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Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies
Improving Global Quality of Life
7
Needs and challenges in legal codes, rules and standardisation
Great experience has been gained since the early introduction of quality assurance and control systems and
standards over 50 years ago. Many errors resulted in their introduction into the welding industry, many gains
were made and today quality systems recognised by authoritative bodies are proving valuable. Naturally
global, technology, economic and people changes raise new challenges.
There is a need to identify the more important changes, with a suitable review document, and the
improvements which can assist all countries, individual companies, etc to make for more efficient, economic,
globally acceptable conformity assessment of weldments traded within and between countries.
It is natural to resist change especially these days when there usually are many reasons for and against and
when the people concerned are not adequately aware of the pros and cons of any proposal. Thus all players
in the welding industry need to properly manage change properly to achieve the best outcomes. Remember
change takes time and the quicker the greater the upheaval. Hence national cost benefit should help to
determine the pace of change.
7.4.8
Non-conformances
With reference to weld acceptance standards for low stressed welded equipment, guidance is needed here
because the workmanship standards for highly stressed welds are excessive and result in non-conformances,
excessive unnecessary NDT, dilemmas and costs for users and inspectors e.g. small bore (below 75DN) piping
for pressures less than 0.5 Mpa with wall thickness 20 times that needed for the pressure.
Similarly guidance is needed with regard to uncertainty and variability in measurements. For example, in
hardness testing on site in difficult conditions, what should be done if a reading is Rc 22.5 in place of the
maximum specified of 22 and the unstated “uncertainty” of the only available testing equipment is say ± 3?
Appropriate standards should address this to avoid cheating or misuse.
Other examples include uncertainty in material identification which can lead to unwarranted assumptions
and worsening of a situation during a site repair. This is not likely to be avoided by a high level fitness
for service assessment using FEA and fracture mechanics though this response is becoming more frequent
as new personnel enter the industry and others do risk assessment for themselves and their professional
indemnity insurance.
Some countries resolve these issues through national recognition and empowerment of competent bodies
and personnel, though reciprocal international acceptance is an on going challenge particularly for economic
and fair purchase and trade in goods and services.
There is a need for IIW to:
Recognise these programs serve a very useful purpose for each country concerned as well as
globally.
Issue a guidance report summarising the essential features and scope of each, using the input
provided by each country and IIW giving approximate costs and numbers.
Issue a guidance note for industry explaining the value of these programs, certification and
qualification, how they work, the options available and the long term aim of IIW to simplify and
improve globally.
7.4.9
Strategies for unified standards
From a global trading position, it is desirable to have international product standards for fabricated items
such as pressure vessels, bridges, ships, transmission pipelines, boilers, railway vehicles, and probably
