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Welding Technology
CORRECT EDGE PREPARATION WELD 1 AND GOOD FITUP

A 60 MAX. L

SIDE VIEW

i
\

1/32" TO 1/16" MAX -|

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30 f

REDUCE BEVEL FRAME DISTORTED AFTER BEAD #1 (A) Distortion after the first weld. "U" PREPARATION
ANGLE WITH LARGE

ROOT OPENINGS

V U

USE DOUBLE-V PREPARATION 5-72.

Correct edge preparation and good fitup.

WELD 1 *j SIDE VIEW FRAME TURNED OVER AFTER FIRST WELD BEAD APPLIED (B) Frame turned over for the second weld. T JOINT (FILLET WELDED) J SHRINKAGE ALONG NEUTRAL AXIS
WELD

WELD 2

5-73A. The moment arm is the distance between the center of the weld and the neutral axis. STEEL WELD 1 -* (C) After the second weld, the frame is straighter.
SHRINKAGE ABOUT NEUTRAL AXIS

SUBMERGED ARC WELDS

5-71. Distortion created by together to make box frames.

welding

channel

iron
NEUTRAL AXIS

T JOINT

MOMENT ARM

5-73B. Deep penetration of the arc places the weld closer to the neutral axis and reduces the moment arm.

Increased Welding Speed

The volume of base metal adjacent to the weld affects distortion. Slower welding speeds create a larger heat affected zone. Faster welding speeds reduce the time the metal has to absorb heat. The larger the area of cool parent metal, the less distortion, Fig. 5-74.

While welding sheet metal, you will notice that more of the nearby metal is affected due to higher conductivity. This, combined with the fact that thinner sheet metal is less rigid than thicker plate, explains why sheet metal always distorts easily.

Welding Designs and Defects

89

small clips which are tack welded to the edge of one of the plates, Fig. 5-77. Wedges are then driven between the clips and the second plate, in order to bring both plate edges into alignment. After the plates have been welded together, the wedges are removed and the clips are knocked off with a hammer.
BACK-TO-BACK CLAMPING

ZJ D D D S3 Da
ADJACENT BASE METAL

5-76.

Back-to-back clamping maintains alignment.

V PREPARATION

HEAT AREA (B)

HEAT AREA (B) CLIP C

OS)
-4

9
KtS

tSRt
AREAS TO BE CLIP B

WELDE: I
5-74. Distortion is reduced by having a smaller heat area or a larger, cool, base metal area.
CLIP A

(& s$i>
(B5

r^

MINIMUM NUMBER OF PASSES

PL/VTE #2

PLATE #1 CLIP A TACK WELDS

WRONG

RIGHT

5-75. Using the fewest number of passes helps prevent distortion.

*-

PLATE #2

Single Rather Than Multiple Passes A weld made with more passes creates greater distortion than one made with fewer passes because of the additional heat, Fig. 575. Proper Alignment Various methods are used for pulling plate edges into alignment and maintaining this alignment during welding, Fig. 5-76. One such method is by using various types of jigs. The most widely used technique involves

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PLATE#1

V PREPARATION

5-77. Clips are tack welded along the length of plate # 1. Wedges are placed in the opening to keep the plates aligned.

A second type of jig is a strong-back. This consists of a steel plate fitted with bolts, Fig. 578. The bolts are tack welded to the parent metal and can be adjusted to apply correct amounts of pressure. Strong backs can be made from I-beams, channel iron, angle iron, or even railroad iron. The welder should, however, use a strong back just rigid enough to hold the weldment in the proper position.

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Welding Technology
NUT

STEEL SPACERS /

XNUTS

STEEL SPACERS \

,NUT

\ STRONG BACK

STEEL PLATE /

jftf

5-78. Using a strongback to prevent distortion.

Peening Another method occasionally used to control distortion is peening. Since the weld area contracts, peening, or light hammering, tends to expand it, Fig. 5-79. However, this expansion occurs only near the surface. Expanding the weld metal by peening is most effective at higher temperatures where the metal's yield strength is lower. Unfortunately, most distortion problems occur at lower temperatures. For this reason, peening is not always effective. Another disadvantage of peening is that it work-hardens the metal's surface. Flame Shrinkage Fig. 5-80 illustrates how controlled expansion and contraction are applied usefully in flame shrinkage, often referred to as flame straightening. In (A), a gas torch flame is heating a center spot on a distorted steel plate. The spot heats up rapidly and must expand. But, as indicated by (B), the surrounding cooler plate prevents the spot from expanding along the plane of the plate. The only alternative is for the spot to expand abnormally through its thickness. When it cools, it tends to contract uniformly in all directions (C). When carefully done, spot heating gives a planned shrinkage, useful for correcting distortion caused by heating, cooling, or bending.
PEENING j^* HAMMER mi

5-79.

Relieving stress by peening.

A high temperature is not required when flame shrinking, but a large torch should be used. When a length of metal is to be flame shrunk, such as along the edge of a twisted panel or the flange of a beam, the torch may be moved progressively along the length. Or, selected spots may be heated and allowed to cool with intermediate checking, Fig. 5-81. A buckled panel, as shown in Fig. 5-82, has too much weld material in the central area, and flame shrinking will straighten the panel. If the part of an assembly to be shrunk is restrained, which will be the case in many welds, too much heating could cause the development of locked-in stresses. It is good practice to proceed cautiously when flame shrinking, allowing the metal to cool and checking the results.

Welding Designs and Defects

(A) (C)

91

PLATE -

TORCH

(B)

SURROUNDING PLATE RESISTS EXPANSION OF SPOTS WHICH HAS BEEN HEATED

COOL PLATE RESTRAINS EXPANSION

RESTRAINT CAUSED ABNORMAL EXPANSION IN THICKNESS UPON COOLING WELD TENDS TO SHRINK TO A SMALLER SECTION

7
IF PLATE IS RESTRAINED SHRINKAGE STRESSES DEVELOP 5-80. The flame shrinking procedure. (Lincoln Electric Co.) POINT OF BEND SHADED A R E A TO BE HEATED RESTRAINED EXPANSION

of the vaporizing heat required, cooling is rapid, even with only a small amount of water. Since all of the sprayed water is vaporized, the work remains dry.
Using Proper Weld Techniques

POINT OF BEND

5-81.

Flame shrinkage will help straighten the T iron.

A water spray is sometimes used to speed the cooling. This may be accomplished, as shown in Fig. 5-83, by inserting a Y fitting into a compressed air line and running a rubber hose from the fitting to a pail of water. When the valve is opened, the rush of air past the opening in the fitting draws some water into the air stream, creating an atomized spray. When the spray strikes the hot plate, it turns into steam and absorbs a substantial amount of heat. One pound of water will absorb 142 Btus [35.67 kcal] of heat as it is raised from 70 to 212F [21 to 100C] and another 970 Btus [243.7 kcal] in vaporizing into steam. Because

Do not overweld. Excessive weld metal increases distortion due to increased heat and a pull within the weld metal which may be stronger than the base metal, Fig. 5-84. Intermittent welding can also reduce distortion because the areas of heat conductivity are broken up, Fig. 5-85. Intermittent welds may be either parallel or staggered. The backstep method, shows in Fig. 5-86 is another method of reducing distortion. During backstepping, the areas of expansion are broken up by cooler areas, and they tend to neutralize one another. Automatic welding is preferred to manual welding because it gives deeper penetration.
Chill Strips

Heavy metal strips called chill strips may be used in conjunction with backers. Chill strips help prevent distortion beyond the weld area by absorbing the heat due to conduction, Fig. 5-87.

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Welding Technology

PANELS WITH STIFFENERS-

EXCESS METAL

5-82. A buckled panel and the areas of excess metal to be heated. (Lincoln Electric Co.)

Y -FITTING

INTERMITTENT WELDING

WATER AND AIR SPRAY COMES OUT HERE

VALVE

AIR HOSE

WELD POSITION

5-83. Using an air hose to spray water for metal shrinkage. (Lincoln Electric Co.)

DO NOT OVERWELD EXCESSIVE WELD METAL /INCREASES DISTORTION

5-85.

Distortion can be reduced by intermittent welds.

5-84.

Overwelding increases distortion.

Since chill strips are held in place by clamps, any weld with chill strips will have less opportunity to warp. Alignment of all the pieces while welding is also assured. Fixtures have been made with chill strips for special purposes, such as production of
ROOT GAP

ELECTRODE ARC STARTING SEQUENCE

5-86. The operator welds from right to left but moves farther right each time to start each short weld.

Welding Designs and Defects

93

HOLD DOWN CLAMP

PART #1

PART

#2-

PART

#3

5-87.

Chill strips are used to absorb some of the heat. 5-88. Final assembly is done after minor assemblies to prevent major distortion.

tanks and containers, using either light aluminum, stainless steel, or other materials. Planning the Welding Sequence Weld minor assemblies first. This reduces the chances of severe distortion occurring later during the final assembly, Fig. 5-88. Also weld the more ductile sections first so any distortion can be corrected before final assembly.

Discussion Questions 1. Name and describe the parts of a weld joint. 2. What is the difference between a bead weld and a weave weld? 3. Describe a fillet weld. 4. What is the purpose of a fixture? 5. What factors must be taken into consideration when selecting a weld joint? 6. Name as many weld defects as you can.