Weld Joint Design

Weld Joint Design

SelectionofacorrectweldjointdesigniscriticaltothesuccessfulfabricationofHASTELLOYand
HAYNESalloys.Poorjointdesigncannegateeventhemostoptimumweldingconditions.Themain
considerationinweldjointdesignofNi/Cobasealloysistoprovidesufficientaccessibilityandspace
formovementoftheweldingelectrodeorfillermetal.Slightlydifferentweldjointgeometriesare
requiredcomparedtothoseforcarbonorstainlesssteelinparticular,alargerincludedweldangle,
widerrootopening(gap),andreducedland(rootface)thicknessaretypicallyrequired.
Themostimportantcharacteristicthatmustbeunderstoodwhenconsideringweldjointdesignisthat
NiandCobasemoltenweldmetalisrelativelysluggish,meaningthatitdoesnotfloworspreadout
asreadilyto"wet"thesidewallsoftheweldjoint.Therefore,caremustbetakentoensurethatthejoint
openingiswideenoughtoallowproperelectrodemanipulationandplacementoftheweldbeadto
achieveproperweldbeadtieinandfusion.Theweldingarcandfillermetalmustbemanipulatedin
ordertoplacethemoltenmetalwhereitisneeded.Thejointdesignshouldallowforthefirstweldbead
tobedepositedwithaconvexsurface.Anincludedweldangleorrootopeningthatistoonarrow
promotestheformationofaconcaveweldbeadthatplacestheweldsurfaceintensionandpromotes
solidificationcrackingintheweldmetal.
Additionally,weldpenetrationissignificantlylessthanthatofatypicalcarbonorstainlesssteel.This
characteristicrequirestheuseofreducedlandthicknessattherootofthejointcomparedtocarbonand
stainlesssteel.SincethisisaninherentpropertyofNi/Cobasealloys,increasingweldcurrentwillnot
significantlyimprovetheirshallowweldpenetrationcharacteristics.
Typicalbuttjointdesignsthatareusedwiththegastungstenarcwelding(GTAW),gasmetalarcwelding
(GMAW),andshieldedmetalarcwelding(SMAW)processesare:(i)SquareGroove,(ii)SingleV
Groove,and(iii)DoubleVGroove,asshowninFigure1.Gastungstenarcweldingisoftenthe
preferredmethodfordepositingtherootpassforsquaregrooveorsingleVgroovejoints,wherethere
isaccesstoonlyonesideofthejoint.Theremainderofthejointcanthenbefilledusingotherwelding
processesasappropriate.Forgrooveweldsonheavysectionplatesgreaterthan3/4inch(19mm)
thick,aJgrooveispermissible.Suchajointreducestheamountoffillermetalandtimerequiredto
completetheweld.OtherweldjointdesignsforspecificsituationsareshowninFigure2.
Variousweldingdocumentsareavailabletoassistinthedesignofweldedjoints.Twodocumentsthat
providedetailedguidanceare:
WeldingHandbook,NinthEdition,Volume1,WeldingScienceandTechnology,Chapter5,Designfor
Welding,pg.157238,AmericanWeldingSociety,2001.
ASMHandbook,Volume6,Welding,BrazingandSoldering,WeldingofNickelAlloys,pg.740751,
ASMInternational,1993.
Inaddition,fabricationcodessuchastheASMEPressureVesselandPipingCodemayimposedesign
requirements.
Theactualnumberofpassesrequiredtofilltheweldjointdependsuponanumberoffactorsthat
includethefillermetalsize(electrodeorwirediameter),theamperage,andthetravelspeed.The
estimatedweightofweldmetalrequiredperunitlengthofweldingisprovidedinFigure1.

Figure 1: Typical Butt Joints for Manual Welding

estimatedweightofweldmetalrequiredperunitlengthofweldingisprovidedinFigure1.

Figure 1: Typical Butt Joints for Manual Welding

Material
Preferred
Land
IncludedWeld
RootOpening(A)
Thickness(t) JointDesign
Thickness(B) Angle(C)
in

mm

in

mm

1/16

1.6

01/16

01.6

3/32

2.4

03/32

1/8

3.2

1/4

6.3

II

3/8

9.5

1/2
1/2

degrees

lbs/ft

kg/m

N/A

None

0.02

0.03

02.4

N/A

None

0.04

0.06

01/8

03.2

N/A

None

0.06

0.09

1/161/8

1.63.2

6075

0.30

0.45

II

6075

0.60

0.89

12.7

II

6075

0.95

1.41

12.7

III

1/323/32

6075

0.60

0.89

(0.82.4)

6075

1.40

2.08

1/325/32

in

mm

Approx.Weightof
WeldMetal
Required

5/8

15.9

II

5/8

15.9

III

6075

0.82

1.22

3/4

19.1

II

6075

1.90

2.83

3/4

19.1

III

6075

1.20

1.79

(0.84.0)

Figure 2: Other Weld Joint Designs for Specific Situations