Qualifying welders

Date 12-24-2005 03:54

The Annex E forms are "suggested" as a guide, but their use is not mandatory. A company may have their own form as long as all of the applicable essential variables are documented, it contains the pertinent identifying information for the welder and compliance with D1.1 is certified by the employer.

By CSmalley (*)

Date 12-24-2005 12:36

Thanks for the info, I want to clarify. So I as a CWI (independently) can witness a welded coupon, witness and perform visual inspection on the bend test specimens in compliance with D1.1, type up and stamp a cert for that welder? Is this correct? I have been doing structural inspection for a little while now but have not gotten into this aspect of inspection. I had a welder ask me if I could certify him under general AWS qualification standards instead of the company cert he has. I am trying to get information on all that should be done. Please let me know if any of this is wrong. Thank you for any help.

By MBSims

Date 12-27-2005 16:45

The answer to your first question is yes. You can witness a welded coupon, witness and perform visual inspection on the bend test specimens in compliance with D1.1, type up and stamp a cert for that welder if you are performing this for the employer using his written WPS that is either "prequalified" or supported by procedure qualification records. As far as qualifying the welder for other than the "company cert", the qualification would have to be performed to a written WPS meeting the above and would only be valid for the company that gave the test. There is a provision in D1.1 that allows the "Engineer" to accept evidence of previous qualifications, but don't count on it being accepted by others except as an indication that the welder could pass the same test again if they gave it. A test performed by an AWS accredited test facility may be more useful to the welder if he is seeking other employment and more likely to be accepted by others.

By 803056

Date 12-26-2005 23:33

If the welder is going to qualify as an individual, you have to ask one important question. Who is going to provide the welding procedure that is to be followed when welding the test coupon? Are you, as the testing agency, going to provide the welding procedure specification? If you are, is it a prequalified WPS or one that has been qualified by testing? If you provide the WPS, and the welder fails, what do you think the welder will blame the problem on?

Make sure you understand what information goes where on the welder performance test record. Items such as the F number , classification and specification of the electrode are often overlooked of entered incorrectly. It is a mistake to list the prequalified joint detail, such as B-U2a, a the welding procedure specification. Likewise, D1.1 is not a welding procedure specification. A test record that has incorrect information listed is going to be rejected by the next inspector. Who do you think the welder is going to blame if the paperwork is rejected?

Study several WPTR that have been completed by other inspectors and verify the information they entered is correct. You will gain good experience by checking someone else's documentation. Don't assume they did it correctly. Play the part of the devils advocate and try to find the wrong information that was been recorded. It will help you to avoid making the same mistakes when you complete the WPTR.

I also add a digital or scanned photograph of the welder to the WPTR. I place my stamp half on and half off the photograph to make it more difficult for someone to "doctor" the test record. For example, white out the welder's name and insert the name of an individual that didn't take the test.

Always insist on photo ID before the welder takes the test. I have developed a set of "test rules" and "acceptance criteria" the welder and I read together so there are no surprises while taking the test. Make sure the welder works within the parameters listed on the WPS.

Make sure the welder uses the proper safety equipment while preparing the test coupons and welding. This is especially important when the welder comes to your facility to take the test. You may be held liable if he gets injured on your property or while using any tools you provide. For that reason, I only provide the test coupons. I do not provide any equipment, tools, or electrode for the test. If the welder forgets to bring a slag pick, too bad.

Call it lessons learned over twenty plus years of testing welders.

Good luck.

Best regards - Al

By swnorris (****)

Date 12-27-2005 11:37

Clayton,

You are correct in your assumption. As a CWI, you can witness a welded coupon, and witness and perform the bend test specimens per D1.1. In fact, some CWI's do this as a business along with consulting, writing weld procedure specifications, etc. Al made a good point about the WPS, and, usually, should a certified welder's employment cease with a particular company, for whatever reason, it is my experience that most companies don't hand over a copy of his/her certs upon their departure. I wouldn't honor a welder's cert from another company anyway, because I've seen too many welders "certified" by other companies who's welds couldn't meet minimum D1.1 requirements. It always makes me wonder about the validity of the cert, so I always give prospects a test when they come in to fill out an application. I've also read certs "witnessed" by CWI's such as yourself, where the welder or somebody else used white out and altered their qualifications. One example I remember was that a welder tested with a 3/8" thick plate, but was qualified in unlimited thickness. This is something that you may encounter and have to deal with somewhere down the line, so, always retain a copy of each certification for your records in case someone contacts you with a question.