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WPS/PQR builder
Build the calculation and evidence layer that connects a draft welding procedure specification to the record of the coupon actually welded and tested. The tool calculates arc energy, efficiency-adjusted heat input and arc time, then checks actual coupon values against draft WPS ranges you supply.
It does not create qualified ranges or decide test acceptance. Those stay in the governing edition and the signed PQR or WPQR. Everything runs in your browser, and the SI/Imperial toggle converts dimensions, speed and energy.
Coupon arithmetic plus a document check
Arc energy = 60 × voltage × current ÷ (1000 × travel speed)
Heat input = thermal efficiency × arc energy
Total arc time = pass count × weld length ÷ travel speed
SI inputs produce kJ/mm and minutes; the unit toggle displays kJ/in and inch-based lengths and speed.
Worked example
The loaded example uses 220 A, 25 V, 300 mm/min, efficiency 1.00, three passes and 500 mm per pass. It returns 1.10 kJ/mm arc energy, 1.10 kJ/mm heat input and 5.00 minutes of arc time. Its user-entered ranges are 180–260 A, 22–28 V and 240–360 mm/min, so all three internal checks pass. Five of six evidence sections are marked ready.
For the ISO route, ISO 15609-1 scopes WPS content. This tool does not collect base material, so it cannot choose the governing procedure-qualification document. ISO 15614-1 covers arc and gas welding of steels and arc welding of nickel and nickel alloys; use its Clauses 5, 7, 8 and 9 only when that scope and the contract apply. For the ASME route, Section IX QW-200.1 and QW-200.2 address the WPS and PQR. The ISO 15609-1 abstract, ISO 15614-1 abstract and ASME’s QW-482 WPS form and QW-483 PQR form are the publisher sources; use the edition named by the contract for the actual requirements.
How to build a WPS/PQR calculation and evidence pack
Turn actual test-coupon readings into checked draft inputs without inventing a qualified range.
- Choose the qualification route. Select the framework named by the contract, the welding process and the coupon product form. The route changes the source pointers and record name.
- Enter actual coupon dimensions and readings. Use the test-coupon thickness, weld length, pass count, current, voltage and travel speed recorded during welding. Enter a thermal-efficiency factor only when the governing method requires one.
- Enter the supported draft WPS ranges. Read each range from the qualification record together with the applicable variables clause in the edition the contract names. This page does not derive those ranges.
- Review the calculation and internal checks. Confirm the arc energy, efficiency-adjusted heat input and arc time, then resolve any coupon value that sits outside the draft range entered.
- Close the evidence pack. Attach and review the technical content, actual variables, traceability, test reports, range review and required sign-off. Export the filled state as CSV for a drafting record.
- Actual and permitted are different records. The PQR or WPQR records what happened on the coupon; the WPS states what production may use. This tool keeps those values apart and checks only the bounds you enter.
- The efficiency factor is explicit. A neutral 1.00 makes the result arc energy. If the governing method requires an efficiency-adjusted value, enter its factor and preserve that convention beside the result.
- Three green range checks are not qualification. Thickness, material group, diameter, position, consumables, heat treatment, technique and test results still require their own review under the selected route.
- Use recorded values. The heat-input CSV tool can process pass data. WeldTrace records the electrical and process channels named on its product page when a direct measurement record is needed.
For the full procedure-test sequence, read the ISO 15614-1 welding procedure qualification guide.
Questions engineers ask about this calculation
What does a WPS/PQR builder calculate from a test coupon?
This builder calculates arc energy from recorded current, voltage and travel speed, applies the thermal-efficiency factor you enter, and totals arc time from pass count, weld length and speed. It then checks those actual values against the draft WPS bounds you enter and counts the evidence sections marked ready. It does not infer any qualified range or test acceptance value.
Why does the draft WPS need ranges when the PQR records actual values?
The qualification record preserves what was actually welded and tested. The production WPS states the controlled range operators may use. The governing qualification rules determine how far the qualification extends around the recorded test values, so the range must be traced to both the record and the applicable variables clause. This page only checks the arithmetic after you enter that range.
Can this tool decide whether a welding procedure is qualified?
No. Qualification depends on the contract, application standard, qualification route, variables, examination and test results, and the required approvals. The tool cannot inspect those documents. A complete percentage means only that every evidence section on this page is marked ready; it is not an approval or conformity statement.
Which records should stay with a welding procedure qualification package?
Keep the preliminary or draft WPS, the PQR or WPQR with actual coupon variables, material and consumable traceability, examination and test reports, the range review used to write the production WPS, and the certification or approval record required by the job. The exact report set comes from the governing route and application standard, which may demand records beyond this inventory.
A PQR is stronger when actual pass data exists behind the averages.
WeldTrace records voltage, current, wire feed speed and shielding gas flow, and keeps the measurements tied to the weld pass for qualification and production records.
