Page 93 - Welding of Aluminium and its Alloys

82 The welding of aluminium and its alloys

2.5Z min

Flange
Leg length Z

Pipe

5.14 Recommended distance of weld toe from the flange edge.

Applied load

Poor performance Better performance

5.15 Redesign of side loaded fillet welds for improved performance.

member gives rise to high stresses at the weld toes, drastically shortening
the fatigue life.

5.5.4 The corner joint

The corner joint may be regarded as a butt joint and is used to join two
plates at right angles to each other (Fig. 5.4f). It can be difficult to assem-
ble and maintain correct alignment, particularly in thin flexible sheet. The
root of a single-sided weld when loaded in tension is very weak and for
the highest strength the corner joint needs to be welded from both sides.
The single-sided weld may also have a crease containing oxides along the
centre line of the penetration bead, further reducing the strength of the
weld. Pulsed AC-TIG has been found to be effective in reducing the occur-