Butt weld penetration 1

[DESIGNER8621]

Is there a general rule or guidline for the minimum amount of penetration? For Example: If you have a Butt joint or 2 pieces of 1/4" thick flat steel edge to edge with no gap and a generic 1/8 Square symbol is used how much or how deep should the penetration in the 2 pieces be?

 

[metengr]

DESIGNER8621;
Penetration of the weld should be at least 50% of the 1/4" thickness.

 

[weldtek]

Per AWS convention, if there is no dimension given to the left of the symbol, full penetration is required. If partial penetration is required the dimension to the left side of the symbol indicates the depth of penetration required. It sounds like you have a dimension of 1/8" shown to the left of the square symbol, so 1/8" penetration is required.

 

[DESIGNER8621]

Thanks for the info. Do you hapeen to know which AWS standard this is? I should probably get this.

 

[weldtek]

You want AWS A2.4.

 

[hogan666]

DESIGNER8621,
It sound like you might also want to consider getting a copy of AWS A3.0 terms and definitions. It is very beneficial when becoming familiar with code welding.

 

[DESIGNER8621]

Thanks, I will look it over.

 

[pipewelder1999]

There is not a general rule, it would be based upon the strength required in the joint and also the service conditions.

In some cases it is possible to achieve a weld with stringth equal to the base metal even if the effective throat is less than the base metal thickness.

So as far as designing something goes, it would be an engineering decision. If you are talking about training purposes such as you would encounter while taking a welding class, it would be dependent upon what the instructor is trying to teach you.

Gerald Austin
Iuka, Mississippi

http://www.weldingdata.com