Lecture Notes: Welding Introduction

Handout
PPT – on website
Higgins – Ch. 17, Section 4

Welding:

Most common method of joining in the marine environment - ~90-95%

Other: Riveting, bolting, soldering/brazing

Significant cause of structural failure

Liberty ships
T2 Tankers
Alex Kieland
‚ March 1980, North Sea, Semi-submersible accommodations platform (212
people), 5 pontoon columns with cross-bracing.
‚ Fatigue fracture initiated at a weld error where a hydrophone bracket was
attached.
‚ Propagation of initial fatigue fracture, followed by catastrophic brittle failure
of one of the braces, followed by ductile overload of adjacent braces.
‚ Platform quickly rolled over to 30-350. After 20 minutes, one of the main
pontoons collapsed, causing the platform to capsize.
‚ 123 lives lost.

Welding is fusing together 2 or more metals by heat or “pressure”

Weld process (how heat is generated) - more later

o Gas:
o Arc:
o Laser:

Anatomy of a weld:

HAZ is transition between liquid re-crystalization and base (usually cold-worked) metal
Most shrinkage occurs here, so most brittle → This is where welds usually fail
Solutions:
1. Pre-heat, post-heat (annealing)
2. Minimize time and size of heat area → pulsed laser welding

Note
SCF at connection of weld bead to parent metal → fatigue susceptibility → grind and
polish weld bead.
Weld process (how heat is generated) - more later
Fusion welding:
o Gas: Oxy-acetylene → 6,000oF
o Arc: DC (or AC) – Metallic arc, gas-shielded arc, submerged arc → 10,000oF
o Electron Beam & Laser → 30,000oF
Pressure welding:
o Friction
o Resistance: spot, seam, butt, flash

Weld problems:

Hydrogen impurities → leads to voids, cracking, embrittlement

Solutions:
1. Use “shielded” → inert gas (nitrogen, argon, helium)
2. Pre-heat to remove moisture from parent metal & weld rods → also good
for reducing shrinkage
3. Flux in weld rods

Weld rods:
o Filler material to fill in gaps between pieces
o Used in gas and arc welding
o Gas uses filler material like solder does
o W/ arc, rod is either filler (if electrode carbon), or consumable
electrode
o The flux & impurities in weld rod float to the top of the bead and are
called “slag”. It is chipped away.

Abbreviations:
SMAW – shielded metal arc welding
TIG – tungsten electrode inert gas (tungsten electrode not consumable)
MIG – metal inert gas (electrode filler is consumable) (aka GMAW)

Weld joint types:

Most common: See handout – Fig. 9
Butt joint
Corner joint
Tee joint
Lap joint, strap joint
Other:
Bead weld
Plug weld (similar to spot weld)

Welding positions: See handout – Fig. 14

Rank from least difficult to most difficult
Flat (“downhand”)
Horizontal
Vertical
Overhead

Weld symbols: See handout (Dave Wright Welding) → Use for midship design drawing
Weld design:

1. Determine if material can be welded

Mn Cr + Mo + V Ni + Cu
Carbon equivalent: CE = C + + + (all are in %)
6 5 15
C = carbon, Mn = manganese, Cr = chromium, Mo = molybdenum, V = vanadium, Ni = nickel, Cu = copper

Ex. AISI 1020 (from Matweb)

0 .6
C = 0.23, Mn = 0.6 → CE = 0.23 + = 0.33
6

CE < 0.41 → weldable in ambient (no pre - heat required)

0.41 < CE < 0.43 → pre - heat required

ABS 
0.43 < CE < 0.45 → " special procedures"
CE > 0.45 → can' t weld

2. Determine required weld size

Tensile strength: based on 1 or 2 sided weld

- Single-sided is max. 80% the strength of double
- Warpage in single-sided due to uneven shrinking

Shear stress:
Shear strength is based on the amount of material in the weld

Ex.

(Tee joint w/ fillet both sides)

(Double-bevel butt weld)

E60 electrode (type): σU = 60 ksi, σY = 48 ksi, τY = 13.6 ksi (so, good for A36)

Thickness of the weld:

Need sufficient weld thickness to meet FOS vs. strength of weld material
(either electrode or base metal)
Weld calculation, weld-stress formulas (Welding Handbook, AWS) –
Based on geometry of weld and loads.