AWS standard · reference card
Does AWS D1.1 govern your structural steelwork, and does the connection count as statically or cyclically loaded? Scope decision flow and the records that evidence a qualified weld.
AWS D1.1 splits its own acceptance criteria in a way that is easy to miss: statically loaded and cyclically loaded connections are not the same code applied twice, they are two different sets of visual limits driven by a design decision made long before inspection. Getting the classification wrong does not fail one weld, it invalidates the inspection record built on it.
The other place this code is misused is qualification continuity. A welder who has not worked the qualified process or position within the code’s continuity window is not qualified to continue, whatever a past record says — the standing lapses, not the person’s skill.
Therness monitoring ties measured process data, and thermal evidence for preheat and interpass, to the welder and the joint rather than to a shift, which is what a continuity or classification argument actually needs on file.
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Is the structure a welded steel building, or other non-bridge structural steel, in AWS D1.1's thickness range? | AWS D1.1 is the governing structural welding code. | Thinner sheet steel goes to AWS D1.3; reinforcing steel goes to AWS D1.4; highway bridges go to AWS D1.5. |
| Has the connection been classified as cyclically loaded rather than statically loaded? | The fatigue provisions and the tighter visual acceptance criteria for cyclic loading apply. | Static acceptance criteria apply, but confirm the classification came from design, not inspection convenience. |
| Is the joint and procedure drawn from AWS D1.1's prequalified list? | It may be used without a separate qualification test, subject to meeting all prequalification conditions. | Qualify the procedure by test before production welding starts. |
| Is the welder currently within their qualification continuity period for this process and position? | The welder may continue production welding. | Requalify or verify continuity first; a lapsed record invalidates standing on this code, not just the next joint. |
Conformity is decided by inspection and testing against the criteria the standard and the contract set. The records below are evidence that the process was held where it was qualified; they support an inspection result, they never replace one.
| Requirement | Record produced | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence a structural weld stayed inside its qualified parameters for its loading classification | Per-weld voltage, current and travel-related records tied to the joint identifier | WeldTrace |
| Holding preheat and interpass temperature within the qualified band on cyclically loaded connections | Non-contact thermal measurement recorded per pass | HeatCam IR-C |
| A continuity record tied to the welder, process and position for every production weld | Per-weld export with welder identifier, timestamp and process record | HeatCore AI |
Therness records what the machine actually delivered on every weld — parameters, thermal signature and a per-weld trail — so a conformity argument rests on measurements instead of recollection.
Progetto cofinanziato nell'ambito del PR Piemonte FSE+ 2021-2027,
Priorità I, Obiettivo Specifico a), Azione 4 – "Sostegno alla nascita delle start up"
