NCPWB

The Newsletter of the National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau

BULLETIN

Technical Committee Addresses Bureau Business

NCPWB and UA to maintain respective welder databasesThe Board of Trustees decided to maintain separate databases based on recommendations from a task force that examined the feasibility of combining the databases. The goal now is to develop a system to allow communication between the databases. NCPWB also will explore the idea of converting Joint Performance Qualification Tests (JPQT), Welder Performance Qualification Tests (WPQT), and nonstandard welders records into a format that allows data to be recognized when scanned into the database. This would eliminate manual data entry. Details accompanying Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) revisedWith the exception of those covering aluminum, nickel, and any GTAW process with consumable insert, details covering WPSs were revised to allow for less restrictive internal mismatch limits. The revised typical detail allows internal mismatch of 1/8 maximum except for B31.1 and 1/16 maximum for B31.5 work. Bureau to develop JPQT Records in 2002Those to be developed are: 2 NPS Schedule 10, welded with the GTAW process 6 NPS schedule 80 E6010/E7018 SMAW process Dan Bulley, MCA of Chicago, participates in Members are encourmeeting discussions while other attendees aged to use the new JPQT listen. form when testing welders under the joint program. The new forms replace 21 SM-D, 22 GT/SM-d, 23 SM-D, 41 GT-d, and 42GT/SM-d. Next chapter operation seminar scheduled for 2003The seminars will be held every other year on Monday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. NCPWB discontinues separate welder decals Welders now receive joint UA/NCPWB decals regardless of whether they hold a joint certification.

NCPWB Remembers Muggs Mullican

We are saddened by the death of our vice chairman, Russell I.Muggs Mullican, who passed away on May 22. Muggs was a dynamic person, a man of honor. Once you met him, you never forgot him. CEO of M & M Welding & Fabricators, Inc., in Gaithersburg, MD, he gave unselfishly of his time and of his extensive knowledge to our industry. He was a very valuable member of the NCPWB for many years and served on the NCPWB Board of Trustees since 1981. He was a memAugust 2002 ber of several code committees including the ASME Section IV, Hot Water Boilers and Water Heaters, Heating Boilers Committee and the National Board Inspection Code, Advisory Board. Muggs time with us was cut way too short. He will be missed.As Muggs always used to say We aint here for a long time, but we are here for a good time.

Russell Muggs Mullican served on the NCPWB Board of Trustees since 1981.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

The NCPWB Board has approved the following organizations as new members. We welcome them. Buffalo
Matthew Kandefel, Inc.

Future Meeting Dates

2002
October 1315 Board Meeting Pinehurst, NC Technical Committee Marco Island Resort Marco Island, FL Board of Trustees Grandover Resort Greensboro, NC Technical Committee Las Vegas, NV

Indiana
M&R Enterprises, Inc.

2003
April 1317

Chicago
Admiral Mechanical Services Harding Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Dahme Mechanical Industries, Inc. Edwards Engineering, Inc. Heatmasters, Inc. NUCO Mechanical, Inc. Quality Control Systems, Inc. RAINBO Mechanical Services, Inc. S Mechanical J.L. Wagner Plumbing & Piping, Inc.

Iowa
A Hearn Plumbing and Heating

Mid Michigan
Hunter-Prell Co.

October 1114

New England
American Refrigeration Company Inc.

April 1621

North Eastern PA
Associated Welding and Pipe Fabrication, Inc. G.R. Sponaugle & Sons, Inc. Herre Bros., Inc.

NCPWB

The Newsletter of the National Cer tified Pipe Welding Bureau

BULLETIN

Philadelphia
PMC Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

is published periodically by the National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau at its national office.

Cincinnati
P.J. Plas Plumbing Inc.

B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S
Robert B. Waddy Chairman James J. Briggs, Jr. Treasurer George B. Kearney Mark Jarnot James Sekely Robert J. Silvia Chairman, Technical Committee G.W. Spohn, III Rick Taylor Dariush Nikpourfard Executive Director Walter J. Sperko, P.E. Consultant

Rochester
T. Bell Construction Corp.

Georgia/Florida
Mechanical Associates, Inc.

St. Louis
GWS Contractors, Inc.

Greater NY
Duncan Industries Corp.

Western Michigan
Raap Plumbing Inc.

Do you have the latest NCPWB Resources?

Robert J. Durr, Sr. Chairman Emeritus Steve Kelly UA Representative

Adrienne Breedlove, Editor

1385 Piccard Drive Rockville, MD 208504340 3018695800 Fax 3019909690 www.mcaa.org/ncpwb

Check out MCAAs online store at

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A MESSAGE FROM THE CONSULTANT

he following is a summary of the changes that appear in the 2002 addenda of ASME Section IX. These changes and related discussion are reported by Walter J. Sperko, P.E., vice chairman of Subcommittee IX; readers are advised that the opinions expressed in this article are those of Mr. Sperko, not the official opinion of Subcommittee IX.
Walter Sperko NCPWB Technical Consultant

Changes to ASME Section IX, 2002 Edition

Introduction Nobody reads the introduction to any code, yet the introduction to Section IX was written specifically for the novice. It provides critical insights into the historical development, organization, and structure of Section IX and some key terms. Those who have successfully used Section IX can vouch for the fact that understanding how it is organized and its terminology are critical to using it properly. The only change in the introduction in these addenda was to document the addition of Standard Welding Procedures in the 2000 Addenda. Welder Qualification (QW-300) Changes In the 2000 addenda, Subcommittee IX answered questions regarding the continuing validity of Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) and Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) when one business is purchased by another. At that time, QW-201.1 was added, stating that WPSs and PQRs of the purchased business could be used by the new owner without requalification if the new owner identified them with its name, took responsibility for them, and maintained a historical record of their source. In the 2002 addenda, parallel provisions were added in paragraph QW300.2 covering welders and welding operators; parallel changes were made in the brazing section. The simplest approach to satisfying these requirements is to enter the name of the new owner on the existing PQR, sign and date it, and describe these steps in the quality assurance (QA) program. If your company does not have a QA program but follows Section IX, describe August 2002 the process in company operating procedures or a memo that you keep with your qualification records. If the previous owners data is transferred to a new form, identify the PQR as originating with the previous owner either on the PQR or on a separate list in the QA program. QW-304.1, which deals with qualification of welders by radiography, was revised to clarify that welds made in the 5G and 6G positions had to be radiographed over their entire circumference, not just a length of 6. Since 5G and 6G are multi-position qualifications containing portions of overhead, vertical, flat, and, for 6G, horizontal welding, more than 6 of weld length is needed to get adequate representation of each position welded. However, if a welder tests in the 2G position on either plate or pipe, only 6 of weld length needs to be radiographed. Parallel changes were made for welding operators. When a welder takes an immediate retest (without further training or practice), he typically had to pass double the number of test coupons or double the radiographed weld length used for his original test. Although this philosophy was clear for mechanical testing, it was not clear for coupons that had been radiographed, particularly given the changes described in the previous paragraph. QW-321.3 was revised from specific dimensions of weld length to be radiographed for an immediate retest requiring twice the length or number of welds required for the original test. When considering an immediate retest, consider that giving the welder any type of additional training or requiring him to practice for a time before welding another test coupon allows the new coupon to be considered a new

testand doubling up is not required.Section IX does not define how much training or practice is required (see QW321.4); that is left up to the qualifiers engineering judgement. QW-452.1, which addresses welder test coupons, is now two tables. Table QW-452.1(a) specifies the visual examination and testing requirements and QW-452.1(b) is used to determine the thickness of weld metal that the welder is qualified to deposit. The previous version of the table required a little historical understanding of intent to use properly, but it became unfriendly in the 2000 addenda when the thickness a welder had to deposit to be qualified for Max. to be welded was changed from 3/4 to 1/2. The only technical change in QW-452.1(a) is that it is again mandatory to use side bend specimens for test coupon thicknesses over 3/4 rather than over 1/2. Although it appears that another technical change was made by the addition of a column for visual examination of the coupon, visual examination of coupons that are mechanically tested has been a requirement since 1992. Visual examination of coupons that will be radiographed is not requiredbut is a smart thing to do. Table QW-452.1(b) only addresses the thickness for which a welder is qualified. It has one technical clarification from the previous version; a separate t must be used not only for each welder and for each process used in the coupon, but also for each F-number filler metal. For example, if a welder uses both E6010 (F-3) and E7018 (F-4) in a test coupon, the thickness he deposited with each F-number type must be used separately to determine the thickness he may deposit with that F-number type electrode. Note that t as used in this table is also addressed in QW-306 and in QW-350. QW-306 not only requires that a separate t be determined for each welder, process and F-number, but also anytime there is a change in an essential variable. This means that if a welder welds a root downhill and the fill passes uphill using one process,t must be documented separately for the downhill and uphill portions of the test coupon, and each t must be applied separately to QW-452.1(b) to determine the thickness a welder is qualified to deposit for each direction of progression. QW-350 specifies that the thickness of weld metal used in QW-452 is exclusive of weld reinforcement. The technical basis for this limitation is that reinforcement is usually removed when testing the specimens, NCPWB BULLETIN

so it cant be counted. Since reinforcement also may be removed on production welds, reinforcement does not have to be considered as part of the weld thickness when evaluating a production weld. That is, if the welder is qualified to weld up to 1/2 deposit thickness, he may make a groove weld that is 1/2thick, and any reinforcement on that weld does not have to be considered. According to Table QW-452.1(b), a welder has to deposit at least 1/2 thickness in his test coupon to be qualified for unlimited thickness, and that thickness must contain at least three weld layers. When asked if it was necessary to document that three layers or more had been used since there was no space to document it on the Section IX form, the reply was Yes. The qualifier must document the test conditions completely, including the use of at least three layers, if applicable. To make it clearer, Subcommittee IX has modified form QW484(a) to allow easy documentation of the number of weld layers. The writer prefers the old form with an asterisk on the weld metal thickness line that refers to a note indicating that at least three layers were used. This is the approach NCPWB is taking on documenting the number of passes when a welder is qualified for all thicknesses. Brazing (QB) Changes There has been some confusion in brazing about when section tests were permitted in lieu of peel tests. QB-141.4 has been revised to make it clear that section tests may be substituted for peel tests when peel tests are impractical to perform. That means if the test coupon geometry is such that a peel test cannot be done, a section test may be substituted. Note this is a one-for-one substitution for each required peel test specimen. QB-402.3 was revised to refer to QB-452 for performance qualification. This was intended but was either inadvertently dropped or simply overlooked for many years. Figure QB-463.1(e) was revised to allow the same bend and section specimen removal for smaller pipe sizes that was changed for brazer coupons in the last addenda. This change was made for consistency between coupons used for procedure and performance qualification. The brazing forms have been revised to bring them up to date. Note that the forms in Section IX are not required to be used.
Continued on page 5

Scenes from the Technical Committee Meeting

MESSAGE FROM THE CONSULTANT

Continued from previous page

Coming Attractions Exciting things in the works by Subcommittee IX include reassignment of nickel alloys into a more consistent grouping system, the addition of nonessential

variables for corrosion-resistant and hardfacing, revision to Note 1 of QW-451.1, and consolidation of QW452.2 (longitudinal bends) into QW-452.1. Readers are advised that ASME Code Committee meetings are open to the public; the schedule is available on the writers website at www.sperkoengineering.com.

August 2002

ASME and AWS Revise Codes

The 2001 edition of ASME Section IV (Hot Water Boilers and Water Heaters), paragraph HG-534.2, was changed to require the manufacturer or shop assembler to attach the nameplates to the casing for fieldassembled cast iron boilers. The Committee on B31.9 (Building Services Piping) is working on a new edition of the code. Some of the significant revisions include: Reference local building code for earthquake design requirements. Addition of metric (SI) dimensions in parentheses after U.S. Standard Units. Elimination of inside welds on slip-on flanges. Allowing the use of T-Drill branches. The Bureau will be formulating a plan to reinstate the direct reference to B31.9 in B31.1 (Power Piping). The reference was deleted while the B31 Administrative Committee was drafting the Scope Section of the B31 codes. In the past, the reference to B31.9 helped contractors with many projects. Up to now the adoption process for the American Welding Societys (AWS) Standard Welding Procedure Specifications (SWPS) was modeled after the Bureaus adoption process, where the adopting contractor has to test one welder prior to adopting the procedure as his own. Apparently, the Boiler Code sections feel that their quality control (QC) programs will manage this function. However, many B31 (Power Piping) code users do not have QC programs and the demonstration process is a very valuable function in these situations. The Bureau opposes the deletion of the demonstration process. A white paper opposing the deletion of the demonstration has been submitted to the code committee. An NCPWB board member is sponsoring a Code Case to permit reducing the preheat temperature of B31.9 and B31.1 for P91 material from a nominal 400 F to approximately 200 F, without an intermediate PWHT (Hydrogen Bake Out), to facilitate nondestructive examination (NDE). B31.3 will be published in two-year cycles with no addenda to be issued. The code also will be revised to allow the use of standardized welding procedures.

New Welding Procedures Being Developed

Part of NCPWBs mission is to develop Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) members can adopt. The Bureau has approved distribution of WPS 42:1-31 (high nickel alloy to carbon steel) using GTAW welding process. In addition, the Bureau will be developing new WPSs for P-4 (chromium molybdenum steel and alloys) to P-8 (stainless steel and alloy) using GTAW/SMAW welding process.

High Purity Committee Working To Improve Training

The Bio-Tech Pharmaceutical Manual, geared toward foremen working in the industry, is now available as an electronic book (e-book). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved all biotech processes and language. ASME, however, is not in full support of the terminology used in the manual. ASME has accepted five levels of proficiency certification that have been developed by a new High Purity Task Force. These will be developed into a standard. George Fischer (GF) is conducting a thermoplastic fusion certification program for the UAs national membership. Double containment piping assembly and installation will be incorporated into the training program as well. GF has 19 training sites and expects to have 30 by years end. GF will maintain records of the training programs; a database has been created for test records. Local Union Training Centers will maintain testing records; GF will post the summary list on the training website. A subcommittee will be created to develop criteria for destructive and nondestructive testing techniques for thermally welded plastics. A third-party inspection agency will be used for the inspection of test coupons.

NCPWB BULLETIN