Groove Welds

In strength connections, complete penetration groove welds must be made all the way through the plate. Since a groove weld, properly
made, has equal or better strength than the plate, there is no need for calculating the stress in the weld or attempting to determine its
size. Here is an example of some groove welds:

However, the size of a partial-penetration groove weld may sometimes be needed. When welding alloy steels, it is necessary to match
the weld-metal strength to plate strength. This is primarily a matter of proper electrode selection and of welding procedures. With fillet
welds, it is possible to have too small a weld or too large a weld; therefore, it is necessary to determine the proper weld size.

Fillet Weld Size

Many engineers are not aware of the great reserve strength that welds have. In some cases, weld metal can have 75% higher yield
strength than steel. There are tables for determining the maximum strength of weld metals.
It is important to know the vocabulary associated with the geometry of a fillet weld. The two mostly commonly used terms are "Leg
Size" and "Throat". Here is a diagram that depicts the vocabulary associated with understanding fillet welds:
In order to develop the full strength of a plate by means of fillet welds, it is necessary that the leg size
of the fillet be 3/4 of the plate thickness.
This assumes that the fillet weld is on both sides of the plate for the full length of the plate and that the thinnest plate thickness is
chosen. For mild steel, this welded joint will out-pull the plate under any type and direction of loading. However, most welds are not
this simple and more advanced methods have to be used to size them.

For a simple tensile, compressive or shear load, the given load is divided by the length of the weld to arrive at the applied unit force,
lbs per linear inch of weld. From this force, the proper leg size of fillet weld or throat of groove weld may be found.

For bending or twisting loads, the goal is to determine the properties of the welded connection in order to check the stress in the weld
without first knowing its leg size. It is also possible, but not as efficient, to assume a certain weld leg size and then calculate the stress
in the weld to see if it is overstressed or under stressed.

To determine the force on a weld, visualize the welded connection as a single line, having the same outline as the connection, but no
cross-sectional area. Notice that the area of the welded connection becomes just the length of the weld. Instead of trying to determine
the stress on the weld, the problem becomes a much simpler one of determining the force on the weld. An understanding of mechanics
of materials fundamentals such as moment of inertia for bending and twisting is required for the following calculations.
The required fillet size for this design was determined to be 5/16". This methodology can be used to size any fillet weld and reduce
cost.

Reference: "Design of Welded Structures" written by Omer Blodgett and published by the James F. Lincoln Arc Welding
Foundation