non-right angle fillet welds

Date 01-12-2005 11:34

For example,what size weld would I put in for a 30 degree weld to make it the same strength as a 5/16 weld that was at 90 degrees?I tried to look this up in the Structural Welding Code Appendix B "Effective Throats of Fillet Welds in Skewed T-Joints"(1982 edition),but it only gives angles from 60 to 135 degrees.A general formula to use would be helpful as I weld various acute/obtuse fillet angle welds from time to time.Thank you

By swnorris (****)

Date 01-12-2005 18:14

You may want to watch certain angles if you're welding to D1.1. Two of the three fillet weld qualification tests will qualify you to weld 60 degree minimum angles to 135 degree maximum, and the groove weld qualification tests will qualify you to weld 30 degree minimum angles to unlimited. For angles less than 30 degrees, additional testing is required. The current code is a little more detailed than the 1982 code with regard to skewed t joints as there are specific details that must be followed in order to meet the prequalified criteria.
When we have a skewed t joint connection in our shop, we avoid this situation by using a bent plate with an open bend, with a fillet weld along three sides.