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21 Changes To PQR Essential Variables That Require WPS Requalification
21 Changes To PQR Essential Variables That Require WPS Requalification
Amperage and voltage are essential variables we are all very aware of, but there are many more than we need to consider when making changes to a
welding procedure specification which has been qualified by testing, or even prequalified.
This is why AWS D1.1 and other welding codes specify what changes to essential
variables would require a requalification of the welding procedure.
A change in the vertical progression (from uphill to downhill or vice versa) requires requalification of a welding procedure.
If you have a copy of AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code – Steel simply turn to Table 4.5 and
you will see a listing of the changes to PQR essential variables that require WPS
requalification.There are some that are intuitive, but there are several that even experienced
welding engineers may miss.Take a look at the list below and keep it handy any time you think
about revising a welding procedure.
This list is for the GMAW welding process. Some of these variables will not apply to other
processes such as SMAW, SAW, GTAW and FCAW.
You probably saw items on the list you never considered. Be careful assuming you can use a
single WPS to cover a wide range of applications. As expressed above, the reason why all these
changes require requalification is because they have the ability to affect the mechanical
properties and chemical composition of the weld, base metal and heat affected zone as well as
the soundness of weld metal. A simple change to travel speed can affect hat input, weld cooling
rates and weld metallurgy which then have an impact on fracture toughness, strength and
ductility.
What is discouraging is that you can have a perfectly written welding procedure that is simply
not followed in production. To understand why this happens read 11 Reasons Why Welders
Don’t Follow Welding Procedures. Spoiler alert: it is usually NOT the welder’s fault. Do you
supervise, manage or have any kind of responsibility over welding operations?If so, make sure
you understand these reasons.