820-823.

11

ASME 831.8-2003

CHAPTER II
WELDING
820

WELDING

821

GENERAL

821.6
Prior to welding in or around a structure or area
containing gas facilities, a thorough check shall be made
to determine the possible presence of a combustible gas
mixture. Welding shall begin only when safe conditions
are indicated.

821.1 Scope
This Chapter addresses the welding of pipe joints in
both wrought and cast steel materials and covers butt
and fillet welded joints in pipe, valves, flanges, and
fittings and fillet weld joints in pipe branches, slip-on
flanges, socket weld fittings, etc., as applied in pipelines
and connections to apparatus or equipment. When
valves or equipment are furnished with welding ends
suitable for welding directly into a pipeline, the design,
composition, welding, and stress relief procedures must
be such that no significant damage will result from the
welding or stress relieving operation. This Chapter does
not apply to the welding of the seam in the manufacture
of pipe.

821.7 Welding Terms

Definitions pertaining to welding as used in this Code
conform to the standard definitions established by the
American Welding Society and contained in ANSI!
A\VS A3.0.
822

822.1 Butt Welds

(a) Some acceptable end preparations are shown in
Appendix I, Fig. 14.
(b) Appendix I, Fig. 15 shows acceptable end preparations for buttwelding of pieces having either unequal
thickness or unequal yield strength, or both.

821.2
The welding may be done by any process or combination of processes that produce welds that meet the procedure qualification requirements of this Code. The welds
may be produced by position welding or roll welding,
or a combination of position and roll welding.

822.2 Fillet Welds

Minimum dimensions for fillet welds used in the attachment of slip-on flanges and for socket welded joints
are shown in Appendix I, Fig. 16. Similar minimum
dimensions for fillet welds used in branch connections
are shown in Appendix I, Figs. 11 and 12.

821.3

(03)

PREPARATION FOR WELDING

Prior to welding of any pipe, piping components, or

related equipment covered by this Code, a welding procedure shall be established and qualified. Each welder
or welding operator shall be qualified for the established
procedure before performing any welding on any pipe,
piping components, or related equipment installed in
accordance with this Code.

Seal welding shall be done by qualified welders. Seal

"velding of threaded joints is permitted, but the seal
welds shall not be considered as contributing to the
strength of joints.

821.4

823

The standards of acceptability for welds of piping

systems to operate at hoop stress levels of 20% or more
of specified minimum yield strength as established in
API 1104 shall be used.

823.1 Requirements for Piping Systems Operating

at Hoop Stresses of Less Than 20% of the
Specified Minimum Yield Strength

822.3 Seal Welds

QUALIFICATION OF PROCEDURES AND

WELDERS

823.11 Welders whose work is limited to piping

operating at hoop stress levels of less than 20% of the
specified minimum yield strength shal1 be qualified under any of the references given in para. 823.21 or in
accordance with AppendiX G.

821.5
All welding done under this Code shall be performed
under a standard referenced in para. 823.11 or 823.21,
whichever is applicable.
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Copyright 2004 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

No reproduction may be made ofthis material without written consent of ASME.