Module One

The Welding Inspector

In todays world there is a growing concern placed on the need for quality. This
concern is due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to: economics, safety,
and the use of less conservative designs. While not singly responsible for the
attainment of this quality, the welding inspector plays a large role in any successful
welding quality control program. By plan, many people participate in the creation of a
quality welded product however, the welding inspector is the front line individual who
must chec! to see of all of the subsequent manufacturing steps have been completed
properly.
To perform this job effectively, the welding inspector must have a wide range of
knowledge and skills, because it involves more than simply looking at welds .
"onsequently, this course has been specifically designed to provide both the
e#perienced and beginner welding inspector with a basic bac!ground into all of the
important aspects of the $ob. This doesnt imply, however, that each and every welding
inspector will utili%e all of this information during the performance of his $ob for his
particular company. &or does it mean that the material presented in this course will
include all of the necessary information for every welding inspectors individual
situation. The selection of the various topics in this course is simply based on what is
felt to be the basic !nowledge desirable for an individual to perform general welding
inspection.
The important thing to reali%e is that effective welding inspection involves much more
than $ust loo!ing at finished welds. The welding inspector must under ta!e various
responsibilities which are on'going through out the inspection process. A successful
uality control program begins before the first arc is stuck. (or this reason the
welding inspector must be familiar with many facets of the fabrication process!
"efore welding, he will check drawings and specifications to determine such
information as# the configuration of the component, its specific weld uality
reuirements, and what degree of inspection is reuired! This review will also
show the need for any special processing during manufacturing. )nce welding
begins, the welding inspector may actually observe the various processing steps to
assure that they are performed properly. If all of these subsequent steps are performed
satisfactorily, then final inspection should simply confirm the success of those
operations.
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To satisfy these needs, this course includes numerous topics which will be discussed in
separate modules. They include:
+odule * The Welding Inspector
+odule , -ocuments .overning Welding Inspection and "ontrol of
+aterials
+odule / Weld 0oint .eometry and Welding Terminology
+odule 1 Welding and &ondestructive Testing 2ymbols
+odule 3 +echanical and "hemical 4roperties of +etals
+odule 5 -estructive Testing
+odule 6 Welding +etallurgy for the Welding Inspector
+odule 7 Welding 4rocedures and Welder 8ualification
+odule 9 Welding, Bra%ing and "utting 4rocesses
+odule *: Weld and Base +etal -iscontinuities
+odule ** &ondestructive Testing
+odule *, ;isual Inspection as an <ffective 8uality "ontrol Tool
+odule */ 2afety
=nother benefit of this course is that it has been designed to provide the welding
inspector with and necessary information for the successful completion of the =W2
"WI e#amination. The course covers all of the topics used as sources for test
questions, so the welding inspector must have at least some !nowledge in each of these
areas. In many cases, the discussion will simply be a review while in some cases, it
may represent an introduction to new information.
Who is the Welding Inspector$
Before the discussion on technical topics begins it is important to discuss the who the
welding inspector actually is and what responsibilities accompany the position! In
general terms, the welding inspector is a responsible representative who is
involved in the determination of weld uality in accordance with e%isting codes
and&or specifications! To perform this function the welding inspector must operate in
many different circumstances, depending primarily on who he is wor!ing for. "oming
into play is the fact that in todays world there is a need for specifications due to the
comple#ity of some of the components and structures being built. Therefore, the
inspection workforce includes# destructive testing specialists, '(T specialists,
code inspectors, military )government* inspectors, owner+s representatives, in,
house inspectors, and so forth! =ll of these individuals may, at one time or another,
consider themselves welding inspectors, since they do inspect welds as at least a
portion of their $ob responsibilities.
,
There are three general categories into which the welding inspectors work
functions can be grouped# -!* Overseer .!* /pecialist 0!*1ombination of overseer
and specialist!
An overseer can be one individual or many individuals whose skills vary such that
any amount or type of workmanship may be inspected, from the contractor+s
uality assurance program to the si2e of a fillet weld! Both economics and technical
requirements will determine the e#tent to which these types of inspectors will group
themselves and speciali%e in various areas of e#pertise.
The specialist, is an individual who performs some specific tasks in the inspection
process! >e may or may not perform this independently of an overseer. =n &"T
specialist is an e#ample of this category of inspector. This individual has limited
responsibilities in the welding inspection process.
It is common to see inspectors serving as both overseer and specialist! 2uch an
individual may be responsible for the general weld quality, as $udged in each of the
various fabrication steps, as well as be required to perform the nondestructive testing
which is necessary. +any shops will employ numerous overseer type inspectors, each
of which has his own area of general weld inspection but may have to rely on others for
specific aspects of the overall inspection program.
(or the purposes of this course we will refer to the welding inspector, in general,
without regard to how each will be utili%ed by his employer. ?ets loo! at some of the
industries utili%ing welding inspectors. We see welding inspection being performed in
the construction of buildings, bridges and storage tan!s. <nergy related applications
include generation facilities, pressure vessels and pipelines, and other distribution
equipment. The chemical industry also utili%es a great deal of welding in the
fabrication of processing facilities and equipment. The transportation industry also
requires assurance of accurate weld quality in such areas as: aerospace, automotive,
shipbuilding, railroad apparatus and off road equipment.
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Important 3ualities of the Welding Inspector
The individual who performs welding inspection should possess certain qualities.
These include:
-! professional attitude
.! good physical condition
0! ability to interpret drawings and specifications
4! inspection e%perience
5! knowledge of welding
6! knowledge of testing methods
7! ability to be trained
8! ability to complete and maintain inspection records
The most important uality is a professional attitude! This is the real !ey to the
success of the welding inspector, because it will determine the degree of respect and
cooperation he will receive from others during the performance of his inspection duties.
Included in this category is the ability of the welding inspector to ma!e decisions based
on facts such that they are fair, impartial and consistent. If his decisions show partiality
or inconsistency, it will have a degrading effect on the inspectors reliability. In
!eeping with this professional attitude, the welding inspector should attempt to remain
in line with the $ob requirements so that his decisions are neither too critical nor not
critical enough. When an inspector is performing his $ob, it is a mista!e to have any
preconceived ideas as to a components acceptability! 9e should simply review the
facts and make a decision based on those facts! The inspector will often find himself
being tested by those around him, especially when newly assigned to some $ob. If he
maintains his professional attitude, he should be capable of overcoming any obstacles
to perform his $ob successfully.
Being in good physical condition includes maintaining good vision whether natural or
corrected. The primary job involves visual inspection. The =W2 "WI program
requires as a minimum ,: @ 1: visual acuity and the ability to perceive certain colors, as
determined through actual testing. =nother aspect involves the si%e of some welded
structures within which welds could be located anywhere. The inspector must be
capable of going to the weld to ma!e his evaluation. /o, he should be in good enough
condition to go to any location to which the welder has been. This does not imply
that the welding inspector should violate any safety regulations to perform his
duties. The ability of the welding inspector to get to the wor! may be further reduced
if the inspection is not performed immediately after welding, because aids for the
welder such as ladders and scaffolding may be removed ma!ing access impossible or
dangerous. Within safety guidelines, the welding inspector should not let the
physical condition prevent him from performing the inspection properly!
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Another uality which the welding inspector should develop is an ability to
understand and apply the various documents describing weld reuirements.
These include drawings, codes, standards and specifications. These documents provide
most of the information regarding what, when, where and how the inspection is to be
performed. Therefore, these are the rules under which the welding inspector must
perform his job! They also state the acceptable uality reuirements against
which the welding inspector will judge the weld uality. It is important that these
documents are reviewed prior to the start of any wor!, because the welding inspector
should be aware of the $ob requirements before any production begins. Many times
this pre,job review will reveal reuired :hold points; for inspections, procedure
and welder ualification reuirements, special processing steps or design
deficiencies such as weld inaccessibility during fabrication! The welding inspector
should be thorough in his review of all related documents pertaining to the $ob, but, by
no means attempt to memori%e these documents. These are reference documents and
should be readily available for detail information at any time in the fabrication process.
Asually the inspector is the person most familiar with these documents so he may be
called upon by others for information and interpretation regarding the welding.
+ost people associated with welding inspection will agree that having actual on'the'$ob
inspection e#perience is very important. Te#tboo!s and classrooms simply are not
capable of teaching an inspector all the things he will need to !now to inspect
effectively. <#perience will aid in the welding inspector becoming more efficient as
well. Better ways of thin!ing and wor!ing will develop in time. =fter wor!ing with
various codes and specifications, the inspector should gain an improved understanding
of welding requirements to improve his effectiveness. Most inspector certification
programs reuire some minimum level of actual e%perience for ualification!
Another desirable uality of the welding inspector is a basic knowledge of welding
and the various welding processes. Because of this, former welders are sometimes
selected for training as welding inspectors. With a basic !nowledge of welding, the
inspector is better prepared to understand certain problems that the welder may
encounter. This will aid in his gaining respect and cooperation from the welders.
(urther, this understanding helps the welding inspector to predict what weld
discontinuities may be encountered in a specific situation! The welding inspector
can then monitor critical welding variables to aid in the prevention of these
welding problems! The inspector e%perienced in welding processes to the point
where he understands their advantages and limitations may be able to identify
possible problems before they occur!
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Bnowledge of various destructive and nondestructive test methods can also be helpful
to the welding inspector. Although he may not necessarily perform these tests, he
may form time to time review these test results as they apply to his inspection. 0ust
as with welding processes, the welding inspector could be aided by a basic
understanding of testing processes. It is important, many times, for the inspector wo be
aware of alternative methods which could be applied to enhance his visual inspection.
<ven though the welding inspector does not actually perform a given test, he may still
be called upon to decide of the results do ocmply with job reuirements!
The ability to be trained is a necessity for the $ob of welding inspector. )ften, an
individual is selected for this position based primarily on this attribute. The inspector
can perform his $ob more effectively largely because he receives training in a variety of
sub$ects. =s he gains additional !nowledge he becomes more valuable to his employer,
who should reali%e the benefit of this training.
The final attribute, which is not to be taken lightly, is the welding inspector+s
ability to complete and maintain inspection records. The welding inspector must be
capable of accurately and concisely communicate all aspects of the inspection,
including the results. The records, which are developed, should be understandable to
anyone familiar with the wor!. A report, which can only be deciphered by the
welding inspector, is useless when he+s absent. The welding inspector should loo! at
these records as his protection should questions arise later. Once records have been
developed, the welding inspector should then be capable of maintaining all
necessary information in an orderly fashion to facilitate easy reference later. The
use of s!etches and pictures may also help to convey information regarding the
inspection results.
<thical =euirements for the Welding Inspector
There are ethical requirements which are dictated by the inspection position. 2ince
they simply detail what would be considered to be common sense and honesty, they
will not be discussed at length. The welding inspector should live by the rules and
report to his supervisor whenever some uestionable situation occurs! The
welding inspector should act with complete honesty, or integrity, while performing
his job! If his decisions are biased because of his association with dishonest people or
offers of financial gain, then he is not acting with integrity! The welding inspector+s
decisions should be based totally on available facts without regard to who
performed the work in uestion! The welding inspectors position also carries with it
certain responsibilities to the public. The components and @or structures being
inspected may be utili%ed by others who could be in$ured should some failure occur.
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While the inspector may be incapable of discovering every problem, it is his
responsibility to report any condition which could result in a safety ha%ard! When
performing inspection, the inspector should only do those jobs for which he is
properly ualified to reduce the possibility of errors in judgement! The ethical
requirements of the $ob carry with them a great deal of responsibility, ma!ing the
inspectors position somewhat political. >owever, the welding inspector who
understands the difference between ethical and unethical behavior should have little
difficulty in performing his $ob with everyones best interests in mind. +any inspectors
will be required to ma!e decisions which may have great financial impact on certain
parties. In such situations, he may be approached to overloo! some feature or reverse
his decision for his own financial gain. The welding inspector must be capable of
recogni%ing such dishonest acts and stand firm on his decision.
The Welding Inspector as 1ommunicator
One of the more important aspects of the welding inspector+s job is that of
communication. The day to day effort will require that he effectively communicate
with many people involved in the fabrication or construction of some item. What must
be reali%ed is that communication is not a one way street. That is, not only must he be
capable of e#pressing his thoughts to others, but he must also be ready to listen to a
reply. To be effective, this communication sequence must be a continuous loop so that
both parties have an opportunity to e#press their thoughts or interpretations.
/ometimes the best inspector is one who listens well.
The welding inspector must be able to communicate with a number of different people
involved in the fabrication process. 2ome of the people with which he may
communicate are: welders, welding engineers, inspection supervisors, welding
supervisors, design engineers, and production supervisors. While each company will
dictate e#actly how its welding inspectors will operate, the following hypothetical
e#amples may occur between the welding inspector and others.
The communication between the welder and inspector is important to the
attainment of uality work. If there is good communication, each can perform his $ob
better. The welder can discuss problems he encounters or inquire as to the specific
uality reuirements! When communication occurs, the welding inspector has the
opportunity to supply answers and@or institute corrective action to prevent the
occurrence of some problem! The communication between the welder and welding
inspector is usually improved of the welding inspector has some welding
e%perience. Then the welder has more confidence in the inspectors decisions.
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The welding engineer relies heavily on the welding inspector to be his eyes on the
shop floor or construction site to spot problems relating to the techniques and processes
which have been specified. The welding inspector can also confirm whether or not
specified procedures are in fact being followed. The welding inspector can as! the
welding engineer about certain aspects of those procedures as well. If a welding
procedure is not producing consistent, reliable results, the welding inspector may be the
first person to spot the problem. =t that point, he can notify the welding engineer so
that ad$ustments can be made to alleviate the problem.
The welding inspector will probably wor! under the direction of some supervisor. This
individual is responsible for seeing that the welding inspector is qualified or the wor!
he performs. The supervisor should also be capable of answering the inspectors
questions and aiding in the interpretation of quality requirements. In some cases the
welding inspector must bring all questions to his supervisor who in turn will ta!e that
question to someone in engineering, purchasing, etc. 2o, the welding inspector must
convey his uestions well so that it will be communicated properly from the
inspection supervisor to the other parties!
-uring the fabrication process, the welding inspector will have opportunities to
communicate with many others involved. In many cases, instead of dealing directly
with welders, the welding supervisor or foreman will be his point of contact. This
usually involves specific quality requirements or e#planations why some aspect of the
welding is re$ectable.
The welding inspector may also have to gain information from design engineers as to
what the actual weld requirements are. -uring fabrication, other problems may arise,
which can only be answered by the person who actually designed the structure or
component. =nother way in which this aspect of communication ta!es place is through
drawings and welding symbols. =lthough a powerful communication tool, symbols
often require clarification by the creator.

=s indicated, depending on a welding inspectors specific $ob description, he may not
deal with all of these people or he may communicate with others not discussed here. It
is important to reali%e that all will benefit if some communication ta!es place so
surprises dont occur during fabrication.
When we tal! of communication, we are not limiting our attention to tal!ing! There
are a number of ways in which people can effectively communicate! They include#
speaking, writing, drawing, gesturing, and the use of pictures! <ach situation may
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be best dealt with using one or more of these methods. The method is not as important
as the simple fact that some type of communication actually occurs.
/afety
-ue to the nature of the $ob, the welding inspector may be e#posed to potential safety
ha%ards. >e wor!s in the same environment as the welder, so he could be e#posed to
numerous ha%ardous conditions, such as: electric shoc!, falling, radiation, eye ha%ards,
such as ultraviolet light and particulate matter in the air, smo!e and fumes, and falling
ob$ects. /afety is not to be taken lightly, even though the welding inspector may only
be e#posed to these conditions on a momentary basis. 2o, the welding inspector should
strive to observe all safety precautions such as use of safety glasses, hard hats,
protective clothing, or any other apparatus deemed appropriate for a situation. (or a
more detailed loo! at recommended safety precautions, refer to =&2I@=2" C19.*,
2afety in Welding and "utting.
=bout the =W2 "WI test
4art = D (undamentals. The fundamental e#amination is a closed boo! test consisting
of *3: multiple choice questions. Two hours is given to complete this part of the test.
4art B D 4ractical. The practical e#amination consists of 15 questions. It requires
measurment of weld replicas with provided measuring tools, and evaluation in
accordance with a supplied EBoo! of 2pecifications.F Two hours is given to complete
this part of the test.
4art " D )pen Boo! "ode. This portion consists of 15 questions on the code the
individual has selected for this part of the e#amination. The following codes are
applicable to this portion of the e#amination: =W2 -*.*, =4I **:1, =2+< B/*.*,
=2+< 2ection ;III, =2+< 2ection IG, +I?'2t-'*579H2>IH7/I, and +I?'2T-'
,17-H79I. To successfully completre the e#amination, individuals must pass all three
parts of the test. The passing score in each part for the "WI is 6, percent the passing
for "=WI is 3: percent.
Terms and (efinitions
=4I D =merican 4etroleum Institute. The technical society which provides technical
guidance for the petroleum industry.
=4I **:1 D The =4I 2tandard. Welding of 4ipelines and Jelated (acilities.

=2+< D =merican 2ociety of +echanical <ngineers. The technical soceity which
provides technical guidance for pressure containing vessels and equipment.
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=2&T D =merican society of &ondestructive Testing. The technical society which
provides technical guidance for &-<.
=W2 D =merican Welding 2ociety. The technical society which provides technical
guidance and leadership in all phases of welding.
=W2 =/.: D The =&2I@=W2 2tandard Welding Terms and -efinitions.
=W2 -*.* D The =W2 2tructural Welding "ode D 2teel.
"=WI D "ertified =ssociate Welding Inspector
"WI D "ertified Welding Inspector
B=2> D =n acronym for Bnowledge, =ttitude, 2!ills, and >abits, the basic tools of a
welding inspector.
&-< D &ondestructive <#amination.
&-I D &ondestructive Inspection.
&-T D &ondestructive Testing. = nonstandard term for &-<.
8"'* D The =&2I@=W2 2tandard for =W2 "ertified Welding Inspectors.
8"'. D .uide to =W2 8ualification and "ertification. It contains the "WI application
form and sample "WI e#am questions.
2&T'T"'*= D The =2&T recommended practice, 4ersonnel 8ualification and
"ertification in &ondestructive Testing.
*: