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American Welding Society (AWS) has taken the lead in the welding industry with alternative methods to developing a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS). Other welding codes have acknowledged these alternative methods (such as ASME adopting AWS SWPSs), but none have spent the time and resources AWS has adopting them into their welding codes. While I believe developing a WPS from the ground up including Procedure Qualification (PQs) based on the companies scope of work, welding capabilities, and welding process preferences, is the most economical and technically sound option, I think it is important for welding companies to know their options and have the ability to take advantage of the work AWS has put forth.

1. Structural Welding Code Aws D1.1
2. Aws D1.1 Structural Welding Code Free Pdf
3. Aws D1.1 Structural Welding Code Free Download

General Requirements – Provides the scope of the code including material thickness. . AWS D1.1: AWS D1.1:2015, Structural Welding Code – Steel. AWS D1.5: AASHTO/AWS D1.5:2015, Bridge Welding Code Additional content was adapted from. D1.1/D1.1M:2020 STRUCTURAL WELDING CODE-STEEL AWS on Amazon.com.FREE. shipping on qualifying offers. D1.1/D1.1M:2020 STRUCTURAL WELDING CODE-STEEL.

AWS D1.1 Structural Steel Welding Code allows for three different methods to developing a code compliant WPS. They include;

1. Qualified Welding Procedure Specifications covered in Clause 4
2. Prequalified Welding Procedure Specifications covered in Clause 3
3. Standard Welding Procedure Specifications (SWPS) covered in AWS B2.1-X-XXX Series Standards

While AWS D1.1 is the flag ship of welding codes for American Welding Society, D1.2 Structural Aluminum, and D1.6 Structural Stainless have also incorporated allowances for prequalified and standard welding procedure specifications. This article will cover the aspects of the D1.1 Structural Steel welding code.

Structural Welding Code Aws D1.1

Qualified Welding Procedure Specifications – This method is the traditional route welding companies have built their welding programs with. Many times you can find a filing cabinet deep in the weld program administrator or QC Manager’s office full of Procedure Qualification Records (PQRs), unknown to most, understood by few. These hidden gems are the road map and technical basis for how the weld shops produces quality welds, in accordance with the governing codes. In order to build a WPS following the traditional route, the following steps are required to be performed IAW AWS D1.1;

1. Determine desired welding process based on the job, company equipment, etc.
2. Identify all essential variables and non-essential variables required to be covered by the WPS.
3. Determine if Charpy V Notch testing is required and if additional essential variables need to be considered.
4. Purchase, or machine WPS qualification coupons.
5. Perform WPS qualification test, recording all variables for entry onto the PQR.
6. Perform qualification tests – once the WPS qualification coupon is welded out, a visual examination of the cap and root (if open root) must be performed. In addition to a visual examination, volumetric examination is required, either UT or RT. This volumetric exam is often overlooked by companies, and an easy find for auditors. Once the non-destructive examination is completed, you’re ready to cut test specimens out and bend/pull them in accordance the requirements in Table 4.2, 4.3, or 4.4 depending on your test type.

Prequalified Welding Procedure Specifications – The AWS D1.1 committee established prequalified WPSs to alleviate the need to test the most common processes on the most common base material year after year, decade after decade. The thought was, these materials and welding processes have been proven hundreds of times over, and no value was being added by requiring each company to test the weldability of these combinations. As a result of this effort, AWS added Clause 3; Prequalification of WPSs, to the welding code. In order for a company to take advantage of this effort, they simply need to follow the limitations laid out in Clause 3, including essential variable, base material, joint detail, and welding process limitations. The use of Prequalified WPSs is ideal for companies who generally work on industry standard, typical jobs, such as structural steel building, enclosures, supports, etc. If a company writes a WPS in accordance with Clause 3, not procedure qualification is required, which exempts them from the testing, PQR, and other qualification requirements. A high level summary of the limitations are:

1. The welding process must be SMAW, SAW, GMAW-Globular, GMAW-Spray, or FCAW.
2. The base materials and filler materials must be listed in Table 3.1 of the Code. The list is expansive and covers most materials one would expect to see in a common AWS D1.1 job.
3. Preheat and Interpass temperatures must meet the requirements in Table 3.2. Again these are common sense, and typical what one would see in a qualified WPS.
4. The variables outlined in Table 3.8 for the given process must be met, and fall within the limited range. Examples include amperage change limits, PWHT addition or deletion, etc.
5. The joint details provided in Caluse 3 must be used. AWS isn’t going to let you weld a new configuration, without requiring you to qualify the weld procedure.
6. Other design and fabrication limits that in the opinion of the author are pretty common sense.

Aws D1.1 Structural Welding Code Free Pdf

Standard Welding Procedure Specifications (SWPSs) – The third and final option for developing a WPS for use in a structural steel application is SWPSs. AWS and its members collected hundreds of PQRs from the industry, sat down and reviewed them as the “Welding Research Council”, and developed a set of industry wide WPSs based on these PQRs. SWPSs cover a wide range of welding processes, materials, and joint configurations, and can be purchased from AWS for around $200/ea. A comprehensive list of available SWPSs is on AWSs website, a link is provided here. I recommend the use of SWPSs to anybody who needs an approved weld procedure quick, but based on the limitations in these SWPSs (very conservative allowances to protect the lowest performing weld shops), and the requirement for the Engineer to approve them (paragraph 4.2.1.2) prior to use, I do not recommend welding companies build these into their normal business practice. One could spend close to $1,000 on SWPSs to cover their welding needs, and still run into a problem with an over conservative or inexperienced project Engineer scared to put their name on the line for accepting WPSs to other standards. If the AWS D1.1 language changes, allowing the use of these without the Engineers approval, and/or the SWPSs are revised to allow a broader range of conditions to be welded then SWPSs may become the industry standard, until then they are a quick fix when procedure qualification is not an option.

The AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code (Steel) welder qualification plate tests consists of a groove weld with a 45-degree included angle. The plates are prepared to a knife’s edge and a ¼ in [6 mm] backing strip is used. The test for unlimited thickness will use plates that are 1 in [25 mm] thick. Anything less than that will qualify the welder for two times the thickness used in the test. Below is an example of a test that will qualify the welder to weld up to ¾ in [20 mm].

Welder performance qualification test for limited thickness.

The backing bar should extend the length of the test plates or could be slightly longer to allow for a run-on and run-off tabs. It should be 1 in [25mm] wide (3 in [75 mm] wide if it will not be removed when radiographic inspection is used for evaluating weld soundness in lieu of bend tests) and ¼ in [6 mm] to 3/8 in [10mm] thick.

Acceptance Criteria

In order for the welder to successfully pass this test, he or she must pass both visual inspection and meet the weld soundness acceptance criteria. Soundness is tested by performing bend tests or by radiographic inspection.

Aws D1.1 Structural Welding Code Free Download

In order to pass visual inspection the weld must:

1. Have no cracks of any size
2. Craters must be filled to the full cross section of the weld
3. The weld must not exceed 1/8 in [3mm] reinforcement
4. Undercut must not exceed 1/32 in [1mm] in depth
5. Additional requirements apply for tests that have an open root (no backing)

In order to pass weld soundness by bend tests the specimens must:

1. Be bent according to the specifications of the code (different bend radii are specified depending on the base metals yield strength).
2. The bent specimens should:

• Not exhibit any discontinuities greater than 1/8 in [3mm] in length
• Have no discontinuities greater than 1/32 in [1 mm] in length that combined add up to a total of more than 3/8 in [10mm]. Any single discontinuity exceeding 1/8 in [3 mm] constitutes a failure as seen in “a” above.
• Corner cracks should not exceed ¼ in [6 mm] in length. If the crack is a result of slag inclusion then the maximum length cannot exceed 1/8 in [3 mm]. If a corner crack with no evidence of slag inclusion is present and exceeds ¼ in [6 mm] in length the test specimen is discarded and new specimen cut from the original test plate must be tested. Corner cracks may be the result of poorly prepared tests specimens.

3. As stated previously, radiographic testing may be used in lieu of bend tests. Procedures, technique and acceptance criteria for this type of test is provided in Clause 8 (Inspection) of AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2020 Structural Welding Code – Steel (Clause 6 if you are still using the 2015 edition).

Welding Positions Qualified

It is sometimes incorrectly assume that the 1G test described above qualifies the welder for all positions. The qualified positions are based on the position used for testing. In this case, the 1G (flat) position for a plate groove weld test will qualify the welder for 1G as well as 1F and 2F (horizontal and flat fillet welds).

For additional information see Table 6.10 of your AWS D1.1 (2020) code book. It provides all the details on welding positions for welder performance qualification. Table 6.11 details the range of thickness qualified.

We administer tests on a regular basis. When working strictly as a CWI we provide no guidance when taking these tests. When we are working as consultants we provide training and provide proper instructions in order to increase the probability of a successful plate test. In next week’s article we will expand on this.

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