Joint mapping

Joint mapping records relationships between welds and joints, as well as recording bends and loose ends. Joint mapping has two purposes:

  • It enables you to create reports in the office showing welding progress, including the location of bends and loose ends.
  • It streamlines data entry when you measure points along the as-built pipeline so that by entering just the weld ID, the details for the linked joints are available for review and editing and are stored with the point.

Joint mapping is completed on a controller such as a TSC7 or tablet and there is no need to be connected to any survey equipment to do this. The position and station can also be recorded. You can use the controller's integrated GNSS to do this, or you can connect to an external GNSS receiver. If you have a GNSS position from a connected Trimble GNSS receiver than this position is always used in preference to the coarse position from the controller's GNSS.

Typically, joint mapping is done after the pipeline has been welded but before it is lowered into the trench. You can map different types of joints, as required.

When two pipe joints are welded together, the welder records an ID number for the weld, and this ID is typically used as the unique weld or x-ray ID. The unique weld ID, along with the joint ahead and joint behind ID, are then recorded. You can also configure the Joint mapping screen to capture additional information for the weld, for example the welder's initials or the date, from the Options screen. See Joint mapping options.

The Pipelines software allows you to map welds by working along the pipeline in a downstream or upstream direction. When working in a downstream direction, the ID of the previously entered joint ahead automatically becomes the ID of the joint behind for the following weld. When working in an upstream direction, the ID of the joint behind automatically becomes the ID of the joint ahead of the following weld.

Some companies like to record bend details along with the joint ID when the pipeline is above ground. Default bend mapping simply records the bend ID, the joint ID with the bend in it, and a position and station if required. Additional bend information, for example the bend type and direction, can be recorded in the following ways:

  • When creating the tally file, include columns to record additional bend information. The bend information can be easily updated in the tally for the defined joint ID when creating the bend map.

  • Set up the Joint mapping screen to provide the extra fields to capture the additional information for the bend. This can be configured from the Options screen. See Joint mapping options.

A loose end is the unwelded end of a section of welded pipeline. Some companies record loose ends as sections of the pipeline are welded so that they have a complete picture of progress on the pipeline. To update the joint map as loose ends are welded, delete the loose end record and then create a new joint map record for the weld.