Welder Qualification Horror Stories

[weldgooch]

I am a Welding Engineer and a self-proclaimed "Code Junkie". I love working my way through the ASME, ISO, and AWS codes/standards (I'm weird, I know). At work the other day, one of the shop floor supervisors asked, why do we need to qualify our welders. I tried giving them the canned "Because the codes/standards require it", but this person's personality is to challenge every requirement. So, I started performing a Google search to look for Horror stories where welds were made by an unqualified welder, but found very little.

Does anyone have a "Horror Story" they are familiar with where a weld was made by an unqualified welder and it ended catastrophically?

 

[LittleInch]

I found plenty like this

http://www.weldreality.com/bad weld section.htm

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[MJCronin]

This might be useful, various types of defects and failures are due to poor technique and procedures.

http://www.weldersuniverse.com/weld_defects.pdf

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[DVWE]

I am a Welding Engineer and a self-proclaimed "Code Junkie". I love working my way through the ASME, ISO, and AWS codes/standards (I'm weird, I know).

Not weird at all, probably the mantra of the majority on this forum.

I tried giving them the canned "Because the codes/standards require it", but this person's personality is to challenge every requirement

Don't waste too much time with this guy. You get to make the final call for the right reasons, correct?

I can't share a story that ended catastrophically, but I do know of a certain nuclear fabricator that was busted for making roughly 2500 welds without properly qualified welders. The result was complete cut out and reweld of stainless steel. You can only imagine the cost of doing that. Once you relate dollars to doing something wrong, it really sets in.

 

[weldstan]

I once had to scrap a whole load of structural steel (small steel building) welds due to an unqualified welder in Greece. He couldn't even follow the joints to be welded!

 

[chicopee]

weelgooch, just show the job shop supervisor this site particularly LittleInch post and there should not be any argument. You can also do a search of the National Board bulletins of accidents related to poor welding on boilers and pressure vessels.