CE 401 STRUCTURAL DESIGN

LECTURE 4: WELDED CONNECTIONS

Yaip K Telue
BEng, BEng(Hons2A), PhD(QUT)
MIE(Aust), MIE(PNG)

Professor and Head Department of Civil Engineering

PNG Unitech
WELDED CONNECTIONS-BUTT WELDS
1.1 WELDED CONNECTIONS

1.1.1 Introduction
Welding specifications are covered by AS1554, the Australian standard for welding. This provides for butt,
fillet, slot or plug welds and combinations of these welds.

1.1.2 Butt Welds

A complete (full) penetration butt weld (FPBW) is one having complete fusion of weld and base metal
throughout the thickness of the joint. An incomplete penetration butt weld is one where this does not occur.
The size is taken to be the minimum depth to which the weld extends from its face into a joint, exclusive of
any reinforcement. This size is taken to be the design throat thickness t, used in calculations. AS1554
specifies types of edge preparation required to obtain full no corrosion penetration. AS 4100 indicates how
to obtain design throat thicknesses for non-normal edge preparations and fully automatic are welding
processes that provide extra penetration of weld metal. When parts of different thickness or width are
connected and subjected to tension, a 1 to 1 transition or chamfer must be provided in the parts and/or weld.
The effective length of a butt weld is the length of continuous full size weld.

Single V butt weld with backing strip. Butt welds can be V, bevel or square (or J)
BUTT WELDS

1.1.1.1 Butt Weld Strength Limit State

The design capacity of a full penetration butt weld is taken to be the design capacity of the weaker part of the
parts joined provided that the correct consumables (welding rods etc) are used as specified in AS 1554. The
design capacity of an incomplete penetration butt weld is calculated as for fillet welds using the design throat
thickness above.
FILLET WELDS
1.1.1 Fillet Welds
The size of a fillet weld is specified in terms of its leg length tw whilst its strength is calculated in terms of its
design throat thickness tt. These are determined from the size of the largest triangle that can be inscribed
within the weld. The weld in any gap between plates is not included in the triangle. The preferred sizes of
fillet welds are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 mm.

Ideal weld contour

Angle is 45o

Effective
Apparent Leg
Leg = tw

s = root
Gap

Depth of penetration tt = Throat thickness

tw
If angle is 45o then tt =
2
WELDED CONNECTIONS-FILLET WELDS
1.1.1.1 Fillet Weld Strength Limit State

Fillet weld strengths are calculated in terms of shear flow i.e. load per unit length. The design shear flow V w
is calculated as the vectorial sum of the shear flows on the throat area of the weld. Longitudinal direct
stresses are ignored.

Design shear flow

Vw*  Vw

where Vw = nominal shear flow capacity of weld

Vw = 0.6fuw tt kr .......................................................................................................................Equation Error!
No text of specified style in document.-1

fy
Note that fv = = 0.577fy (for steel)
3
For welds fyw = 0.95 fuw
fy
fuw =
0.95
0.577 fuw
 fv = = 0.6 fuw
0.95
WELDED CONNECTIONS-FILLET WELDS
fuw = minimum nominal ultimate tensile strength of weld metal.
= 410 MPa for E41xx and W40x electrodes
= 480 MPa for E48xx and W50x electrodes

tt = design throat thickness (refer above diagram)

kr = strength reduction factor for lap joints only (Length = L w)

= 1.0 for Lw  1.7 m

= 1.1 – 0.06Lw for Lw  8 m

lw
WELDED CONNECTIONS-FILLET WELDS

The design capacities of fillet welds in the (SP category) are given in Tavle 6-5.

Table Error! No text of specified style in document.-1: Design Capacities of Equal Leg Fillet Welds (SP
Category)
kr = 1.0,  =0.8

Leg Length, tw Throat thickness, tt Design Capacity per Design Capacity per
(mm) (mm) unit length for E41XX unit length for E48XX
electrodes electrodes
(kN/mm) (= Vw) (kN/mm) (= Vw)
3 2.12 0.42 0.49
4 2.82 0.56 0.65
5 3.54 0.70 0.81
6 4.24 0.83 0.98
8 5.65 1.11 1.30
WELDED CONNECTIONS-FILLET WELDS

1.1.1.1 Fillet Weld Sizes

Minimum Size (of tw)

Let t = thickness of thicker part joined,

tw  2t/3 for t  3mm

tw  3 for 3 < t  7
tw  4 for 7 < t  10
tw  5 for 10 < t  15
tw  6 for 15 < t

Maximum Size (of t w)

For weld along edges of material thickness t

tw  t for t < 6 mm
tw  t-1 for t  6 unless the weld is built out to obtain the design t t.
WELDED CONNECTIONS-FILLET WELDS

Lengths and Spacing of Fillet Weld

Effective length is the overall length of full size fillet, end returns.

Minimum length of a fillet weld = 4 t w

Minimum length of a segment of intermittent fillet weld = the longer of 40 mm or 4 tw.
Maximum transverse spacing of fillet welds used to connect two components of a built-up member in the
direction of stress = 32t.

Maximum transverse spacing of intermittent fillets at the end of tension members = min (200mm, 16t).
Extra fillet welds in slots and holes may be used to satisfy these requirements.
t = the thickness of the thinner part joined.

Minimum spacing between segments of intermittent fillets = min (16t, 300mm) for compression elements
= min (24t, 300mm) for tension elements
Where t = the thickness of the thinner part joined.

Minimum length of segments of intermittent fillets connecting components of built-up members at their ends
using side fillets along = width of widest part joined.
WELDED CONNECTIONS-PLUG AND SLOT WELDS

1.1.1 Plug and Slot Welds

These are considered to be fillet welds when they are around the edge of a hole or slot. But if the weld
completely fills the hole or slot they are designed in shear.

Vw = nominal shear capacity of weld = 0.60fuw Aw .............................................................................................................. Equation

Error! No text of specified style in document.-1
Where Aw = area of shear surface of weld

They may only be used to transmit shear in lap joints or to prevent buckling of lapped parts or to join
component parts of built-up members.
WELDED CONNECTIONS-WELD GROUP ANALYSIS

1.1.1 Weld Group Analysis

For in plane loading: elastic analysis considering the component plates are rigid and the welds of “unit”
thickness arranged along the edges of the plates.

For out-of-plane loading: elastic analysis considering the component plates are rigid and the welds of “unit”
thickness arranged along the edges of the plates. Shear forces and axial forces are assumed uniformly
distributed over the total length of the group.

Combined loading: vector sum of shear flows from the above analyses.

Further notes on the analysis of welds in the plane of bending and out of plane bending are provided in the
following.
WELDED CONNECTIONS-DIRECT SHEAR WELDS
Direct Shear

DL kN DL kN
LL kN LL kN
DL = w kN/m

45
(excluding self
Lm Lm Lm weight

t = 10

1200
3L m 6 mm F W

45
450

Shear Force Diagram (kN)

V* from above Shear Force Diagram.

*
V max Q
Shear flow, f = V   Capacity of weld
*
w
Ib
WELDED CONNECTIONS-IN PLANE WELDS

V* kN
XR Z

H* kN
0 YB
1 XL m
5 m Side Plate on one side only
7.
5

Lw mm

A weld = Lw x 2 + Y
 Y 
 Y x  Lw x Y 
2
yB =   mm
Aweld
 L 
 Lw x w 2
2 
xL =  mm
Aweld
 WELDED CONNECTIONS-IN PLANE WELDS

V* kN

ex = Z + XR mm

M* = V*ex ± H* ey kNm

At point A: xA mm, yA mm

Ixx = mm4
Iyy = mm4

Ip = Ixx + Iyy mm4

WELDED CONNECTIONS-IN PLANE WELDS

M * xA
Fvm = Fym =
Ip

M * yA
Fhm = Fxm =
Ip

Fvv = = Fyv = V*/Area of weld

FhH = = FxH = H*/Area of weld

V*w = R = [√(FxH + Fxm)2 + (Fyv+F ym)2] ≤  Vw

WELDED CONNECTIONS-IN PLANE WELDS: EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE: (QUESTION 3).

A side plate is loaded with a vertical force of 100 kN downwards at an eccentricity to the centre of the weld
group and a horizontal force of 50 kN at the centre of the weld group as shown in Figure 6-6. Determine the
maximum shear force in the weld and select a suitable leg length of fillet weld from the weld strengths given
in Table 6-5. The weld is of uniform leg length and is made using E41XX electrodes. Please note that the
loads given have been factored.
*
(20 Marks)
157.5 mm 100 mm V = 100 kN

A
0157.5
300

H* = 50 kN
150 mm

67.5 mm
16 mm Side Plate on one
side only

225 mm
WELDED CONNECTIONS-IN PLANE WELDS: EXAMPLE
A weld = 225 x 2 + 300 = 750 mm (1 mark)

yc =
300 x 150  225 x 300  150 mm (2 marks)
750

xc =
225 x 112.52  67.5 mm (2 marks)
750

V* = 100 kN

e = 100 + (225-67.5) = 100 + 157.5 = 257.5 mm (1 mark)

M* = 100 x 0.2575 = 25.75 kNm (1 mark)

At point A: xA = 157.5 mm, yA = 150 mm (1 mark)


Ixx = 2 150 x 225 
2

1 x 3003
12
 12.375 x 106 mm4 (1 mark)

 2 1 x 2252 

Iyy = 2 45 x 225  
12    300 x 67.52  4.17656 x 106 mm4 (1 mark)

Ip = 16.55156 x 106 mm4 (1 mark)
WELDED CONNECTIONS-IN PLANE WELDS: EXAMPLE

M * yA 25.75 x103 x150

Fhm = Fxm = = = 0.233 kN/mm (2 marks)
Ip 16.55156 x106

FhH = 50/750 = 0.067 kN/mm (1 mark)

M * xA 25.75 x103 x157.5

Fvm = Fym = = = 0.245 kN/mm (2 marks)
Ip 16.55156 x106

100
Fvv = = Fyv = = 0.133 kN/mm (1 mark)
750

V* w = R = [√(0.133+0.245)2 + (0.233 + 0.067)2] = 0.483 kN/mm (1 mark)

Try 4 mm fillet weld using E41XX electrodes.

From Tables,  Vw = 0.56 kN/mm > V* w = 0.483 kN/mm (1 mark)

 Adopt 4 mm fillet welds using E41XX electrodes. (1 mark)