AN UPDATE FROM OUR HOTLINE

AN UPDATE FROM OUR HOTLINE

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A member recently contacted Weld Australia to ascertain the testing requirements when validating the Annex C single bevel butt joint with material backing referenced in Clause 5.4(b) of AS/NZS ISO 9606-1 Qualification testing of welders — Fusion welding

Weld Australia has recommended that the completed joint be tested as per butt joint requirements in the standard. However, some users in the industry claim that two macro tests are also required to validate the fillet joint component of the test, particularly if the butt joint is examined ultrasonically.

We responded by indicating that Weld Australia has always been of the view that the Annex C joint once completed, had to be tested as a butt joint (it is after-all a single bevel butt with material backing), and that an ultrasonic testing (UT) examination of the joint by a competent technician would readily locate the position of the root of the fillet component of the joint.

We arrived at this opinion based on the fact that this test is a standard Canadian weld test and it is tested once completed as a butt joint. Discussion with regular users of UT assessments of this joint also confirmed the suitability and validity of the test method.

Confusing the issue for users though is that the drafting committee ISO TC44/SC11 had issued two interpretations essentially stating that: all testing requirements specified in this part of ISO 9606 shall be fulfilled. This has confused the situation, leading some to interpret the requirements as to include the need to test two macros from the joint to validate the fillet component of the combination test.

When considering the application of rulings, it is important to understand that the ISO drafting committee can only answer with a yes or no to the question(s) asked of it when finalising a ruling for publication. This requires the enquirer to carefully craft the question to ensure that the matter of concern is clarified.

In July 2022, a testing organisation wrote to Standards Australia seeking clarity on this same question. In turn, in accordance with ISO protocols, the Australian mirror committee to

ISO T44/SC11 was asked to rule on the issue. The Australian committee ruled that the fillet had to be visually assessed before the completion of the butt component, then the butt joint had to be visually assessed and then tested as per requirements for butt joints, with the additional requirement that complete penetration was required in the root of the fillet when the butt joint was assessed.

The standard permits assessment of the butt joint via UT examination or mechanical testing, or in some situations radiographic testing with supplementary mechanical tests as defined in Table 13. The addition of two macro tests as claimed by some standards users is therefore unnecessary if the butt joint is tested as specified.

Anticipating that this would probably not resolve the issue until the ISO 9606-1 standard was amended, Standards Australia submitted a formal interpretation request to ISO in December 2022. A ruling was provided on 27 February 2023 that confirmed the ruling made by the Standards Australia mirror committee. ISO advised the original enquirer accordingly at the time. Unfortunately, publication of the ISO ruling on their website has been delayed.

Irrespective of the ISO publication delay, the drafting committee revising ISO 9606 and its parts has taken cognisance of the situation and the next edition of ISO 9606, which will combine all five parts, will clarify this situation.

Separate to this enquiry on ISO 96061, another member contacted Weld Australia regarding a possible error in Table 8 of the Australian edition of ISO 9606. Weld Australia contacted Standards Australia and confirmed that an error was present in the table where a mathematical operator had reversed. A similar error was also located in Table 14. Standards Australia has since corrected the two errors in question in the AS/NZS edition of the standard. Users should note that the original ISO text was correct.