RULE BKI VOLUME VI FOR WELDING

Section 8 Execution Of Welds

Weld Preparation , Assembly

1. Weld preparation may be carried out by thermal cutting or machining. Seam edges
(groove faces)
prepared by thermal cutting shall be finished by machining (e.g. grinding) if a detrimental effect
on the
welded joint as a result of the cutting operation cannot be ruled out. Welding edges of steel
castings and
forgings shall always be ground as a minimum requirement; roll scale or casting skin is to be
removed.

2. Groove faces shall be free from impurities and defects liable to impair the quality of
the welded
joint, e.g. laps, coarse grooves made by the cutting torch and slag. Prior to welding, the welding
edges shall
be inspected for defects, e.g. cracks, inclusions, blowholes or pores, using non-destructive testing
methods if
necessary.

Weld shapes, root openings (air gaps)

3. When preparing and assembling components, care shall be taken to ensure

compliance with the
weld shapes and root openings (air gaps) specified in the manufacturing documents. With single-
and
double-bevel butt welds in particular, care shall be taken to make an adequate root opening to
achieve
sufficient root penetration.

4. The root opening shall not exceed twice the specified gap. If the size of the gap
permitted by this
rule is exceeded locally over a limited area, the gap may be reduced by build-up welding of the
side walls,
subject to the consent of the Surveyor. With fillet welds, the "a" dimension shall be increased
accordingly,
or a single- or double-bevel weld shall be made if the air gap is large. Inserts and wires may not
be used as
fillers.
subject to the consent of the Surveyor. With fillet welds, the "a" dimension shall be increased
accordingly,
or a single- or double-bevel weld shall be made if the air gap is large. Inserts and wires may not
be used as
fillers.

Alignment of components

5. Components which are to be united by butt welding are to be aligned as accurately

as possible.
Sections welded to plating shall be left unwelded at the ends for this purpose. Special attention
shall be paid
to the alignment of (abutting) girders which are interrupted by transverse members. If necessary,
such
alignment shall be facilitated by drilling check holes in the transverse member which are
subsequently
closed by welding.

6. The permissible edge alignment error depends on the nature, importance and loading
of the
component concerned and is dealt with in the various section of Sections 12 to 16. Where special
loading
conditions or other requirements relevant to the application necessitate a limitation of the edge
alignment
error, the allowable error shall be stated in the manufacturing documents.

Tack welds and preparations for welding

7. Tack welds should be used as sparingly as possible and should be made by trained
personnel.
Where their quality does not meet the requirements applicable to the welded joint, they are to be
carefully
removed before the permanent weld is made.

8. Visual Inspection

When checking for the correct shape of weld and external defects, attention shall be paid to the
following:

B Weld reinforcement or top bead depression

B Weld edge angles (transitions to surrounding material)

B Misalignment of edges

B Undercuts

B Visible pores and slag inclusions

B Fused weld spatter

B Arc strikes on the surface of the base material

B Concave root surface and incomplete root fusion

B Cracks

B Unequal side lengths (in the case of fillet welds).