Foreword

This foreword is not part of this standard but is included for informational purposes only.

The American Welding Society and the Welding Research Council have joined in a cooperative effort to generate standard welding procedures for industry. The need for pretested welding procedures that are supported by adequate test data and that satisfy the technical requirements for the commonly used construction codes and specifications has been expressed by many individuals and organizations. The purpose of a welding procedure qualification is to provide test data for assessing the properties of a weld joint.

This Standard Welding Procedure Specification is an outgrowth of the coordinated work of the Welding Procedures Committee of Welding Research Council and the AWS B2 Committee on Procedure and Performance Qualification. The Welding Procedures Committee has provided the data documented on the Summary of Procedure Qualification Records.

The welding terms used in this specification shall be interpreted in accordance with the definitions given in the latest edition of AWS A3.0M/A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions Including Terms for Adhesive Bonding, Brazing, Soldering, Thermal Cutting, and Thermal Spraying. 

The AWS B2 Committee on Procedure and Performance Qualification was formed in 1979 to provide welding standards concerning the subject of qualification. The primary document developed by this committee is AWS B2.1/B2.1M, Specification for Welding Procedure and Performance Qualification. This document established the foundation and framework for Standard Welding Procedure Specifications (SWPSs). The first two SWPSs were published in 1990. Since then SWPSs are continuing to be developed and published by the American Welding Society.

This SWPS is the first revision of AWS B2.1-1-023-94. All references to ASME “S” material numbers have been deleted from this edition. A Standard Units of Measure clause was added, and the Safety clause was updated. Metric conversions were updated and Annex A on requesting an official interpretation on an AWS standard is included.

 A vertical line in the margin or underlined text in clauses, tables, or figures indicates an editorial or technical change from the previous edition.

Comments and suggestions for the improvement of this standard are welcome. They should be sent to the Secretary, B2 Committee on Procedure and Performance Qualification, American Welding Society, 8669 NW 36 St, # 130, Miami, FL 33166.