EVALUATION OF FILLET WELD QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
This report presents the results of a study to determine the suitability of various test specimens for the qualification of fillet welds for steel bridges. The present AWS/AASHTO/ANSI specification uses a groove weld to qualify a fillet weld. A large root opening is used to provide tensile and Charpy V-notch test specimens. The chemistry of a single pass or the first pass of a multiple pass fillet weld is diluted by the base metal. The groove test weld geometry is designed to minimize the dilution of the weld metal at the test location. In addition, the test location in the groove weld undergoes grain refinement from the overlaying welds. This refinement does not occur in single pass fillet welds. The test program evaluated three candidate test specimens in a factorial experiment design that included the following variables: heat input (high and low), type of consumables (weathering, neutral flux, and active flux), and single-sided and two-sided (Dart) welds. At least three replicate tests were performed for each condition. The results revealed that the present groove weld test specimen does not always provide toughness results comparable to the actual fillet welds. The weld root Charpy V-notch specimen provided a more meaningful measure of the toughness of the weld. The shear strength of the welds exceeded the estimated nominal strength by over a factor of 2. The macroetch "T" specimen presently required in the specification provides a simple means of evaluating both the welding procedure's ability to provide adequate penetration, and the influence of the heat input from a two-sided weld. Recommended changes to the bridge welding code for qualification requirements for fillet welds are presented.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Published October 1999; revised July 2000. Research Project Title: Fillet Welding Procedure Qualification Research.
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Corporate Authors:
University of Texas, Austin
Center for Transportation Research, 3208 Red River Street
Austin, TX United States 78705Texas Department of Transportation
Research and Technology Implementation Office, P.O. Box 5080
Austin, TX United States 78763-5080Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Authors:
- Gilmer, H E
- Frank, K H
- Publication Date: 2000-7
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 83 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bridges; Fillet welds; Recommendations; Shear strength; Specifications; Specimens; Steel; Toughness
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Research; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I34: Steels and Metals;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00938473
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: Research Report 1501-1
- Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Feb 11 2003 12:00AM