How to perform tack welding successfully

What Is Tack Welding?

After items to be welded together have been positioned as required,
generally by clamping them on suitable fixtures, tack welds are used as
a temporarymeans to hold the components in the proper location,
alignment, and distance apart, until final welding can be completed.
In short-production-run manual welding operations, tack welding can be
used to set up the workpieces without using fixtures. Typically, tack
welds are short welds. In any construction, several tack welds are made
at some distance from each other to hold edges together.
An advantage of this provisionalassembly procedure is that if the
alignment for final welding is found to be incorrect, the parts can be TIG Tack Welding
disassembled easily, realigned, and tack welded again.
In general, tack welding is performed by the same process that is used for the final weld. For example, aluminum-alloy
assemblies to be joined by friction stir welding are tack-welded by the same process using a small tool developed for this
purpose. Or electron beam tack welds, created with reduced power, are used to supplement or replace fixturing and to
maintain the correct shape and dimensions during final electron beam welding.
If the final welding is performed while the elements are still clamped in a fixture, tack welding must keep the elements in
place and resist considerable stresses, not sufficiently contrasted by clamping devices, that tend to separate the
components.

Why Are Tack Welds Important?

The temporary nature of tack welds may give the false impression that the quality of these auxiliary joining aids is not as
important as that of final weld and that this operation doesn't have to be properly programmed, performed, and inspected.
This is not true.
Tack welding is real welding, even if the welds are deposited in separate short beads. It performs the following functions:

 Holds the assembled components in place and establishes their mutual location
 Ensures their alignment
 Complements the function of a fixture, or permits its removal, if necessary
 Controls and contrasts movement and distortion during welding
 Sets and maintains the joint gap
 Temporarily ensures the assembly's mechanical strength against its own weight if hoisted, moved, manipulated, or
overturned

Defective Tack Welding Risks

When hoisted, improperly tack welded assemblies can rupture, and portions or subassemblies can fall and endanger
people or damage property.
Tack welding must not interfere with or degrade the quality of final welding. It must not introduce weld defects, such as arc
strikes, craters, cracks, hard spots, and slag left in place.
Many steels used in fabricating pipes and vessels are sensitive to rapid cooling or quenching, especially following short
tack welds, because of the limited heat input required to tack weld. Note:Higher heat input slows the cooling rate, which
minimizes the occurrence of hard and brittle microstructures.
Hard, brittle, and crack-sensitive microstructures can be formed in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) if the metal is rapidly
quenched. In this case, even removing the whole tack weld by grinding may leave dangerous, invisible cracks in the base
metal.
The brittle metal can crack during solidification of the weld metal or when stressed. Underbead cracks cannot be readily
detected by visual inspection, and more thorough nondestructive tests may not be performed if they are deemed
unimportant for such limited welds. However, these small cracks can cause the whole structure to fail.

Controlling Tack Weld Quality

To ensure quality, most codes require that tack welding be performed only according to qualified welding procedures by
welders fully certified in the process used for the final weld.
The requirements are applicable for any welding process used.

Distortion Control Procedures

In all fusion welding processes, the sequence and the direction of the tack welds are important for distortion control.
Besides maintaining the joint gap, tack welds must resist transverse shrinkage to ensure sufficient weld penetrations.
For a long seam, tack welding should start at the middle and proceed along the joint length, alternating in both directions,
in proper back step or skip sequence to avoid stress buildup and deformation.
 Tack welds also can be placed at the joint ends and then added in the middle of each resulting distance between those
already done, until the whole length is covered with the required number at the needed spacing.
Why tack weld in sequences such as these? Because if tack welds are placed progressively from one end to the other,
shrinkage can close the gap at the opposite end and might even cause one sheet end to overlap the other.
Because of greater thermal expansion in austenitic stainless steels, the spacing between tack welds on these materials
should be much shorter than for mild steel.

Special Requirements
Tack welding is an essential step in preparing pipes for welding. Thorough attention should be given to obtain adequate
alignment and consistent root opening (joint gap) that control the success of the most important root pass. Although this
work could be assigned to fitters, it should be supervised closely to make sure that the workers are properly qualified.
The number and size of tack welds depend on pipe diameter and wall thickness. Tack welds with complete fusion should
be the same quality as the final weld.
All tack welds must be thoroughly cleaned before proceeding with the final weld.
Both ends of each tack weld, representing start and stop (which are weak points often having unacceptable defects), must
be ground to remove possible flaws and to present a very gradual slope that blends the weld's sides into the metal.

Additional Precautions
When tack welding is used as fixturing for brazing, the area surrounding the tack must be thoroughly cleaned to remove
oxides developed during welding.
In semiautomatic and automatic welding, the meeting points of the final weld electrode with tack welds can impair arc
voltage control and filler wire feeding, making manual assistance especially important for maintaining quality.
Tack welding is an essential ingredient in a successful welding project, be it simple or complex. It is therefore very
important to perform the process properly and minimize the risks associated with poor tack welding.

Welding Procedure Specification

Bend test coupons for welding procedure qualification.

A Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) is the formal written document describing welding procedures, which
provides direction to the welder or welding operators for making sound and quality production welds as per the code
requirements . The purpose of the document is to guide welders to the accepted procedures so that repeatable and
trusted welding techniques are used. A WPS is developed for each material alloy and for each welding type used. Specific
codes and/or engineering societies are often the driving force behind the development of a company's WPS. A WPS is
supported by a Procedure Qualification Record (PQR or WPQR). A PQR is a record of a test weld performed and tested
(more rigorously) to ensure that the procedure will produce a good weld. Individual welders are certified with a qualification
test documented in a Welder Qualification Test Record (WQTR) that shows they have the understanding and
demonstrated ability to work within the specified WPS.

Contents

 1Introduction
 2See also
 3References
 4List of standards

Introduction
The following are definitions for WPS and PQR found in various codes and standards:
According to the American Welding Society (AWS), a WPS provides in detail the required welding variables for specific
application to assure repeatability by properly trained welders. The AWS defines welding PQR as a record of welding
variables used to produce an acceptable test weldment and the results of tests conducted on the weldment to qualify a
Welding Procedure Specification. For steel construction (civil engineering structures) AWS D1.1 is a widely used standard.
It specifies either a pre-qualification option (chapter 3) or a qualification option (chapter 4) for approval of welding
processes.[1]
 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) similarly defines a WPS as a written document that provides
direction to the welder or welding operator for making production welds in accordance with Code requirements.[2] ASME
also defines welding PQR as a record of variables recorded during the welding of the test coupon. The record also
contains the test results of the tested specimens.
The Canadian Welding Bureau, through CSA Standards W47.1,[3] W47.2[4] and W186,[5] specifies both a WPS and a
Welding Procedure Data Sheet (WPDS) to provide direction to the welding supervisor, welders and welding operators.
The WPS provides general information on the welding process and material grouping being welded, while the WPDS
provides specific welding variables/parameter/conditions for the specific weldment. All WPS and WPDS must be
independently reviewed and accepted by the Canadian Welding Bureau prior to use. These CSA standards also define
requirements for procedure qualification testing (PQT) to support the acceptance of the WPDS. A record of the procedure
qualification test and the results must be documented on a procedure qualification record (PQR). All PQTs are
independently witnessed by the Canadian Welding Bureau.
In Europe, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has adopted the ISO standards on welding procedure
qualification (ISO 15607 to ISO 15614), which replaced the former European standard EN 288. EN ISO 15607 defines a
WPS as "A document that has been qualified by one of the methods described in clause 6 and provides the required
variables of the welding procedure to ensure repeatability during production welding". The same standard defines
a Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR) as "Record comprising all necessary data needed for qualification of a
preliminary welding procedure specification".[6] In addition to the standard WPS qualification procedure specified in ISO
15614, the ISO 156xx series of standards provides also for alternative WPS approval methods. These include: Tested
welding consumables (ISO 15610), Previous welding experience (ISO 15611), Standard welding procedure (ISO 15612)
and Preproduction welding test (ISO 15613).
In the oil and gas pipeline sector, the American Petroleum Institute API 1104 standard is used almost exclusively
worldwide. API 1104 accepts the definitions of the American Welding Society code AWS A3.0.[7]
WPS is of two types- Prequalified WPS(pWPS) & qualified WPS.

List of welding codes

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This page lists published welding codes, procedures, and specifications.

Contents

 1American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Codes

 2American Welding Society (AWS) Standards
 3American Petroleum Institute (API) Standards
 4Australian / New Zealand (AS/NZS) Standards
 5Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standards
 6British Standards (BS)
 7International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards
 8European Union (CEN) standards
 9German Standards (DIN and others)
 10See also
 11Notes
 12References
 13Further reading and external links

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Codes[edit]

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) covers all aspects of
design and manufacture of boilers and pressure vessels. All sections contain welding specifications, however most
relevant information is contained in the following:

Code Description

ASME BPVC Section I Rules for Construction of Power Boilers

ASME BPVC Section II Part C: Specifications for Welding Rods, Electrodes, and Filler Metals.[a]

ASME BPVC Section Rules for Constructions of Nuclear Facility Components-Subsection NCA-General Requirements for Division 1
 Code Description

III and Division 2

ASME BPVC Section

Rules for Construction of Heating Boilers
IV

ASME BPVC Section V Nondestructive Examination

ASME BPVC Section

Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels Division 1 and Division 2
VIII

ASME BPVC Section

Welding and Brazing Qualifications
IX

ASME B16.25 Buttwelding ends

ASME B31.1 Power Piping

ASME B31.3 Process Piping.

American Welding Society (AWS) Standards

The American Welding Society (AWS) publishes over 240 AWS-developed codes, recommended practices and guides
which are written in accordance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) practices.[1] The following is a partial list
of the more common publications:

Standard Number Title

AWS A2.4 Standard symbols for welding, brazing, and non-destructive examination

AWS A3.0 Standard welding terms and definitions

AWS A5.1 Specification for carbon steel electrodes for shielded metal arc welding

AWS A5.18 Specification for carbon steel electrodes and rods for gas shielded arc welding

AWS B1.10 Guide for the nondestructive examination of welds

AWS B2.1 Specification for Welding Procedure and Performance Qualification

AWS D1.1 Structural welding (steel)

Standard Number Title

AWS D1.2 Structural welding (aluminum)

AWS D1.3 Structural welding (sheet steel)

AWS D1.4 Structural welding (reinforcing steel)

AWS D1.5 Bridge welding

AWS D1.6 Structural welding (stainless steel)

AWS D1.7 Structural welding (strengthening and repair)

AWS D1.8 Structural welding seismic supplement

AWS D1.9 Structural welding (titanium)

AWS D3.6R Underwater welding (Offshore 7 inland pipelines)

AWS D8.1 Automotive spot welding

AWS D8.6 Automotive spot welding electrodes supplement

AWS D8.7 Automotive spot welding recommendations supplement

AWS D8.8 Automotive arc welding (steel)

AWS D8.9 Automotive spot weld testing

AWS D8.14 Automotive arc welding (aluminum)

AWS D9.1 Sheet metal welding

AWS D10.10 Heating practices for pipe and tube

AWS D10.11 Root pass welding for pipe

AWS D10.12 Pipe welding (mild steel)

Standard Number Title

AWS D10.13 Tube brazing (copper)

AWS D10.18 Pipe welding (stainless steel)

AWS D11.2 Welding (cast iron)

AWS D14.1 Industrial mill crane welding

AWS D14.3 Earthmoving & agricultural equipment welding

AWS D14.4 Machinery joint welding

AWS D14.5 Press welding

AWS D14.6 Rotating Elements of Equipment

AWS D15.1 Railroad welding

AWS D15.2 Railroad welding practice supplement

AWS D16.1 Robotic arc welding safety

AWS D16.2 Robotic arc welding system installation

AWS D16.3 Robotic arc welding risk assessment

AWS D16.4 Robotic arc welder operator qualification

AWS D17.1 Aerospace fusion welding

AWS D17.2 Aerospace resistance welding

AWS D18.1 Hygienic tube welding (stainless steel)

AWS D18.2 Stainless steel tube discoloration guide

AWS D18.3 Hygienic equipment welding

American Petroleum Institute (API) Standards[edit]
The American Petroleum Institute (API) oldest and most successful programs is in the development of API standards
which started with its first standard in 1924. API maintains over 500 standards covering the oil and gas field.[2] The
following is a partial list specific to welding:

Standard Number Description

API RP 577 Welding Inspection and Metallurgy

API RP 582 Welding Guidelines for the Chemical, Oil, and Gas Industries

API 1104 Welding of pipelines and related facilities

Australian / New Zealand (AS/NZS) Standards[edit]

Standards Australia is the body responsible for the development, maintenance and publication of Australian
Standards.[3] The following is a partial list specific to welding:

Standard Number Description

AS/NZS 1554.1 Structural steel welding - Welding of steel structures

AS/NZS 1554.2 Structural steel welding - Stud welding (steel studs to steel)

AS/NZS 1554.3 Structural steel welding - Welding of reinforcing steel

AS/NZS 1554.4 Structural steel welding - Welding of high strength quenched and tempered steels

AS/NZS 1554.5 Structural steel welding - Welding of steel structures subject to high levels of fatigue loading

AS/NZS 1554.6 Structural steel welding - Welding stainless steels for structural purposes

AS/NZS 1554.7 Structural steel welding - Welding of sheet steel structures

AS/NZS 3992 Pressure equipment - Welding and brazing qualification

AS/NZS 4855 Welding consumables - Covered electrodes for manual metal arc welding

Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standards[edit]

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is responsible for the development, maintenance and publication of CSA
standards.[4] The following is a partial list specific to welding:

Standard Number Description

CAN/CSA-G401-14 Corrugated steel pipe products

CAN/CSA-ISO 14341:11 Welding consumables - Wire electrodes and weld deposits for gas shielded metal arc welding of non
(R2016) alloy and fine grain steels - Classification

CAN/CSA-W117.2-12 Safety in welding, cutting, and allied processes

G40.20-13/G40.21-13 General requirements for rolled or welded structural quality steel/ Structural quality steel

W178.1-14 Certification of welding inspection organizations

W178.2-14 Certification of welding inspectors

W47.1-09 (R2014) Certification of companies for fusion welding of steel

W47.2-11 (R2015) Certification of companies for fusion welding of aluminum

W48-14 Filler metals and allied materials for metal arc welding

W55.3-08 (R2013) Certification of companies for resistance welding of steel and aluminum

W59-13 Welded steel construction (metal arc welding)

W59.2-M1991 (R2013) Welded Aluminum Construction

CAN/CSA-Z662-15 Oil and gas pipeline systems

British Standards (BS)[edit]

British Standards are developed, maintained and published by BSI Standards which is UK's National Standards
Body.[5] The following is a partial list of standards specific to welding:

Standard
Description
Number

BS 499-1 Welding terms and symbols. Glossary for welding, brazing and thermal cutting

BS 499-2C Welding terms and symbols. European arc welding symbols in chart form

BS 2633 Specification for Class I arc welding of ferritic steel pipework for carrying fluids

BS 2971 Specification for class II arc welding of carbon steel pipework for carrying fluids
 Standard
Description
Number

Specification for welding of steel pipelines on land and offshore - Part 1: Carbon and carbon manganese steel
BS 4515-1
pipelines

BS 4515-2 Specification for welding of steel pipelines on land and offshore. Duplex stainless steel pipelines

PD 6705-2 Structural use of steel and aluminium. Recommendations for the execution of steel bridges to BS EN 1090-2

Structural use of steel and aluminium. Recommendations for the execution of aluminium structures to BS EN
PD 6705-3
1090-3

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards[edit]

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed over 18500 standards and over 1100 new standards
are published every year.[6] The following is a partial list of the standards specific to welding:

Standard
Description
Number

ISO 2553 Welded, brazed and soldered joints - symbolic representation on drawings (1992)

Welding consumables. Covered electrodes for manual metal arc welding of non-alloy and fine grain steels.
ISO 2560
Classification

ISO 3580 Covered electrodes for manual arc welding of creep-resisting steels - Code of symbols for identification

Covered electrodes for manual arc welding of stainless and other similar high alloy steels - Code of symbols for
ISO 3581
identification

ISO 3834 Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials, five parts.

ISO 4063 Welding and allied processes - Nomenclature of processes and reference numbers

Welding. Fusion-welded joints in steel, nickel, titanium and their alloys (beam welding excluded). Quality levels for
ISO 5817
imperfections

Welding and allied processes — Classification of geometric imperfections in metallic materials — Part 1: Fusion
ISO 6520-1
welding

Welding and allied processes — Classification of geometric imperfections in metallic materials — Part 2: Welding
ISO 6520-2
with pressure
 Standard
Description
Number

ISO 6947 Welds. Working positions. Definitions of angles of slope and rotation

ISO 9606 Qualification test of welders — Fusion welding, parts 1 to 5

Welding and allied processes. Recommendations for joint preparation. Manual metal-arc welding, gas-shielded
ISO 9692-1
metal-arc welding, gas welding, TIG welding and beam welding of steels

ISO 9692-2 Welding and allied processes. Joint preparation. Submerged arc welding of steels

ISO 9692-3 Welding and allied processes. Joint preparation. Part 3: TIG and MIG welding of aluminium and its alloys

ISO 13847 Petroleum and natural gas industries - Pipeline transportation systems - Welding of pipelines

Welding - Guidance on the measurement of preheating temperature, interpass temperature and preheat
ISO 13916
mainteanance temperature

ISO 13918 Welding - Studs and ceramic ferrules for arc stud welding

ISO 13919-1 Welding - Electron and laser-beam welded joints - Guidance on quality level for imperfections - Part 1: Steel

Welding - Electron and laser-beam welded joints - Guidance on quality level for imperfections - Part 2: Aluminium
ISO 13919-2
and its weldable alloys

ISO 13920 Welding - General tolerances for welded constructions - Dimensions for lengths and angles - Shape and position

ISO 14112 Gas welding equipment - Small kits for gas brazing and welding

Welding consumables — Gases and gas mixtures for fusion welding and allied processes. Replaced EN 439:1994 in
ISO 14175
Europe.

Welding consumables. Wire electrodes and deposits for gas shielded metal arc welding of non alloy and fine grain
ISO 14341
steels. Classification

ISO 14554 Resistance welding

ISO 14744 Electron beam welding, six parts

ISO 15607 Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials - General rules
 Standard
Description
Number

ISO/TR 15608 Welding - Guidelines for a metallic material grouping system

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials - Welding procedure specification, five
ISO 15609
parts.

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials — Qualification based on tested welding
ISO 15610
consumables

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials — Qualification based on previous
ISO 15611
welding experience

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials — Qualification by adoption of a
ISO 15612
standard welding procedure

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials — Qualification based on pre-production
ISO 15613
welding test

ISO 15614 Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials - Welding procedure test, 13 parts.

Gas welding equipment. Acetylene manifold systems for welding, cutting and allied processes. Safety requirements
ISO 15615
in high-pressure devices

ISO 15618-1 Qualification testing of welders for under-water welding. Diver-welders for hyperbaric wet welding

Qualification testing of welders for under-water welding. Diver-welders and welding operators for hyperbaric dry
ISO 15618-2
welding

ISO 17635 Non-destructive testing of welds. General rules for metallic materials

ISO 17660-1 Welding - Welding of reinforcing steel - Part 1: Load-bearing welded joints

ISO 17660-2 Welding - Welding of reinforcing steel - Part 1: Non-load bearing welded joints

ISO/TR 20172 Welding — Grouping systems for materials — European materials

ISO/TR 20173 Welding — Grouping systems for materials — American materials

ISO/TR 20174 Welding — Grouping systems for materials — Japanese materials

 Standard
Description
Number

Welding for aerospace applications. Qualification test for welders and welding operators. Fusion welding of metallic
ISO 24394
components

European Union (CEN) standards[

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) had issued numerous standards covering welding processes, which
unified and replaced former national standards. Of the former national standards, those issued by BSI and DIN were
widely used outside their countries of origin. After the Vienna Agreement with ISO, CEN has replaced most of them with
equivalent ISO standards (EN ISO series).[7]

Standard
Description
Number

EN 287-1 Qualification test of welders — Fusion welding — Part 1: Steels. Withdrawn and replaced by EN ISO 9606-1 [b] [9]

Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures - Part 1: Requirements for conformity assessment of
EN 1090-1
structural components

EN 1090-2 Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures - Part 2: Technical requirements for steel structures

EN 1090-3 Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures - Part 3: Technical requirements for aluminium structures

EN 1011-1 Welding — Recommendations for welding of metallic materials — Part 1: General guidance for arc welding

EN 1011-2 Welding — Recommendations for welding of metallic materials — Part 2: Arc welding of ferritic steels

EN 1011-3 Welding — Recommendations for welding of metallic materials — Part 3: Arc welding of stainless steels

Welding — Recommendations for welding of metallic materials — Part 4: Arc welding of aluminium and aluminium
EN 1011-4
alloys

EN 1011-5 Welding. Recommendations for welding of metallic materials. Welding of clad steel

EN 1011-6 Welding. Recommendations for welding of metallic materials. Laser beam welding

EN 1011-7 Welding — Recommendations for welding of metallic materials — Part 7: Electron beam welding

EN 1011-8 Welding. Recommendations for welding of metallic materials. Welding of cast irons

Welding personnel. Approval testing of welding operators for fusion welding and resistance weld setters for fully
EN 1418
mechanized and automatic welding of metallic materials. (CEN version of ISO 14732)
 Standard
Description
Number

EN 1708-1 Welding. Basic welded joint details in steel. Pressurized components.

EN 1708-2 Welding. Basic weld joint details in steel. Non-internal pressurized components.

EN 1708-3 Welding. Basic weld joint details in steel. Clad, buttered and lined pressurized components.

EN 1993-1-8 Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures – Part 1-8: General – Design of joints

EN 13133 Brazing - Brazer approval

EN 22553 Welded, brazed and soldered joints – Symbolic representation on drawings. (CEN version of ISO 2553)

Additional requirements for welding exist in CEN codes and standards for specific products, like EN 12952, EN 12953, EN
13445, EN 13480, etc.

German Standards (DIN and others)[edit]

NA 092 is the Standards Committee for welding and allied processes (NAS) at DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.
V.[10] The following is a partial list of DIN welding standards:

Code Description

DIN 1910-100 Welding; terms dependent on materials for metal welding

Schweißgeeignete Feinkornbaustähle - Richtlinien für die Verarbeitung besonders für das Schmelzschweißen",
SEW 088
Stahlinstitut VDEh

Merkblatt DVS
Metall-Schutzgasschweißen von Feinkornbaustählen", Deutscher Verband für Schweißtechnik e.V.
0916