scope:

This Standard specifies the minimum requirements for safety, welding consumables, weld preparations, welding processes, qualifications of welding procedures and personnel, and fabrication and inspection requirements for the construction and maintenance welding of carbon and carbon-manganese steel pipelines down to 3.2 mm wall thickness designed and constructed in accordance with AS 2885.1. The welding of corrosion resistant alloy steel pipelines, or pipelines with nominal thicknesses less than 3.2 mm, is not precluded, but is not expressly covered by this Standard. The welding of such pipelines has to be given special consideration.

The following types of welds are covered by this Standard:

(a) Mainline.

(b) Tie-in.

(c) Special class e.g. golden weld.

(d) Repair welds (see Section 25).

(e) Welds on or between components.

(f) Temporary welds used in construction e.g. test headers.

(g) Structural attachments.

(h) Aluminothermic or pin brazing welds for electrical attachments.

(i) In-service welds.

(j) Welds made in accordance with other standards.

(k) Pipeline assemblies.

The welding may be done by a manual metal arc, submerged arc, gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, flux cored arc or by a combination of these using a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic welding technique or a combination of these techniques. The welds may be produced by position or roll welding, or by a combination of position and roll welding.

This Standard is applicable to the welding of joints in or on pipelines, and the welding of pipeline assemblies manufactured from pipes and fittings (see Figure 1.1 for examples).

NOTE: The welding of fittings may present special difficulties when using typical pipeline welding procedures (see Appendix C).

It is not intended that this Standard should be applied to the following:

(i) Station pipework as defined in AS 2885.1.

(ii) Longitudinal welds or spiral welds made during the manufacture of a pipe or a component.

(iii) Underwater welding.

(iv) Hyperbaric welding.