It is possible to calculate starting wire-feed speed and travel speed.

This is a very common question

from manufacturers welding with solid wire or flux-cored wire. Most welding professionals know
the wire-feed speed (WFS), where a process runs well based on their experience, or can quickly get
WFS from the manufacturer’s recommended procedures.
However, determining how fast to travel for a particular size weld bead ends up being an iterative,
time-consuming process. By understanding a few concepts and doing some math with a few simple
formulas, we can determine at least a good starting point for a welding procedure that produces the
desired weld.
Deposition Rate
It is essential to recall that Deposition Rate is directly proportional to the speed at which a
particular wire diameter emerges from a welding gun during welding. Deposition rate has nothing
to do with how fast the gun is traveling, nor the voltage setting on the machine. Deposition rate is
simply a measure of how many pounds of wire come from the welding gun in a certain amount of
time, typically measured in lb/hr.
If wire-feed speed increases, deposition rate increases. We also understand that if we maintain the
wire-feed speed and change to a larger diameter wire, deposition rate will increase as well. Armed
with this understanding, calculating deposition rate ends up being a very powerful exercise that
gives you a number that can be used to calculate key welding parameters. Let’s look at the formula
and an example:
Deposition Rate Calculation
1. Deposition rate (lb/hr) = 13.1 × (Wire diameter)2 × (Wire-feed speed) × (Efficiency)
2. Wire diameter in inches (in)
3. Wire-feed speed in inches per minute (ipm)
4. Efficiency (1.0 for solid wire, 0.85 for cored wire)
5. This calculation is for steel only. Example Wire diameter = 0.045 in (1.2 mm) solid wire,
WFS = 300 ipm
Deposition rate = 13.1 × (0.045)2 × (300) × (1.0) = 7.96 lb/hr
Calculating Travel Speed with Deposition Rate
Knowing the deposition rate, we can calculate the travel speed in inches per minute (ipm) for a
particular weld. Let’s say we want to make a 3/8 in steel fillet weld (assume 10 percent
reinforcement or 0.4125 in leg) using 0.045 in solid wire at 300 ipm, the weight of weld metal per
foot can be calculated by multiplying the density of steel (0.283 lb/in3) by the volume of weld metal
per foot as follows:
Weld Weight per Foot Calculation
Volume of weld metal/ft = 1/2 × b × h × 12 in = 1/2 × 0.4125 in × 0.4125 in × 12 in = 1.02 in3
Weight of weld metal/ft of 3/8 in fillet weld = (0.283 lb/in3) × (1.02 in3) = 0.2887 lb/ft
From the calculation below, we see that the travel speed for a one-pass, 3/8 in fillet weld would be
5.52 ipm, 11.03 ipm for a two-pass fillet weld, or 16.55 ipm for a three-pass weld.
Travel Speed Calculation

Travel speed = (deposition rate) × (# of passes)/5 × (weight of weld metal per foot {lb/ft}) =
Travel speed = {7.96 x 1} / {5 x 0.2887} = 5.52 ipm
Calculating Wire-Feed Speed with Deposition Rate

Let’s assume a requirement to make fillet welds at a rate of 12 lb/hr using 0.045 in welding wire.
We can calculate the WFS using the formulas below and Weight of Weld Wire per foot in Table.
Wire-Feed Speed Calculation

Wire-feed Speed = (deposition rate)/5 × (weight of wire per foot {lb/ft}) = (12)/5 × (0.0054) =
444.4 ipm
Of course, the travel speed for a one-pass 3/8 in fillet weld at a 12 lb/hr deposition rate would be
8.31 ipm as calculated below:
Travel Speed = (deposition rate) × (# of passes)/5 × (weight of weld metal {lb./ft}) = (12) ×
(1)/5 × (0.2887) = 8.31 ipm
Making It Easier

The Bartonian Conversion Factor (see Table 2) makes things a bit easier for fillet welds. The
example below uses the conversion factor to calculate travel speed at 5.57 ipm for that same 3/8 in
fillet weld using a 0.045 in solid wire.
Travel Speed = 7.96 × 0.7 = 5.57 ipm (.2887)
Weight of weld metal per foot can be calculated for any joint type by calculating the volume and
multiplying by the density of the weld metal (eg. 0.283 lb/in3 for steel). However, the values shown
in Table 3 through Table 6 eliminate the need to do the calculation. These values are taken from
Table 12-1 in The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding by the Lincoln Electric Co., and show the
Weight of Weld Metal per Foot for several common joint types welded with steel. The following
sample calculations use Tables 3 through 6.
SAMPLE CALCULATION NO.1
1/2 in plate Vee groove weld with 90 deg included angle and 1/8 in reinforcement using 0.052 in
solid wire, 90%Ar/10%CO2 shielding gas. Manufacturer recommends WFS at 325 ipm and 30
volts.
Deposition Rate (lb/hr) = 13.1 × (0.052)2 × (325) × (1.0) = 11.51 lb/hr
Travel Speed for fill and cap passes = (11.51) × (6)/5 × (0.849 + 0.199) = 13.18 ipm
SAMPLE CALCULATION NO.2
3/8 in plate square butt weld into a backing, with a 3/16 in gap and 1/8 in reinforcement using
1/16 in cored wire, 75%Ar/25%CO2 shielding gas. Our process runs great with WFS at 285 ipm
and 26 volts.
Deposition rate (lb./hr) = 13.1 × (1/16 in)2 × (285) × (.85) = 12.39 lb/hr
Travel speed for fill and cap passes = (12.39) × (1)/5 × (0.239 + 0.053) = 8.49 ipm
Sample Calculation No.3
What should my wire-feed speed be if I want to make a fat, 1/4 in fillet weld at 20 ipm travel speed
using 0.045 in solid wire and 90%Ar/10%CO2 shielding gas?
Re-arranging the Travel Speed calculation above to solve for Deposition Rate we get:
Deposition rate = 5 × Travel speed × (Weight of weld metal {lb/ft})/(# of passes) = 5 × 20 ipm
× (0.165)/1 = 16.5 lb/hr
Re-arranging the Deposition Rate calculation above to solve for Wire-feed Speed we get:
Wire-feed speed = Deposition rate/13.1 × (Wire diameter)2 × (Efficiency) = 16.5/13.1 × (.045
in.)2 × (1) = 622 ipm
Summary
Using math and these simple formulas can reduce your weld-development time, and improve your
pre-WPS documentation. These calculations will get you close, but some tweaking may have to be
done to achieve your desired weld. Having a good starting point for welding procedure
development will decrease time and guesswork on the shop floor.
How to Calculate Heat Input from Welding

The vast majority of fabricators are not typically concerned with heat input. But when you are
welding on materials whose microstructure can be significantly affected by welding procedures it is
important to know about heat input. The reason why heat input is critical in certain applications is
because it has a huge bearing on the cooling rate. Typically, faster cooling rates are detrimental to a
weldment because they cause embrittlement in the heat affected zone. An example of this is when
dealing with materials susceptible to hydrogen-induced cracking in which adequate heat input is
critical. The main three factors affecting heat input are amperage, voltage and travel speed.
So how do we calculate heat input? It may be a lot easier than you think. If your welding machine
has digital or analog meters you are all set. Simply take the reading of amperage and voltage while
welding and divide it by the travel speed to get your heat input in joules per inch. The formula is as
follows:
Heat Input = (60 x Amps x Volts) / (1,000 x Travel Speed in in/min) = KJ/in

The 60 and the 1,000 are there to turn the final answers into Kilojoules per inch.

Example 1: You are welding at 500 inches per minute and 29 volts. Your weld is 25 inches long
and it takes the welder 2 minutes to weld it. While he is welding, you notice the machine is
displaying amperage of 325. What is your heat input? Before calculating heat input you need to
determine your travel speed.
Travel Speed = Length of Weld / Time to weld = 25 inches / 2 minutes = 12.5 inches per minute
Heat Input = [(60 sec/min) x (325 amps) x (29 volts)] / [(1,000 joules/kilojoule) x (12.5
inches/minute)]
= 45.24 KJ/in

Example 2: Your heat input at 45.24 is too high, but you also notice your weld is oversized.
Instead of lowering your amperage and voltage you decide to travel faster. You now complete the
same weld in 90 seconds at the exact same parameters. What is your heat input now?

Travel Speed = 25 inches / 1.5 minutes = 16.7 inches/minute

Heat Input = [(60 sec/min) x (325 amps) x (29 volts)] / [(1,000 joules/kilojoule) x (16.7
inches/minute)]
= 33.86 KJ/in

As you can see your heat input dropped by almost 25% simply by traveling faster. Overwelding is a
very common problem. Before reducing your amperage and voltage to get lower heat input

The use of waveforms in welding is all over the world now. Running pulse programs or even some
of the fancier, more advanced, waveforms such as Rapid Arc® from Lincoln Electric or Accu
Pulse® from Miller Electric, is common practice. So how do you calculate heat input when you are
pulsing and your amperage is all over the place (fluctuating between a peak and a background
current)?

Newer welding machines have the ability of displaying total energy of each and every weld that you
make. Some welding machines will give you an actual value for either total energy for a weld, or
instantaneous energy (energy at any given time). You then would have to do some quick math to
get your heat input.

Example 3: You are using a special waveform on a Lincoln Electric Power Wave S500 power
source. The readout on the display says that the total energy for your 25 inch weld was 459 KJ.
What is your heat input in KJ/in? In this case you don’t need to worry about your travel speed (at
least for the heat input calculation).

Heat Input = Total energy / length of weld = 459KJ / 25 inches = 18.36 KJ/in.
So what do you do if you are pulse welding but your welder does not give you total energy? Some
welders will display average amperage as you are welding. In this case simply take that amperage
and follow the formula on example 1 and 2. If the meter varies between peak and background
amperage you will have to look at the highest and lowest reading and take an average. Keep in
mind that this may not yield an accurate result, but it will get you close