AS/NZS 1554.

5:2004
AS/NZS 1554.5

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Structural steel welding

Part 5: Welding of steel structures

subject to high levels of fatigue loading
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 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004
This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical
Committee WD-003, Welding of Steel Structures. It was approved on behalf of the
Council of Standards Australia on 22 December 2003 and on behalf of the Council
of Standards New Zealand on 5 March 2004. It was published on 24 March 2004.

The following are represented on Committee WD-003:

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Australian Industry Group
AUSTROADS
Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia
Electricity Supply Association of Australia
Institution of Engineers Australia
New Zealand Heavy Engineering Research Association
New Zealand Non-destructive Testing Association
New Zealand Welding School
Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia
University of Sydney
Welding Technology Institute of Australia

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This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 02618.

 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Structural steel welding

Part 5: Welding of steel structures

subject to high levels of fatigue loading

Originated as AS 1554.5—1989.
Previous edition AS/NZS 1554.5:1995.
Third edition 2004.
This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version online.

COPYRIGHT
© Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand
All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written permission of the
publisher.
Jointly published by Standards Australia International Ltd, GPO Box 5420, Sydney, NSW 2001
and Standards New Zealand, Private Bag 2439, Wellington 6020
ISBN 0 7337 5735 9
 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004 2

PREFACE
This Standard was prepared by the Joint Australian/New Zealand Committee WD-003,
Welding of Structures, to supersede AS/NZS 1554.5:1995.
The objective of this Standard is to provide rules for the welding of steel structures subject
to high levels of fatigue loading.
The objective of this edition is to update the Standard and bring it in line with the latest
edition of AS/NZS 1554.1, Structural steel welding, Part 1: Welding of steel structures.
This Standard specifically applies to welds subject to fatigue loading in excess of the range
covered by AS/NZS 1554.1, Structural steel welding, Part 1: Welding of steel structures and
hence, it should not be specified where AS/NZS 1554.1 is acceptable.
It is expected that welds covered by this Standard will not normally occur with structures
such as buildings, tanks or silos, but only in certain classes of machinery and transport
equipment.
The Standard requires that weld preparations, welding consumables and welding procedures
be qualified before commencement of welding. Prequalified joint preparations, welding
consumables and welding procedures are also given in the Standard.
Statements expressed in mandatory terms in notes to Tables and Figures are deemed to be
requirements to this Standard.
The terms ‘normative’ and ‘informative’ have been used in this Standard to define the
application of the appendix to which they apply. A ‘normative’ appendix is an integral part
of a Standard, whereas an ‘informative’ appendix is only for information and guidance.
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 3 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004

CONTENTS

Page

SECTION 1 SCOPE AND GENERAL

1.1 SCOPE ........................................................................................................................ 5
1.2 EXCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................ 6
1.3 INNOVATION ............................................................................................................ 6
1.4 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS .................................................................................. 6
1.5 DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................ 6
1.6 BASIC WELDING REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................... 7
1.7 SAFETY...................................................................................................................... 7

SECTION 2 MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION

2.1 PARENT MATERIAL ................................................................................................ 8
2.2 BACKING MATERIAL.............................................................................................. 8
2.3 WELDING CONSUMABLES..................................................................................... 8

SECTION 3 DETAILS OF WELDED CONNECTIONS

3.1 GENERAL ................................................................................................................ 10
3.2 BUTT WELDS .......................................................................................................... 10
3.3 FILLET WELDS ....................................................................................................... 11
3.4 COMPOUND WELDS .............................................................................................. 15

SECTION 4 QUALIFICATION OF PROCEDURES AND PERSONNEL

4.1 QUALIFICATION OF WELDING PROCEDURE ................................................... 16
4.2 METHODS FOR QUALIFYING A WELDING PROCEDURE................................ 17
4.3 PREQUALIFIED WELDING PROCEDURES ......................................................... 18
4.4 PORTABILITY OF QUALIFIED WELDING PROCEDURES ................................ 18
4.5 PREQUALIFIED JOINT PREPARATIONS ............................................................. 18
4.6 QUALIFICATION OF WELDING CONSUMABLES ............................................. 19
4.7 QUALIFICATION OF WELDING PROCEDURE BY TESTING............................ 25
4.8 EXTENSION OF QUALIFICATION........................................................................ 28
4.9 COMBINATION OF PROCESSES........................................................................... 29
4.10 RECORDS OF TESTS .............................................................................................. 29
4.11 REQUALIFICATION OF WELDING PROCEDURES ............................................ 29
4.12 QUALIFICATION OF WELDING PERSONNEL .................................................... 32
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SECTION 5 WORKMANSHIP
5.1 PREPARATION OF EDGES FOR WELDING......................................................... 36
5.2 ASSEMBLY.............................................................................................................. 36
5.3 PREHEATING AND INTER-RUN CONTROL........................................................ 37
5.4 WELDING UNDER ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS................................... 39
5.5 TACK WELDS.......................................................................................................... 39
5.6 WELD DEPTH-TO-WIDTH RATIO ........................................................................ 39
5.7 CONTROL OF DISTORTION AND RESIDUAL STRESS...................................... 40
5.8 BACKGOUGING AND REPAIR OF DEFECTS IN WELDS .................................. 45
5.9 TEMPORARY ATTACHMENTS............................................................................. 46
5.10 ARC STRIKES.......................................................................................................... 46
5.11 CLEANING OF FINISHED WELDS........................................................................ 46
5.12 DRESSING OF BUTT WELDS ................................................................................ 46
 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004 4

Page

SECTION 6 QUALITY OF WELDS

6.1 METHODS OF INSPECTION AND PERMISSIBLE LEVELS OF
IMPERFECTIONS .................................................................................................... 47
6.2 RADIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 47
6.3 ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION ............................................................................. 48
6.4 MAGNETIC PARTICLE EXAMINATION .............................................................. 49
6.5 WELD DEFECTS...................................................................................................... 49
6.6 REPORTING............................................................................................................. 49

SECTION 7 INSPECTION
7.1 GENERAL ................................................................................................................ 54
7.2 QUALIFICATIONS OF INSPECTORS .................................................................... 54
7.3 VISUAL INSPECTION OF WORK.......................................................................... 54
7.4 NON-DESTRUCTIVE EXAMINATION OTHER THAN VISUAL ......................... 54

APPENDICES
A REFERENCED DOCUMENTS ................................................................................ 56
B BRITTLE FRACTURE ............................................................................................. 59
C TYPICAL FORMS FOR WELDING PROCEDURES .............................................. 64
D CHECK LIST OF MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION................................................... 67
E WELDED JOINT AND PROCESS IDENTIFICATION ........................................... 68
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 5 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA/STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Structural steel welding

Part 5: Welding of steel structures subject to high levels of fatigue loading

SECT ION 1 SCOPE AND GENERA L

1.1 SCOPE
This Standard specifies requirements for the welding of steel structures made up of
combinations of steel plate, sheet or sections, including hollow sections and built-up
sections, or castings and forgings, by the following processes:
(a) Manual metal-arc welding (MMAW).
(b) Submerged arc welding (SAW).
(c) Gas metal-arc welding (GMAW or MIG), including pulsed mode.
(d) Gas tungsten-arc welding (GTAW or TIG).
(e) Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW).
(f) Electroslag (including consumable guide) welding (ESW).
(g) Electrogas welding (EGW).
The Standard is limited to the welding of steel parent material with a specified minimum
yield strength not exceeding 500 MPa.
The Standard applies specifically to the welding of steelwork in structures complying with
AS 3990, AS 4100 or NZS 3404.1. Where welded joints in these structures are governed by
dynamic loading conditions, the Standard applies only to those welded joints that comply
with the fatigue provisions of AS 3990, where the stress range in the welded joint is greater
than 80% of the permissible stress range for Category B of AS 3990, or exceeds the stress
range permitted for detail Category 112 of AS 4100 or NZS 3404.1, but does not exceed the
maximum stress ranges permitted for these categories.
NOTE: Fillet welds and incomplete penetration butt welds may be used in AS 4100 or
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NZS 3404.1 detail Category 125, and in Category B fatigue applications of AS 3990 when the
direction of the weld is parallel to the direction of the applied stress.
In addition to the abovementioned structures, the Standard applies to the welding of
bridges, cranes, hoists, other dynamically loaded structures and steelwork in applications
other than structural.
NOTES:
1 Further information on this Standard is given in WTIA Technical Note 11.
2 The Standard is basically in line with AS/NZS 1554.1; however, it specifically applies to
welds subject to fatigue loading in excess of the range covered by AS/NZS 1554.1 and hence
it should not be specified where AS/NZS 1554.1 is acceptable.
3 It is expected that welds covered by this Standard will not normally occur with structures
such as buildings, tanks or silos, but only in certain classes of machinery and transport
equipment.
4 The Standard requires that weld preparation, welding consumables and welding procedures be
qualified before commencement of welding. Prequalified joint preparations, welding
consumables and welding procedures are also given in the Standard.

COPYRIGHT
 AS/NZS 1554.5:2004 Structural steel welding - Welding of steel
structures subject to high levels of fatigue loading
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