Send an e-mail inquiry to Andrew Davis, Managing Director, Technical Services, AWS, he should be able to get an answer for you. His e-mail address is:
Andrew Davis [adavis@aws.org]
I think you have a legitimate stance. Have you attempted to pass along to your customer that both codes use the same test plates, limitations, and acceptance criteria? D1.5 is more strict than D1.1 with regards to witnessing of the tests and as you mentioned, no grinding, so this may help you promote your stance.
Are the D1.5 welders qualified in pipe and tubing? I haven't been involved with the bridge code in years, but it seems that I remember something about D1.5 not having provisions for qualifications for these shapes. Could this be the reason the customer won't allow bridge certs on a structural project?
D1.5 does not cover structural tubing, round, square or rectangle.
Good Luck
brande
You know, just the way you wrote out your comment should make sense to your customer.
"If they grind on the weld but pass the required bends or xray they get a state card for D1.1. If they do not grind on their test and all is ok they get a state card for D1.5."
If I knew nothing else about D1.1 & D1.5, I would think that both tests are basically the same but that D1.5 must require a higher skill level to pass it.
One way to get your point across might be to provide copies of the applicable portions of D1.1 and D1.5 and talk it over with your customer. Something else you could try is to check the WI specs and see if there is a reference already in there. I'm thinking that you are probably not the first to face that question and others may have already addressed it somewhere in the WI general provisions.
Chet Guilford
The best contact to discuss this with is:
Mike J. Verhagen
Boiler & Structural Welding Safety
141 NW Barstow Street, 4th Floor
Waukesha WI 53188
Phone: 262-548-8617
Fax: 262-548-8614
Email: mverhagen@commerce.state.wi.us
Office: M-F 7:45 - 16:30
I am a state of WI test conductor and would like to discuss this with you further. My email address is jcam@wi.rr.com.
A bit late here...
Anyway, there seems to be some confusion (not by you).
The code writers love confusion.
D1.5 addresses only few certain steels. Period. A709 and its very close industry variants. It is very selective.
Grinders or other power devices cannot be used during qualification-welder or process.
You might take the position that qualifying to D1.5 should be acceptable to D1.1. And it probably should be, but it is not acceptable in all apps.
We are talking mild steel here.
Keep in mind that D1.5 does not cover any structural tubing, etc.
The problem you have is that you need a D1.1 cert using a D1.5 qual.
The discontinuity limits are about the same-I'd say just go back to your original xray guy, say you need D1.1 qualification. Give him the required forms (D1.1) and let him re-read the xrays and fill out the new forms accordingly.
Hope this helps some
brande
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