A welding structure in order to have the required reliability, during her lifetime, it should have satisfactory quality. This means that it should:
- Be designed in a way that is appropriate for its sought use during its forecasting lifetime.
- Be manufactured from materials and welding methods according to the requirements.
- Be used and maintained rightly.
Welding quality is a relative term and this means that it is not necessary a construction to have better quality from what is needed according to the requirements. When the requirements are strict, that has as consequence the cost of production to be extremely high. On the other hand when the requirements are loose, that has as consequence the cost of maintenance to be high and the forecasting lifetime to be reduced.
Officer of the Watch 