Visual Welding Inspection and EN/ISO 17637 Standards Quiz

Visual Testing of Fusion Welds

• Minimum surface illumination required for visual testing of fusion welds: 500 lux
• Effectively applied program of visual welding inspection can detect approximately 80-90% of weld discontinuities

Direct Inspection of Weld Surface

• Eyes should be at an angle of 30-40° from the normal (perpendicular) during direct inspection of weld surface
• Recommended distance from eyes to weld surface during direct inspection: 400-600 mm

Standards and Qualifications

• EN/ISO 17637: specifies requirements for visual examination of welds
• VWI: Visual Welding Inspection
• NDE: Non-Destructive Examination in the context of welding inspection
• Recommended qualification for personnel performing indirect visual testing: Level 2 or Level 3 VT certification

Welding and Inspection

• Recommended surface illumination for visual testing of fusion welds: 500 lux
• Maximum root opening for fillet welds when t = 8mm: 2.5 mm
• Prior to deposition of subsequent passes during welding, the surface should be cleaned and free of oil, grease, and moisture
• Final VT should be performed after completion of all welding operations
• When defects are discovered in repaired welds, they should be reworked to meet application or product standards

Inspection and Repair

• To assure complete defect removal in repaired welds, the weld surface should be examined
• If the gaps between the parts to be joined exceed the appropriate limit, the parts should be re-machined or resized
• A qualified weld inspector should be used to examine the finished weld to determine if it meets application or product standards
• A wire brush or equivalent tool should be used to remove all slag to ensure imperfections are not obscured
• The qualification used by 3rd party labs to confirm personnel qualification is the VT certification
• When weld finishing is required, grinding or machining should be avoided to prevent hiding defects