If you work with AWS D1.1 you are probably familiar with the use of prequalified welding procedures. The use of prequalified WPSs provides many benefits to the fabricator, one of which is costs savings due being exempt from having to perform costly testing to qualify the welding procedure. However, if you are looking to save […]
Whenever you hear that a welding procedure needs to be qualified it simply means that its suitability for use in a welded structure needs to be proven by testing. This means that the welding procedure must be capable of producing sound welds. But what are sound welds? Sound welds are welds that will perform in […]
Selecting the best welding process is a critical step in developing a welding procedure that attains the desired quality and optimizes productivity. Many times we look for the welding process that can give us the highest deposition rate to optimize productivity. However, every welding process has limitations. For example, submerged arc welding (SAW) has extremely […]
Have you ever been in a situation in which you need a qualified welding procedure immediately? Maybe you just failed an audit and have to halt production until a valid welding procedure is provided. Or maybe you’re just in a hurry to get started with a new job. Regardless of the reason you need the […]
We frequently receive requests for help developing welding procedures for welding on quenched and/or quenched and tempered steels. Sometimes the call for help is to determine why these steels cracked after welding and how to prevent it from happening in the future. Understanding the supplied condition of the steel you are going to be welding […]
Welding engineering is a complex field that requires expertise in many different engineering disciplines. The welding engineer must take advanced courses in metallurgy (including welding metallurgy), material science, mechanics of materials, thermodynamics, chemistry and fundamentals of all welding processes. Welding engineers are tasked with many different activities which include but are not limited to: […]
Developing, or writing a welding procedure, goes far beyond setting up amps and volts. It entails the selection of many variables which fall under the 9 required components of welding procedure specifications we discussed last week. Today we look at those 9 components again, but rather than just stating what they contain we explain how […]
Regardless what position you hold, if you work in the welding industry you have heard of welding procedures specifications (WPSs). To some, a welding procedure simply means the selection of a few variables such as amps and volts. To others, these are the documents that govern all welding done in their facility. A […]
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 […]
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 […]
