Canadian Welding Bureau News

New Standards in Steel Welding
CSA Standard W47.1-03 “Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel”
CSA Standard W59-03 “Welded Steel Construction”

By Jim MacRae, P.Eng., and J. Craig Martin, P.Eng.

In the near future, new editions of two of the most widely used welding standards in Canada are due to be released. This article serves to highlight some of the changes in CSA Standards W47.1-03 and W59-03

CSA Standard W47.1-03

The sixth edition of CSA Standard W47.1 will be released in the latter part of 2003 or early 2004. The standard has undergone extensive reviews by the W47.1 Technical Committee and other interested parties. It continues to specify certification requirements for companies and the qualification requirements for welding supervisors, welding engineers, welders and welding procedures.

Some of the many changes are as follows:

Divisions of Certification

• Companies may be certified in one of three divisions, based on the involvement of a welding engineer in the company’s welding operations. The existing Divisions 2.1 and 2.2 will now become Division 2, as the requirement for an engineer responsible for welding design has been eliminated.
   
• The certification process has been simplified by eliminating some of the current documentation requirements.

Requirements for Welding Supervisors

The requirements for welding supervisors remain essentially the same.

• For all Divisions, welding supervisors must have five years of welding-related experience pertinent to the company’s type of operations.
   
• Welding supervisors employed by companies with a clearly defined and limited scope of operations may have examinations focused on the company’s operations. Such qualifications will be non-transferable.

Requirements for Welding Engineers

Significant changes have been made in this area.

• The minimum duties of the welding engineer have been defined.
   
• Educational requirements for engineers have been simplified and are focused on the areas of welding fundamentals, welding metallurgy and welding procedures and practice.
   
• Suggested areas of study and guidelines for the welding engineer have been included in a non-mandatory appendix.
   
• Documentation to be provided by the welding engineer and reporting frequency have been defined.
   
• Engineers will not be required to show relevant experience or have knowledge in welding design.

Welder, Welding Operator and Tack Welder Qualifications

• The existing S and T classifications have been retained, with another three classifications being added: FW for welder and welding operators who only deposit fillet welds, ASW for arc spot welding of steel deck, and WT for tack welders.
   
• Welding personnel using the GMAW process will require requalification if a change in the mode of transfer is made from short circuiting to spray, globular or pulsed and vice versa. Three different groove configurations are available for the S classification test assembly. Depending on the type chosen, welders and welding operators may also be required to qualify for welding fillet welds.
   
• Welders or welding operators may qualify for the T classification by welding either plate or pipe test assemblies.
   
• T classification welders must also qualify for welding fillet welds.
   
• Provisions for qualifying with the GTAW process have been added.
   
• The provisions of AWS D1.6 may be used for the qualification of welding personnel for welding stainless steel.
   
• For welding sheet steel, except for arc spot welding of steel decking, the provisions of AWS D1.3 will be used for the qualification of welding personnel.
   
• Welders may be granted an exemption from the two-year check testing requirement, provided the company can verify that the welder has continued to use the process throughout the previous two years and within the last three months, and can demonstrate that he or she maintains the requisite skill for the process.

Welding Procedures

• Companies will no longer be required to submit a Welding Engineering Standard or an appraisal of the limitation and suitability of joints.
   
• Companies welding deformed reinforcing bars to steel elements may apply the testing requirements of the standard to have their welding procedure data sheets accepted.
   
• Process essential variables have been revised and are now similar to those found in AWS D1.1. They have been organized into a tabular format for ease of use.
   
• New provisions have been included for situations where non-certified electrodes are used and for arc spot welding of steel deck.
   
• The provisions of AWS D1.6 may be used for the qualification of welding procedures for welding stainless steel.
   
• The qualification of welding procedures for sheet steel less than 3 mm, except for arc spot welding of steel decking, is governed by the requirements of AWS D1.3.

Welding supervisors and engineers who are currently qualified will not be required to requalify. Welding procedures that have been accepted to previous versions of the standard are still valid. However, any changes to existing welding-procedure specifications and data sheets or new documents must meet the requirements of the new standard. Similarly, welders whose current qualifications have not yet expired will not be required to requalify until they are due for check testing.

CSA Standard W59-03

They say change is good, and the changes to CSA Standard W59 are no exception. The newest edition of CSA Standard W59-03, “Welded Steel Construction”, was released in October 2003. Since 1990, the Technical Committee on Welding of Bridges, Buildings and Machinery has been working on the eighth edition of CSA Standard W59. As with all CSA welding standards, this volunteer committee is made up of representatives from Canadian steel fabricators, as well as engineering and inspection organizations. Thousands of hours have been put into the development of the document and, as a result, the document has seen many progressive changes, which reflect new technology and fabrication methods, as well as the needs of today’s fabricator.

Highlights of the many changes are as follows:

AWS D1.3 Recognized for Thin Steels

Recognition of AWS D1.3 Structural Welding Code - Sheet Steel is made for welding of thin steels (<3mm).

New Materials Recognized

New materials, such as ASTM A106, A710, A913 and A992, have been included as approved materials in W59, expanding the document’s scope.

New Weld Design Rules for Flare Groove Welds

Weld design rules for flare groove welds have been completely rewritten and expanded to recognize flare bevel-groove welds in both butt joints and T-joints. The concept of a flare bevel fillet weld has been introduced.

Electrode Classification and Storage

The document has been revised to recognize the new electrode classifications defined in CSA Standard W48-01. A reference chart comparing old and new classifications has been included. The term “low hydrogen” has been introduced to replace the term “basic,” and the storage and conditioning guidelines for SMAW electrodes have been revised.

Recognition of Metal Cored Arc Welding (MCAW)

The use of the MCAW process has increased dramatically in Canada in the past few years. W59 now officially recognizes the process and allows its use. Prequalified joints are available for MCAW when used in the spray transfer mode.

New Guidance for Beam Copes and Weld Access Holes

New information regarding beam copes and weld access holes is now included in W59, along with special requirements for Group 4 and 5 shapes.

Revised Guidelines for Radiographic Inspection

The guidelines for radiographic inspection have been updated to reflect current practice, and now include the use of both hole type and wire type IQIs.

Strengthening and Repair of Existing Structures

Following extensive revisions, additional emphasis has been placed on workmanship, stress analysis and the need for a comprehensive work plan, including both inspection and documentation. A new appendix on Fatigue Life Enhancement has been included.

Addition of Prequalified Joints for Flare Groove Welds

Prequalified joints are now available for flare groove welds made with the SMAW, FCAW, MCAW, GMAW and SAW processes. This change will help reduce procedure qualification cost for fabricators using W59.

Addition of Prequalified Joints for Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)

Brand new to this edition of W59 is the addition of prequalified joints for the GMAW process. Prequalified joints are available for fillet welds, flare groove welds, and both complete- and partial-penetration groove welds when GMAW is used in the spray transfer mode. A new appendix on GMAW has also been added.

Cyclically Loaded Structures

The title of Clause 12 has been changed to “Cyclically Loaded Structures - Design and Construction” to better reflect the section’s new emphasis on the effects of cyclic and fatigue loading on structures. Additional fatigue-detail categories have been added.

To purchase a copy of CSA Standard W47.1-03 or CSA Standard W59-03, contact the Canadian Welding Bureau, at 1-800-844-6790 or 905-542-1312, or visit its website, at www.cwbweb.com, to purchase online. For additional information on the new CSA Standard W47.1, please contact author Jim MacRae, at 905-542-1312 or jim.macrae@cwbgroup.com. For additional information on the new CSA Standard W59, please contact author Craig Martin at 905-826-5133 or craig.martin@cwbgroup.com.

Authors

CSA W47.1-03
Jim. MacRae, P.Eng., Registrar, Canadian Welding Bureau
Associate Member, Technical Committee on Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel

CSA W59-03
J. Craig Martin, P. Eng., Regional Manager, Ontario, Canadian Welding Bureau
Secretary, Technical Committee on Welding of Bridges, Buildings and Machinery

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