AWS ASME IX Endorsement key terms

The section of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code that sets the rules for qualifying welding, brazing, and fusing procedures and the personnel who perform them, and for recording those qualifications.

The Section IX principle that the organization performing the work, not the code inspector or a third party, must prepare and qualify the procedures and personnel, keep the supporting records, and certify that production work follows them.

A written document listing the variables a welder needs in order to deposit a sound production weld, such as base metals, filler metal, joint design, preheat, electrical characteristics, and technique.

The documented record of the test coupon welding that qualified a WPS. It lists the essential and supplementary essential variables actually used and the results of the mechanical tests on specimens cut from the coupon.

A welding condition, such as process, base metal group, filler metal classification, preheat, or postweld heat treatment, that can change the mechanical properties or soundness of a joint, so any change requires requalification of the procedure.

A welding condition such as joint detail, filler metal size, or current type that may be changed without requalifying the procedure, although the WPS still has to be revised to show the new value.

A variable such as heat input or impact test temperature that becomes essential only when notch toughness is required in the production weld; once toughness applies, changing it forces requalification with impact testing.

A grouping number that assigns base metals of similar composition and weldability to one category, so a single procedure qualification covers a range of listed materials rather than one grade.

A subdivision within a P-Number that narrows the base metals one qualification covers. It is applied mainly when notch toughness requirements apply to the production weld.

A grouping of welding filler metals by usability and metallurgical characteristics, for example covered electrodes versus bare solid wire, so that qualification with one filler metal also covers others in the same group.

A classification of ferrous filler metals based on chemical analysis, such as carbon-molybdenum or chromium-molybdenum types, used to define which deposited weld metal compositions a procedure qualification covers.

A grouping assigned to base metals that are not listed in an ASME construction code material specification but are recognized in another accepted code; using them requires acceptance by the code body.

A documented test showing that an individual welder can produce an acceptable weld with a qualified procedure. It covers only the process, position, thickness, and pipe diameter actually tested.

A person who runs automatic or machine welding equipment. The qualification variables for an operator focus on the equipment and the welding system rather than on hand skill.

Welding in which the whole operation is performed and controlled by hand, with the welder holding and guiding the electrode or torch along the joint for the entire pass.

Welding in which the filler metal is fed to the arc automatically but the welder still controls the travel and guides the torch or gun by hand.

Welding in which equipment controls travel and the arc, while an operator watches the operation and adjusts controls; the operator does not guide the arc along the joint by hand.

Welding in which the equipment carries out the operation without continuous observation and adjustment by an operator; travel, arc, and filler feed are governed by the machine system.

The plate, pipe, or joint assembly welded or brazed under the conditions of a proposed procedure, or by a person being tested, from which specimens are cut for examination and testing.

A qualification test made in a joint containing a groove, such as a V or U preparation. It qualifies the tested thickness range and, in performance tests, the positions and diameters covered.

A qualification test made in a T-joint or lap joint. By itself it qualifies only fillet welding, not groove welding, unless a groove test is also part of the qualification.

The orientation of the qualification coupon, such as flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead, or pipe positions like 5G and 6G, which determines the production positions the welder or procedure covers.

A destructive test in which a specimen cut from the coupon is bent through a specified angle and its stretched surface inspected for cracks or other defects, judging the ductility of the welded joint.

A non-destructive test using x-rays or gamma rays to reveal internal discontinuities in a test weld; for some performance qualifications it may be used instead of bend specimens.

A test in which notched specimens are struck by a swinging weight to measure absorbed energy, confirming that the weldment meets notch toughness requirements and triggering the supplementary essential variables.

The minimum temperature of the base metal, and sometimes the adjacent area, just before and during welding, as specified in the WPS to control cooling rate and reduce cracking.

The temperature of the weldment immediately before the next weld pass is deposited. A maximum is set to prevent overheating that could degrade toughness and mechanical properties.

Controlled heating of a completed weldment to a stated temperature, holding for a stated time, and controlled cooling, to relieve residual stress and temper the structure; it is an essential variable.

The energy delivered to the weld per unit length of joint, derived from current, voltage, and travel speed. It governs cooling rate and becomes an essential variable when notch toughness must be met.

Material such as metal, ceramic, or gas placed at the root of a joint to support the molten weld metal; the type of backing and whether it is removed are controlled by the procedure.

Filler metal preplaced at the joint root and melted during welding to form the root pass; its use and classification are treated as essential variables in procedure qualification.

The rule that a welder qualified on pipe of a given outside diameter is qualified only up to a stated larger size, so a test on small pipe, such as 2-7/8 in. and under, covers all diameters.

The requirement that a welder's or brazer's qualification stays valid only while the person uses that process within a set period, six months in Section IX, after which requalification is needed.

A published, prequalified welding procedure that a manufacturer or contractor may adopt for production, provided the stated restrictions are met and the required supporting records are in place.

A written document giving the variables for a brazed joint: base metals, brazing filler metal, flux or atmosphere, joint clearance, brazing temperature, and the heating and cooling cycle.

The record of a test assembly brazed using the proposed variables, together with the results of examination of the sectioned joint, showing that the procedure produces sound brazed joints.

The metal that melts and flows by capillary action into the clearance between faying surfaces at a temperature above 840 degrees F (450 degrees C) but below the melting point of the base metals.

A documented test showing that an individual brazer can make acceptable brazed joints with a qualified procedure, covering the process, filler metal, and joint type actually tested.

A material or controlled gas environment used during brazing to dissolve oxides and prevent reoxidation so the filler metal can wet the surfaces and flow into the joint.

The gap between the faying surfaces of a brazed joint. It governs capillary flow and void formation and is one of the essential variables in brazing procedure qualification.