scope:

This Standard specifies requirements for the welding of steel structures made up of combinations of steel plate, sheet or sections, including hollow sections and built-up sections, or castings and forgings, by the following processes:

(a) Manual metal-arc welding (MMAW).

(b) Submerged arc welding (SAW).

(c) Gas metal-arc welding (GMAW or MIG), including pulsed mode.

(d) Gas tungsten-arc welding (GTAW or TIG).

(e) Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW).

(f) Electroslag (including consumable guide) welding (ESW).

(g) Electrogas welding (EGW).

The Standard is limited to the welding of steel parent material with a specified minimum yield strength not exceeding 500 MPa.

The Standard applies specifically to the welding of steelwork in structures complying with AS 3990, AS 4100 or NZS 3404.1. Where welded joints in these structures are governed by dynamic loading conditions, the Standard applies only to those welded joints that comply with the fatigue provisions of AS 3990, where the stress range in the welded joint is greater than 80% of the permissible stress range for Category B of AS 3990, or exceeds the stress range permitted for detail Category 112 of AS 4100 or NZS 3404.1, but does not exceed the maximum stress ranges permitted for these categories.

NOTE: Fillet welds and incomplete penetration butt welds may be used in AS 4100 or NZS 3404.1 detail Category 125, and in Category B fatigue applications of AS 3990 when the direction of the weld is parallel to the direction of the applied stress.

In addition to the abovementioned structures, the Standard applies to the welding of bridges, cranes, hoists, other dynamically loaded structures and steelwork in applications other than structural.

NOTES:

1 Further information on this Standard is given in WTIA Technical Note 11.

2 The Standard is basically in line with AS/NZS 1554.1; however, it specifically applies to welds subject to fatigue loading in excess of the range covered by AS/NZS 1554.1 and hence it should not be specified where AS/NZS 1554.1 is acceptable. 

3 It is expected that welds covered by this Standard will not normally occur with structures such as buildings, tanks or silos, but only in certain classes of machinery and transport equipment.

4 The Standard requires that weld preparation, welding consumables and welding procedures be qualified before commencement of welding. Prequalified joint preparations, welding consumables and welding procedures are also given in the Standard.