ARTICLE F-3
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR
TUBE-TO-TUBESHEET WELDS
AF-300 MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS
Tubes may be attached to tubesheets by welding
provided the tubes and tubesheets or tubesheet facings
are of weldable materials covered by this Division.
AF-301 Preparing Holes in Tubesheets
Tube holes in tubesheets shall be drilled full size
or they may be punched to three-quarters size and then
drilled, reamed, or finished full size with a rotating
cutter.
AF-301.1 Clearance Between Tubes and Tube
Holes. The clearance between the outside surface of
the tubes and the inside surfaces of the tube holes
shall not exceed clearance used in the welding procedure
qualification tests.
AF-301.2 Finish of Holes. The edges of the tubesheet
at the tube holes on the side to be welded shall be
free of burrs, and the edges of the tubesheet at the
tube hole on the side opposite the weld shall have
sharp corners removed. The surfaces of tube holes in
tubesheets shall have a workmanship-like finish.
AF-310 WELD DESIGN AND JOINT
PREPARATION
The weld dimensions and weld detail, and joint
preparation, if used, shall comply with the details
included in the Welding Procedure Specification.
AF-320 QUALIFICATION OF WELDING
PROCEDURE AND OF WELDER
OR WELDING OPERATOR
The welding procedure qualification and welder or
welding operator qualification shall be in accordance
with the rules in AF-321.
179
COPYRIGHT American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Licensed by Information Handling Services
AF-321 Essential Variables
The welding procedure shall be set up as a new
procedure specification and shall be completely requali-
fied when any of the changes listed below are made
in the procedure. Changes other than those given below
may be made in a procedure without the necessity for
requalification, provided the procedure specification is
amended to show these changes.
AF-321.1 For All Welding Processes
(a) A change from one welding process to any other
welding process or combination of welding processes.
(b) A change in P-Number classification of tube
material in QW/QB-422 of Section IX. A separate
qualification is required for each tube material which
is not included under any P-Number.
(c) A change in the P-Number of the tubesheet
material. The tubesheet may be of homogeneous material
or have a cladding of wrought material or weld overlay.
If welding is performed between the tube and cladding,
the cladding shall be considered the base material. A
separate qualification is required for welding tubes to
base material or cladding material which is not included
under any P-Number.
(d) Any of the following changes in the analysis of
the weld metal to be deposited:
(1) a change from any A-Number in QW/QB-422
of Section IX to any other A-Number or to any F-
Number in QW-432 or to any analysis not listed in
the tables; except that each AISI type of A-No. 7 or
A-No. 8 of QW/QB-422 shall require separate qualifi-
cation;
(2) a change from any F-Number in QW-432 to
any other F-Number or to any A-Number in QW/QB-
422 or to any analysis not listed in the tables.
(e) For tubes of specified wall thickness of 0.100
in. or less, an increase or decrease of 10% of specified
wall thickness or specified diameter. For specified wall
 AF-321.1 2001 SECTION VIII — DIVISION 2
thicknesses greater than 0.100 in. (2.54 mm), only one
qualification test is required.
(f) A decrease of 10% or more in the specified
width of the ligament between tube holes when the
specified width of the ligament is less than the greater
of 3⁄8 in. (10 mm) or three times the specified tube
wall thickness.
(g) The addition of other welding positions than
those already qualified (see QW-461.1 of Section IX).
(h) A change in the specified preheating temperature
range.
(i) A change in the specified postweld heat treating
temperature.
(j) A change from multiple-pass to single-pass weld-
ing or vice versa.
AF-321.2 For Shielded Metal Arc Welding
(a) An increase in electrode diameter.
(b) A change from one F-Number in QW-432 to
any other F-Number (QW-404.4 and QW-404.5 shall
apply).
AF-321.3 For Inert Gas Consumable or Noncon-
sumable Electrode Welding
(a) A change in the configuration of the tubesheet
at the tube hole edges, including the addition or omission
of preplaced metal inserts.
(b) A change in the size or shape of preplaced metal
inserts.
(c) A change from inert gas to another inert gas or
to a mixture of inert gases.
(d) When using mixed inert gas shielding, a change
of ±25% or 5 cu ft /hr (0.14 m3/hr), whichever is the
larger, in the rate of flow of the minor gas constituent.
(e) A change from inert gas or a mixture of inert
gases to a shielding gas containing noninert gases; e.g.,
oxygen. This includes any deliberate change in the
quantity of noninert gases.
(f) For inert gas tungsten arc process, the addition
or omission of filler metal.
(g) A change in the nominal diameter of the electrode
or filler metal.
AF-321.4 For Explosive Welding
(a) An increase or decrease in the specified tube
wall thickness or diameter of 10% for all diameters
180
COPYRIGHT American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Licensed by Information Handling Services
AF-336
and wall thicknesses instead of the provisions of AF-
321.1(e).
(b) A change in the method of pressure application.
(c) A change in the type of explosive or a change
in energy content of ±10%.
(d) A change of ±0.010 in. (±0.25 mm) in the
placement of the charge from the tubesheet face.
(e) A change in the specified clearance between the
tube and the tubesheet of ±10%.
AF-330 TEST ASSEMBLY
The procedure qualification shall be made on a test
assembly which simulates the conditions to be used in
production with respect to the tube hole pattern and
the essential variables listed in AF-321. In addition,
the thickness of the tubesheet in the test assembly shall
be as thick as the production tubesheet, except it need
not exceed 2 in. (51 mm). The minimum required
number of weld joints shall be ten.
AF-334 Examination
The test assembly shall be examined by a liquid
penetrant method in accordance with Article 9-2. Fol-
lowing this test, the assembly shall be sectioned longitu-
dinally through each tube. [The thickness of the assem-
bly may be reduced to 1⁄2 in. (13 mm) prior to this.]
The four faces of each tube exposed by sectioning
shall be polished and etched with a suitable etchant
and shall be visually examined for cracks. The weld
throats of all sections (minimum leakage path) shall
be not less than two-thirds of the specified tube wall
thickness and shall be free from cracks on visual
examination with 10× magnification.
AF-336 Performance Tests
The requirements for the performance qualification
test for welders and welding operators shall be the
same as those for the procedure qualification, except
that the minimum required number of tubes in the test
assembly shall be six. Any welder or welding operator
who makes a procedure test that passes satisfactorily
is thereby qualified.