An ASME B31.3 welding quality assurance (QA) program must cover the full lifecycle of a weldment, from procedure qualification to final testing, to ensure structural integrity. It serves as a mandatory framework for contractors to demonstrate that their processes and personnel consistently meet the minimum safety requirements for process piping.
The QA program must include the following:
Qualifications and Procedures
Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS): Every welding process must be qualified using a documented WPS that follows the requirements of ASME Section IX.
Procedure Qualification Records (PQR): Supporting documentation that provides actual test results used to qualify the WPS.
Welder Performance Qualifications (WPQR): Contractors must conduct tests to ensure that every welder or welding operator is capable of developing acceptable weldments. These qualifications are non-transferable between contractors.
Material and Fabrication Control
Material Traceability: The program must include systems to verify mill and material certifications to ensure that specified grades are used. You can find samples of these requirements in an ASME Welding Contractor QA/QC Plan Sample.
Joint Preparation and Alignment: Procedures must detail pipe-end preparation, circumferential-weld alignment, and “Hi-Lo” wall-misalignment limits.
Thermal Controls: Mandatory requirements for preheating and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) based on material and thickness.
Examination and Inspection
Visual Examination: 100% of completed welds must undergo visual inspection, along with random checks of joint preparation and alignment before and during welding.
Nondestructive Examination (NDE): Requirements for random radiographic (RT) or ultrasonic (UT) testing, typically on a minimum of 5% of circumferential butt welds for “Normal Fluid Service”.
Acceptance Criteria: Strict limits on imperfections such as porosity, slag inclusions, undercut, and lack of fusion.
Documentation and Traceability
Weld Maps and Logs: Maintaining records that link specific welds to the welder, WPS used, and NDE results.
Certification Records: Compiling a “Manufacturing Data Record” (MDR) for handover, confirming that all materials, procedures, and tests comply with the code. A Required QA/QC Documentation List provides a useful checklist for these records.
Testing and Remediation
Leak Testing: Procedures for final hydrostatic or pneumatic testing to verify the entire system’s integrity.
Progressive Sampling: A defined protocol for expanding NDE if rejectable defects are found in a “lot,” ensuring that one failure triggers more inspections of the same welder’s work.