PSA: Just read that a single 1/8 inch weld gap can cut joint strength by over 30%

Found that in an old ASME code addendum from 1995, makes you think about fit-up a bit more, doesn't it?

3 comments

3 Comments

Damn that's a tiny gap for such a huge drop in strength. Makes you realize how much the little details actually matter, even stuff you can barely see. I would've guessed maybe 10% loss, not a third of it just gone lol.

hugo_robinson252d ago

Look at it more like a warning about how gaps add up. That 30% drop is for a perfect gap in a test, but real welds have other flaws too. It just shows why good fit-up matters so much.

elizabeths512d ago

Honestly, that "barely see" detail is the whole point. If you can't see a gap that small, how are you even measuring it on the shop floor? That old spec sounds more like a lab condition than real life. Most good welders I've seen would fill a tiny gap like that without even thinking, so the strength loss probably isn't that simple.