Ageneralreviewofgeometricshapeimperfections-typesandcauses

JobKnowledgePart1.Introduction
Inthejobknowledgeseriesweldingimperfectionssuchascracks,lackoffusion,penetrationandporosityhavebeen
discussed.Thisarticlelooksatthoseimperfectionsrelatedtopoorgeometricshapeandwillconcentrateonthefollowing:
Excessweldmetal
Undercut
Overlap
Linearmisalignment
Incompletelyfilledgroove
Suchimperfectionsmightbeconsideredasanomaliesinthejointandtheywillalwaysbepresenttosomedegreesothat
itbecomesnecessarytoseparatetheacceptablefromtheunacceptable.Thisisdonebyfollowingguidancegivenbythe
applicationstandard,whichwasthebasisforthecomponentdesign,and/orbydirection,assetoutinthejobcontract.
Examplesofstandardsthatmightbereferredtoare:
PD5500Specificationforunfiredfusionweldedpressurevessels.
BSENISO5817Welding.Fusion-weldedjointsinsteel,nickel,titaniumandtheiralloys(beamweldingexcluded).
Qualitylevelsforimperfections
AWSD1.1Structuralweldingcode-Steel
Excessweldmetal
(alsocalledcapheight,overfillorreinforcement)

Fig.1.Excessweldmetal
Thisisweldmetallyingoutsidetheplanejoiningtheweldtoes.Notethattheterm'reinforcement',althoughused
extensivelyintheASME/AWSspecificationsisavoidedinEuropeasitimpliesitaddsstrengthtotheweldedjoint,whichis
rarelythecase.
Commoncauses
Thisimperfectionisformedwhenexcessiveweldmetalisaddedtothejoint,whichisusuallyaresultofpoorwelder
techniqueformanualprocessesbutmaybeduetopoorparameterselectionwhentheprocessismechanised.Thatis,too
muchfillermetalforthetravelspeedused.Inmulti-runweldingapoorselectionofindividualbeadsizescanresultina
beadbuild-uppatternthatoverfillsthejoint.Differentprocessesandparameters(egvoltage)canresultindifferentexcess
weldmetalshapes.
Acceptance
Theacceptabilityofthisimperfectionisverydependentontheapplicationinwhichtheproductwillbeused.Most
standardshavelimit,relatedtomaterialthickness(eg10%),butalsohaveamaximumupperlimits.Boththeratioandthe
maximummayberelatedtotheseverityofservicethatthecomponentisexpectedtosee.Thefollowingtablegives
examplestakenfromBSENISO5817.
Excessweldmetallimitsforqualitylevels:
Severityofservice Moderate,D Stringent,B
Limit(uptomaximum) h=1mm+0.25b h=1mm+0.1b
Maximum 10mm 5mm
Transitionrequired Smooth smooth
Where:h=heightofexcess&b=widthofbead(seefigure1)
Animportantreasonforlimitingtheheightofexcessweldmetalisthatitrepresentsanon-valueaddedcost.However,it
mustberememberedthattheheightoftheweldcapinfluencestheresultanttoeblend.Asharptransitioncausesalocal
stressconcentrationthatcancontributetolossofstrength,whichisparticularlyimportantinfatiguesituations.Asaresult
mostspecificationsstatethat'smoothtransitionisrequired'.
Avoidance
Iftheimperfectionisaresultofweldertechniquethenwelderretrainingisrequired.Formechanisedtechniquesan
increaseintravelspeedorvoltagewillhelptoreducecapheight.
Undercut

Fig.2.Undercut
Thisisanirregulargrooveatthetoeofarunintheparentmetal.
Thefigureshowsundercutatsurfaceofacompletedjointbutitmayalsobefoundatthetoesofeachpassofamulti-run
weld.Thelattercanresultinslagbecomingtrappedintheundercutregion.
Commoncauses
Whenarcandgaswelding,undercutisprobablythemostcommonshapeimperfection.Withsingle-sidedpipeweldsit
mayalsobefoundattheboresurface.Itmayalsobeseenontheverticalfaceoffilletweldsmadeinthehorizontal
verticalposition.
Awidespreadingarc(higharcvoltage)withinsufficientfill(lowcurrentorhightravelspeed)istheusualcause.However,
weldertechnique,especiallywhenweaving,andthewaytheweldingtorchisangledcanbothcauseandbeusedto
overcomeundercutting(ieangledtopushtheweldmetaltofillthemeltedgroove).Highweldingcurrentwillalsocause
undercut-thisisgenerallyassociatedwiththeneedforahightravelspeedtoavoidoverfillingofthejoint.
Acceptance
Largelybecausethisimperfectioniswidespread,moststandardspermitsomelevelofundercutalthoughtheydorequire
thata'smoothtransitionisrequired.ThelimitsinBSENISO5817rangefrom0.5mm(stringent)to1mm(moderate)for
thickness(t)greaterthan3mm(morestringentlimitsarerequiredfort0.5to3mm),whileAWSD1.1hasalimitof1mm.
Measuringundercutcanbeaproblembecauseofthesmallsizeoftheimperfectioncomparedwiththegeneral
environmentwheretherecanbemillscale,irregularitiesinthesurfaceandspatter.
Incriticalapplicationstheimperfectioncanbe'corrected'byblendgrindingorbydepositinganadditionalweldbead.
Avoidance
Thisimperfectionmaybeavoidedbyreducingtravelspeedand/ortheweldingcurrentandbymaintainingthecorrectarc
length.
Overlap(coldlapping)

Fig.3.Overlap
Thisisanimperfectionatatoeorrootofaweldcausedbymetalflowingontothesurfaceoftheparentmetalwithout
fusingtoit.Itmayoccurinbothfilletandbuttwelds.
Commoncauses
Thisisoftencausedbypoormanipulationoftheelectrodeorweldinggun,especiallywhentheweldpoolislargeand
'cold',wherethewelderallowsgravitytoinfluencetheweldshapebeforesolidification.Tightlyadherentoxidesorscaleon
themetalsurfacecanalsopreventtheweldmetalfusingwiththeparentmetaltocausetheoverlapimperfection.
Avoidance
Avoidanceisachievedthroughanacceptablelevelofwelderskillandareductioninweldpoolsize(obtainedbyreducing
currentorincreasingtravelspeed).Adequatecleaningoftheparentplateisalsoimportant.
Acceptance
Standardsrarelyallowthepresenceofthisimperfection,unlessthelengthisshort(egBSENISO5817formoderate
qualitylevelD).Overlapcanbeverydifficulttodetect,especiallyifitisextremelysmall.
Linearmisalignment

Fig.4Linearmisalignment
(AlsoknownintheUSAashigh-low).
Thisimperfectionrelatestodeviationsfromthecorrectposition/alignmentofthejoint.
Commoncauses
Thisisprimarilyaresultofpoorcomponentfit-upbeforewelding,whichcanbecompoundedbyvariationsintheshape
andthicknessofcomponents(egoutofroundnessofpipe).Tacksthatbreakduringweldingmayallowthecomponentsto
moverelativetooneanother,againresultinginmisalignment.
Acceptance
Theacceptabilityofthisdefectisrelatedtothedesignfunctionofthestructureorpipelineeitherintermsoftheabilityto
takeloadacrossthemisalignmentorbecausesuchastepimpedestheflowoffluid.
Acceptancevarieswiththeapplication:
BSENISO5817relatesmisalignmenttowallthicknessbutsetsmaximumlimits(egformaterialthicknesst>3mmand
moderatelimitsofimperfectionsD,=0.25xt,withamaximumof5mm).
AWSD1.1allows10%ofthewallthicknessuptoamaximumof3mm.
Theconsequenceoflinearmisalignmentcan,whenweldingiscarriedoutfromoneside,belackofrootorsidewallfusion
togiveasharpcontinuousimperfectionalongthehigherweldfacetoe.Insomesituationslinearmisalignmentinthebore
ofapipecanleadtoin-serviceproblemswhereturbulenceofthecarrierfluidinthepipecreatessubsequenterosion.
Incompletefilledgroove

Incompletefilledgroove
Thisisacontinuous,orintermittent,channelinthesurfaceofaweld,runningalongitslength,duetoinsufficientweld
metal.
Commoncauses
Thisproblemariseswhentherehasbeeninsufficientfillermetal(currentorwirefeedtoolowortoohighatravelspeed)so
thatthejointhasnotbeensufficientlyfilled.Theresultisthatthethicknessofweldmentislessthanthatspecifiedinthe
design,whichcouldleadtofailure.
Acceptance
Moststandardswillnotacceptthistypeofimperfection,exceptperhapsovershortlengthsandeventhenasmooth
transitionisrequired.Thedesignerexpectsthejointtobeadequatelyfilled,butnottoomuchso(seeexcessweldmetal).
Oftenthepresenceofthisimperfectionisanindicationofpoorworkmanshipandcouldsuggestthatfurthertrainingis
required.
Continuation
Part2looksatshapeimperfectionssuchasexcesspenetrationandrootconcavityandhighlightsshapeimperfections
relatedtofilletweldedjoints.

Thissecondarticleonshapeimperfectionsrefersmostlytofilletweldsbuttherearetwoadditionalbuttweldimperfections
thatrequiresomecomment.
Excessivepenetration(Excesspenetrationbead)

Fig.1.Excesspenetration
Excessweldmetalprotrudingthroughtherootofafusion(butt)weldmadefromonesideonly.
Withpipeweldingthistypeofimperfectionmaycauseeffectsinthefluidflowthatcancauseerosionand/orcorrosion
problems.
Commoncauses
Penetrationbecomesexcessivewhenthejointgapistoolarge,therootfacesaretoosmall,theheatinputtothejointis
toohighoracombinationofthesecauses.
Acceptance
Thecriteriawhichsetsthelevelofacceptablepenetrationdependsprimarilyontheapplicationcodeorspecification.
BS2971(Class2arcwelding)requiresthatthe'penetrationbeadshallnotexceed3mmforpipesuptoandincluding
150mmboreor6mmforpipesover150mmbore'.
BS2633(Class1arcwelding)givesspecificlimitsforsmallerdiameterspipes,egforpipesize25-50mmthemaximum
allowedborepenetrationis2.5mm.
ASMEB31.3basesacceptabilityonthenominalthicknessoftheweld,forinstance,allowingforathicknessrangeof13-
25mmupto4mmofprotrusion.However,ASMEnotesthat'morestringentcriteriamaybespecifiedintheengineering
design'.
BSENISO5817(Qualitylevelsforimperfections),whichsupersedesBSEN25817,relatestheacceptableprotrusionto
thewidthoftheunder-beadasfollows:
Severityofservice Moderate,D Stringent,B
Limit(uptomaximum) h1mm+1.0b h1mm+0.2b
Maximum 5mm 3mm
Forthicknesses>3mmwhere:h=heightofexcess&b=widthofroot(seeFig.1)
Avoidance
Itisimportanttoensurethatjointfit-upisasspecifiedintheweldingprocedure.Ifweldertechniqueistheproblemthenre
trainingisrequired.
Rootconcavity(suck-back;underwashing)

Fig.2.Rootconcavity
Ashallowgroovethatmayoccurintherootofabuttweld.
Commoncauses
Rootconcavityiscausedbyshrinkageoftheweldpoolinthethrough-thicknessdirectionoftheweld.Meltingoftheroot
passbythesecondpasscanalsoproducerootconcavity.
ThisimperfectionisfrequentlyassociatedwithTIGweldingwiththemostcommoncausebeingpoorpreparationleaving
therootgapeithertoosmallor,insomecases,toolarge.Excessivelyhighweldingspeedsmaketheformationofroot
concavitymorelikely.
Acceptance
Therootconcavitymaybeacceptable.Thiswilldependontherelevantstandardbeingworkedto.Forexample:
BS2971requiresthat:
a)thereiscompleterootfusion
b)thethicknessoftheweldisnotlessthanthepipethickness.
ASMEB31.3requiresthatthe'totaljointthickness,includingweldreinforcement,mustbegreaterthantheweldthickness'.
BSENISO5817setsupperlimitsrelatedtothequalitylevel,egforthicknesses>3mmModerate,(D),h0.2tbutmax
2mmforStringent,(B),h0.05tbutmax0.5mm.Furthermore,asmoothtransitionisrequiredattheweldtoes.
Ineffectthestandardsrequirethattheminimumdesignthroatthicknessofthefinishedweldmentisachieved.Ifthefirst
twoconditionsofacceptancearemetbuttheweldfacedoesnothaveasufficientlyhighcap,additionalweldmetalmay
bedepositedtoincreasethethroat.
Avoidance
Itisimportanttoensurethatjointfit-upisasspecifiedintheweldingprocedureandthatthedefinedparametersarebeing
followed.Ifweldertechniqueistheproblemthenretrainingisrequired.
Filletweldedjoints
ThisSectionshouldbereadinconjunctionwithJobKnowledge66Filletweldedjoints-areviewofthepracticalities.
Excessiveconvexity

Fig.3.Excessiveconvexity
Thisfeatureisalsocoveredbythedefinitionforexcessweldmetal,seePart1,andmaybedescribedasweldmetallying
outsidetheplanejoiningtheweldtoes.Notethattheterm'reinforcement',althoughusedextensivelyintheASME/AWS
specificationsisavoidedinEuropeasitimpliesthatexcessmetalcontributestothestrengthoftheweldedjoint.Thisis
rarelythecase.
Commoncauses
Poortechniqueandthedepositionoflargevolumesof'cold'weldmetal.
Acceptance
Theidealiseddesignrequirementofa'mitre'filletweldisoftendifficulttoachieve,particularlywithmanualwelding
processes.
BSENISO5817acceptanceisbasedonamitrefilletweldshapewithaspecificdesignthroatandanyexcessweldmetal
ismeasuredinrelationtothismitresurface.Thelimitsforthisimperfectionrelatetheheightoftheexcessmetaltothe
widthofthebeadwithmaximumvaluesrangingfrom3mmforastringentqualitylevelto5mmforamoderatequalitylevel.
Surprisingly,thereisnoreferencetoa'smoothtransition'beingrequiredattheweldtoesforsuchweldshape.
AWSD1.1alsohaslimitsrelatingwidthtoacceptableexcessasfollows:
WidthofweldfaceMaximumconvexity
W8mm 2mm
W<8toW<25mm 3mm
W25mm 5mm
Avoidance
Weldertechniqueisthemajorcauseofthisproblemandtrainingmayberequired.Itisalsoimportanttoensurethatthe
parametersspecifiedintheweldingproceduresspecificationareadheredto.
Oversizefilletwelds(weldswithathroatlargerthanrequiredbythedesign)

Fig.4.Oversizefilletweld
AsdiscussedinJobKnowledge66,oversizefilletweldscanrepresentasignificantadditionalcostandlossofproductivity.
Commoncauses
Therearesomeweldingrelatedcauses,eghighweldingcurrent,slowtravelspeeds,andsomesupervisionrelated(eg'to
besafemakethisfilletbiggerbyxmm').
Acceptance
BSENISO5817haslimitsrelatedtotheactualthroat(egforstringentqualitylevels,theactualweldthroat[a]may
exceedthenominal(design)weldthroat[h]by1+0.15awithamaximumof3mm.Forthemoderatequalitylevel(D)the
excessivethroatthicknessisunlimited.
Avoidance
Adheretothespecifiedweldingprocedureandparametersanddonotaddtothespecifiedweldsize.Wherepossible
mechanisetheweldingoperation.
Undersizedfilletwelds(filletweldssmallerthanthosespecified)

Fig.5.Undersizedfilletweld
Commoncauses
Theweldingrelatedcausesareassociatedwithhighweldingspeedsandlowweldingcurrents.
Acceptance
Therefore,itisnormallyassumedthatfilletweldswillbeatleastofthesizespecified.BSENSIO5817statesthatlimitsto
insufficientthroatthicknessarenotapplicabletoprocesseswithproofofgreaterdepthofpenetration,thereforeafillet
weldwithanapparentthroatthicknesssmallerthatthatprescribedshouldnotberegardedasbeingimperfectiftheactual
throatthicknesswithacompensatinggreaterdepthofpenetrationcomplieswiththenominalvalue.Thatisifwecanbe
surethereisgoodpenetrationthesmallerfilletmaybeacceptable,however,thisshouldbediscussedwiththedesignerof
thefabrication.Thelimitssetbythestandard.
Relyingupondeeppenetrationtoprovidetherequiredminimumdesignthroatthicknesscanbedifficulttojustify.
Penetrationisaweldcharacteristicthatishardtomeasuredirectlyandreliancemustbeplacedonthestringentcontrolof
boththeweldingprocessandthewelder.Manualweldingcanrarelybereliedupontoprovidetherequiredconsistencybut
itisanoptionwithmechanisedweldingsystems.
Imperfection:filletweld
havingathroat
thicknesssmallerthan
thenominalvalue
Qualitylevels
ModerateD IntermediateC StringentB
LongimperfectionsNOTpermitted NOTpermitted
Shortimperfections(seeFig.5)h0.3mm+0.1a
max2mm max1mm
Avoidance
Adheretothespecifiedweldingprocedureandparameters.Usesufficientcurrentandappropriatetravelspeed.Where
possiblemechanisetheweldingoperation.
Asymmetricfilletweld(afilletweldwherethelegsareofunequallength)

Fig.6.Asymmetricfilletweld
Commoncauses
Duetoincorrectelectrodepositioningortogravitypullingthemoltenpooltowardsonefaceofthejoint.Itisanmainlya
problemwithfilletweldsmadeinthehorizontal/vertical(PB)position.
Acceptance
Thereareinstanceswhereasymmetrymaybespecified(egtoplacethetoestressconcentrationinaparticularregion).
BSENISO5817would,fora10mmleglengthfilletweld(ie7.1mmthroat)allowadifferenceinleglengthsofabout
2.5mmatthestringentqualityleveland3.4mmatthemoderatequalitylevel.Acceptanceisrelatedtothethroatthickness.
Theconsequenceofthisimperfectionisasignificantincreaseinweldvolume.Providedtheleglengthrequirementis
achievedtherewouldnotbealossofstrength.Perhapsthisiswhy,inotherstandards,arequirementisnotspecifiedand
theacceptabilityislefttotheinspectionpersonneltomakethe'engineeringjudgement'!
Poorfit-up

Fig.7.Poorfit-up
Themostcommonimperfectionisanexcessivegapbetweenthematingfacesofthematerials.
Commoncauses
Poorworkshoppractice,poordimensioningandtolerancedimensionsondrawings.
Acceptance
Amajorproblemwithfilletweldsisensuringthegapbetweenthecomponentsiswithindefinedlimits.BSENISO5817
specifiestheacceptancecriteriaasfollows:
Qualitylevels
ModerateD IntermediateC StringentB
h1mm+0.3ah0.5mm+0.2ah0.5mm+0.1a
max4mm max3mm max2mm
Whereh=fit-upgapanda=filletwelddesignthroat
Figure7showsthatthegapresultsinareductionintheleglengthontheverticalplateandthis,inturn,resultsina
reductioninthethroatthicknessofthejoint.A10mmleglengthfilletwitharootgapof3mmgivesaneffectivelegof7mm
(athroatof4.9mminsteadoftheexpected7mm).
WhentheapplicationofBSENISO5817isnotrequired,theguidanceofBSEN1011-2canbefollowed,which
recommendsamaximumgapof3mm.Thisstandardalsostatesthatthesizeofthefilletweldcanbeincreasedto
compensateforalargegap.
ThisdiscrepancyisaddressedwithinAWSD1.1.whichpermitsarootgapofupto5mmformaterialthicknessupto
75mm.However,'ifthe(joint)separationisgreaterthan2mmthelegofthefilletweldshallbeincreasedbytheamountof
therootopening,orthecontractorshalldemonstratethattheeffectivethroathasbeenobtained'.
Filletweldedjoints-areviewofthepracticalities
JobKnowledge
Filletweldedjointssuchastee,lapandcornerjointsarethemostcommonconnectioninweldedfabrication.Intotalthey
probablyaccountforaround80%ofalljointsmadebyarcwelding.
Itislikelythatahighpercentageofotherjoiningtechniquesalsousesomeformofafilletweldedjointincludingnon-fusion
processessuchasbrazing,brazeweldingandsoldering.Thelattertechniquesareoutsidethescopeofthisarticle.
Althoughthefilletweldissocommon,thereareanumberofaspectstobeconsideredbeforeproducingsuchaweld.This
articlewillreviewanumberoftopicsthatrelatetofilletweldedjointsanditishopedthateventhemostseasoned
fabricatororweldingpersonwillgainfromthisarticleinsomeway.
CommonjointdesignsforfilletweldsareshownbelowinFig.1.

Fig1.Commonjointdesignsforfilletwelds
Filletweldfeatures
ISO2553(EN22553)usesthefollowingnotationasFigs.2and3show.
a=throatthickness
z=leglength
s=deeppenetrationthroatthickness
l=lengthofintermittentfillet

Fig.2.Mitrefillet

Fig3.Deeppenetrationfillet
Filletweldshapes
Overspecifiedfilletweldsoroversizedfilletwelds

Fig4.Weldsizesinrelationtotherequiredleglengthsorthroatthickness
Oneofthegreatestproblemsassociatedwithfilletweldedjointsisachievingthecorrectweldsizeinrelationtothe
requiredleglengthsorthroatthickness(Fig.4).
Thedesignermaycalculatethesizeandallowa'safetyfactor'sothattheweldspecifiedonthefabricationdrawingis
largerthanisrequiredbydesignconsiderations.
Theweldsizeiscommunicatedbyusinganappropriateweldsymbol.
IntheUKtheweldsizeisfrequentlyspecifiedbyreferringtotheleglength'z'inISO2553wherethenumbergivesthe
weldsizeinmillimetresasshowninFig.5.

Fig5.Weldsizespecification(UK)
InEurope,itismorecommontofindthedesignthroatthickness,'a'specified(Fig.6).

Fig6.Weldsizespecification(Europe)
Oncethedrawinghasbeenissuedtotheshopfloor,itisusualtofindanadditionalsafetyfactoralsobeingappliedonby
thewelderorinspector.Itisalsocommontohear'addabitmoreitwillmakeitstronger'.
Theoutcomeisanoversizedweldwithperhapsan8mmleglengthratherthanthe6mmspecifiedbythedesigner.This
extra2mmconstitutesanincreaseinweldvolumeofover80%.
Thiscoupledwiththealreadyoverspecifiedweldsizefromthedesigner's'safetyfactor'mayleadtoaweldthatistwice
thevolumeofacorrectlysizedfilletweld.
Bykeepingtheweldtothesizespecifiedbythedrawingoffice,fasterweldingspeedscanbeachieved,therefore
increasingproductivity,reducingoverallproductweight,consumableconsumptionandconsumablecost.
Theotherbenefitisthat,inthecaseofmostarcweldingprocesses,aslightincreaseintravelspeedwouldinmostcases
seeanincreaseinrootpenetrationsothattheactualthroatthicknessisincreased:
Anoversizedweldisthereforeverycostlytoproduce,maynothave'betterstrength'andiswastefulofwelding
consumablesandmayseeotherfabricationproblemsincludingexcessivedistortion.
Lapjointsweldedwithfilletwelds.
Asdiscussedearlier,oversizedweldsarecommonplaceandthelapjointisnoexception.Thedesignermayspecifyaleg
lengththatisequaltothematerialthicknessasinFig.7.

Fig7.Lapjoint-leglengthspecification
Strengthconsiderationsmaymeanthatthefilletweldsizeneednotbeanywhereneartheplatethickness.Inpracticethe
weldmayalsobedeficientinotherwaysforexample:

Fig8.Exampleshowinganundersizedfilletweld
Duetomeltingawayofthecorneroftheupperplate(Fig.8),theverticalleglengthisreducedmeaningthatthedesign
throathasalsobeenreduced;thereforeanundersizedweldhasbeencreated.Careisthereforeneededtoensurethatthe
corneroftheupperplateisnotmeltedaway.Ideallytheweldshouldbesome0.5-1mmclearofthetopcorner(Fig.9).

Fig9.Ideallytheweldshouldbe0.5-1mmclearofthetopcorner
Itmaybethedesignermaythereforespecifyaslightlysmallerleglengthcomparedtothethicknessofthecomponent.
Tocompensateforthisreductioninthroatthicknessitmaybenecessarytospecifyadeeppenetrationfilletweld.This
amountofadditionalpenetrationwouldneedtobeconfirmedbysuitableweldtests.Additionalcontrolsmayalsobe
neededduringproductionweldingtoensurethatthisadditionalpenetrationisbeingachievedconsistently.
Inadditiontothereductioninthroatthicknessthereisthepotentialforadditionalproblemssuchasoverlapattheweldtoe
duetothelargerweldpoolsize(Fig.10)oranexcessivelyconvexweldfaceandconsequentialsharpnotchesattheweld
toe(Fig.11).

Fig10.Overlapattheweldtoeduetothelargerweldpoolsize

Fig11.Excessivelyconvexweldfaceandconsequentialsharpnotchesattheweldtoe
BoththepotentialproblemsshowninFigs.10and11couldadverselyinfluencethefatiguelifeoftheweldedjointdueto
theincreasedtoeangle,whichactsasagreaterstressconcentration.
Poorfit-upcanalsoreducethethroatthicknessasinFig.12.Thecorneroftheverticalcomponenthasbeenbevelledin
thesketchinanexaggeratedmannertoillustratethepoint.

Fig12.Throatthicknessmaybereducedbypoorfit-up
Summary
Filletweldedjointsarenotonlythemostfrequentlyusedweldjointsbutarealsooneofthemostdifficulttoweldwithany
realdegreeofconsistency.Filletweldsrequireahigherheatinputthanabuttjointofthesamethicknessand,withless
skilledweldersthiscanleadtolackofpenetrationand/orfusiondefectsthatcannotbedetectedbyvisualexaminationand
otherNDTtechniques.
FilletweldedjointsarenotalwaysopentoNDTorareindeedtimeconsumingtomanynon-destructivelytesting
techniquessuchasradiographyorultrasonictestingandtheresultsareoftendifficulttointerpret.Inspectionmethods
suchasvisualinspection,magneticparticleinspectionandpenetrantinspectionaresurfaceexaminationtechniquesonly
andwithvisualinspection,muchoftheeffortisexpendedinmeasuringthesizeoftheweldratherthanidentifyingother
qualityaspects.
Filletweldedjointsarethereforemuchmoredifficulttoweldandinspect.Oftentheweldsthatareproducedarelargerthan
theyneedtobeortheymaybeofapoorshapewhichcanadverselyinfluencetheirserviceperformance.
Toovercomethesedifficulties,designersneedtospecifyaccuratelythemostappropriatethroatsizeandwelding
personnelshouldstrivetoachievethespecifieddesignsize.Weldersalsoneedtobeadequatelytrainedandsufficiently
skilledtobecapableofmaintaininganacceptableweldquality.
ThisarticlewaswrittenbyMarkCozensofWeld-ClassSolutions.Anyenquiriesregardingthecontentofthearticleshould
beaddressedinitiallytotheEditor,Connect.
Areviewoftheapplicationofweldsymbolsondrawings-Part2
JobKnowledge
Part1ofthisarticlewhichappearedintheMay/JuneissueofConnect,dealtwiththemostbasicweldsymbolsasthey
appearonengineeringdrawings.Aspreviouslymentioned,itisessentialthatallconcernedinanyprojectareawareof
whichStandardisbeingapplied.
Weldsizing
Inorderthatthecorrectsizeofweldcanbeapplied,itiscommontofindnumberstoeithertheleftortotherightofthe
symbol.
Forfilletwelds,numberstotheleftofthesymbolindicatethedesignthroatthickness,leglength,orbothdesignthroat
thicknessandleglengthrequirements.Figure1givesexamplesofsymbolsusedindifferentStandards.

Fig.1
Forfilletwelds:
SupersededBS499Pt2gives
a=designthroatthickness
b=leglength
ISO2553/EN22553requirements
a=designthroatthickness
z=leglength
s=penetrationthroatthickness
Forbuttjointsandwelds,anSwithanumbertotheleftofasymbolreferstothedepthofpenetrationasshowninFig.2.

Fig.2
Whentherearenospecificdimensionalrequirementsspecifiedforbuttweldsonadrawingusingweldsymbols,itwould
normallybeassumedthattherequirementisforafullpenetrationbuttweld(Fig.3).

Fig.3
Numberstotherightofasymbolorsymbolsrelatetothelongitudinaldimensionofwelds,egforfillets,thenumberof
welds,weldlengthandweldspacingfornon-continuouswelds,asFig.4.

Fig.4
Onfilletweldedjointsmadefrombothsides,astaggeredweldcanbeshownbyplacinga'Z'throughthereferenceline(
Fig.5).

Fig.5
Supplementarysymbols
Weldsymbolsindicatethetypeofpreparationtouseortheweldtype.However,theremaystillbeoccasionswhereother
informationisrequired.Thebasicinformationcanthereforebeaddedtoinordertoprovidefurtherdetailsasshownin
Figs.6,7and8.

Fig.6

Fig.7

Fig.8
Weldallround
ForaRectangularHollowSection(RHS)weldedtoaplate,forexample:
Weldinthefieldoronsite
Theboxattachedtothearrowcanbeusedtocontain,orpointto,otherinformation.
Weldingprocesstype
ISO4063givesweldingprocessesspecificreferencenumbers.AsshowninFig.9theappropriateprocessnumberis
placedinthetailofthearrow.Otherprocessesaregivenauniquenumber.Inthisexample,135referstoMAGwelding.

Fig.9
ThereareanumberofadditionalsymbolsgivenintheStandards(egISO22553)whichrefertoadditionalweldingorjoint
requirements.Figure10showstherequirementforasealingrun.

Fig.10
Compoundjoints/welds
Acompoundweldcouldbea'T'buttweldwhichrequiresfilletweldstobeaddedtoincreasethethroatthicknessasshown
inFig.11.

Fig.11
Thebrokenreferenceline

Fig.12
ThemainfeaturethatdistinguishesweldsymbolstandardsisthatforISO2553andBSEN22553,thereisanadditional
featureofabrokenreferenceline.
Thismethodisusedwhenaweldmentorweldpreparationneedstobespecifiedonthe'otherside'ofthearrowasshown
inFig.12.
Anysymbolthatisusedtoshowajointorweldtypefeatureontheothersideofthearrowlineisalwaysplacedonadotted
line.
BS499andAWSrequiresymbolstobeplacedabovethereferenceline(whichindicatetheotherside)orbelowthe
referenceline(indicatingthearrowside).
Summary
Weldsymbolsareaveryusefulwayofcommunicatingweldingrequirementsfromthedesignofficetotheshopfloor.
Itisessentialthatthe'rules'ofthestandardusedarecorrectlyappliedbydrawingofficepersonnel.However,itisalso
importantthatshopfloorpersonnelareabletoreadandunderstandthedetailsofweldsymbols.
Muchofthisrequirementcanbemetbyreferencetothestandardbeingusedwithintheorganisationandbythedrawing
officepersonnelconsideringtheneedsoftheendusersuchasthewelders,weldingsupervisors,weldinginspection
personnelandweldingengineersinordertominimisecostlymistakesduetomisinterpretation.
Trainingofallpersonnelinthecorrectuseofweldsymbolspecificationsalsoplaysanimportantroleinensuringthatweld
symbolsarebothcorrectlyappliedandcorrectlyread.
ThisarticlewaswrittenbyMarkCozensofWeld-ClassSolutions.