The vast majority of fabricators are not typically concerned with

heat input. For the most part this is OK. 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.
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 an 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, see if you can travel faster and deposit a smaller weld.

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)?
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.

If your machine does not have meters you may need to use Fluke Meter or other
voltage/amperage meter to take readings or simply use a different machine.
References:
Effect of Heat Input on Residual Stress in Submerged Arc Welds – R.K. Saxena
The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding, 14th Edition
New Code Requirements for Calculating Heat Input- The Welding Journal, June 201o –
Theresa Melfi

Formula for Welding Heat Input

The below mathematical formula is used in mechanical engineering
to calculate how much heat for welding. Besides, the step by step
calculation for each calculation performed by using this welding
heat input calculator let the users to know how to perform such
calculations manually.
In arc welding processes, heat input (HI) and arc energy (AE) are both measures of
how much energy has been supplied to the workpiece to form a weld. They are both
measured in units of energy per unit length. In Europe, this tends to be in kJ/mm,
whereas in America it tends to be kJ/in.

Arc energy
Arc energy is the energy supplied by the welding arc to the workpiece before the
efficiency of the process is considered. It is calculated by the following equation:

where V is the voltage used, in volts

: I is the current used, in amperes
v is the travel speed of the welding torch, in distance per minute (the units of v dictate whether the
is measured in kJ/mm or kJ/in)

A number of American codes also use the term Heat Input when referencing arc
energy.

Heat input
Heat input (the present best practice term, as it provides a more relevant way of
comparing arc welding processes) considers the effect process efficiency has on the
energy that actually reaches the workpiece to form the weld. HI is given by the
following relationship to AE:

HI = ηAE

where: η is the process efficiency

Each arc welding process has a different efficiency rating. To simplify the rating
system, all efficiency factors relate to the efficiency of submerged arc welding.

Eff
Process
fac
Submerged arc welding (SAW) 1.0
Manual metal arc (MMA)/Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) 0.8
Cored wire welding/Flux cored arc welding (FCAW) 0.8
Metal active gas/Metal inert gas (MAG/MIG)/Gas metal arc welding(GMAW) 0.8
Tungsten inert gas (TIG) / Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) 0.6
Plasma arc welding 0.6

Power beam processes

For power beam processes, such as laser or electron beam welding, an arc is not
set up between the heat source and the workpiece. The energy transfer (efficiency)
factor of the process may vary with the power intensity of the beam, and joint
configuration.

In laser welding, the efficiency factor is not included in any terming of 'heat input'. In
electron beam welding, an adjusted current value is entered into the expression for
heat input, as an 'over-current' is used for full penetration welds to ensure the weld
depth. The excess current can be reported by detectors behind the workpiece, so the
energy absorbed by the workpiece is calculated when using this adjusted value,
rather than the energy supplied by the machine. The effect of heat input on cooling
rates for power beam processes is not the same as for arc welding processes, due
to the differences in weld shape.

The expression for heat input is similar to that for arc welding processes, and has the
same units (kJ/mm or kJ/in):

Heat Input = , for electron beam welding 

Heat Input =  , for laser welding 

 
 
where: V is the voltage used, in kilovolts (kV)
I is the adjusted current, in milliamps (mA)
W is the laser power, in kilowatts (kW)
v is the travel speed, in distance per minute