CEMP-E
TI 809-26
1 March 2000
CHAPTER 8
QUALITY ASSURANCE AND INSPECTION
1. GENERAL.
The Engineer is responsible for establishing and specifying the requirements of the Quality Control and
Quality Assurance programs for the project. These requirements should be a part of the contract
documents. AWS D1.1 requires inspection of welding, but requires only "Fabrication / Erection
Inspection", which is the designated responsibility of the Contractor. "Verification Inspection" is the
prerogative of the Owner, under AWS D1.1. Therefore, any specific welding inspection operations to be
performed by personnel other than the Contractor must be fully detailed and placed in the contract
documents.
2. REVIEWING AND APPROVING WELDING PROCEDURES.
a. WPS Contents. Welding procedures are used to specify, for the welder and inspector, the welding
parameters for the weld to be made. Weld procedures are written by the contractor responsible for the
welding, and must be reviewed by the inspector. In some cases, the Engineer must approve the welding
procedures. Welding Procedure Specifications (WPSs) are written based upon the steel to be welded,
thickness of material to be joined, type of joint, type of weld, size of weld, and position of welding. Based
upon the application, the WPS specifies the welding materials to be used (electrode, flux, shielding gas),
electrode diameter, voltage, current (amperage) or wire feed speed, travel speed, shielding gas flow rate,
minimum (and sometimes maximum) preheat and interpass temperatures, location and number of
passes, and other pertinent information specific to the weld to be made. All WPSs, whether prequalified
or qualified by test, must be in writing.
b. AWS Requirements. AWS D1.1 Section 6.3.1 requires the use of and inspection of WPSs. The
inspector should review the WPS for general conformity to the welding code and applicability to the joint
to be welded. The WPS also provides information necessary for inspection duties. The Engineer is
assigned the responsibility in AWS D1.1 Section 4.1.1, to review and approve WPSs that are qualified.
Prequalified WPSs need not be approved by the Engineer under D1.1. The purpose of the Engineer's
approval of the WPS is so that it can be verified that the qualification testing is representative of the
actual welding conditions, such as for thick and highly restrained joints.
c. AISC Requirements. In the AISC Seismic Provisions, Section 7.3, the Engineer is made
responsible for the review and approval of all WPSs, whether qualified or prequalified, for welds that are
part of the Seismic Force Resisting System. This is primarily to ensure that WPSs are developed for the
welds critical to building performance, and that filler metals with the required toughness have been
selected by the contractor.
d. WPS Prequalification Limits. Prequalified WPSs need not be tested using the tests prescribed in
AWS D1.1 Section 4. The contractor may develop WPSs based upon manufacturer's recommended
operating parameters, verified by the contractor's experience and testing as desired. To be prequalified,
the welding process must be prequalified (SMAW, FCAW, GMAW except short-circuiting transfer, or
SAW), the weld details must meet all the requirements of AWS D1.1 Section 3, and welding parameters
meet the provisions of AWS Table 3.7. This includes the use of the prequalified groove weld details in
AWS Figures 3.3 and 3.4, minimum prequalified PJP groove weld size in AWS Table 3.4, and minimum
8-1
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