C-N1N1 General provisions

This chapter provides minimum requirements for quality control (QC), quality assurance (QA), and nondestructive testing (NDT) for structural steel systems for buildings and other structures. Chapter N also addresses the inspection of field-installed shear stud connectors of composite slab construction that are frequently within the scope of the fabricator and erector. The inspection requirements for the other elements of composite construction, such as concrete, formwork, reinforcement, and the related dimensional tolerances, are addressed elsewhere. Three publications of the American Concrete Institute may be applicable. These are ACI 117, Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Commentary (ACI, 2010a), ACI 301, Specifications for Structural Concrete (ACI, 2010b), and ACI 318 and ACI 318M, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary (ACI, 2019). Minimum observation and inspection tasks deemed necessary to ensure quality structural steel construction are defined.

This chapter also defines a comprehensive system of quality control requirements on the part of the steel fabricator and erector and similar requirements for quality assurance on the part of the project owner’s representatives when such is deemed necessary to complement the contractor’s quality control function. These requirements exemplify recognized principles for developing involvement of all levels of manage-

ment and the workforce in the quality control process as the most effective method of achieving quality in the constructed product. The chapter supplements these quality control requirements with quality assurance responsibilities as are deemed suitable for a specific task. The requirements follow the same requirements for inspections utilized in AWS D1.1/D1.1M (AWS, 2020) and the RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using High-Strength Bolts (RCSC, 2020), hereafter referred to as the RCSC Specification.

Under AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, Section 8 (AISC, 2022a), hereafter referred to as the Code of Standard Practice, the fabricator or erector is to implement a QC system as part of their normal operations. Those that participate in AISC Quality Certification or similar programs are required to develop QC systems as part of those programs. The engineer of record (EOR) should evaluate what is already a part of the fabricator’s or erector’s QC system in determining the quality assurance needs for each project. Where the fabricator’s or erector’s QC system is considered adequate for the project, including compliance with any specific project needs, the special inspection or QA plan may be modified to reflect this. Similarly, where additional needs are identified, supplementary requirements should be specified.

The terminology adopted is intended to provide a clear distinction between fabricator and erector requirements and the requirements of others. The definitions of QC and QA used here are consistent with usage in related industries, such as the steel bridge industry, and they are used for the purposes of this Specification. It is recognized that these definitions are not the only definitions in use. For example, QC and QA are defined differently in the AISC Quality Certification program in a fashion that is useful to that program and are consistent with the International Standards Organization and the American Society for Quality.

For the purposes of this Specification, QC includes those tasks performed by the steel fabricator and erector that influence quality or are performed to measure or confirm quality. QA tasks performed by organizations other than the steel fabricator and erector are intended to provide a level of assurance that the product meets the project requirements.

The terms quality control and quality assurance are used throughout this Chapter to describe inspection tasks required to be performed by the steel fabricator and erector and project owner’s representatives, respectively. The QA tasks are inspections often performed when required by the applicable building code or authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), and designated as special inspections, or as otherwise required by the project owner or EOR.

Chapter N defines two inspection levels for required inspection tasks and labels them as either “observe” or “perform.” The choice in terminology reflects the multi-task nature of welding and high-strength bolting operations, and the required inspections during each specific phase.