WELDING STANDARDS AND

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

FUTURE
Erik Åstrand Dr, IWE
Manufacturing Development Volvo CE, Braås
 Introduction

•  Volvo CE 2005
•  IWE 2008
•  PhD 2016

Erik Åstrand

Volvo CE, Braås

erik.ea.astrand@volvo.com

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 Requirements for a good welding standard
•  Give a predictable output to be used in design for weight optimization
•  Prohibit over-processing due to unnecessary requirements to avoid high
welding cost
•  Support a development of welding procedures for reduced cost, reduced
variation and improved strength

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 Requirements for a good welding standard

•  Differentiate welds with good properties from welds with bad properties

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 Welding standards
•  Traditional welding standards
•  Discontinuities based on
–  Based on a good workmanship weld
characteristics that easily can be
evaluated with visual inspection
à DIN 8563, ISO 5817, Volvo group STD
181-0001 etc

•  Low correlation to the fatigue

1. ”A Good properties of the weld
Workmanship
Weld”

•  Prohibit development of improved

welding procedures

3.
Development 2. Welding
standard
of welding
requirements
procedures

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 Welding standards •  Gives predictable fatigue properties with
clear steps in strength between weld quality
•  Fatigue life based welding standards levels
–  Based on the expected fatigue life
•  Include important requirements such as weld
penetration and weld toe radius as well as
à Volvo Group STD 181-0004 traditional requirements.

1. Fatigue life
•  Development of NDT techniques
req.

•  Development of welding procedures to

improve the penetration and radius

2. New
4. New weld
types
standard •  This development gives a need for a
requirements
new standard update

3. New
welding
procedures

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 What is a good weld?

”A good Weld is any weld which do the job is

intended for during the entire life of the structure”

AM Gresnight

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 What  is  a  high  quality  weld?  
High  quality   Low  quality  

Long  fa(gue  life   Short  fa(gue  life  

Good  welding  requirements  must  differen7ate  the  high-­‐quality  weld  

from  the  low  quality  weld  

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 Critical requirements

Critical Requirement
Less Critical Requirement

Most  standards  requirements  of  a  single  weld  have  a  low  or  

limited  influence  of  the    fa7gue  strength  
 
à  Possibili7es  to  remove  or  loosen  many  requirements  

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 Welding  procedures
- In theory it is simple

•  Welds  with  a  cri(cal  weld  toe  should  have  a  low  

stress  concentra(on  without  defects  

•  Welds  with  a  cri(cal  root  should  have  large  

penetra(on  that  minimises  the  root  crack.    

•  However,  these  demands  are  in  contradic(on  to  

each  other..  

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 The  contradic7on  of  high  quality  

Low  quality  

Very  high  
quality  

Very  high  
Very  low  
quality  
quality  

•  If  we  want  really  good  proper(es  in  one  point  it  is  essen(al  to  have  
lower  requirements  in  other  areas  to  get  the  right  focus  
•  It  is  necessary  to  priori(ze  or  use  more  than  one  weld  run  

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 Improved  welding  procedures
- In theory it is simple

•  Welds  with  a  cri(cal  weld  toe  should  have  a  low  

stress  concentra(on  without  defects  

•  Welds  with  a  cri(cal  root  should  have  large  

penetra(on  that  minimises  the  root  crack.    

•  However,  these  demands  are  in  contradic(on  to  

each  other..  

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 Welds  with  a  cri7cal  root  
A  change  torch  posi*on  makes  it  possible  to  get  an  improved  
penetra(on  

Throat  thickness  5   Leg  length  5/8  mm  

mm   i  3,5-­‐4,5  mm  
i  2-­‐3  mm   +100%  in  Fa7gue  life  

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 Aim at the point you want to reach!

2-3 mm 3.5-4.5 mm < 2 mm

à Gives welds with leg deviations à Leg deviations gives improved

increased penetration à Specify welds with leg deviations

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 Strength comparison
-199 samples

mean throat thickness,

beams (K.-E. Olsson et

Eq. throat index - Load

al., 1997; Samuelsson,
Eq. Throat index -Box

cruciform joint (Frank

Stress concentration

Stress concentration
index Load carrying

index Load carrying

mean penetration, i

joint (Kainuma and

carrying cruciform

and Fisher, 1979)

cruciform joint –
Requirement

Mori, 2006)

BS7910
2008)
Type

D Leg 3,8 4 131 151 39 39

F Leg 4,3 3,6 128 138 51 51
G Leg 4,4 3,5 127 136 54 54
E Leg 4,5 3,4 126 133 57 57
x2 A Throat 5,3 2,9 123 122 67 68
B Throat 5,1 2,9 121 118 69 70
C Throat 4,8 2,9 118 113 72 72
i2a5 Throat 5 2 100 100 100 100

- Same rank with all formulas

- Leg length requirements gives better
properties than throat thickness requirements

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 Critical weld toe
- Wanted geometry from different processes
Grinding High Frequency Impact As welded
Treatment, HFMI

Weld Weld Weld

Base plate Base plate Base plate

Controlled undercut Controlled undercut

prescribed No undercut wanted
prescribed

Hypothesis:    
Welds  with  a  smooth  undercut  in  “as  welded”  condi7on  will  offer  
enhanced  fa7gue  proper7es  

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 Fatigue testing

•  The samples has similar fatigue properties as HFMI treated welds

•  Low scatter

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Toolbox for lean welding

Focus  

Weld  toe  radius  

Optimized
Weld toe

Low Cost

Weld  speed  

Good
workmanship Optimized
penetration
Weld  penetra7on  
Potential
+100% in fatigue life
+ 33% in productivity

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 Changes for the future

•  Replace throat thickness with leg

length and leg deviation
requirements

•  Specify smooth undercuts for

welds with a critical weld toe
–  Eliminate the risk of coldlaps

•  Remove or loosen non critical

requirements
–  Especially the ones that are hard
to fulfil or evaluate

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 Future welding standards
•  Choose weld class in relation to critical
root side or toe side
–  It should be clear to the welder what is
critical

•  Root side class

–  No radius requirement
–  Penetration depth specified
–  Possibilities to use leg length req.
–  Also usage for low cost welds

•  Toe side class

–  Radius req. specified for the critical weld
toe.

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 Potential effect of new welding standard
requirements
Increased utilisation of the welding process
- Enable usage of improved welding procedures
Improved predictability enable reduced safety
margins
Reduced cost by reduction of unnecessary
requirements
More clear what to put efforts in production and
quality assurance

à Reduced weight and reduced fabrication cost

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 THANKS FOR THE ATTENTION!

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