API SIFE key terms

Inspection activities performed at a supplier's or fabricator's facility while equipment is being built, rather than after delivery, to verify that materials, workmanship, and documentation meet the purchase order and referenced code requirements.

A project-specific document listing the inspections and tests to be performed on an item, the responsible party for each, the acceptance criteria, and the notification points the inspector must attend.

A step in an inspection and test plan where work cannot proceed until the designated inspector has performed the required verification and recorded acceptance, usually in writing.

A step in an inspection and test plan that the inspector is notified of and may attend, but which does not stop the work if the inspector chooses not to be present.

A step where the inspector examines records or documents, such as test reports or certificates, after the activity is complete, without being present during the physical work.

The planned, ongoing monitoring of a supplier's quality system and manufacturing activities by the purchaser's representative, intended to give confidence that specified requirements are being met.

A meeting held before fabrication begins, attended by the purchaser's inspector and supplier personnel, to confirm the inspection and test plan, communication channels, hold points, and documentation requirements.

A formal document that records a condition where material, fabrication, or documentation does not meet specified requirements, together with the proposed disposition and the verification that corrective action was completed.

A scheduled or unannounced visit by the purchaser's representative to a supplier's facility to observe work in progress, review records, and confirm that quality activities follow the approved plan.

A certified report from the material producer listing the chemical composition and mechanical properties obtained from tests on a specific production heat, used to confirm that material meets the purchase specification.

An identifier assigned by the mill to a single melt of metal; all products from that melt carry the same number, allowing test results and certificates to be linked to the material.

The ability to follow a piece of material from its mill certificate through cutting, fabrication, and installation, so that its specification, heat number, and test results can be verified at any stage.

A field or shop test, often using X-ray fluorescence or optical emission spectroscopy, that confirms the alloy identity of a component and detects mix-ups between similar-looking materials.

A written, qualified document that gives the essential, supplementary essential, and nonessential variables a welder must follow to make a production weld that satisfies the applicable code.

A record of the actual variables used and the test results obtained when a welding procedure was qualified, which supports and justifies the corresponding welding procedure specification.

A record showing that an individual welder or welding operator has produced test welds meeting the code requirements for a specific process, position, and thickness range.

The application of heat to a base metal before welding to slow cooling, drive off moisture, and reduce the risk of cracking in hardenable or thick materials.

A controlled heating and cooling cycle applied after welding to relieve residual stresses, temper hard microstructures, or restore properties required by the design code.

A test in which a notched specimen is struck by a swinging hammer to measure the energy absorbed, giving an indication of the material's or weld's toughness at a specified temperature.

A direct or aided inspection of surfaces for defects such as cracks, undercut, incomplete fusion, and dimensional errors, usually performed before other examination methods.

A volumetric examination method in which radiation passes through a component and exposes film or a digital detector, revealing internal discontinuities as variations in density on the resulting image.

A volumetric examination method that introduces high-frequency sound into a component and interprets reflected echoes to detect internal discontinuities such as lack of fusion, cracks, or laminations.

A surface and near-surface examination method that magnetizes a ferromagnetic part and applies iron particles, which cluster at discontinuities such as cracks or lack of fusion.

A surface examination method in which a liquid penetrant is applied to a cleaned part and drawn into surface-breaking discontinuities, then revealed by a developer.

A small reference device, such as a wire or hole-type plaque, placed on the part during radiography to show whether the image has sufficient sensitivity to reveal required discontinuities.

A pressure test in which the vessel or piping is filled with water and pressurized to a specified level to demonstrate structural integrity and tightness before service.

The pressure at which a hydrostatic or pneumatic test is performed, calculated per code from design pressure and allowable stress limits, and corrected for temperature effects on the gauge reading.

A pressure test using air or another gas instead of water, permitted only where water testing is impractical and carried out with extra precautions because of stored energy.

Extra metal thickness added to a component's calculated minimum thickness so that the equipment can tolerate expected corrosion or erosion over its intended service life.

A factor, usually below 1.0, applied in pressure vessel design equations to account for the strength reduction caused by a welded joint and the extent of examination performed on it.

A thick plate in a heat exchanger that holds the ends of the tubes and separates the shell-side and tube-side fluids, often drilled with holes and sometimes clad or overlay-welded.

A rating that defines the maximum allowable pressure of a valve, flange, or fitting at a given temperature for a specific material group.

A metal plate permanently attached to equipment showing the manufacturer, serial number, design conditions, capacity, and code stamp information required for identification and traceability.

A signed code form, such as the U-1 form, that records the design, materials, tests, and inspections of a completed vessel and certifies that it meets the code.

A stamp applied to a pressure vessel or other item to certify that it was designed, fabricated, inspected, and tested in accordance with the relevant ASME code section.

An inspector holding a valid commission from an ASME-accredited inspection body, responsible for verifying code compliance and signing the manufacturer's data report.

The formal authorization, given after all required inspections, tests, and documentation reviews are complete, allowing the equipment to leave the fabricator's facility.