Butt Joints Width and Thickness Transitions When butt joints are made between members of unequal width

or thickness (or both), the joint should be axially aligned. When tensile stresses in such connections are greater than one-third of the nominal design tensile stress, the stress concentration must be reduced. Typically, thickness transitions are accomplished by cutting a bevel on the thicker member, although it is permissible to build up the thinner member with weld metal. Such transitions are not required for joints in compression. Design and detail drawings must show where such tapered transitions are required so that this detail can be incorporated into shop drawings. 3.14.2 Corner Joints Box Sections and Corner Joints A common use of corner joints is in box sections. Appropriate weld details for boxes must consider access to the inside of the box. Small boxes, where personnel and equipment cannot physically enter the box, require that all welding be done outside of the box, eliminating two-sided options. Even when access inside the box is possible, local environmental conditions must be considered. High preheat requirements may preclude internal access. Tight enclosures may preclude adequate ventilation for the welder. Details to resist lamellar tearing should be considered when large welds are applied to corner joints, as discussed in Section 5.4 of this Guide.
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3.14.3 T-Joints Skewed T-Joints Most T-joints intersect at 90 angles. When the T-joint is skewed, special consideration must be given to both the acute and obtuse side of the joint. On the obtuse side, as the dihedral angle () increases, the fillet weld throat becomes disproportionately small for the weld leg size (w), and PJP groove welds become more economical (Figure 332). On the acute side, decreases in the dihedral angle will cause the weld to have incomplete fusion to the weld root. To account for this, the Z-loss factor is applied. Discussed in AWS D1.1 Table 2.2, the Z-loss factor is a function of the welding process and the included angle. The available weld throat is reduced by the amount of the Z-loss. Such losses must be considered as weld throat dimensions are determined. Definitive recommendations for handling all these details is beyond the scope of this Guide, although the literature does cover these subjects (Miller, 2002; Kloiber and Thornton, 2001). 3.14.4 Lap Joints Longitudinal Fillet Welds For lap joints wherein only longitudinal welds are used for the connection, the length of the fillet weld is to be no less than the transverse spacing between the two welds (AISC Specification J2.2b)see Figure 333. This addresses a shear lag issue, ensuring that an adequate length of weld is

available for the load to transition between the two members. Minimum Overlap Distance The minimum overlap distance between lapped members should be no less than five times the thickness of the thinner member (AISC Specification J2.2b)see Figure 334. This ensures that there will not be unacceptable rotation in the connection when it is loaded. Welds from One Side Only If welding is applied to only one side, tensile loading will be concentrated in the weld rootsee Figure 335. To ensure that this does not occur, other welds that can be made from one side, like plug or slot welds, may be added. Alternatively, some type of mechanical support that prevents straining of the weld root may be utilized (AISC Specification J2.2b). 3.15 WELDING SYMBOLS Welding symbols are used as a systematic means of communication, identifying welding-related information in a graphical manner. Weld symbols are miniature, schematic
Figure 333. Importance of transverse spacing. Figure 332. Equal throat size (t1= t2). 56 / DESIGN GUIDE 21 / WELDED CONNECTIONSA PRIMER FOR ENGINEERS

representations of the types of welds to be made. In the structural steel industry, welding symbols are put onto various drawings to specify the welds that are intended. Furthermore, welding symbols are routinely applied to the actual steel members so that shop and field welders know which joints are to receive the various weld types. Welding symbols are sometimes referred to as weld callouts. AWS A2.4, Standard Symbols for Welding, Brazing and Nondestructive Examination, defines practices for the use of such symbols. The AISC Steel Construction Manual contains a summary of basic welding symbols and also contains a copy of the various symbols for the prequalified groove weld details. Welding symbols take on a format as shown in Figure 3-36. The symbol includes, at a minimum, a reference line and an arrow. Optionally, there may be a tail, applied to the end of the reference line opposite the arrow end. The arrow points to the joint. The weld symbol designates the type of weld (fillet, PJP, CJP, etc.). Weld symbols shown above the reference line indicate that the weld is to be applied to the other side, that is, to the side opposite of the one to which the arrow points. Conversely, weld symbols below the reference line refer to the arrow side. The arrow may point up (as compared to the reference line) or down. Regardless of the direction in which the arrow points, the significance of arrow side and other side remain unchanged. Welding symbols are always read right to left. This is true for arrows that leave the left or right side of the reference line. A common error is to create a welding symbol with the assumption that the direction of reading is from the arrow to the tail, but symbols are always (properly) created to be read right to left. When groove welds are required, the contract drawings need only specify CJP or PJP, as applicable, in the tail

of the welding symbol. This leaves the fabricator or erector with the option of selecting the type of groove weld (bevel, V, U, or J), as well as the specific dimensions. This information is required to be included on shop drawings. According to AWS D1.1, a welding symbol without dimensions and without CJP in the tail designates a weld that will develop the adjacent base metal in tension and in shear (AWS D1.1, Provision 2.2.5.3). This permits the connection detailer to select among CJPs, PJPs, fillet welds, or combinations of these welds to satisfy these requirements. When only CJPs are acceptable, the designer should specify that condition in the welding symbol. For PJP groove welds, contract document drawings need only specify the effective throat (E) that is required. Shop drawings must show the required weld groove depth (S) that is required to achieve the E dimension, based on the included angle, process, and position of welding. With respect to PJP groove welds, perhaps the most common error is to omit the effective throat size E from design drawings. A commonly