Corpus sync: neutrality remakes, note hygiene, datasheet relocation, transformer-split cross-refs
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title: Welding Requirements
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−## The Contractor shall not begin production welding until the WPS and supporting qualification records have been accepted in writing. {note}
+## The Contractor shall not begin production welding until the WPS and supporting qualification records have been accepted in writing.
−## Accepting WPS and PQR submittals after fabrication has started is the single most common welding quality-program failure on steel projects; the documents must precede the work, not chase it. {note}
+## Accepting WPS and PQR submittals after fabrication has started is the single most common welding quality-program failure on steel projects; the documents must precede the work, not chase it.
## The Contractor shall submit the following closeout documents before final acceptance of the welded work:
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## A welder or operator who has not used a qualified process for a period exceeding six months shall requalify in that process before performing production welding.
−## The Contractor shall verify continuity of qualification before accepting any welder qualification originating from a prior project. {note}
+## The Contractor shall verify continuity of qualification before accepting any welder qualification originating from a prior project.
## AWS D1.1 voids a welder's qualification in a given process after six months of disuse. Stale qualification cards from earlier projects are routinely presented; the spec must require continuity verification rather than accepting the card at face value. {note}
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## Structural welding shall be performed using one or more of the following processes as identified on accepted WPS: shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), or gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).
−## Short-circuit transfer GMAW shall not be used for structural welding; GMAW shall be limited to spray or pulsed transfer. {note}
+## Short-circuit transfer GMAW shall not be used for structural welding; GMAW shall be limited to spray or pulsed transfer.
## AWS D1.1 does not prequalify short-circuit transfer GMAW for structural work because of its limited fusion. Field crews experienced in pipe welding will default to short-circuit transfer unless the specification explicitly prohibits it, so the prohibition must be stated rather than implied. {note}
## Self-shielded FCAW (FCAW-S) may be used for field welding where wind conditions make gas shielding impractical, provided the consumable is classified for the position and toughness required.
−## SAW and spray-transfer GMAW shall be limited to shop welding in the flat and horizontal positions unless the WPS qualifies them for the field conditions and positions of use. {note}
+## SAW and spray-transfer GMAW shall be limited to shop welding in the flat and horizontal positions unless the WPS qualifies them for the field conditions and positions of use.
## Submerged arc and spray-arc deposition rates are excellent but both processes are position- and environment-limited; they belong in the shop unless a qualified procedure demonstrates otherwise. {note}
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## The minimum preheat for a given joint shall be governed by the base-metal classification group and the thickness of the thickest part at the point of welding.
−## Preheat shall be applied to the full thickness of the base metal and maintained over a zone extending at least 3 inches in all directions from the point of welding. {note}
+## Preheat shall be applied to the full thickness of the base metal and maintained over a zone extending at least 3 inches in all directions from the point of welding.
## The current AWS D1.1 edition sets the preheat zone at a minimum of 3 inches on each side of the joint. Heating only the immediate weld line allows the surrounding cold mass to draw heat away, defeating the purpose of preheat. {note}
−## When the base metal is below 32 °F, the base metal shall be preheated to the specified minimum and to at least 70 °F regardless of thickness, and maintained during welding. {note}
+## When the base metal is below 32 °F, the base metal shall be preheated to the specified minimum and to at least 70 °F regardless of thickness, and maintained during welding.
## Cold base metal accelerates cooling of the weld and its heat-affected zone, raising the risk of cracking. Below-freezing steel must be warmed even where the thickness-based table would otherwise call for no preheat. {note}
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| over 3/4 in | 5/16 in |
−## A fillet weld shall not exceed the maximum single-pass size for its position; fillet welds larger than the single-pass maximum shall be made in multiple passes. {note}
+## A fillet weld shall not exceed the maximum single-pass size for its position; fillet welds larger than the single-pass maximum shall be made in multiple passes.
## For flat and horizontal SMAW and FCAW, the practical single-pass fillet limit is about 5/16 inch; larger welds deposited in a single pass risk undersized throats and poor profile. {note}
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## All demand-critical complete-joint-penetration welds shall receive 100 percent ultrasonic testing in accordance with AWS D1.8.
−## Ultrasonic testing of complete-joint-penetration welds shall not begin until the weld has cooled and, for steels over 1-1/2 inch thick or where preheat was required, not less than 24 hours after weld completion. {note}
+## Ultrasonic testing of complete-joint-penetration welds shall not begin until the weld has cooled and, for steels over 1-1/2 inch thick or where preheat was required, not less than 24 hours after weld completion.
## Hydrogen-assisted cracking can appear hours after welding in thick or preheated joints. Examining too soon can pass a weld that subsequently cracks, so AWS D1.1 guidance establishes a hold time before ultrasonic testing. {note}
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## Welding shall not be performed when the base metal is wet, when rain or snow is falling on the weld area, or when the welding zone is exposed to wind exceeding the consumable's shielding tolerance, unless the area is suitably protected.
−## When the ambient temperature is below 0 °F, welding shall not be performed regardless of preheat. {note}
+## When the ambient temperature is below 0 °F, welding shall not be performed regardless of preheat.
## AWS D1.1 prohibits welding when the surrounding air temperature is below 0 °F. Even with preheat, the working conditions and the steel's behavior at that temperature make sound welding impractical. {note}
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## Each welder and welding operator shall be assigned an identifying mark, and the Contractor shall maintain records correlating each production weld to the individual who made it.
−## Where required by the contract documents, the welder's identifying mark shall be applied adjacent to the completed weld in a manner that does not damage the base metal. {note}
+## Where required by the contract documents, the welder's identifying mark shall be applied adjacent to the completed weld in a manner that does not damage the base metal.
## Traceability lets a rejected weld be correlated to a welder and procedure so that systemic problems are caught early. Stamping must avoid hard stamps on members carrying cyclic or seismic stress, where the stamp notch itself is a defect. {note}
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default: 12
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