Engineering tool
Welder qualification range
Describe the test piece a welder passed. The tool shows what the qualification covers on hull steel under the CCS Rules: the welding methods, the joint types, the thickness and pipe diameter ranges, and the welding positions.
What the qualification covers
Welding methods
135, MAG, solid wire; 138, MAG, metal-cored wire
MAG with solid wire (135) and with metal-cored wire (138) cover each other (Table 4.3.2.1 note 1).
Changing between solid or metal-cored wire (135, 138) and flux-cored wire (136) needs a new test (Table 4.3.2.1 note 2).
Joint types
- A, single-sided with backing
- B, single-sided without backing
- C, double-sided, back gouged
- D, double-sided, not gouged
- F, fillet
Thickness range
3 to 20 mm
Welding positions
- Plate butt welds
- F, H
- Plate fillet welds
- FF, FH, FHa
The position codes are those of the CCS Rules (Figure 4.3.7.1 and Table 4.3.7.1d). This tool does not define them.
A plate butt test also covers pipe butt welds in the corresponding position when the outside diameter is 600 mm or more, and 150 mm or more in the horizontal rolling position (4.3.3.4).
Steels
Any steel in group W01, which includes all the hull structural steels (Tables 4.3.4.1 and 4.3.4.2).
Welders on fully or partly penetrated T joints should pass the butt weld test with the same method and position (Table 4.3.3.1 note).
What this tool covers
CCS Rules for Materials and Welding 2021, Part 3 Chapter 4, Section 3: Table 4.3.2.1 for welding methods, Table 4.3.3.1 for joint types, Tables 4.3.6.1(a) and 4.3.6.2 for thickness and pipe diameter, and Tables 4.3.7.1a to 4.3.7.1c for welding positions. Hull structural steels all belong to group W01, so a test on one covers the others.
What it does not cover
The test itself (the specimens and acceptance criteria of Section 2), aluminium, stainless and nickel steels, welders of boiler and pressure vessel work, and the validity period and renewal of the qualification. The position codes are the CCS Rules' own, and this tool does not define them.
Questions about the qualification range
- Why does a plate test cover fewer positions than a pipe test?
- Table 4.3.7.1c lets a 6G or 6GR pipe test cover every plate and pipe position in the table, while the plate test positions in Table 4.3.7.1a cover only the positions listed next to them. A flat plate test covers only flat welds.
- Does a multi-pass fillet test cover single-pass fillet welds?
- Yes. Clause 4.3.3.2 says multi-pass covers single-pass, and not the other way round.
- Can a welder qualified on one hull steel weld another?
- Yes within the group. Table 4.3.4.1 puts carbon and carbon-manganese steels and low alloy high strength steels with a minimum yield strength up to 390 N/mm² in group W01, and clause 4.3.4.1 lets a qualification on any metal in a group cover all the others in it.
Source
Every table cell and clause was read from the page images of the CCS Rules for Materials and Welding 2021. This is the CCS rule, not an IACS unified requirement. Your society's own rules govern.
This is a checking aid, not a qualification. The certificate issued by your classification society states what the welder is approved for. For plate ready to ship, contact us. Request a quote