WELDING APPROVAL TESTS

Approval testing for welders and welding has been established for many years. Many of the old national standards and specifications have now been changed to European norms. The two standards in common use are BS EN 287/9606/15614 and ASME IX.

Welding Procedure Approval Testing
The purpose of welding procedure approval testing is to provide evidence that a given set of welding parameters, (consumables, pre/post heat and the welding process etc) will produce welds of an acceptable standard. After a test plate has been welded and all relevant information recorded, the sample is /inspected/tested by a combination of the following:-

Magnetic Particle Inspection/Liquid Penetrant Inspection, Radiography, Ultrasonic Inspection, Macro Examination, Hardness Tests, Impact Test, Bend Tests, Fracture Tests, Fracture Tests

Welder Approval Tests
The aim of a welder approval test is to demonstrate that the welding operator is capable of producing welds of an acceptable standard. The level of testing is designed to assess the operator's performance, This may include:-

Radiography/Ultrasonic Inspection, Magnetic Particle/Liquid Penetrant Inspection, Bend Tests, Fracture Tests, Macro Examination