Fillet Weld Capacity at Rolled Edge

By artybweld Date 05-11-2015 23:50

The radius of the rolled edge of, say, an angle, can be as much as the leg thickness. If this angle is flat against another member, and an equal-leg fillet weld is made between them, the weld face will meet the curve of the rolled edge, resulting in a much smaller throat and resulting weld strength than if the angle edge were square. I find nothing in the codes or commentaries to address this. Explanations?

By SCOTTN

Date 05-12-2015 14:17

To the best of my knowledge, and as you've indicated, ASTM A6, which covers mill requirements, dimensional tolerances on the cross section, and the type of mill conditioning that's allowed, doesn't address the radius at the angle toes; nor does D1.1 or the AISC. Evidently the effect of the radius must not be significant enough for consideration when determining the weld at the toe, otherwise I would think that it would have already have been addressed, though, I've never really thought about questioning it. I was told by someone with Nucor Berkeley, of SC, that the radius at the toe is shaped by the edger, which will vary between angle sizes and thicknesses as to how "sharp" it is, and it will also vary between rolling mills.

By 803056

Date 05-12-2015 19:04

Sounds reasonable.

The code lists the minimum requirements that must be met. It is up to the contractor to take what ever additions steps deemed prudent to ensure the requirements of the contract are met.

This is an example where the contractor, noting a particular manufacturer/supplier is providing material with a generous radii, it might be prudent to weld a couple of samples to verify the minimum throat is developed.

The radius found on thinner members is usually rather small and probably isn't a problem. However, thicker members will typically have a larger radius, thus could be a potential issue when developing the throat necessary to transmit the design loads. A quick test will reveal a problem if there is an issue.

If you look at Clause 5.15.3 (AWS D1.1:2010), it is required to trim the edge of members that are sheared or have a rolled edge (such as the toe of H.R. angles and WF beams) to if the connection is cyclically loaded and exceed the thickness limitations listed.

Best regards - Al