Frequently Asked Questions about Prequalified Welding Procedures

The following FAQ are related to 322 Prequalified Welding Procedure Specifications for Steel Fabricators.   To learn more or to get your copy simply click here   Is this a physical book?  No. The procedures are provided as digital files (PDF) and are available for immediate download.  The user has the option to print the files […]

7 Tests to Qualify Welding Procedures

The qualification of welding procedures is necessary to ensure that the selected welding parameters can produce sound welds.  Qualification typically involves a combination of destructive and nondestructive testing.  When a particular code, such as AWS D1.1 or ASME Section IX is used, the code will dictate the type and numbers of tests necessary in order […]

5 Building Blocks of a Weld Quality Control System

Controlling weld quality is not always an easy task.  Many fabricators struggle to manage the amount of rework, the discrepancies from one batch of product to the next, and the varying levels of productivity and workmanship amongst their welders.   This inability to control weld consistency is not surprising.  Welding has more than 20 variables that […]

Steps to determine if welding preheat can be eliminated?

Testing the effects of preheat in small parts and assuming it will be the same on large sections is a mistake.

As discussed in our previous article, and many times in the last 50 or so, preheat is necessary in steel welding to control the cooling rate.  More specifically, preheat is used to slow the cooling rate down in order to prevent excessive hardness in the heat affected zone (HAZ) which  can lead to cracking.   Before […]

Factors Affecting Cooling Rates of Welds and Heat Affected Zones

Different ways to manage the rate of cooling

Our next article will discuss a question we are asked quite often: Can we eliminate preheating before welding?   Preheating is necessary to slow the cooling rate down after welding which in turn avoids excessive hardening of the weld and heat affected zone.  Eliminating preheat can lead to hydrogen induced cracking and catastrophic failure.  A […]

Why More Customers are Requiring Qualified Welding procedures

If you own or work at a job shop you may have noticed an increase in the number of customers that require the use of qualified welding procedures to build their products. Some fabricators are even getting this request from long time customers who never required them in the past. So why is this? The […]

How to Determine Acceptable Weld Quality

Certain industries that involve welding of their products have very strict quality standards to ensure the production of sound welds.  Many others however, do not.  They simply weld and unless one of their products fails they don’t pay special attention to welding procedures, detailed inspection of welds or testing the skill (performance) of their welders. […]

How to Become a Certified Welding Inspector

A career as a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) can be very rewarding.  This certification, which is awarded by the American Welding Society, carries a lot of weight both nationally and internationally.  The main responsibilities of a CWI is to make sure that welding operations are manufacturing products that comply with specified welding codes and standards. CWIs essentially are expected […]

The AWS D1.1 1G Welder Qualification Test

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 […]

Danger of Using the Wrong Shielding Gas for GMAW

In our previous article we mentioned that a customer was inquiring about running their 98% argon / 2% carbon dioxide (98/2) shielding gas on mild steel.  This gas is used on stainless as it maintains the amount of reactive gas (in this case CO2) under 3%.   Our quick answer was “yes, you can weld carbon […]