TERMINOLOGY AND WELD

PREPARATIONS

Weld preparation
Weld preparation depend on:
welding process
preparation method available
access
type of joint
type of parent material
thickness
welding position
in-service type of loading
Weld preparation for arc welding - see BS EN 29692!

Weld preparation
Welding process impacts upon weld preparation

Arc
welding

EB
W

Weld preparation
Welding process impacts upon weld preparation

MMA

MA
high heat input process allow a larger root G
face less weld
metal required, less distortions, higher productivity
on MAG, no root gap possible easier set-up
if gap is too big possible burn-through
if gap is too small lack of penetration problems

Weld preparation
Preparation method impacts upon weld
preparation

Requires machining slow

and expensive
Tight tolerance easier set-up

Can be flame/plasma cut

fast and cheap
Large tolerance set-up can
be difficult

Weld preparation
Preparation method impacts upon weld
preparation
Variations in
cutting line

Root face too large lack of

penetration
Root face too small burnthrough

Variations in
cutting angle

Included angle too large

heavy distortions, increase
amount of filler metal required
Included angle too small
lack of penetration, lack of
side wall fusion

Weld preparation
Preparation method impacts upon weld
preparation - corrective measures

No root face

Root face too large

Backing strip (6 mm or
more, same material)

Recut groove preparation

Increase root gap and use
backing strip

Weld preparation
Preparation method impacts upon weld
preparation - corrective measures

Too big/too small included angle

Recut groove preparation

Increase root gap and use

backing strip

Warning! Backing strips give a built-in crevice

susceptible to corrosion
give a lower fatigue life

Weld preparations
Access impacts upon weld preparation

Weld preparations
Access impacts upon weld preparation

Weld preparations
Access impacts upon weld preparation
Pipe weld preparation - one side access only!

for wall thickness up to 3

mm
for wall thickness 3 to 20
mm
for wall thickness over 20
mm

Weld preparations
Access impacts upon weld preparation
Pipe weld preparation - one side access only!
self-adjusting items
no danger of burnthrough
susceptible to
corrosion
To ensure minimum root
mismatch, the internal
bore is sometimes
machined with a low
angled bevel

lower fatigue life

Weld preparations
Type of joint impacts upon weld preparation
corner joints require offset

offse
t
danger of burnthrough
difficult to set-up

easy set-up
no burnthrough

Weld preparations
Type of joint impacts upon weld preparation
lap and square edge butt joints do not require
preparation

Bevel angle = 30
Included angle = 60

Included angle = Bevel angle =

50

Weld preparations
Type of parent material impacts upon weld
preparation
to reduce distortions on stainless steels welds, reduce
included angle and increase root face
to avoid lack of side wall fusion problems aluminium
require larger included angles than steel
60
30

Steel

70-90
35-45

Aluminium

Weld preparations
Thickness of parent material impacts upon weld
preparation
a single bevel groove requires a volume of weld
metal proportional to the square of plate thickness
its lack of symmetry lead to distortions

Reduce shrinkage by:

reduce weld volume
use single pass welding

Weld preparations
Thickness of parent material impacts upon weld
preparation
Reduce weld volume by:
reduce included angle

reduce root gap

Weld preparations
Thickness of parent material impacts upon weld
preparation
Reduce weld volume by:
increase root face

use double bevel weld prep

Weld preparations
Thickness of parent material impacts upon weld
preparation
Reduce weld volume by:
use U prep instead V prep

U prep better than V

prep
V prep better than U
prep

Weld preparations
Thickness of parent material impacts upon weld
preparation
Reduce distortions by using an asymmetric V
prep instead of a symmetric V prep
t/3
t

weld first into deeper side

after welding half of depth, root back gouging
weld completely on backside
complete welding on first side

Weld preparation
Welding position impacts upon weld preparation
60
30

60
15

PF symmetric
preparation

PC asymmetric
preparation
If symmetric preparation is used on PC weld will
run out of the groove

Transition Joints
Transitioning is carried out to reduce the wall thickness on a
joint that has two different plate/pipe thickness to match the
thickness of the thinner plate/pipe.
The transition may be applied by a pneumatic beveling machine
or by a disc grinder and it is a normal requirement to have a
minimum length four times the thickness of the misalignment or
four times the thickness of the thinnest plate
The transition may be applied to the inside or out side of the
joint, in the case of a pipeline it is normally applied to the inside

Transition Joints
Abrupt changes in material thickness, causes stress
concentrations and low fatigue strength
A smooth transition is required to reduce the chances of
fatigue cracking
A taper of 1 in 4 or 1 in 3 is recommended for maximum
fatigue strength
High stress concentration
no taper

Low stress concentration

1 in 4 taper

Transition Joints

a)

b)

c)

Joints a) and b) are the most common types of transitioning

with c) being used to facilitate non-destructive testing

Transition Joints

t.
4 x t. min

t. = thinnest plate thickness

or the extent of
misalignment

Transition joints on pipelines are used in situations where a thick walled

pipe is to be joined to a thin walled pipe normally where extra safety is
required, the transition taper is normally applied to the inside of the
pipe Purpose of a transition joint on a pipeline is to:
The
Reduce stress concentration, reducing the chances of fatigue
cracking.
Prevent PIG gauges from getting trapped in side the pipe.
Prevent turbulence problems, which may lead to accelerated. erosion
etc.

Seam Offset
m
250 mo
or 9 0

Longitudinal seams are

separated to avoid having
welds in close proximity to
each (weld junctions)

On a pipe line the longitudinal seams are

separated for the above reason plus if any
crack does initiate it will be isolated to one
pipe length minimizing damage

Seam offset:
Longitudinal seams should be separated at a set distance form
each other
The amount of seam offset is dependent upon code
requirements. For pipes typically 250mm or 90o, pressure
vessels 1800