Page 4 - HIWT Winter 2013 World of Welding

THE WORLD OF WELDING http://www.welding.org

VISUAL INSPECTION ONLINE FULFILLS mANY
PURPOSES

By Biazzio Giordano, Jr.
Biazzio Giordano, Jr. is the welding instructor of Career
Technology Education (CTE) at Parkside High School in
Salisbury, Maryland, where he was once a student.

As I was looking for information to post on our FB Alumni
page, I was making a check of the Hobart Institute website
when I noticed the online courses. I thought I should take
the Visual Inspection Online Course and post it for the ones
who follow our page. As a former NDT inspector in nuclear
plants, I thought that I had visual inspection down to a science.
However the course brought me back to reality and reminded
me that there are acceptance standards!

As a welding instructor, like many other instructors, I have a
zero-defect policy in place in my shop. When the students go
to the “heart breaker” as they call the guided bend tester, they
understand that minor flaws are unacceptable. Now that may
be a good thing if you look at it from the point of training.
However if you are teaching quality control/inspection, then
when it comes to discussing discontinuities verses defects,
you open up a whole new conversation on your acceptance all public school welding teachers must have in their lesson.
standards. So not only did I come back up to speed on my inspection,
but my students will also benefit from the understanding of
When teaching in the shop area, I always have a set of fillet inspection acceptance standards and D1.1 without complete
weld gauges on me, usually two types and use them daily confusion.
during instruction. The students quickly learn how to use weld
sequence to achieve the desired weld size. However I hardly Now when the students go to the heart breaker, (and I will
ever have undercut measuring devices, usually dismissing it still have the same zero tolerance policy on discontinuities
with “excessive undercut is unacceptable,” or have the tools that I have always had) I can ask them to evaluate their work
for measuring crown reinforcement. Like with undercut, I on the acceptance criteria in the code and determine if their
dismiss it with “you have too much crown” along with the work would get them the job they are testing for. When they
required recommendations for correction. question my zero tolerance rule, I can point them to the portion
of the code that says we can tighten up but never loosen up the
Since I have refreshed my understanding of Visual Inspection, acceptance criteria, getting them into D1.1 again.
I plan on introducing the inspection devices into my program,
allowing the students to determine if their work meets the It is being suggested that welders who work on projects that
inspection criteria set forth in D1.1. This will hopefully require critical welds and inspection be required to pass a
serve two purposes without taking time away from hands written test as well as a performance qualification test, and
on instruction. First, by making the students aware of the courses like these allow those who have long experience to
tools and standards that the inspector will be using in the field brush up on the inspection requirements. Face it; rework costs
to inspect their work, it will make them better inspectors of three times the original cost of doing it right the first time.
their own work. As I always tell my students, YOU should If the welder is able to spot the problem in process, the cost
be the toughest inspector of your own work, correcting savings could be substantial to the bottom line of any project.
any discontinuities that you have BEFORE calling for an Online courses like these allow us to keep up with the industry
inspection. Second, by incorporating the acceptance criteria requirements, make us better educated welders and teachers,
into the classroom along with the inspection tools and their and save the contractor who writes the paycheck lost revenue
use, I am able to reinforce the required math component that doing rework, resulting in a win-win for everyone.
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