AWS D1.1/D1.

1M:2015
AWS D1.1ID1.1M:2015

C-6. Inspection
C-6. Inspection

C-6.l Scope
C-6.1 Scope If the location of tension flange butt joint welds is not 0b-
vious, their location should be designated on the plans.
This clause of the code i_s designed t0 clarify the separate
responsibilities of the Contractor/fabricator/erector, as When spot checking is specified (e.g., 10% of all fillet
welds), it should not be taken to imply that the Contrac-
opposed to the Owner/Engineer, etc.
tor be notified prior to welding which specific welds or
The provisions clarify the basic premise of contractual portion of welds Ell be tested. It is a basic premise of
obligations when providing product and services. Those the specifications that if random tests or spot tests are
who submit competitive bids or otherwise enter into a made, there should be a sufficient number of random
contract to provide materials and workmanship for struc- tests to give a reliable indication 0f weld quality.
tural weldments in conformance with the provisions of
There are different acceptance criteria for statically
the code assume an obligation to furnish the products as
loaded structures, cyclically loaded structures, and tubu-
specified in the contract documents and are fully respon-
lar structures. The basic difference in acceptance criteria
sible for product quality.
for each of these structures is based upon the difference
In this clause, the term fabrication/erection inspection is
fabrication/erection inspection between static, and fatigue loading.
separated from verification inspection. In the original
When fatigue crack growth is anticipated, initial weld
draft of this section, these separate functions were desig-
discontinuity sizes E smaller. All criteria are estab-
nated as quality control and quality assurance, respec-
lished in an attempt to preclude weld failure during the
tively. These terms were replaced with the broader terms
anticipated service life of the weldment.
now contained in the code to avoid confusion with the
usage in some industries (e.g., nuclear). Quality assur- C-6.1.2 Inspection
C-6.1.2 Inspection and
and Contract
Contract Stipulations.
Stipulations. This
ance means specific tasks and documentation procedures subclause describes the responsibility of the Contractor
to some users of the code. It was advantageous to use for fabrication/erection inspection and testing, which is
more general terms that place greater emphasis on timely basically the quality control responsibility described in
inspection. Inspection by the Owner should be planned other contract documents. The Owner has the right, but
and timely if it is to improve the quality of the construc- generally not the responsibility, to provide independent
tion. inspection to verify that the product meets specified re-
quirements. This quality assurance function may be done
C-6.1.1 Information
C-6.1.1 Information Furnished
Furnished to
t0 Bidders.
Bidders. It is essen- independently by the Owner or their representative or,
tial that the Contractor know in advance which welds are when provided in the contract, verification inspection
subject to NDTs and which testing procedures will be may be waived or it may be stipulated that the Contractor
used. Unless otherwise provided in the contract docu- perform both the inspection and the verification. When
ments, the quality criteria for acceptance of welds are this is done, quality control and quality assurance remain
stated in Clause 6, Part C and Clause 9, Part F for tubu- separate functions. Verification inspection should be per-
E. It is not necessary to write in the contract documents formed independently by personnel whose primary re-
exactly which weld or what portions of specific welds sponsibility is quality assurance and not production.
will be examined by a specific test method. A general de-
scription of weld test requirements may be specified C-6.1.3 Definition
C-6.1.3 Definition of
0f Inspector
Inspector Categories.
Categories. This sub-
(e.g., “10% of the length of all fillet welds shall be in- clause describes the difference between the Inspector
spected by MT," or “All CJP butt joint welds in tension representing the Owner and the Inspector representing
flanges of girders shall be radiographed"). the Contractor.

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COMMENTARY AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2015
AWS D1.1ID1.1M:2015

C-6.1.5 Inspector
C-6.1.5 Inspector Responsibility.
Responsibility. This subclause re- mentation may cause serious delays in the acceptance of
quires that the Inspector verify that all fabrication and weldments.
erection by welding is performed in conformance with
the requirements of the contract documents. This in- C-6.4.2 Retesting
C-6.4.2 Retesting Based
Based on
on Quality
Quality of
of Work.
Work. Exam-
cludes not only welding but also materials, assembly, ples of methods the inspector may choose to demonstrate
preheating, NDT, and all other requirements of the code the ability to produce sound welds include the following:
and provisions of the contract documents.
(l) an interview of the welder,
C-6.1.6 Items
C-6.1.6 Items to
to be
be Furnished
Furnished to
to the
the Inspector.
Inspector. In-
(2) increased visual inspection for a limited time
spectors need a complete set of approved drawings to en-
period,
able them to properly do their work. They need be
furnished only the portion of the contract documents de- (3) observation of the welding, or a simplified weld
scribing the requirements of products that they will in- test developed to evaluate the issue of concern,
spect. Much 0f the contract documents deal with matters
that are not the responsibility 0f the Inspector; these por- (4) requalification in compliance with Clause 4 or
tions need not be furnished. Clause 9 for tubulars.

C-6.1.7 Inspector
C-6.1.7 Inspector Notification.
Notification. If the Inspectors are not C-6.4.3 Retesting
C-6.4.3 Retesting Based
Based on
on Qualification
Qualification Expiration.
Expiration.
notified in advance of the start of operations, they cannot If evidence cannot be supplied that shows a welder,
properly perform the functions required of them by the welding operator, or tack welder has used the welding
code. process within the last six months, he or she is not con-
sidered qualified to weld using that process without new
qualification testing. Because active welders can main-
tain their certification as long as they continue to do good
C-6.2 Inspection
C-6.2 Inspection of
of Materials
Materials work, it is important that Inspectors regularly evaluate
the quality of the welds produced by each welder, weld-
and Equipment
and Equipment ing operator, and tack welder.
This code provision is all-encompassing. It requires in-
spection of materials and review 0f materials certifica-
tion and mill test reports. It is important that this work be
done in a timely manner so that unacceptable materials C-6.5 Inspection
C-6.5 Inspection of
of Work
Work and
and Records
Records
are not incorporated in the work. Except for final visual inspection, which is required for
every weld. the Inspector inspects the work at suitable
intervals to ensure that the requirements of the applicable
sections of the code are met. Such inspections should be
C-6.3 Inspection
C-6.3 Inspection of
of WPS
WPS Qualification
Qualification conducted, on a sampling basis, prior to assembly, dur-
ing assembly, and during welding. The inspector identi-
The requirements of this section, including any qualifica- E final acceptance or rejection of the work either by
tion testing required by Clause 4, should be completed marking on the work or with other recording methods.
before any welding is begun on any weldments required The method of identification should not be destructive to
by the contract documents. Qualification should always the weldment. Die stamping of welds is not recom-
be done before work is started, but all qualification does mended since die stamp marks may form sites for crack
not have to be completed before any work can be started. initiation.

C-6.5.4 Inspector
C-6.5.4 Inspector Identification
Identification of
of Inspections
Inspections Per-
Per-
formed. Die stamp marks may form sites for crack
formed.
initiation.
C-6.4 Inspection
C-6.4 Inspection of
of Welder,
Welder, Welding
Welding
Operator, and
Operator, and Tack
Tack Welder
Welder
Qualifications
Qualifications
C-6.4.1 Determination
C-6.4.1 Determination of
of Qualification.
Qualification. It is important
C-6.6 Obligations
C-6.6 Obligations of
of the
the Contractor
Contractor
that the Inspector determine that all welders are qualified C-6.6.1 Contractor
C-6.6.1 Contractor Responsibilities.
Responsibilities. The Contractor
before work is begun on the project. If discovered after conducts inspection to the extent necessary to ensure
welding has begun, lack of welder qualification docu- conformance with the code, except as provided in 6.6.5.

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AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2015
AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2015 COM MENTARY
COMMENTARY

Part C
Part C is specified in information furnished to the bidders or is
subsequently made a part of the contract. Both the
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria Owner and Contractor should give careful attention to
the provisions of 6.6.5 and 6.14.1. When, in addition to
C-6.8 Engineer’s
C-6.8 Engineer’s Approval for
Approval for the requirement for visual inspection, NDT is specified,
the acceptance criteria of 6.11, 6.12, or 6.13 apply. The
Alternate Acceptance
Alternate Acceptance Criteria
Criteria acceptance criteria for ASTM A514, A517, and A709,
The criteria provided in Clause 5, Fabrication, are based Grade HPS 100W high-strength quenched and tempered
upon knowledgeable judgment of what is achievable by a steels are based on inspection, visual or NDT, conducted
qualified welder. The criteria in Clause 5 should not be at least 48 hours after completion of the weld. Since
considered as a boundary of suitability for service. Suit- high-strength steels, when welded, and weld metals are
ability for service analysis would lead to widely varying susceptible t0 delayed cracking caused by hydrogen em-
workmanship criteria unsuitable for a standard code. brittlement, stress rupture, etc., it has been necessary to
Furthermore, in some cases, the criteria would be more impose this time restriction to assure that any delayed
liberal than what is desirable and producible by a quali- cracking has a reasonable chance of being discovered
fied welder. In general, the appropriate quality accep- during inspection.
tance criteria and whether a deviation produces a harmful
product should be the Engineer's decision. When modifi-
cations are approved, evaluation of suitability for service C-6.12 RT
C-6.12 RT
using modern fracture mechanics techniques, a history of
Discontinuitv Acceptance Criteria for Stati-
C-6.12.1 Discontinuity
satisfactory service in similar structures, or experimental
evidence is recognized as a suitable basis for alternate cally Loaded
cally Loaded Nontubular
Nontubular Connections.
Connections. See Figures C-
acceptance criteria for welds. 6.7 and C-6.8.

Cvclicallv Loaded Nontubular Connec-

C-6.12.2.1 Cyclically
C-Table§ 6.1
C-Tables 6.1 and
and 9.16,
9.16, Item
Item 8—Piping
8—Piping Porosity.
Porosity. Ta-
tions in
tions in Tension.
Tension. See Figure C-6.9.
bles 6.1 and 9.16 contain visual acceptance criteria for
surface-breaking piping porosity, since this is visually
detectable, and may significantly reduce the cross-sec-
tional areas of the weld available to resist applied loads. C-6.l3 UT
C-6.13 UT
Other forms of surface-breaking porosity do not reduce C-6.13.1 Acceptance
C-6.13.1 Acceptance Criteria
Criteria for
for Statically
Statically Loaded
Loaded
the cross-sectional area as significantly (see Annex l for Nontubular Connections.
Nontubular Connections. In the notes in Table 6.2, the
a definition of piping porosity).
key words that are most often misinterpreted are “ . . .from
weld ends carrying primary tensile stress.” This phrase
generally refers to the ends of groove welds that are sub-
C-6.9 Visual
C-6.9 Visual Inspection
Inspection ject to applied tensile design loads that are normal to the
This subclause makes visual inspection of welds manda- weld throat. When box columns are used with moment
tory and contains the acceptance criteria for it. The fabri- connection members welded to the outside surface and di-
cation requirements of Clause 5, are also subject to aphragm plates welded on the inside to transfer the pri-
visual inspection. Allowable depth of undercut was re- mary stress through the box column member, the ends of
vised in the 1980 edition of the code to more accurately the moment plate-to-box column plate welds are subject
reflect an acceptable percentage reduction of cross-sec- to the 2L distance from the weld end, but the welds on di-
tional area for three categories of stress. The undercut aphragm plates on the inside of the box are not subject to
values are for structures and individual members that are this restriction. The weld ends of the diaphragm plates do
essentially statically loaded. not carry primary tensile stress because this stress is car-
ried through the width 0f the adjacent box member plates.
Undercut values for cyclically loaded structures or
tubular structures (6.9 and 9.25) have not been changed The note of Table 6.2 on scanning levels was added be-
and should be specified for structures and individual cause experience with UT acceptance level provisions
members subject to cyclic loading. previously required by the code resulted in acceptance of
some rather large gas pockets and piping porosity that
can occur in ESW and EGW welds. The shape of these
C-6.ll NDT
C-6.11 NDT gas defects, which are peculiar to ESW and EGW welds,
is such that they reflect less ultrasound than the usual
Except as required in 9.2.6.1, the weld quality require- weld discontinuities. Testing at 6 dB more sensitive than
ments for NDT are not a part of the contract unless NDT standard testing amplitudes will not guarantee accurate

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COMMENTARY AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2015
AWS D1.1ID1.1M:2015

evaluation of gas defects in ESW or EGW welds. This Part

Part E
E
type of discontinuity is easily evaluated by RT, which is
Radiographic Testing
Radiographic Testing
recommended if indications of pipe or other gas disconti-
nuities are seen at scanning levels.

C-6.13.2 Acceptance
C-6.13.2 Acceptance Criteria
Criteria for
for Cyclically
Cyclically Loaded
Loaded C-6.16 RT of Groove Welds in Butt
Nontubular Connections.
Nontubular Connections. See Clause C-6, Part F. The Joints
code provides acceptance criteria for welds subject to
tensile stresses that differ from those subject only to C-6.16.1 Procedures
C-6.16.1 Procedures and
and Standards
Standards (RT).
(RT). The proce-
compressive stresses. Groove welds subject to compres- dures and standards set forth in this section are primarily
sive stresses only and which are indicated on design or designed for the RT of CJP groove welds in cyclically
shop drawings are required to conform to the acceptance loaded structures and statically loaded structures. Typi-
criteria of Table 6.2. Groove welds subject to tensile cal geometries for structural connections and design re-
stresses under any condition of loading and welds subject quirements for these structures were taken into account
only to compressive stresses but not specifically desig- in the preparation of the specification. An effort was
nated as such on design or shop drawings are required to made to incorporate the methodology of ASTM and to
conform to the acceptance criteria of Table 6.3, which utilize procedures described in the ASME Boiler and
Boiler and
are up to 6 dB higher than those in Table 6.2. Pressure Vessel Code
Pressure Vessel Code whenever possible.

C-6.17 RT Procedure
Part D The single source of inspecting radiation is specified to
NDT
NDT Procedures
Procedures avoid confusion or blurring of the radiographic image.
Elsewhere in the code, limits are placed on the size of
the source to limit geometric unsharpness. RT sensitiv-
ity is judged solely on the quality of the IQI image(s), as
C-6.14 Procedures in both ASTM and ASME.
In addition to visual inspection, which is always neces- C-6.17.3 Removal
C-6.17.3 Removal of
of Reinforcement.
Reinforcement. When the Owner
sary to achieve compliance with code requirements, four wishes weld surfaces to be ground flush or otherwise
NDT methods are provided for in the code: (l) RT, (2) smoothed in preparation for RT, it should be stated in the
UT, (3) MT, and (4) PT. contract documents. The Owner and the Contractor
should attempt to agree in advance on which weld sur-
RT and UT are used to detect both surface and internal
face irregularities will not be ground unless surface irreg-
discontinuities. MT is used to detect surface and near
ularities interfere with interpretation of the radiograph. It
surface discontinuities. PT is used to detect discontinui-
is extremely difficult and often impossible to separate in-
ties open to the surface. Other NDT methods may be
ternal discontinuities from surface discontinuities when
used upon agreement between Owner and Contractor.
reviewing radiographs in the absence of information de-
C-6.14.6 Personnel
C-6.14.6 Personnel Qualification.
Qualification. In addition to Level scribing the weld surface. When agreement can be
II technicians, Level III individuals may also perform reached on weld surface preparation prior to RT, rejec-
NDT tests provided they meet the requirements of NDT tions and delays will generally be reduced.
Level II. NDT Level III engineers and technicians are
C-6.17.3.1 Tabs.
C-6.17.3.1 Tabs. Weld tabs are generally removed
generally supervisors and may not be actively engaged in
prior to RT so that the radiograph will represent the weld
the actual work of testing. Since there is no performance
as finished and placed in service. Contraction cracks are
qualification test for individuals qualified to NDT Level
commonly found in the weld at the interface between
III, all individuals providing testing services under the
weld tabs and the edge of the plate or shape joined by the
code are reguired to be qualified to Level II, which has
weld. These cracks are hard to identify in the radiograph
specific performance qualification requirements.
under the best conditions. It is considered necessary to
remove the weld tabs before attempting to radiograph the
boundaries of the welded joint (see also 06.17.13).
C-6.15 Extent
C-6.15 Extent of
of Testing
Testing
C-6.17.3.3 Reinforcement.
C-6.17.3.3 Reinforcement. When weld reinforce-
It is important that joints to be nondestructively exam- ment, or backing, or both, is not removed, shims placed
ined be clearly described in the information furnished to under the IQIs are required so that the IQI image may be
bidders as explained in Part A of this Commentary. evaluated on the average total thickness of steel (weld

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