Why Use A CWI-CRI

Having a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) on your project will help increase the overall quality, consistency and repeatability of welds and welding processes. A CWI is trained and certified to perform inspection/observations of welding by tracking the following: 

1) Materials and Design, 

2) Qualification of Welders and Welding Processes, 

3) Fabrication, and 

4) Inspection.

1. Materials and design: The CWI will review design documents the drawings and specifications to confirm that the designed welds and welding materials conform to applicable welding codes and design as well as customer specifications.
2. Qualification: The CWI will review Welding Procedure Specification(s), as well as all welder qualification records, to confirm that all welding personnel and processes to be used on the project are certified/qualified as required by applicable codes. 
3. Fabrication: Prior to the start of welding, the CWI will review the welding equipment and materials on site, as well as condition and surface preparation of base metals, to confirm compliance with approved documentation.
4. Inspection:  The CWI will visually (nondestructively) inspect welds during and after installation to confirm compliance with the design documents and all applicable welding codes. Where other nondestructive testing (NDT) is required, the CWI will observe the testing procedures review test results.

A certified welding inspector is there as a failsafe, to make sure all of the welding process are followed, and no weld goes unchecked. Most of a CWI’s job involves visually inspecting welds, but to know what they’re looking for and how to spot a potential problem before it happens, they must be knowledgeable about:

• How to stay in compliance with welding codes/standards and contract requirements
• An understanding of the fundamentals of welding including the joining and cutting processes as well as the equipment used.
• Welding metallurgy such as strength, ductility coding of materials being joined.   
• Weld defects, causes and remedies.
• Welding procedure and performance qualification testing
• Welding procedure specifications (WPSs)
• Weld test documentation (PQRs, WPQs)
• Understanding of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods such as radiography, ultrasonic, penetrant, magnetic particle, eddy current, etc.
• Welding symbols and drawings

 Radiographic testing is the traditional method of nondestructive examination of welds to determine whether they comply with the acceptance criteria in an industry specification. However, much depends on how the radiographic images that are generated and if they do not meet the strict quality standards, the interpretation of those images becomes an issue, and the images are useless. The challenges associated with poor radiographic image production require the Certified Radiographic Interpreter to become knowledgeable in most all aspects of the exposure of welds to x-ray radiation and to recognize when film exposures are outside accepted limits for radiographic quality. The CRI must also recognize how indications on a film image can be interpreted as weld discontinuities and to size them to determine ultimate acceptance of rejection. 

All this makes Callahan Weld Inspection LLC a reliable partner in your quality control process. Contact us today.