This factor is intended to account for the possibility that welds might receive

only visual inspection, so their strengths might not be as reliably attained as

that of the AWS qualification welds from which welded tensile ultimate
strengths are established.
2) The welded yield strengths (Ftyw and Fcyw) for tempers other than annealed
material (#O) must be multiplied by 0.75 before they may be used in
formulas for member strength in the Specification. This multiplication has
been performed, and the results tabulated in Appendix C. This factor effectively
adjusts the yield strength from a 10 in. [250 mm] to a 2 in. [50 mm]
gauge length, which is more representative of weld-affected material. This is
because the 10 in. gauge length yield strengths were obtained from specimens
with a transverse groove weld that affected only approximately 2 in. [50 mm]
of the base metal (1 in. [25 mm] to either side of the weld centerline).
The ultimate tensile strengths for welded aluminum alloys given in Aluminum
Specification Table 3.3-2 are defined there as the AWS D1.2 Structural
Welding Code�Aluminum (91) weld qualification test values. This means that
these are the strengths that must be attained in a tensile test of a groove weld
in order for the weld procedure to be qualified according to AWS requirements.
These same values are also required by the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to qualify a
weld procedure. Table 4.2 of AWS D1.2-97 gives values of minimum tensile
ultimate strength for thicknesses not included in Aluminum Specification Table
3.3-2, as well as for additional alloys, including several cast alloys.
Section 9.1 explains the structural design of welded members.
4.6 THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON
ALUMINUM PROPERTIES
As temperature decreases from room temperature, the tensile strengths and
elongation values of aluminum alloys increase, and unlike steel, aluminum
suffers no transition temperature below which the risk of brittle fracture
increases
markedly. This makes aluminum an excellent choice for lowtemperature
structural applications (2). (This low-temperature ductility is a
pleasant surprise to engineers familiar with steel.)
On the other hand, aluminum has a considerably lower melting point than
steel (about 1,220#F [660#C]), and the decrease in aluminum strengths is fairly
significant for most alloys above 200#F [95#C]. Figure 4.2 shows the variation
in typical tensile ultimate strength with respect to temperature for various
aluminum alloys. (See Aluminum Design Manual, Part V, for typical tensile
strength and elongation values of alloys at temperatures from #320 to 700#F
[#195 to 370#C].) Generally, the longer the alloy is held at an elevated
temperature,
the lower the strength. Under a constant stress, the deformation of
an aluminum part may increase over time; this behavior is known as creep.