Pre-Welding Inspection Checklist
- Go over all drawings and specifications to decide if any particular provisions, like preheat, are necessary.
- Ensure the base material and all consumables comply with the specifications required.
- Ensure the welding consumables have been appropriately stored under appropriate conditions; For instance, low-hydrogen electrodes require special storage conditions to resist moisture pickup.
- Check that all welding materials and consumables are sufficient for the whole process.
- Ensure the joint is spotless. Excessive amounts of contaminants such as oil, dirt, rust, and paint can drastically affect the weld quality.
- Ensure the welding procedures and welder’s qualifications are updated and comply with the latest standards.
- Ensure preheat is accurately measured and adequately performed if required.
During Welding Inspection Checklist
- Ensure that all factors mentioned in the Welding Procedure Specification are observed. These factors include welding technique, voltage, wire feed speed, electrical stick out, welding progression, push angles, shielding gas, sufficient preheat, interpass temperature, and so on.
- If there’s a multi-pass weld, ensure each pass is made adequately before targeting the next weld. Imperfections may appear when welding is done over passes with extreme convexity, trapped slags, and other irregularities.
- If required, ensure that appropriate interpass temperature is being sustained. Interpass heat is usually shown as a minimum, but some cases may also need a maximum interpass temperature.
- Inspect all visual hints that indicate problems. Low-melting elements, surface contaminants, and other impurities may cause a range of issues. The welder quickly notices such problems during welding, but they can’t be seen after that unless radiographic, ultrasonic, or other NDE tests are conducted.
Post-Welding Inspection Checklist
- Inspect the weld appearance to ensure no imperfections or inconsistencies are present.
- Ensure the weld’s size is adequate and the weld’s length is appropriate, particularly in case intermittent welds are created.
- Select parts that need to undergo further testing according to specifications.
- Check the post-welding heat treatment, if necessary.
Welding Inspection Is a Teamwork Process
The welding inspection checklist covers a broad range of activities before, during, and after the welding process. A welding inspector alone can’t be expected to manage all of this for every workstation and weld performed. Thus, many costly problems will be prevented if welders and the other personnel involved are trained in all aspects of visual inspection. It will save much time and money, resulting in better quality assurance.
The checklists provided here present the most fundamental considerations in welding inspection; however, they can be more detailed depending on a specific project. Do you know any other essential items to add to the checklists above? Let us know in the comments.
