STANDARD

SPECIFICATION
FOR
WELDING

CONTENTS

1.

GENERAL

2.

WELDING REQUIREMENTS

3.

WELDING PROCEDURE QUALIFICATION

4.

WELDERS QUALIFICATION

5.

WELDERS IDENTIFICATION CARD

6.

WEATHER CONDITIONS

7.

BASE MATERIALS

8.

FILLER MATERIALS

9.

WELDING PROCESS

10.

PREPARATION OF PIECES TO BE WELDED

11.

WELDING TECHNIQUE FOR ROOT PASS

12.

JOINT COMPLETION

1.

GENERAL

This specification covers field and shop welding for carbon steel piping system.
In particular, following types of joints are considered:
Butt welds between pipes, flanges, bends, branch connection valves. etc.
Fillet welds for junction of slip on flanges; butt and socket weld fittings, reinforcing pads, etc
The following accepted standard and procedures shall be applicable:
Standard for welding pipes and related facilities ANSI B 31.3. latest edition.
Code of practice for manual for welding of mild steel IS: 823 latest edition (for structural work only)
In case of any variation between the provisions of the codes and the specifications given below the later
shall prevail.
2.

WELDING REQUIREMENTS

All welds joining two sections of pipe, a section of pipe to a fittings or fittings shall be performed
employing qualified welding procedure and welders in accordance with Clauses 3 to 12 of this
specification.
3.

WELDING PROCEDURE QUALIFICATION

Welding procedure qualifications for all piping except those under the purview of IBR, shall be as per
the latest edition of Standard for welding pipelines and related facilities, ASME section IX. The
contractor shall submit the welding procedure after receipt of work order. Owner inspector shall review,
check and approve welding procedure after conducting such tests as are necessary. It shall be the
responsibility of contractor to arrange and carry out such tests at his own costs.
4.

WELDERS QUALIFICATION

Welders qualification for all piping except those coming under the purview of IBR, shall be in
accordance with ASME Sec IX. Owners Inspector shall witness the test and certify the qualification of
each welder. Welders approved by the owners Inspector only shall be employed. Contractor shall
submit the welder qualification reports before the commencement of work. It shall be the responsibility
of the Contractor to carry out the qualification test of the welders at his own cost at the job site all the
tools, tackles and auxiliaries required for carrying out Welders test shall be supplied by contractor at his
own cost.
5.

WELDERS IDENTIFICATION CARD

The welder shall carry on his person identification card as per Exhibit C and shall produce it wherever
demanded by Owners Inspector. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to issue the
identification card after it is duly certified by Owners inspector.
No welder shall be permitted to work without the possession of identification card. If a welder is found
to perform a type of welding or in a position or on a material for which he is not qualified, he shall be

debarred from doing further work. All such welds shall be cut and redone by the contractor at his own
cost.
6.

WEATHER CONDITIONS

If the welding is to be performed during rain or strong wind, suitable protection shall be provided for the
parts to be welded and the welder.
7.

BASE MATERIALS

In general this specification shall be used in welding the carbon steel materials having a specified tensile
strength of 60,000 psi or less.
Backing rings, if required, shall be similar in chemical composition to the base material.
8.

FILLER MATERIALS

Electrodes:
Electrodes used for welding shall conform to IS 814 and IS 815 latest editions.
The electrodes to be used by the Contractor shall be approved by the Engineer in charge after
conducting tests as per IS: 814 testing procedure. These tests shall be carried out by the contractor at his
own cost.
The contractor shall submit manufacturers certificates for each batch of electrodes supplied by him.
Electrodes shall be stored in unopened original containers. They shall be stored adequately to prevent
moisture loss or moisture absorption and shall be handled in such a manner so as to avoid the damage of
coating.
Electrodes when used shall be free of rust, oil, grease, earth or any other matter which could be harmful
for the quality of welding. The electrodes used shall be suitably to the welding process and the base
metal and the weld properties shall not be lower than those of base metal.
9.

WELDING PROCESS

Welding under this specification shall be done with the manual shielded metal arc process.
Automatic or semi automatic welding shall be done only after the procedure and materials have been
specifically approved by the Engineer in charge.
The welding shall conform to the standard codes of welding practice. Welding of carbon steel in general
shall be in accordance with IS: 823 - Code of practice for use of metal arc welding in mild steel (for
structural work only).
The welding of pipes shall conform to ANSI B 31.3 (latest edition) the compliance with this
specification does not relieve fully or partially the contractor, responsible for piping fabrication and
erection of his own responsibilities as well as on any contractual obligations.

10.

PREPARATINO OF PIECES TO BE WELDED

End Preparation
Preparation of ends to be welded will be preferably made by machining. However, preparation of the
ends may be made by flame cutting, providing all grooves and irregularities are ground off and all the
oxidation is removed.]
Cleaning
The ends to be welded shall be properly cleaned. All paint, oil, grease, rust and oxide in general shall be
removed, as well as all earth, sand or any other material which could be harmful to the welding. Ends
shall be totally dry when welded.
No dirt or debris will be permitted in the pipeline. Prior to alignment, the inside of each joint shall be
adequately swabbed, either by use of leather of canvas belt disc of proper diameter or other improved
method.
Alignment and Spacing
Pieces to be welded shall be aligned and spaced in a suitable manner, so as to hold the ends during
welding at a distance to ensure full penetration. Root opening shall not be more than as specified.
Internal misalignment shall not exceed 1.5 mm.
For pipe with thickness 4 mm or larger, the pieces to be butt welded shall be coupled by means of pipe
couplers or by yokes or bridge C clamps.
Owners inspector shall check and approve the joint fit up and alignment prior to the commencement of
welding.
11.

WELDING TECHNIQE FOR ROOT PASS

For Butt Joints:

The maximum electrode size shall be 3.25 mm or 1/8 (10 SWG) and the electrode holder shall be
connected, having due regard for the polarity requirements of the electrode approved for the use for pipe
in horizontal position. Upward technique shall be used with the recommended values of current.
The root pass of butt joints, regardless of the technique used, shall be such as to achieve full penetration.
However, projection of weld metal into the pipe bore shall not exceed more than 3 mm. Root grooves
and defective restart of the welding shall be carefully avoided.
The weld shall be back chipped from inside by grinding or chiseling and a sealing run shall be given.
At each interruption of welding and on completion of each run, craters, weld irregularities and slag shall
be removed by grinding or chiseling.
After the welding is started and until the joint has been completed, displacements, shocks, vibrations or
stresses shall be avoided in order to prevent cracks or breaks in the weld.

For fillet welds

The maximum electrode size shall be 4 mm or (5/32) (8 SWG)
On completion of the root pass, any visual defect or irregularities shall be ground off to avoid defects or
irregularities in the new pass.
12.

JOINT COMPLETION

12.1 Electrode size of more than 8 SWG (4mm or 5/32) shall not be allowed for filling of the weld.
Upward technique shall generally be used for pipe in horizontal and vertical position.
12.2 At each interruption of welding, and after each run of welding is completed, chipping and slag
removal shall be done.
12.3 When the welding is complete, but joints shall have a cover pass. It shall be slightly convey and
fuse into the surface to the base metal in such a manner as to have a gradual notch free finish a good
fusion at the joint edges. It shall not be chipped after completion. Welds shall have a regular
appearance and shall be free from defects.
12.4 Welder number shall be stamped along side each weld. Whenever required by the Engineer in
charge.
12.5 When welding is completed, the butt joints of piping regardless of welding methods used, shall
have a weld reinforcement referred to the outside of the pipe, not more than 2 mm for pipes not thicker
than 12 mm.