Inspector. A copy of reports are given to the Erector. The necessary corrective work shall be performed in a timely manner. Back in 8.1.2, it is indicated that the Erector shall maintain a quality assurance program to ensure that the work is performed in accordance with this code, the AISC Specification, and the contract documents. What QA program would allow slag to remain on welds?
Well, as you can tell, I feel the same way. My friend said his report yesterday put the problem back into the engineer's lap. If the engineer wants to waive the slag removal, then there could be no visible inspection performed, thus, no welds were accepted by my friend's inspection company. That puts the pressure back onto the engineer to either change his requirements or accept the welds as is with no inspection performed (a poor choice on the engineer's part). I don't know what the specs say since it is not my project and not with my company. Thanks for you opinions and references.
Off topic but....Funny story along the lines of slag on the welds...
During an audit to the old check list many years ago, I was asked if we visually inspected 100% of our welds. "Well, of couse we do", I answered, then the auditor walks me out front to where another fabricator dropped a load in our parking lot and asked me how I inspected 3/4ths of the steel on this truck that still had the slag on the welds. Boy, he wasn't very convinced with my answer and I had to find the shipping ticket that was in a plastic bag on the truck and show him the other fabricator's ticket before he would leave me alone about that thing.
He had parked his car out there beside this trailer early that morning and walked around it drinking his coffee waiting for time to go to work and saw all that steel with the slag still on the welds. He sure had me sweating:)
John Wright
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