Ship structural welding is one of the important processes in shipbuilding, directly affecting the structural strength, safety, and durability of ships. To ensure the quality and level of ship structural welding, it is necessary to follow certain welding standards to regulate the design, construction, and inspection of welding. This article introduces relevant standards for ship structural welding, including international standards, national standards, and industry standards, analyzing the content, characteristics, and application scope of these standards, and providing reference and guidance for ship designers, manufacturers, and managers.
I. Relevant Standards for Ship Structural Welding
There are several main types of standards for ship structural welding:
1）International Standards:
International standards are developed by international organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), possessing extensive authority and applicability, serving as the basis and reference for national standards worldwide. The international standards for ship structural welding mainly include the following series:
ISO 3834 Welding Quality Requirements Series: This series of standards specifies the requirements for welding quality management systems, including the classification of welding quality levels, the content of welding quality requirements, and methods for evaluating welding quality. These standards apply to the management of welding quality for various welding methods and materials.
ISO 15607 Welding Procedure Specification Series: This series of standards specifies the preparation, approval, use, and modification requirements for welding procedure specifications, including the content, format, numbering, and documentation of welding procedure specifications. These standards apply to the development and management of welding procedure specifications for various welding methods and materials.
ISO 15614 Welding Procedure Qualification Series: This series of standards specifies the requirements for the procedure, conditions, methods, and documentation of welding procedure qualification, including the scope, testing, assessment, and validity period of welding procedure qualification. These standards apply to the implementation and control of welding procedure qualification for various welding methods and materials.
ISO 17635 Welding Non-Destructive Testing Series: This series of standards specifies the principles, methods, procedures, and documentation requirements for welding non-destructive testing, including the purpose, scope, standards, equipment, personnel, and reporting of non-destructive testing. These standards apply to the execution and supervision of welding non-destructive testing for various welding methods and materials.
2）National Standards:
National standards are developed by governments or authorized institutions of various countries, possessing a certain degree of enforceability and regional specificity, serving as the basis for and enforcement of laws and regulations in each country. Representative national standards for ship structural welding include:
GB/T 3323 Acceptance Grades for Non-Destructive Testing of Welded Joints in Steel Ship Structures: This standard specifies the acceptance grades, testing methods, testing scope, testing frequency, assessment, and recording of non-destructive testing of welded joints in steel ship structures. This standard applies to the acceptance of non-destructive testing of welded joints in steel ship structures.
GB/T 3190 Types and Dimensions of Grooves for Welding Steel Ship Structures: This standard specifies the types, dimensions, codes, applicable scope, and design requirements of various types of grooves for welding joints in steel ship structures. This standard applies to the design and construction of welding joints in steel ship structures.
GB/T 985.1 Types and Dimensions of Grooves for Welded Joints Part 1: Steel Structures: This standard specifies the types, dimensions, codes, applicable scope, and design requirements of various types of grooves for welded joints in steel structures. This standard applies to the design and construction of welded joints in steel structures.
GB/T 985.2 Types and Dimensions of Grooves for Welded Joints Part 2: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloy Structures: This standard specifies the types, dimensions, codes, applicable scope, and design requirements of various types of grooves for welded joints in aluminum and aluminum alloy structures. This standard applies to the design and construction of welded joints in aluminum and aluminum alloy structures.
3）Industry Standards:
Industry standards are developed by organizations or institutions in various industries, possessing a certain degree of professionalism and guidance, serving as norms and references for various industries. Examples of industry standards for ship structural welding include:
CB/T 3323 Ship Welding Inspection Guide: This standard specifies the principles, methods, procedures, and documentation requirements for ship welding inspection, including the classification of welding quality levels, the content of welding quality requirements, and methods for evaluating welding quality. This standard applies to the management and inspection of ship welding quality.
CB/T 3324 Ship Welding Procedure Specification: This standard specifies the requirements for the preparation, approval, use, and modification of ship welding procedure specifications, including the content, format, numbering, and documentation of welding procedure specifications. This standard applies to the development and management of ship welding procedure specifications.
CB/T 3325 Ship Welding Procedure Qualification: This standard specifies the requirements for the procedure, conditions, methods, and documentation of ship welding procedure qualification, including the scope, testing, assessment, and validity period of welding procedure qualification. This standard applies to the implementation and control of ship welding procedure qualification.
CB/T 3326 Ship Welding Non-Destructive Testing: This standard specifies the principles, methods, procedures, and documentation requirements for ship welding non-destructive testing, including the purpose, scope, standards, equipment, personnel, and reporting of non-destructive testing. This standard applies to the execution and supervision of ship welding non-destructive testing.
II. Content and Characteristics of Ship Structural Welding Standards
The content of ship structural welding standards mainly includes several aspects:
Welding Quality Requirements: Welding quality requirements refer to various technical requirements formulated to ensure welding quality, including the classification of welding quality levels, the morphology, dimensions, defects, performance indicators of welds, and allowable deviations and ranges. The characteristics of welding quality requirements are flexibility and optionality, where different welding quality levels and requirements can be selected according to factors such as ship type, usage, structure, and materials to meet the design and usage requirements of ships.
Welding Procedure Specifications: Welding procedure specifications refer to various technical specifications formulated to ensure welding quality, including the selection of welding methods, welding materials, determination of welding parameters, design of welding joints, arrangement of welding sequences, and control of preheating and post-heating in welding. The characteristics of welding procedure specifications are scientific and systematic, based on welding theory and practice, comprehensively considering technical, economic, and safety factors in welding, to develop reasonable welding process plans and measures.
Welding Procedure Qualification: Welding procedure qualification refers to various tests and assessments conducted to verify the effectiveness and applicability of welding procedure specifications, including the purpose, scope, methods, equipment, samples, and results of welding procedure tests. The characteristics of welding procedure qualification are reliability and authority, ensuring that welding procedure specifications can achieve the expected welding quality and performance by adopting scientific test methods and evaluation criteria based on welding standards and specifications.
Welding Procedure Qualification: Non-destructive testing of welding refers to various inspections and evaluations conducted to check welding quality, including the principles, methods, procedures, equipment, personnel, and reporting of non-destructive testing. The characteristics of non-destructive testing of welding are accuracy and sensitivity, selecting appropriate non-destructive testing methods and equipment based on the types, locations, and sizes of welding defects, timely discovering and evaluating the nature and extent of welding defects, and providing a basis for improving and ensuring welding quality.
III. Application Scope of Ship Structural Welding Standards
The application scope of ship structural welding standards mainly includes several aspects:
Types of Ship Structures: The types of ship structures refer to the shape, size, function, and other characteristics of ship structures. Different types of ship structures have different requirements for welding quality and performance, so applicable welding standards need to be selected. For example, the welding standards for steel ship structures and aluminum alloy ship structures differ because of differences in welding methods, materials, parameters, defects, etc.
Types of Ship Structures: The parts of ship structures refer to the location, direction, connection methods, and other characteristics of ship structures. Different parts of ship structures have different requirements for welding quality and performance, so applicable welding standards need to be selected. For example, the welding standards for the bottom, sides, and decks of ship structures differ because of differences in stress, environmental conditions, testing conditions, etc.
Types of Ship Structures: The uses of ship structures refer to the function, performance, safety, and other characteristics of ship structures. Different uses of ship structures have different requirements for welding quality and performance, so applicable welding standards need to be selected. For example, the welding standards for military ships, civilian ships, and special-purpose ships differ because of differences in load-bearing capacity, durability, reliability, etc.
IV. Conclusion
Ship structural welding standards are an important basis and guidance for shipbuilding, regulating the requirements for the design, construction, and inspection of ship structural welding, ensuring the quality and level of ship structural welding. This article introduces relevant standards for ship structural welding, including international standards, national standards, and industry standards, and analyzes the content, characteristics, and application scope of these standards, hoping to provide assistance to ship designers, manufacturers, and managers.
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