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60 / DESIGN FOR WELDING

A comparison of behaviors of full-strength


and partial-strength welds in quenched-and-
tempered ASTM A514 steel is shown in Fig.
1.36. The fotmer weld is transverse to and the
latter weld is parallel to the tensile load and the
weldment. The plate has a tensile strength of a
110,000 psi, and it is welded with an E11018
covered electrode to provide afull strength weld,
Fig. 1.3qA). When the stress is parallel to the
weld axis, Fig. 1.36(B), a weld made with an
E7018 covered electrode (70,000 psi minimum
tensile strength) is adequate so long as there is
sufficient weld to transmit any shear load from
one member to the other.
In the full-strength welded joint, both the
plate and the weld metal have equivalent strengths
and their behavior under load is shown by the
stress strain curve shown in Fig. 1.3qA). If a
transversely loaded test weld were pulled in ten-
sion, it is likely that the plate would neck down
and fail first. The weld would be stronger because
of the reinforcement and the slightly higher
strength of the weld metal and heat-affected zone
as a result of rapid cooling following welding.
In the partial-strength weld loaded axially,
Fig. 1.36(B), both the plate and the weld would
be strained together. As the member is loaded,
thegtrain increases from 1 t o2on thestress-strain
plot with a corresponding increase in the stress in
both the plate and weld from 1 to3. At this point,
the E7018 weld metal has reached its yield
strength. On further loading, the strain is
increased to 4. The weld metal is stressed beyond
its yield strength at 5, and flows plastically. The
stress in the plate, however, is still below its yield
strength at 6. With still further loading, the strain
will reach 7 where the ductility of the plate will be
exhausted. The plate will fail first because the
weld metal has greater ductility. The weld will
not fail until its unit strain reaches 8.
It is obvious in the example that the 70,000
psi weld metal has sufficient strength to carry
axial load because it carries only a small portion
of the total axial load on the weldment. When a
weld must transmit the total load, it has to be as
strong as the base metal.
A514 plate &
~
Strainc -
(A) Full-strength weld
A514 plate
b
(B) Partial-strength weld
F&. 1.36-Stress-strain characteristics of full and partial strength welds
Copyright by the American Welding Society Inc
Sat JUI a5 ia:52:58 1997

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