By Albert J. Moore Jr. Feature Answering questions about welder qualification and how a welder gets qualified is like shoveling sand into the ocean. No matter how hard you work, there is still more sand to toss into the sea just like there are always more questions to answer about qualifying welders. Since most employers have instituted welder performance qualification testing programs to ensure only skilled welders are employed for all critical welding tasks, I am going to walk you through the process of qualifying a welder and show you a completed welder performance test record — Fig. 1. I have also provided a checklist to help ensure welders are qualified properly (see page 29). Qualification Welder qualification involves welders doing those activities necessary to demonstrate they have met the qualification requirements. Welding standards typically require welders to demonstrate they have the skills needed to deposit a sound weld that meets the acceptance criteria of the standard. The particular performance test the welders take is dependent on the type of work they will be doing. If the welders will be fabricating pressure vessels or pressure piping, they would be qualified under the auspices of an ASME code. If they will be fabricating structural members, they will have to meet the requirements of an AWS structural welding code. If they are welding on equipment or components destined for a naval combat vessel, they will have to meet the requirements 28 Inspection Trends / April 2011 stipulated in NAVSEA S9074-AQGIB 010/248. The qualification process requires welding of test coupons that are subjected to either destructive or volumetric nondestructive testing or both. The applicable welding standard must be reviewed to determine what tests are required. Certification Once a welder has met the qualification requirements, someone has to attest to the fact the welder met the qualification requirements of the applicable welding standard. Simply put, someone has to take the responsibility for signing a performance test record that states the welder met the qualification requirement of the welding standard. That’s right, the “certification” is the signature of the welder’s employer (or that of the employer’s representative) who is authorized to sign the performance test report. The Qualification Process Many CWIs and SCWIs began their careers as welders. Some were good welders, some were very good welders; the vast majority of them were the best welders in their shop. Seriously, just ask any welder and he or she will tell you they can weld anything but a broken heart or the crack of dawn. In our previous lives, many CWIs and SCWIs went through the same qualification process as the welders being tested. I am no different from any other welder who has burned electrodes to make a living. I have taken so many different tests I cannot even tell you how many I have taken. Each qualification test was overseen by a different inspector and no two tests were ever administered the same way. As a result, I, like many other welders, questioned the process. Because of my own experience, I have given a lot of thought to how a welder should be tested. Every welder enters the test booth with two questions in mind: “What do you want me to do? What results are you looking for?” With that in mind, I have developed a methodology for qualifying welders. I have honed this system over the years, and it seems to work without serious complaints from the welders. I am going to walk you through my program. If you like it, adopt it as a whole. If you like only some of it, adopt the parts that work for you. Step 1: Determining What Qualification Test Is Required Many clients, whether they are a one-person operation or a large fabricator, have a limited understanding of what is required to “certify” the welder. That is why they call on a professional to help them through the process. The first step involves gathering information. When I am called in, I begin by asking the client what welding standard the customer has invoked. It is amazing how many clients cannot answer the question. Tips for Qualifying Welders An experienced inspector offers help in developing a systematic method for administering welder qualification tests — text continued on page 31
Inspection Trends - April 2011 - Spring
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