ASME Pressure Vessel Joint
Efficiencies
The ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies article provides you with
information about pressure vessel joint efficiency requirements and their
connection with radiography testing.
You may know Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies are linked to the radiography
testing grades and there is a concession for full radiography testing as per the
UW-11(a) (5) (b) clause which it is a little bit confusing.
This article provides you the ASME pressure vessel joint efficiencies
requirements and guidelines for the above clause.
Based on the ASME Code requirement, manufacturers have to mark the type of
RT i.e. RT1, RT2, RT3 and RT4 in the pressure vessel name plate and state the
same in Pressure Vessel Data Report.
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We have seen many professionals, from inspectors to quality control engineers
who are confused between RT1 and RT2, specifically when they see ASME
Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies for both RT1 and RT2 is the same and equal
to 1(E=1).
They say both RT1 and RT2 are categorized in the “Full Radiography” part in
UW-11 clause ...
So why are some joints in RT2 radiographed in spots?
We are making spot radiography, but it is categorized in full radiography!!!
So in this "ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies" article we want to answer
this question in very simple way, but before this, we need review joint categories
and summarize them as below:
ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies
- Category A Joints
All longitudinal welds in shell and nozzles
All welds in heads, Hemisph-head to shell weld joint
ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies
- Category B Joints
All circumferential welds in shell and nozzles
Head to shell joint (other than Hemisph.)
ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies
- Category C and D Joints
Category C and D are flange welds and nozzle attachment welds respectively
Longitudinal welds (Category A) are more critical than Circumferential welds
(Category B) because they are under double stress.
This the reason why in different part of ASME code we have stringent rules in
category A joint compared to category B joint.
See the following Fig. for joint categories:
Now let's get back to the ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies subject, to
remove the above confusion about RT1 and RT2.
We need to know:
When and where is there a code requirement for
full radiography?
Item 1: All butt welds in vessels used to contain a lethal substance (UW-
11(a)).Lethal substances have specific definitions in ASME Code in UW-2 and it
is the responsibility of the end user to determine if they ordered a vessel that
contains lethal substances.
Item 2: All butt welds in vessels in which the nominal thickness exceeds
specified values (UW-11(a). You can find these values in subsection C, in UCS-
57, UNF-57, etc. For example, this value for P-No.1 in UCS-57 is 1 ¼ inch.
Item 3: All butt welds in an unfired steam boiler with design pressure > 50 psi
(UW-11(a)).
Item 4: All category A and D butt welds in vessel when “Full Radiography”
optionally selected from table UW-12(column (a) in this table is selected); and
categories B and C which intersect Category A shall meet the spot radiography
requirement (UW-11(a) (5) (b)).
The point is this: items 1, 2 and 3 are similar, but item 4 is completely different. In
items 1, 2 and 3 it is mandated by code; to do full radiography in all butt welds in
vessel so it means it is mandatory for designer to select column (a) in UW-12
table.
But in item 4, there is no mandating rule. A manufacturer with its own decision
has chosen to use column (a) in table UW-12 for full radiography.
So here there is a concession or bonus to manufacturers for categories B and C.
What is concept behind this concession or
bonus in pressure vessel RT test?
If you review item 1, 2 and 3 one more time, you will see that the pressure vessel
RT tests are related to the type of welds and services.
You can see the pressure vessels in these items are critical from a safety point of
view, one contains a lethal substance, the other one has a high thickness, which
implicates high pressure, and the last one is an unfired steam boiler. But item 4
has no criticality like the other items have.
But you should note all 4 items have been categorized in full radiography
clause( U-11(a)), so to differentiate item 1, 2 and 3 from item 4, the RT symbols
are used in Code (UG-116).
RT 1: Items 1, 2 and 3, (E=1), All butt welds-full length radiography
RT 2: Item 4 (E=1), Category A and D butt welds full length radiography and
category B and C butt welds spot Radiography
RT 3: (E=0.85), Spot radiography butt welds
RT 4: (E=0.7), Partial / No radiography
You need to consider the hemispherical head joint to shell as category A, but
ellipsoidal and torispherical head joint to shell as category B;
Do you know why? Why ASME considered the stringent rule for pressure vessel
RT test in hemispherical head joint?
It is because this joint is more critical, because the thickness obtained from the
formula for hemispherical head approximately would be half of the shell
thickness;
It means if the shell thickness is 1 inch, the hemispherical head thickness would
be 0.5 inch.
For more detail, you may review the Pressure Vessel Heads article.
ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies for
welded Heads
For Welded Heads, the joint efficiency of the vessel will be 1(E=1), if all welds
within the head's full length are radiographed (since they are all Cat. A welds).
See above figure.
ASME Pressure Vessel Joint Efficiencies for Seamless
Heads
For seamless heads, the joint efficiency of the vessel will be 1(E=1) if the head to
shell weld is fully radiographed for the hemispherical Head (Cat A);
See the following Figure for RT types:
Spot radiographed for ellipsoidal and torispherical heads(Cat. B).
Weld Types
Here is some clarification about the different type of welds that have specific
definitions in ASME Code SEC VIII DIV 1 and related to the pressure vessel RT
test.
The concept is to define the different types and then introduce some restriction
for using them.
For example, a Type 1 weld is defined as a full penetration weld, typically double
welded and Type 2 is welds with backing strips.
So when you go to service restriction for a vessel containing a lethal substance,
you see there is a restriction there that says all category A joints shall be weld
Type 1 and Category B and C shall be type 1 or type 2.
You should take this point in to account, which is this: the same joint category
with different weld types have different joint efficiencies.
Summary of weld types:
Type 1: Full penetration welds (Typically Double welded)
Type 2: Welds with backing strip
Type 3: Single welded partial penetration welds
Type 4, 5 and 6: Various Lap welds (rarely used)
I assume the code of construction is ASME VIII/1 (unfortunately not mentioned)
The key for seamless pipes is paragraph UW-12(d)
Seamless vessel sections or heads shall be considered equivalent to welded parts of the same geometry in
which all Category A welds are Type No. 1. For calculations involving circumferential stress in seamless vessel
sections or for thickness of seamless heads,
joint efficiency E = 1.0 when the spot radiography requirements of UW-11(a)(5)(-b)are met
joint efficiency E = 0.85 when
- the spot radiography requirements of UW-11(a)(5)(-b) are not met or
- the Category A or B welds connecting seamless vessel sections or heads are Type No. 3, 4, 5, 6, or 8
of Table UW-12.
This means:
if the seamless portion of the vessel is connected to other portions by other than category A or B
welds a joint efficiency of 1 shall apply
if the seamless portion of the vessel is connected to other portions by category A or B welds and this
welds are types 1 or 2 and spot radiography requirements of UW-11(a)(5)(-b)are met a joint efficiency
of 1 shall apply.
if the seamless portion of the vessel is connected to other portions by category A or B welds and this
welds are other types than 1 or 2 a joint efficiency of 0.85 shall apply.
if the seamless portion of the vessel is connected to other portions by category A or B welds and this
welds are types 1 or 2 and spot radiography requirements of UW-11(a)(5)(-b)are not met a joint
efficiency of 0.85 shall apply.
For welded pipes endnote 8 of UG-8 have to considered. Only welded pipes without filler metal added are
considered as material. For these materials in the allowable stresses of ASME II-D a quality factor of 0.85 is
included (see Table 1-100 Criteria for Establishing Allowable Stress Values for Tables 1A and 1B).
Depends on what the pipe is used for.
E=1 for seamless nozzle
E=0.85 for Seamless Shell
E=1.0 for Seamless Shell with Spot RT on circ(s).
Welded is the same, but use the welded stress values.
Check out UW-12(d) and (e)
I have SA-53E/B (welded pipe) used as a shell.
ASME section II partD gives 14600 psi for max allowable stress at 200F.
In notes it is indicated that this value (14600 psi) includes 0.85 joint efficiency factor.
I read the UW-12 and my understanding is that I can use E=1 in UG27 formula for required shell thickness,
provided that 14600 psi (value that includes E=0.85) is used as maximum allowable stress.
Is my understanding correct.
