08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Previous|Next|Contents

ESDEPWG11

CONNECTIONDESIGN:STATICLOADING

Lecture11.2.1:GeneralitiesonWelded
Connections
OBJECTIVE/SCOPE:

Todescribethedifferenttypesofstructuralweldsandgivebasicinformationonweldpreparationand
weldquality.

PREREQUISITES

Lectures1B.5:IntroductiontoDesignofBuildings

Lecture2.1:CharacteristicsofIronCarbonAlloys

Lectures2.3:EngineeringPropertiesofSteels

Lectures3.2:Erection

Lecture3.5:Fabrication/ErectionofBuildings

Lecture3.6:Inspection/QualityAssurance

Lecture11.1.2:IntroductiontoConnectionDesign

RELATEDLECTURES:

Lecture2.4:SteelGradesandQualities

Lecture2.6:WeldabilityofStructuralSteels

Lecture3.3:PrinciplesofWelding

Lecture3.4:WeldingProcesses

Lectures11.2:WeldedConnections

Lectures11.4:AnalysisofConnections

SUMMARY:

Mechanicalandgeometricalcharacteristicsofweldsaredescribed.Fundamentalprinciplesconcerning
edgepreparation,fitup,andqualityofweldsaregiven.

NOTATION
http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 1/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

As%Elongationofsteelatfailure

aThroatthicknessofwelds[mm]

fyNominalyieldstressofparentmetal[MPa]

fuNominalultimatestressofparentmetal[MPa]

1.INTRODUCTION
Wheretherearefavourableworkingconditions,weldingisthemosteconomicalwaytomakestrong
connections.Therefore,workshopconnectionsareusuallywelded.Wheresiteconnectionsarenecessary
(erection)theyareusuallybolted,buttheconnectionsareoftenpreparedintheworkshopwithwelded
plates,etc.necessaryfortheboltedjoint.

Figures13showsomeexamplesonweldedconnectionsandthewaytheycarryexternalloads.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 2/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 3/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 4/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

2.TYPESOFWELDS
Inweldedconstructionforbuildingsapproximately80%oftheweldsarefilletweldsand15%arebutt
welds.Theremaining5%areplug,slotandspotwelds.

2.1ButtWelds
Abuttweldismadewithinthecrosssectionoftheabuttingplatesinabuttorteejoint.Normally,the
plateedgeshavetobepreparedbeforewelding,seeFigure4b.Insomecases,iftheplatethicknessis
lessthanabout5mm,edgepreparationcanbeavoided,seeFigure4a.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 5/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Thebevelledplateedgesinabuttweldmaytakevariousgeometricalforms,seeFigure5.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 6/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Forbuttwelds,adistinctionismadebetween:

fullpenetrationbuttweldinwhichthereisacompletepenetrationandfusionofweldandparent
metalthroughoutthethicknessofthejoint,seeFigure4.
partialpenetrationbuttweld,inwhichthereisaweldpenetrationlessthanthefullthicknessofthe
joint,seeFigure6.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 7/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

2.2FilletWelds
Afilletweldisaweldofapproximatelytriangularcrosssectionappliedtothesurfaceprofileofthe
plates.Noedgepreparationisneeded.Therefore,filletweldsareusuallycheaperthanbuttwelds.
Accordingtotherelativepositionofthepartstobewelded,therearethreetypesoffilletweld
applications:

lapjoint,inwhichthepartsweldedareinparallelplanes,seeFigure7a.
teeorcruciformjoint,inwhichthepartsweldedaremoreorlessperpendiculartooneanother,see
Figure7b.
cornerjoint,inwhichthepartsarealsomoreorlessperpendiculartooneanother,seeFigure7c.
Toimprovethestrengthandstiffnessofthejoint,theoutercornerisnormallybuttwelded,see
Figure8.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 8/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 9/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Filletweldsthatcanbelaidinasinglerunareparticularlyeconomicintheworkshop8mmweldsare
oftenpossiblebutifsiteweldingistobeusedthisfiguremaybereducede.g.to6mm.

2.3PlugandSlotWelds
Slotandplugwelds,seeFigure9,areseldomusedinbuildingstructures.Theyprincipallyprevent
bucklingorseparationoflappedplates.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 10/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

2.4SpotWelds
Spotweldsareseldomusedinbuildingstructures.Thepartstobejoined,whichmustbethin,are
clampedtogetherbytwoelectrodes,seeFigure10.Acurrentpassingthroughtheelectrodesmeltsthe
pieceslocally,andtheclampingpressureforcesthemtogether,formingafusedspot.Alineofsuch
spotsconstitutesajoint.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 11/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

3.DESCRIPTIONOFWELDSDEFINITIONS
Inthischaptersometermsoftenusedinwelddesignaredefined.

Theparentmetalorthebasemetalisthesteelmaterialwhichiswelded.
Thefillermetalortheweldmetalistheelectrodematerialusedintheweldingprocess.

Figure11showstheterminologyusedtodescribethevariouspartsoftheweld:

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 12/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Therootisthepointofthejointlinereachedbythepenetrationofthefillermetal.
Thefaceistheoutsidesurfaceoftheweld.
Thetoeisthelineontheweldfacebetweenthefillermetalandtheparentmetal.
Theheataffectedzoneisapartoftheparentmetalwhichhasnotbeenmeltedwiththefiller
metal,butwhichundergoesfastheatingandcoolingduringthepassageoftheweldingarc.Inthis
zone,theparentmetalissubjecttoahardeningtreatmentandcanconsequentlybecomebrittle.

Theshapeofafilletweldedcrosssectioncanbeconvexorconcave,seeFigure12.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 13/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Fordesign,twogeometricalweldparametersareused:

Thethroatthickness,a,istheminimumdistancefromtheroottotheweldfaceignoringthe
convexzone.Figure13showsthethroatthicknessaofabuttweldandafilletweld.
Thelengthisthelongitudinalwelddimensioninthedirectionoftheweldingarcdisplacement.
Figure13showsweldsforwhichthelengthlisthefulllengthoftheplatesforthelapjointof
Figure2lwouldbethesumoftwicetheoverlappedlengthplusthewidthofthesmallerplate.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 14/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

4.MECHANICALPROPERTIESOFMATERIALS
4.1ParentMetal

Theparentmetalmusthavetheweldabilitypropertiesdefinedbythesteelqualitiesofeachsteelgrade.
Theweldabilityofasteeldependsonitschemicalcompositionandmetallurgicalcharacteristics.These
aspectsaredescribedinLecture2.6.

InaccordancewithEurocode3[1]andEN10025[2],hotrolledsteelgradesS235,S275andS355with
qualityB,CorDaresuitableforallweldingprocesses.

Themechanicalcharacteristicsadoptedincalculationsaretheyieldstrengthfyandtheultimatetensile
strengthfu.Further,inthecaseofplasticanalysis,steelmusthaveanultimatestrainatleast20timesthe
yieldstrainandhaveaminimumelongationAsatfailureofatleast15%.Thevaluesofthese
characteristicsaregiveninTable1.

Nominalsteel Thicknesst
http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 15/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

grade
t<40mm 40mm<t<100mm

fyMPa fuMPa As% fyMPa fuMPa As%

Fe360 235 360 26 215 340 24

Fe430 275 430 22 255 410 20

Fe510 355 510 22 335 490 20

Table1Mechanicalpropertiesofhotrolledsteels

ThesteelqualityB,C,orDreflectstheimpactresistancedeterminedbyaCharpyVimpacttestin
whichtheimpactenergyneededtofractureaVnotchspecimenwithacertaintemperatureismeasured.
Thequalityclassindicatesifthesteelissuitablefortheapplication.Forexample,steelqualityB,
correspondingtoanimpacttestat+20C,isusedforstructureswithnormalworkingconditions.The
steelqualityD(impacttestat20C)issuitablewhenfactorssuchas,forexample,lowservice
temperatureofthestructure,thicksteelmaterialand/orimpactloadingarepresent.

4.2Fillermetal

AccordingtoEurocode3thefillermetalmusthavemechanicalproperties(yieldstrength,ultimate
tensilestrength,elongationatfailureandminimumCharpyVnotchenergyvalue)equaltoorbetterthan
thevaluesspecifiedforthesteelgradebeingwelded.

Theselectionofweldingconsumableistoagreatextentgovernedbytheweldingprocess,seeLectures
3.3and3.4.Thebasicprinciplesare:

Weldingconsumablesshallbeappropriatetotheweldingprocessused,theparentmetalwelded
andtheweldingprocedureadopted.
Weldingconsumablesmustbestoredandhandledwithcareandinconformitywiththe
recommendationsofthemanufacturer.
Electrodesformanualarcweldingshallbestoredintheiroriginalcontainersinadryandwarm
place,efficientlyprotectedfromadverseeffectsofweather.
Fluxshallbestoredandtransportedincontainerswhichprotectitfromabsorbingmoisture.

5.EDGEPREPARATIONANDFITUP

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 16/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Someimportantaspects,whicharedescribedindetailinLectures3.3,3.4and3.5,aresummarisedhere.

Oneofthefollowingarcweldingprocessesmaybeused:

metalarcweldingwithcoveredelectrodes
fluxcoredarcwelding
submergedarcwelding
MIG(metalinertgas)welding
MAG(metalactivegas)welding.

Alltheseprocessescanbeusedintheworkshop.Usually,onlyboltingormetalarcweldingwith
coveredelectrodesisemployedintheerectionphaseonthebuildingsite.Withthemetalarcwelding
process,weldscanbemadeinallpositions.ThevariousweldpositionsareshowninFigure14,where
thearrowsgivethearcdirectionduringtheweldingoperation.Itisclearthatweldingintheflatposition
iseasilycarriedout,allowingagreaterrateofmetaldepositionthantheotherpositionsbyweldingin
thisfavourableposition,themaximumsizeofweldruncanbeobtained.Withordinarywelding
consumablesandfavourableweldingconditions,afilletweldwithathroatthicknessof6mmcanbe
producedwithonlyonerun.Forweldsofgreaterthickness,morethanonerunisnecessary.Inthiscase,
theweldingsequencemustbecarefullyplanned,seeFigure15.

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 17/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 18/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Theweldingconditions,particularlythecurrentlimitationoftheweldingequipment,constitutealimitto
thedepthofpenetrationintotheparentplate.Forexample,ifaclosedbuttjoint(nogapbetweenthetwo
plates)isweldedwithonerunoneachside,thepenetrationmaynotbecompleteandthecentralpartof
thejointwillremainunfused(Figure16a).Withagapbetweenthetwopartsofthejoint,fullpenetration
canbeachievedwiththesameweldingequipment.Thelimitationisthensetbythethicknessofthe
platestobejoined.Inpractice,thelimitforbuttweldswithsquareedges,i.e.withoutpreparation,is
10mmplatethicknesswitha5mmgap.Whentheplatethicknessexceedsthisvalue,bevellededges
http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 19/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

permitfullpenetrationbyseveralruns,seeFigure16b.

Edgepreparationconsistsessentiallyofcuttingandbevellingtheedgesoftheplateswhicharetobe
welded.Theseoperationscanbedonebythermalcutting,bymachiningorbychippingorgrinding.The
resultingsurfacesofthebevellededgesshouldbesmooth,uniform,freefromcracksandwithoutrust.If
thermalcuttingoranotherprocesswhichhardensthematerialisused,theapprovedweldingprocedure
musttakeaccountofthisweldpreparationprocess.DifferentbevelgeometriesareshowninFigure3.
Practicalrecommendations,forexampleEurocode3,AnnexW(1),givesometolerancevaluesfor
variousweldtypes.Finally,beforewelding,surfacesandedgesadjacenttotheweldlocationmustbe
cleanedtoremoveoil,grease,paintoranyothercontaminants,whichcanaffectthequalityoftheweld
andtheweldstrength.

Theappropriateweldingmethodandprocedurearedefinedinaprojectspecificationprovidedbythe
designer,seeLecture11.5.

6.WELDQUALITYDISCONTINUITIES
Qualitycontrolhasbeenforsometimeanimportantpartofindustrialactivity.Thetermqualityincludes
allthecharacteristicsofaproductwhichaffectitsabilitytoserveitspurpose.InthelecturesofWorking
Group3,andparticularlyinLecture3.4,attentionisdrawntoqualitycontrolappliedtowelding,
includingthequalificationoffirmsandtheprocedurequalificationforweldingtests.

Normally,allweldedstructuresundergosomeweldinspection.Thetypeandtheextentforthe
inspection,aswellasthechoiceofweldstobeinspectedareselectedinaccordancewiththeproject
specification.

Theprincipalpurposeofweldinspectionistodiscoverpossiblewelddefects.Examplesonwelddefects
are,seeFigure17:

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 20/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

Undercut.Thethicknessoftheparentmetalisreducedneartheweldtoe.
Porosityorgasinclusions.Airorgasbubblesareincorporatedinthemeltedmetal,wherethey
remainaftercooling.
Insufficientthroat.Thethroatthicknessissmallerthanthedesignthickness.Theresistanceofthe
jointmightbeinsufficient.
Incompletepenetration.Thethroatthicknessissmallerthanthedesignthickness.Theresistance
ofthejointmightbeinsufficient.

Allthesedefectscanbemeasured.CodesofPracticespecifytheallowabletolerancesforeachdefect,
seeforexampleEurocode3,AnnexW[1].

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 21/22
08/05/2015 6[WG11]

7.CONCLUDINGSUMMARY
Providingtherightconditionswithrespecttoweldingparticularlyfilletweldingnormally
representsthemosteconomicalwaytojointwopiecesofsteel.
Twotypesofstructuralweldfilletweldsandbuttweldsareincommonuse.Whereverpossible
filletweldsshouldbeused.
Anumberofstandardtermsareusedwhenreferringtowelds.Throatthicknessandlengtharethe
twomostimportantdescriptionsfordeterminingloadcarryingcapacity.
Weldmetal(electrodes)andparentmetal(thepartstobejoined)mustbeproperlymatchedin
termsoftheirphysicalproperties.
Forbuttweldssuitableedgepreparationswillnormallyberequired.
Weldsmustbeinspectedforpossibledefectssoastoensureadequatestructuralperformance.

8.REFERENCES
[1]Eurocode3:"Designofsteelstructures":ENV199311:Generalrulesandrulesforbuildings,CEN,
1992.

[2]En10025:EuropeanStandard10025,Hotrolledproductsofnonalloystructuralsteelstechnical
deliveryconditions.

9.ADDITIONALREADING
1. Bludgett,O.W.,WeldedConnectionsChapter3.3ConstructionalSteelDesign:AnInternational
Guide,1992.
2. Pratt,J.L.,IntroductiontotheWeldingofStructuralSteelwork,3rdRevisedEdition,1989.

Previous|Next|Contents

http://www.fgg.unilj.si/~/pmoze/ESDEP/master/wg11/l0210.htm 22/22