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Home > Technical Knowledge > Job Knowledge > Calculating weld volume and weight
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An asymmetrical fillet weld is a little more difficult; the area of a triangle is given by the base Z2
times the height Z1 divided by 2 so when a fillet weld is deposited with unequal leg lengths the
area can be calculated from multiplying the throat, a, by the length of the face I and divided by 2
as illustrated in Fig.2 .
http://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/job-knowledge/calculating-weld-volume-and-weight-095/[11/09/2014 10:20:27]
fillet
Turning now to butt welds, the calculations become a little more complex.
There are three factors that determine the volume of the weld in a single V butt weld. These are
the angle of the bevel, b, the excess weld metal and the root gap, g, as illustrated in Fig 3. To
calculate the area of this weld we need to be able to add together the areas of the four
components illustrated in Fig.3 .
The dimension 'c' is given by (tan b x t); the area of a single red triangle is therefore t(tan b x t)/2.
The total area of the two red regions added together can be calculated using the formula 2t(tan b
x t)/2 or t(tan b x t).
The width of the weld cap, w, is given by W = 2(tan b x t) + g.
The area of the excess weld metal is approximated by the formula (W x h)/2.
The area provided by the root gap by g x t.
The bevel angles, b, most often used are 10 = (tan 0.176), 15 = (tan 0.268), 22.5 = (tan
0.414) 32.5 = (tan 0.637) and 45 = (tan 1.00). As will become obvious when the weight is
calculated, it is easier to ensure that the decimal point is in the right place if centimetres are used
in the calculations rather than millimetres.
As a worked example, if the weld is in a plate 2.5cm thickness, 0.3cm root gap, 65 included angle
(b = 32.50; tan 32.5 = 0.637) and with a cap height of 0.2cm we have:1. c = tan32.5 x 2.5 = 0.637 x 2.5 = 1.59cm
2. w = 2(0.637x2.5) + 0.3 = 3.485cm so the area of the cap = (3.485x0.2)/2 = 0.348 sq.
cm.
3. area of the orange area = 0.3 x 2.5 = 0.75 sq.cm.
4. area of the two red areas = 2 x (1.59 x 2.5)/2 = 3.97sq.cm.
This gives a total area of 5.07sq cm. The volume can then be calculated by multiplying the length
of the weld by the area - ensuring that this length is also given in centimetres!
Conventionally, the volume is often expressed in cubic centimetres (cu.cm). per metre so in this
example the volume is 507 cu. cm/metre.
To obtain the weight of weld metal this figure is then multiplied by the density of the alloy. Table 1
gives the density of some of the more common alloys in gm/cu.cm. Note that with some alloys the
alloying elements can change the density quite significantly.
Table 1. Densities of some of the more common alloys.
Density (gm/cm 3 )
iron
7.87
0.25% carbon steel 7.86
12%Cr steel
7.70
304 stainless steel 7.92
nickel
8.90
80/20 Ni.Cr
8.40
625 type alloy
8.44
copper
8.94
70/30 brass
8.53
7% Al bronze
7.89
Alloy
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aluminium
2.70
Al 5052
2.65
Al 7075
2.8
The weight of weld metal to fill one metre length of the joint described above would therefore be;
in carbon steel (507 x 7.86) = 3985gms or 3.98kgs/metre; in a 5XXX series aluminium alloy (507 x
2.65) = 1343gms, 1.34kgs/metre.
Calculating the weight of weld metal in double sided V-joints uses the same approach by dividing
the weld into its individual 'V's and adding the products.
A J-preparation, however, adds another area into the equation; that of the half circle at the root of
the weld, see Fig.4 . The formulae given above to calculate 'c', the area of the two red components
and the excess weld metal remain unchanged but the width of the cap must be increased by 2r.
There are also the two areas, 'A' and 'B', to calculate and the two white root radius areas to be
added to the total.
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