AWS D17.2/D17.2M:2013

An American National Standard

Specification for Resistance Welding for Aerospace Applications

AWS D17.2/D17.2M:2013

An American National Standard

Approved by the American National Standards Institute

October 30, 2012

Specification for Resistance Welding for Aerospace Applications

2nd Edition

Supersedes AWS D17.2/D17.2M:2007

Prepared by the American Welding Society (AWS) D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industry

Under the Direction of the AWS Technical Activities Committee

Approved by the AWS Board of Directors

Abstract

This specification provides the general resistance welding requirements for aerospace hardware. It includes, but is not limited to, resistance spot and resistance seam welding of aluminum, magnesium, iron, nickel, cobalt, and titanium- based alloys. There are requirements for machine and procedure qualification, production witness samples, and inspec- tion and acceptance criteria for aerospace hardware.

International Standard Book Number: 978-0-87171-832-7

American Welding Society 8669 Doral Blvd., Suite 130, Doral, FL 33166

© 2013 by American Welding Society

All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America

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Statement on the Use of American Welding Society Standards

All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American Welding Society (AWS) are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). When AWS American National Standards are either incorporated in, or made part of, documents that are included in federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other govern- mental bodies, their provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be approved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and regulations. In all cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the contract or other document that invokes the AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes in or deviations from requirements of an AWS standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.

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This standard may be superseded by new editions. This standard may also be corrected through publication of amendments or errata or supplemented by publication of addenda. Information on the latest editions of AWS standards including amendments, errata, and addenda is posted on the AWS web page (www.aws.org). Users should ensure that they have the latest edition, amendments, errata, and addenda.

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AWS does not monitor, police, or enforce compliance with this standard, nor does it have the power to do so.

Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of this standard may only be obtained by sending a request, in writing, to the appropriate technical committee. Such requests should be addressed to the American Welding Society, Attention: Managing Director, Technical Services Division, 8669 Doral Blvd., Suite 130, Doral, FL 33166 (see Annex D). With regard to technical inquiries made concerning AWS standards, oral opinions on AWS standards may be rendered. These opinions are offered solely as a convenience to users of this standard, and they do not constitute professional advice. Such opinions represent only the personal opinions of the particular individuals giving them. These individuals do not speak on behalf of AWS, nor do these oral opinions constitute official or unofficial opinions or interpretations of AWS. In addition, oral opinions are informal and should not be used as a substitute for an official interpretation.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industry. It must be reviewed every five years, and if not revised, it must be either reaffirmed or withdrawn. Comments (recommendations, additions, or deletions) and any pertinent data that may be of use in improving this standard are required and should be addressed to AWS Headquarters. Such comments will receive careful consideration by the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industry and the author of the comments will be informed of the Committee’s response to the comments. Guests are invited to attend all meetings of the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industry to express their comments verbally. Procedures for appeal of an adverse decision concerning all such comments are provided in the Rules of Operation of the Technical Activities Committee. A copy of these Rules can be obtained from the American Welding Society, 8669 Doral Blvd., Suite 130, Doral, FL 33166.

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Personnel

AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries

S. H. Murray, Chair NASA—Kennedy Space Center

1. W. Coleman, 1st Vice Chair The Boeing Company

   1. S. Ponder, 2nd Vice Chair Triumph Airborne Structures

      1. J. Ding, 3rd Vice Chair NASA—Marshall Space Flight Center

         1. L. Diaz, Secretary American Welding Society

J. T. Amin Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics Division, Lockheed-Martin Corporation

R. P. Beil Northrop Grumman Corporation

C. Carl NASA—Kennedy Space Center

P. E. Daum Rolls Royce Corporation

H. S. Dilcher, III Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Division, Lockheed-Martin Corporation

R. J. Durda Spirit AeroSystems

J. Fournier Pratt & Whitney Canada

E. C. Helder General Electric Aircraft Engines—Retired

D. Lindland Pratt & Whitney

1. B. Maust, III Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

   1. C. Nordin Rolls Royce Corporation

   2. D. Rindal Exotic Metals Forming Company, LLC

      1. E. Sapp NAVAIR In-Service Support Center—Cherry Point

         1. Sauer NAVAIR In-Service Support Center—Cherry Point

            W. R. Schell The Boeing Company

         2. A. Senatore BG Inspections

G. J. Stahle Navistar

J. R. Thyssen General Electric Aviation

G. E. Trepus Boeing Research and Technology

B. D. Worley General Electric Aviation

Advisors to the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries

AWS D17D Subcommittee on Resistance Welding

W. R. Schell, Chair The Boeing Company

1. E. Daum, Vice Chair Rolls Royce Corporation

   1. L. Diaz, Secretary American Welding Society

R. K. Cohen WeldComputer Corporation

R. K. Easterwood Honeywell International

J. Fournier Pratt & Whitney Canada

G. G. Gondyke Whitcraft, LLC

P. F. Lang Pratt & Whitney

D. Lindland Pratt & Whitney

L. D. Morris Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

J. B. Pearson, Jr. LTK Engineering Services

D. S. Ponder Triumph Airborne Structures

N. D. Rindal Exotic Metals Forming Company, LLC

M. E. Sapp NAVAIR In-Service Support Center—Cherry Point

B. White Janda Company, Incorporated

Advisors to the AWS D17D Subcommittee on Resistance Welding

R. P. Beil Northrop Grumman Corporation

W. Jaxa-Rozen Bombardier Transportation

G. Loy-Kraft Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, U.S. Air Force

1. B. Maust, III Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

   1. Openshaw Atlantic Research Corporation

L. P. Perkins U.S. Air Force

D. S. Ponder Triumph Airborne Structures

S. R. Potter SSP Consulting Services

D. A. Senatore BG Inspections

J. G. Vollmer Boeing Satellite Systems

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Foreword

This foreword is not part of AWS D17.2/D17.2M:2013, Specification for Resistance Welding for Aerospace Applications, but is included for informational purposes only.

In the mid 1990s, the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries decided it was neces- sary to form a subcommittee to write a resistance spot and seam welding specification.

This is the second edition of the D17.2/D17.2M specification. This specification is intended to replace the following documents:

MIL-W-6858D, Welding, Resistance: Spot and Seam, March 28, 1978 AMS-W-6858A, Welding, Resistance Spot and Seam, April 1, 2000

MIL-W-6858D or AMS-W-6858A, or both, take precedence over this specification only when they are cited by the con- tract documents.

Underlined text in clauses, tables, or figures indicates an editorial or technical change from the 2007 edition. A vertical line in the margin also indicates a revision from 2007 edition.

Comments and suggestions for the improvement of this standard are welcome. They should be sent to the Secretary, AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries, American Welding Society, 8669 Doral Blvd., Suite 130, Doral, FL 33166.

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Table of Contents

Page No.

Personnel v

Foreword vii

List of Tables x

List of Figures x

1. General Requirements 1

   1. Scope 1

   2. Units of Measure 1

   3. Safety 1

2. Normative References 2

3. Terms and Definitions 2

4. Requirements 3

   1. Design Requirements 3

   2. Materials and Methods of Preparation 8

   3. Equipment Requirements 8

   4. Qualification of Welding Machines 9

   5. Welding Procedure Certification 10

   6. Production Verification Testing 16

   7. Acceptance Criteria 16

5. Quality Assurance Provisions 24

   1. Production Quality Control 24

   2. Production Witness Specimens 24

   3. Inspection of Production Parts 26

Annex A (Informative)—Form for Resistance Welding Data Sheet for Spot and Projection Welding 29

Annex B (Informative)—Form for Resistance Welding Data Sheet for Seam and Roll Spot Welding 31

Annex C (Informative)—Informative References 33

Annex D (Informative)—Guidelines for the Preparation of Technical Inquiries 35

Annex E (Informative)—Recommendation for a Metallographic Method for the Evaluation of Weld

Penetration in Resistance Seam Welds 37

Annex F (Informative)—Commentary of Machine Qualification 41

List of AWS Documents on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries 45

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List of Tables

Table Page No.

1. Shear Load Requirements for Spot Weld Sheet Specimens Group 1 Alloys—Aluminum and

   Magnesium Alloys 4

2. Shear Load Requirements for Spot Weld Sheet Specimens Group 2 Alloys—Steel, Nickel, and

   Cobalt Alloys 5

3. Shear Load Requirements for Spot Weld Sheet Specimens Group 3 Alloys—Titanium Alloys 6

4. Shear Load Requirements for Spot Welds in Foil 7

5. Machine Qualification Specimens and Examination Requirements 10

6. Procedure Certification Specimen and Examination Requirements Spot Welds—Sheet 11

7. Procedure Certification Specimen and Examination Requirements Spot Welds—Foil 12

8. Procedure Certification Specimen and Examination Requirements Seam Welds—Sheet 12

9. Procedure Certification Specimen and Examination Requirements Seam Welds—Foil 12

10. Limits for Visible Discontinuities in Production Parts or Lots 17

11. Nugget Size (All Groups) 19

12. Internal Metallographic Imperfections for Production Witness Samples or Sectioned Parts 21

13. Production Witness Welds, Test Lots 25

List of Figures

Figure Page No.

1. Spot Welds in Sheet 13

2. Close-Spaced Spot Welds in Sheet 13

3. Spot Welds in Foil for Class A Welds 14

4. Spot and Seam Welds in Foil, Peel Specimen for Class C Welds 14

5. Seam Welds in Sheet 14

6. Pressure Test of Seam Welds in Foil, for Class A Welds 15

7. Nomenclature for Metallographic Spot Weld Sections and Seam Weld Transverse Sections 17

8. Surface Indentation 18

9. Nomenclature Diagram of Spot and Seam Weld Radiographs 20

10. Minimum Penetration 20

11. Shear Tests of Three or More Thicknesses 22

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Specification for Resistance Welding for Aerospace Applications

1. General Requirements

   1. Scope. This specification covers requirements for resistance spot and seam welding of the following metals and their alloys.

      1. Material Groups

         Group 1—Aluminum and magnesium Group 2—Steel, nickel, and cobalt Group 3—Titanium

      2. Classification. Classification is based on the following:

         Class A—A welded joint, whose failure during any operating condition would cause loss of the equipment or system or one of its major components.

         Class B—A welded joint whose failure would reduce the overall strength of the equipment or system or limit the intended functioning or use of equipment.

         Class C—A welded joint for which no stress analysis is required and whose failure would not affect the performance of the equipment or system.

   2. Units of Measure. This standard makes use of both U.S. Customary Units and the International System of Units (SI). The latter are shown within brackets ([ ]) or in appropriate columns in tables and figures. The measurements may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently.

   3. Safety. Safety and health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard and therefore are not fully addressed herein. Safety and health information is available from the following sources:

American Welding Society:

1. ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes

2. AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheets

3. Other safety and health information on the AWS website Material or Equipment Manufacturers:

(1) Material Safety Data Sheets supplied by materials manufacturers (2) Operating Manuals supplied by equipment manufacturers

Applicable Regulatory Agencies

Work performed in accordance with this standard may involve the use of materials that have been deemed hazardous, and may involve operations or equipment that may cause injury or death. This standard does not purport to address all safety and health risks that may be encountered. The user of this standard should establish an appropriate safety program to address such risks as well as to meet applicable regulatory requirements. ANSI Z49.1 should be considered when developing the safety program.

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