Overview
EN ISO 17652-2:2003 - “Welding - Test for shop primers in relation to welding and allied processes - Part 2: Welding properties of shop primers” (CEN adoption of ISO 17652-2:2003) specifies laboratory methods to assess how shop primers influence weldability. It defines two complementary tests - a Rating test (screening for relative porosity susceptibility) and a Weldability test (comparative assessment using fillet welds and common arc processes). The standard supports objective comparison of primers and primer/consumable combinations under reproducible “worst‑case” conditions.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test types
- Rating test: MAG welding (process 135) on small test pieces to quantify porosity (screening). Designed for supplier declarations.
- Weldability test: Fillet weld assessment for primer/consumable combinations across arc processes; closer to production conditions.
- Representative parameters (Rating test):
- Process: MAG (EN ISO 4063 process 135)
- Current: ~250 A (±5%), Voltage: ~30 V (±5%), Welding speed: ~300 mm/min (±5%)
- Shielding gas: 100% CO2, flow 15–20 l/min; electrode G3Si1, 1.2 mm diameter, DC+ polarity
- Specimen geometry, clamping: plates (20×80×200 mm and 12×50×200 mm), clamped at 10 kN ±5% with 2 mm copper wires to encourage porosity
- Porosity assessment
- Break weld by three‑point loading at ~150–250 °C to reveal pores
- Ignore pores < 0.5 mm; evaluate a 100 mm length (exclude 60 mm start, 40 mm end)
- Report: number of pores >0.5 mm, total pore area (F), mean pore area (F/n)
- Specimen preparation & conditions
- Primer thickness per supplier recommendation; drying: ≥10 days at 10–40 °C and ≥50% RH (unless otherwise reported)
- Weldability test uses S275 base material, blasted to SA 2½ (EN ISO 8501‑1)
- Reporting
- Test report must record test method, primer ID, coating thickness, welding procedure/parameters, surface condition, porosity data and other test metadata.
Applications and users
- Who uses it: primer manufacturers, welding engineers, fabrication quality control laboratories, steel fabricators, procurement/specification authors, and certification bodies.
- Practical uses:
- Supplier declarations of primer influence on weld quality
- Selecting compatible primer and consumable combinations
- Troubleshooting pore formation in production welding
- Supporting welding procedure qualification and acceptance criteria development
- Comparisons of primers under standardized “worst‑case” conditions for purchasing/specification decisions
Related standards
- EN ISO 17652-1:2003 (General requirements)
- EN 439 (shielding gases), EN 440 (welding consumables), EN ISO 2808 (film thickness), EN ISO 8501‑1 (surface cleanliness), EN 10025 (steel grades), EN ISO 4063 (process nomenclature)
- Use EN ISO 17652-2 alongside part 1 for health, safety and environmental precautions during testing.
Keywords: EN ISO 17652-2:2003, shop primers, weldability, rating test, porosity, MAG welding, fillet weld, welding consumables, primer testing.
