AWS C7.3:2016

An American National Standard

Process Specification for Electron Beam Welding

AWS C7.3:2016

An American National Standard

Approved by American National Standards Institute

January 26, 2016

Process Specification for Electron Beam Welding

2nd Edition

Supersedes AWS C7.3:1999R

Prepared by the American Welding Society (AWS) C7 Committee on High-Energy Beam Welding and Cutting

Under the Direction of the AWS Technical Activities Committee

Approved by the AWS Board of Directors

Abstract

This specification on electron beam welding discusses applicable specifications, safety, requirements, fabrication, qual- ity examination, equipment calibration and maintenance, approval of work, and delivery of work.

ISBN: 978-0-87171-877-8

© 2016 by American Welding Society

All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America

Photocopy Rights. No portion of this standard may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, including mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Authorization to photocopy items for internal, personal, or educational classroom use only or the internal, personal, or educational classroom use only of specific clients is granted by the American Welding Society provided that the appro- priate fee is paid to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, tel: (978) 750-8400; Internet: <www.copyright.com>.

Statement on 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 governmen- tal 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 stan- dard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.

AWS American National Standards are developed through a consensus standards development process that brings together volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus. While AWS administers the process and establishes rules to promote fairness in the development of consensus, it does not independently test, evalu- ate, or verify the accuracy of any information or the soundness of any judgments contained in its standards.

AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any nature whatsoever, whether spe- cial, indirect, consequential, or compensatory, directly or indirectly resulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this standard. AWS also makes no guarantee or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

In issuing and making this standard available, AWS is neither undertaking to render professional or other services for or on behalf of any person or entity, nor is AWS undertaking to perform any duty owed by any person or entity to someone else. Anyone using these documents should rely on his or her own independent judgment or, as appropriate, seek the advice of a competent professional in determining the exercise of reasonable care in any given circumstances. It is assumed that the use of this standard and its provisions is entrusted to appropriately qualified and competent personnel.

This standard may be superseded by new editions. This standard may also be corrected through publication of amend- ments or errata, or supplemented by publication of addenda. Information on the latest editions of AWS standards includ- ing 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.

Publication of this standard does not authorize infringement of any patent or trade name. Users of this standard accept any and all liabilities for infringement of any patent or trade name items. AWS disclaims liability for the infringement of any patent or product trade name resulting from the use of this standard.

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 NW 36 St, # 130, Miami, FL 33166 (see Annex G). 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 C7 Committee on High-Energy Beam Welding and Cutting. It must be reviewed every five years, and if not revised, it must be either reaffirmed or withdrawn. Comments (recom- mendations, 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 C7 Committee on High-Energy Beam Welding and Cutting 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 C7 Committee on High- Energy Beam Welding and Cutting to express their comments verbally. Procedures for appeal of an adverse decision con- cerning 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 NW 36 St, # 130, Miami, FL 33166.

This page is intentionally blank.

Personnel

AWS C7 Committee on High-Energy Beam Welding and Cutting

T. A. Palmer, Chair Penn State University

K.W. Lachenberg, Vice Chair Sciaky Corporation

1. D. Kautz, 2nd Vice Chair Los Alamos National Laboratory

   1. Portela, Secretary American Welding Society

      1. Black PTR-Precision Technologies, Incorporated

P.E. Denney The Lincoln Electric Company

P. W. Hochandel Los Alamos National Laboratory

G. R. LaFlamme PTR-Precision Technologies, Incorporated

E. D. Levert Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control

E. Lord Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory

R. P. Martukanitz Penn State University

Advisors to the AWS C7 Committee on High-Energy Beam Welding and Cutting

P. Blomquist Edison Welding Institute

P. W. Fuerschbach SmartWeld Solutions

J. O. Milewski Retired

T. M. Mustaleski Welding Engineer

D. E. Powers Retired

D. Zoller ESAB

AWS C7B Subcommittee on Electron Beam Welding and Cutting

1. A. Palmer, Chair Penn State University

   1. Black PTR-Precision Technologies, Incorporated

P. Portela, Secretary American Welding Society

J. W. Elmer Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

G. R. Gibbs Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

P. W. Hochanadel Los Alamos National Laboratory

D. D. Kautz Los Alamos National Laboratory

K. W. Lachenberg Sciaky Corporation

G. R. LaFlamme PTR-Precision Technologies, Incorporated

E. D. Levert Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control

M. C. Maguire Sandia National Laboratory

K. J. Zacharias Hamilton Sundstand Spc. Sys, Incorporated

Advisors to the AWS C7B Subcommittee on Electron Beam Welding and Cutting

D. R. Foster Pratt & Whitney

J. O. Milewski Retired

J. C. Monsees SpaceX

T. M. Mustaleski Welding Engineer

D. E. Powers Retired

This page is intentionally blank.

Foreword

This Foreword is not part of AWS C7.3:2016, Process Specification for Electron Beam Welding, but is included for information purposes only.

The commercial application of Electron Beam Welding (EBW) was first introduced in the late 1950s and subsequently gained rapid and widespread acceptance by the industrial community. It is estimated that there are over 1000 electron beam welding machines presently in use in the United States and a significantly greater number than that in use through- out the rest of the world (primarily in other industrialized countries such as the former Soviet Union countries, Japan, Germany, and Great Britain). Industries employing electron beam welding include aerospace, automotive, nuclear, elec- tronic, consumer product, medical, and job shop. In order to support this widespread use of electron beam welding, a uni- form guide to preparation of weld process specifications and operator qualification is needed. This document is intended to provide electron beam welding users worldwide with a uniform set of guidelines for the qualification of electron beam welding procedures and operators.

The information in this document was compiled by the American Welding Society’s C7B Subcommittee on Electron Beam Welding and Cutting by collecting information from various manufacturers and users of electron beam equipment. The information has, therefore, been carefully reviewed by a number of experts in the field of electron beam welding and should provide a helpful guide.

This is the second edition of the C7.3 specification. A vertical line in the margin or underlined text in clauses, tables, or figures indicates an editorial or technical change from 1999.

This page is intentionally blank.

Table of Contents

Page No.

Personnel v

Foreword vii

List of Tables xi

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. Safety 2

   1. Electric Shock 2

   2. Materials, Fumes, and Gases 3

   3. X-Radiation 3

   4. Visible Radiation 3

   5. Vacuum 3

5. Requirements 3

   1. Equipment 3

   2. Materials 4

   3. Joint Design 4

   4. Preweld and Postweld Heat Treatments 4

   5. Procedures 4

6. Fabrication 5

7. Quality Examination 5

   1. Nondestructive Examination (NDE) 5

   2. Discontinuity Limits 5

   3. Destructive Evaluation 5

8. Equipment Calibration and Maintenance 5

9. Approval of Work 6

10. Delivery of Work 6

    1. Identification 6

    2. Protective Treatments 6

    3. Packaging 6

11. Records 6

Annex A (Informative)—Preweld Cleaning Processes of Materials 7

Annex B (Informative)—Sample WPS 9

Annex C (Informative)—Sample Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR) 11

Annex D (Informative)—Sample Operator Process Qualification Test Record (OPQTR) 13

Annex E (Informative)—Sample Operational Review 15

Annex F (Informative)—Nondestructive Evaluation Discontinuity Limits 17

Annex G (Informative)—Guidelines for the Preparation of Technical Inquires 19

List of AWS Documents on High-Energy Beam Welding and Cutting 21

List of Tables

Table Page No.

1. Nondestructive Examination 5

This page is intentionally blank.

Process Specification for Electron Beam Welding

1. General Requirements

   1. Scope. This specification addresses processing and quality control requirements for electron beam welding. Processing includes both high- and low-voltage welding equipment and high and medium vacuum variations.

      1. Materials. This specification covers all major engineering metals and alloys.

      2. Qualification Categories. There are three categories to which welds may be qualified: Class A, B, or C.

         1. Class A: Critical Applications. Critical weldments include those where a failure of any portion would cause loss of system, loss of major component, loss of control, unintentional release of critical stores (such as fuel or cargo), or endangerment of personnel.

         2. Class B: Semicritical Applications. Semicritical weldments include those where a failure would reduce the overall efficiency of the system but loss of the system or endangerment of personnel would not be experienced.

         3. Class C: Noncritical Applications. Noncritical weldments include those where a failure would not affect the efficiency of the system or endanger personnel.

   2. Units of Measure. This standard does not require units of measure. Therefore, no equivalents or conversions are contained except when they are cited in examples.

   3. Safety. Safety issues and concerns are addressed in this standard, although health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard. 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. 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 devel- oping the safety program.