Tag: WELDING

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Minimum Size of Fillet Weld

Amarine Antonio

Every inspector has dealt with the design rules that prohibit sizing a fillet weld below a certain size for a given thickness of material? If you look at AWS D1.1 2020 Structural Welding Code (Steel) you can find this in Table 7.7. If you happen to own a copy of AISC 360-16 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings you’ll find this on Table J2.4. Below you can see AISC’s Table J2.4 – Minimum Size of Fillet Welds.  The minimum fillet weld sizes are basically based on the thickness of the material being joined. Most people think that the minimum fillet weld sizes are … Continue reading Minimum Size of Fillet Weld

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Heat input and Weld size (leg-length)

Amarine Antonio

Heat input from welding is important because it has an effect on cooling rates which in turn can significantly affect the mechanical properties of the weld and heat-affected zone. It also plays a role in susceptibility to distortion. High heat input can be beneficial in some cases and detrimental in others. A common misconception is that as long as amperage and voltage remain the same heat input doesn’t change. This is wrong because travel speed is also a factor. Heat input is a function of three essential variables: amperage, voltage, and travel speed. Change one and heat input changes. The formula for … Continue reading Heat input and Weld size (leg-length)

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How to control distortion in welding?

Amarine Antonio

Distortion caused by the heating and cooling cycles of welding is extremely problematic. It can place structures out of dimensional tolerance creating costly rework. In some cases, parts need to be scrapped. Understanding the causes of distortion is an absolute necessity for those managing welding operations. Three mistakes account for the vast majority of distortion problems. These are: Over-welding One of the things you may hear most often when it comes to reducing or eliminating distortion from welding is to pulse weld. Pulse welding is done by switching back and forth between a peak (high) and a background (low) current. Manufacturers of welding … Continue reading How to control distortion in welding?

WELDING, Welding Engineer2 Comments

Welding Amperage & Heat Relationship

Amarine Antonio

The amount of heat produced by the arc is determined by the amperage. The higher the amperage setting the higher the heat produced by the welding arc, and the lower the amperage setting the lower the heat produced. Each diameter of the electrode has a recommended minimum and maximum amperage range and therefore a recommended heat range. If you were to try to put too many amps through a small diameter electrode it will overheat and could even melt during weld and potential of the welder injury. If the amperage setting is too low for an electrode diameter, the end … Continue reading Welding Amperage & Heat Relationship

Welding Engineer1 Comment

Welding Term, Definition, and Abbreviations

Amarine Antonio

Find your confusing words by Ctrl+F Active Fluxes – Active fluxes produce changes in weld metal chemistry when welding is changed. Active fluxes are restricted to single or minimal multi-pass welding. Acceptable Weld – A weld that meets the applicable requirements Actual Throat – The shortest distance between the weld root and the face of a fillet weld. Aging – Process of holding metals or alloys at room temperature after subjecting them to shaping or heat treatment, for the purpose of increasing dimensional stability or to improve their hardness and strength through structural changes, as by precipitation. Air Carbon Arc Cutting – A carbon arc cutting process variation that removes molten metal … Continue reading Welding Term, Definition, and Abbreviations

WELDING, Welding Engineer3 Comments

What is Welding Current?

Amarine Antonio

Welding current is the term used to describe the electricity that jumps across the arc gap between the end of the electrode and the metal being welded. An electric current is the flow of electrons. The resistance to the flow of electrons (electricity) produces heat. The greater the electrical resistance, the greater the heat and temperature that the arc will produce. Air has a high resistance to current flow, so there is a lot of heat and temperature produced by the SMA welding arc. Electrons flow from negative (–) to positive (+). What three units are used to describe any … Continue reading What is Welding Current?

WELDING, Welding Engineer2 Comments

What are the advantages of SMA welding?

Amarine Antonio

SMA: Shield Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) SMAW is the most widely used welding process for metal fabrication because of its low cost, flexibility, portability, and versatility. The welding machine itself can be as simple as a 110-volt, step-down transformer that can be plugged into a normal electrical outlet. The electrodes are available from a large number of manufacturers in packages ranging from 1 lb (0.5 kg) to 50 lb (22 kg). The SMAW process is very versatile because the same SMA welding machine can be used to make a wide variety of weld joint designs in a wide variety of metal … Continue reading What are the advantages of SMA welding?