Welding Digest

Organizations that supply systems and components to the U.S. Navy can reduce their costs by taking advantage of AWS-Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Standard Welding Procedure Specifications for Naval Applications (SWPSs-N). Their use is permitted by NAVSEA Technical Publication S9074-AQ-GIB-010/248, Requirements for Welding and Brazing Procedure and Performance Qualification. Using SWPSs-N welding procedures instead of qualifying a new procedure saves the organization both time and money and will ultimately reduce the costs to the Navy.  

How Many Exist?

Twenty-three AWS-NAVSEA SWPSs-N are offered for the most common materials, processes, and applications where suppliers and subcontractors prepare and qualify welding procedures. They include shielded metal arc, gas tungsten arc, and gas metal arc welding of S1 carbon steels and S8 stainless steel plate, structure, and piping as well as flux cored arc welding of S1 carbon steel plate, structure, and piping. 

Usage Details

The use of standard welding procedures was identified by the welding panel of the National Ship Research Program to reduce the costs of building U.S. Navy ships. Participating shipyards estimated that requiring each supplier or subcontractor to prepare, qualify, and submit individual welding procedures for approval costs the U.S. Navy millions of dollars per year. This includes the several-thousand-dollar costs to the suppliers or subcontractors to prepare and submit the procedures for approval and the costs to the shipbuilders and the U. S. Navy to review and approve each procedure. Several rounds of review and resubmission are often required to obtain final approval.  

Background Information

AWS-NAVSEA SWPSs-N were developed by a coordinated effort of the AWS B2D Subcommittee on Standard Welding Procedure Specifications, NAVSEA, and the shipbuilding industry. Each procedure meets the requirements of NAVSEA Technical Publication S9074-AQ-GIB-010/248 and is supported by procedure qualification records maintained by the AWS B2G Subcommittee on Procedure Qualification Records. 

Ending Thoughts

AWS, NAVSEA, and industry continue collaborating to identify processes and materials that will expand the library and further meet demands within the shipbuilding industry, increasing the scope of cost and time savings. AWS-NAVSEA SWPSs-N are available for purchase from the AWS Bookstore at (pubs.aws.org).

This article was written by Harvey Castner (a member and past chair of the AWS B2D Subcommittee on Standard Welding Procedure Specifications) for the American Welding Society.