ISO 15614-1: the welding procedure test explained
EN ISO 15614-1 is the standard under which almost all welding procedures for steel and nickel are qualified in Europe. It defines what the test coupon looks like, which tests are carried out on it and what range results.
This article walks through the route from pWPS to approved WPQR, with attention to the two levels introduced in the 2017 revision.
From pWPS to test coupon
The route starts with a preliminary procedure, the pWPS, stating the intended parameters. A test coupon is welded with it, typically a plate or pipe of the dimensions given in the standard, in the position that must cover the range.
During welding the actual parameters are recorded: current, voltage, travel speed, preheat and interpass temperature. Those actual values go into the WPQR, not the intended values from the pWPS. See writing a pWPS.
The testing programme
A butt weld in plate is subjected as standard to visual examination, radiographic or ultrasonic testing, penetrant or magnetic particle testing, two tensile tests, four bend tests, macro examination and a hardness survey. Where toughness is required, impact testing is added, typically three sets of three specimens.
Those tests are carried out in an accredited laboratory. Allow several weeks and plan for it before production starts. See cost and lead time.
Level 1 and level 2
Since the revision the standard defines two levels. Level 2 is the classic, stringent level recognised worldwide and standard in Europe. Level 1 is more lenient, with fewer tests and wider ranges, aligning more with American practice.
Which level applies follows from the product standard or specification. EN 1090-2 and EN 13445 require level 2. Qualify at level 1 where level 2 is required and the qualification is unusable, even though it says ISO 15614-1.
The range of qualification
The coupon determines the range: which thicknesses, diameters, materials and positions are covered. A 20 mm coupon covers a thickness range extending well below and modestly above. Choose the coupon intelligently and one qualification covers a large part of the work package.
That is exactly where the gain lies. A 12 mm coupon in material group 1.2 often covers more production work than two separate coupons at 6 and 20 mm. See WPQR validity range.
Frequently asked questions
Not mandatory under EN 1090, but common at higher execution classes. Under the PED it is required from category II. Classification societies in shipbuilding and offshore generally require the surveyor to attend or approve the report.
Depending on material, thickness and testing programme, typically several hundred to a few thousand euros per coupon, plus welding hours. The largest cost is often not the coupon but the delay when it is scheduled too late.
The standard allows, under conditions, a number of specimens to be retested depending on the test type and the cause. If the cause is a procedural error, the coupon must be rewelded with amended parameters.
Not automatically. American clients generally work to ASME IX or AWS D1.1, with different base material grouping and different variables. Sometimes an existing qualification can be converted with additional testing. See ASME IX versus ISO 15614.
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