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Weld Strength
5

Weld Strength

Weld Strength

(OP)
Hi,

I have a question regarding how to calculate the load bearing capacity of welded joints. I am somewhat practiced in Statics / Mechanics of Materials type calculations on a theoretical level, but I have never learned how to determine when a weld might break. I think I would be fine in calculating how, for example, square HSS tube might perform as far as the tube itself is concerned. However, my knowledge of the strength of the welded joint is lacking. In the past I have seen people over engineer racks/stands/etc.to save calculation time, but I’d like to understand the calculations. Could someone explain how to calculate weld strength / when a weld might break with an example?

Ex. Say I decided to make a stand.

-    Rectangular top (4 pieces of ASTM A500 1.5” x 1.5” HSS welded together)
-    4 legs ( Same material and size – welded to the rectangular top)
-    Some angle tabs welded to the bottom of the legs to lag the stand down
-    Say, make the legs 3’ long

How can I determine the max mass this stand could support? I’ve been meaning to understand this for some time.

Thanks very much,

MJ

RE: Weld Strength

You could hire a consulting engineer experienced with this type of structure to evaluate your stand and provide their calculations. Be upfront and let them know that you want the calcs thoroughly explained for your own personal knowledge.

ZCP
www.phoenix-engineer.com

RE: Weld Strength

(OP)
Thanks for the direction guys. At this point I am just looking to understand the material and the stand was just an example I thought would help clairify what I was after learning.

RE: Weld Strength

Your Welcome MJames

regards

desertfox

RE: Weld Strength

Foxy... great link...

Dik

RE: Weld Strength

Don't forget to check for buckling on you stand legs

RE: Weld Strength

Yeah, the weld strength might not be important if the pieces rest on top of each other, as in wood frame construction.  First limits might be Leg buckling,  and bending of the 1.5" top beams if a load is applied mid span.  Weld strength would come into play for racking strength if there are no diagonal braces.

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