Unit 11

1. Assessment of materials - Introduction

Responsibilities for assessment of materials

The requirements for materials in the PED are based on the clear separation of
responsibilities between the pressure equipment manufacturer and the material
manufacturer.
The pressure equipment manufacturer is responsible for designing  equipment
using appropriate properties that have been assured by the material manufacturer.

The material manufacturer is responsible for providing certification that the material

provided meets a particular specification. Although the supply of material is
not covered by the PED, the pressure equipment manufacturer must ensure that
the requirements for materials have been met.

For Cat. I to IV, the PED requires pressure equipment manufacturers to select

material that is suitable for the intended application and envisaged lifetime.
The materials used must conform to one of the following specifications:

(a) materials listed in harmonized standards

(b) materials covered by a European Approval of pressure  equipment Materials (EAM)
(c) materials covered by a Particular Material Appraisal (PMA) and  supported by
documentation that demonstrates its conformance.

Note:

There are several product standards that have been harmonized in the context of

the PED. These include the unfired pressure vessel standard EN 13445, industrial
piping EN 13480, water tube boilers EN 12952, and shell boilers EN 12953. These
product standards each have a table that lists acceptable materials for use in the
manufacture of that product. The materials in these standards have been selected
from European standards for materials such as EN 10028, EN 10216, and so on. The
lists currently consist of materials exclusively from European standards; however,
the product standard has not necessarily adopted all grades of a given material
and in some cases restrictions are applied.

2. Traceability

Material incorporated in pressure equipment must be traceable to an acceptable

specification from receipt through production up to the final test.
There is no specific requirement as to how this must be achieved, but it must be
suitable. Manufacturers may choose between physical marking on the components
or recording details on an appropriate map.

ESR 4.3 and 3.1.5 contain the exact wording about this requirement.

The objective of traceability is to avoid any doubt about the material specification
used for a type of equipment. The suitable means shall be determined according to
the type of equipment and its manufacturing conditions: for instance, complexity of
the product, unitary or serial products, risk of mixing of material grades, etc.

The traceability system of the manufacturer shall allow him to provide to a market
surveillance authority, upon request, the technical documentation related to a
specific item of pressure equipment and the material certificate (usually EN 10204).

3. Material Test certificates

Material certification - EN 10204

Documentation must be issued by the material manufacturer confirming
compliance with an appropriate specification and must be obtained by the
pressure equipment manufacturer for all material. Where the component is a main
pressure-bearing part of equipment in Category II, III, or IV, this must be a
certificate of specific product control [e.g., EN 10204: 2004 3.1 - see chart below].
Certificates issued by a body other than the material manufacturer are not
acceptable alternatives.

Certificates of Conformity issued by the material manufacturer are adequate only

for equipment in Category I and for joining materials, bolting, and welding
consumables [e.g., EN 10204: 2004 2.2].

Certificates issued by material manufacturers that hold ISO 9001 quality system

certification issued by a competent body with a Legal Entity in the EU can be
presumed to provide accurate and reliable information. Where the material
manufacturer does not hold such certification, the certificates are not presumed to
comply with the relevant requirements and, therefore, the pressure equipment
manufacturer requires additional confidence in its validity, e.g. by independent
inspection of the testing (and the issue of an EN 10204:2004 - 3.2 Inspection
Report) or by Material certification in accordance to Annex 1 par.4.3.

For more details, refer to Guidelines section G and guideline G-05 in particular.
4. PMAs and EAMs

European Approval of Material (PED Article 15).

This procedure was supposed to constitute a fast track for the approval of materials
intended for repeated use and is available to manufacturers of materials and
pressure equipment.

The applicant requests approval for a material (grade not specification) from a
Notified Body that has been approved for the task. The Notified Body performs
tests (or has tests performed) to verify that the material conforms to the ESRs of the
PED. The Notified Body will then send the final datasheet to the Commission, who
must comment within 3 months. The Working Group Material commission will
review the records and notify the member states once the material is approved.

EAMs are very rare; it's common practice (as much simpler) to use the PMAs.

Particular Material Appraisal

This option is intended for material that is not referenced in a harmonized standard;
generally, any material that meets the requirements can be issued with a PMA and
used in pressure equipment.

The PMA is the assessment of the material’s suitability and its conformance with the
ESRs, and is performed by the pressure equipment manufacturer. Where
the pressure equipment has been determined to fall into category III or IV, the
Notified Body in charge of the conformity assessment procedure of the pressure
equipment also performs an assessment of the manufacturer’s PMAs. Note this
requirement applies irrespective of the conformity assessment module being
followed. In either case, the pressure equipment manufacturer or the Notified Body
reviews the assured properties in the material specification for compliance with the
ESRs and documents this appraisal in a suitable form.

Materials may only be approved for conditions for which they have properties
assured by the material manufacturer. Decisions made concerning a specific
material for use in a specific sets of conditions, do not need to be repeated.

However, manufacturers and where applicable Notified Bodies, must ensure the

PMA is suitable for its application and that this is recorded in the
technical documentation.

Guiding Principles for the contents of PMA are published in the European

document PE-03-28 (attached) available on the PED official website.

5. PED components - important notes

From guideline G-19 on placing on the market of components

To be incorporated into an item of pressure equipment, components which are
manufactured from materials such as plates, coils and bars shall meet all the
relevant essential safety requirements related to the manufacturing process used.

In order to prove the conformity to the PED of the pressure equipment containing
the component the equipment manufacturer will need relevant documents from
the component supplier: 
- Material certificates (of the plates, coils, bars …), 

and as relevant :

- Welding procedure approvals, 

- Welder/welding operator approvals, 
- Non Destructive Testing operator qualifications, 
- Non Destructive Testing reports, 
- Destructive Testing reports, 
- Forming and heat treatment information, 
etc. 
This information may be in the form of a component certificate.

The requirement in Annex I section 4.3 is not however intended for a component
manufacturer, who is not a material manufacturer in the context of PED, even if he
modifies the mechanical properties of the material.

Forgings (including forged flanges), castings and seamless tubes are generally

considered to be materials. Fittings made from these “materials” without
subsequent welding or other process which could alter the material characteristics
are also considered to be materials.
Current practice may require components to be delivered with certificates based on
standard EN 10204 Metallic products. Types of inspection documents or
corresponding requirement when they are placed on the market as such. The PED
does not preclude supplying such certificates with components.

From guideline A-09 on piping components

Individual piping components, such as a pipe or system of pipes, tubing, fittings,
expansion bellows, hoses, or other pressure bearing components are not “piping”. 

However, a single pipe, or a system of pipes, for specific application, may be classed
as “piping”, provided all appropriate manufacturing operations such as bending,
forming, flanging and heat treatment, have been completed. Some piping
components (e.g. expansion joints) may be considered to be pressure accessories

Components do not need to be categorized, therefore they cannot be CE-marked.

From guideline A-19 on fluid power components exclusions

For fluid power components and systems using liquids or gases of group 2
according to Article 13 para 1(b), the following applies :

(1) Excluded from PED

(1.1) due to exclusion 2(f) of Article 1 (e.g. machinery directive)
- piping and connecting devices for liquids of group 2 when DN ≤ 200 whatever the
pressure is, and when DN > 200 and PS ≤ 500 bar
- piping and connecting devices for gases of group 2 when DN ≤ 100 or PS DN ≤
3500 bar
- pressure accessories (e.g. filter housing) no higher than category I
- fluid power actuators, pumps and control valves no higher than category I.

(1.2) due to exclusion 3.10 of Article 1 (refer to guideline A-11)

- fluid power actuators (e.g. motors, cylinders, …)
- fluid power pumps
- fluid power control valves (distributors).
(2) Included in the PED
- all accumulators (bladder, piston and diaphragm types)
- pressure equipment not excluded by (1) above.

From guideline B-31 on connection of components

Connecting together piping components (flanges, pipes, fittings, reducers for
example) constitutes an "item of piping" (see also guideline A-09). The valves are
pressure accessories, and not components of piping.

To determine whether the joining of valves and piping constitutes an assembly to

be CE-marked or not.
From guideline D-09 on assessment of components
Components are not items of pressure equipment, and therefore are not subject to
individual conformity assessment procedures.

The final inspection including the proof test applies to the complete item of
pressure equipment and not to the component itself.
If the component is not designed according to a harmonised standard, design
information may also be requested by the equipment manufacturer.

There is no legal basis in PED for a Notified Body to issue a certificate of conformity
for components (but it's become common practice to issue formal statement of
compliance)

From guideline G-25 welded tubes

Continuously machine-welded tubes, i.e. tubes made from coils as starting
materials in an automatic process, which are usually heat treated after welding shall
be in the terms of certification procedures considered as materials provided the
essential safety requirements (ESRs) of Annex I section 4 “Materials” as well as
applicable ESRs of Annex I section 3 “Manufacturing” (in particular 3.1.2 and 3.1.3)
are fulfilled.