5 Types of Welding Joints

Here we discover the different types of welding joints and the types of welding styles used to create each.

The American Welding Society‘s (AWS) definition of a joint is “the manner in which materials fit together“.

The applications of welding are limitless. From the aeronautic industry to automotive and residential its applications and critical roll cannot be understated. It is a practical solution that provides superior strength that many of us bet our lives on to function and hold under strain.  These welds offer low weight, high strength, rigidity, and lower cost in production.

Table Of Contents

• Types Of Welding Joints
• Tee Welding Joint
• Lap Welding Joint
• Edge Welding Joint
• Corner Welding Joint
• Butt Welding Joint
• Fillet Welding Joint

The 5 Different Types Of Welding Joints:

Different jobs need different types of welds. Different types of welding joints are made to stand up to the needs and forces of each individual application.  The experts at Cliff’s Welding have been mastering the art of these welds for over 50 years.  With professionals that have a wide variety of experience there really is not job too big or too small.  Let’s go over the 5 types of weld joints that we use to get the job done right.

Tee Welding Joint

Tee Joint
Tee welding joints are formed when two members intersect at a 90° angle which makes the edges come together in the center of a plate or component.  Tee Joints are considered a type of fillet weld, and can also be made when a pipe or tube is welded onto a base plate.  Extra care is required to ensure effective penetration into the roof of the weld.

Welding Styles Used To Create T-Joints

• Plug weld
• Fillet weld
• Bevel-groove weld
• Slot weld
• Flare-bevel-groove weld
• J-groove weld
• Melt-through weld

Lap Welding Joint

Lap Joint
Lap welding joints are used most often to joint two pieces with differing thicknesses together.  Also considered a fillet type, the weld can be made on one or both sides.  A Lap Joint is formed when 2 pieces are placed in an over lapping pattern on top of each other.

Welding Styles Used To Create Butt Joints:

• Slot weld
• Plug weld
• Bevel-groove weld
• Spot weld
• Flare-bevel-groove weld
• J-groove weld

Edge Welding Joint

Edge Joint
Edge welding Joints are often applied to sheet metal parts that have flanging edges or are placed at a location where a weld must be made to attach to adjacent pieces.  Being a groove type weld, Edge Joints, the pieces are set side by side and welded on the same edge.  For heavier applications filler metal is added to melt or fuse the edge completely and to reinforce the plate.

Welding Styles Used To Create Edge Joints:

• Bevel-groove weld
• Square-groove weld or butt weld
• J-groove weld
• V-groove weld
• Edge-flange weld
• U-groove weld
• Corner-flange weld

 

Corner Welding Joint

Corner Joint
Being one of the most popular welds in the sheet metal industry the Corner welding joint is used on the outer edge of the piece.  This weld is a type of joint that comes together at right angles between two metal parts to form an L.  These are common in the construction of boxes, box frames and similar fabrications.

Welding Styles Used To Create Corner Joints:

• Spot weld
• Fillet weld
• V-groove weld
• Square-groove weld or butt weld
• U-groove weld
• Bevel-groove weld
• Flare-V-groove weld
• J-groove weld
• Corner-flange weld.
• Edge weld

Butt Welding Joint

Butt Joint
Being the universally accepted method for attaching a pipe to itself it’s also used for valves, flanges, fittings, and other equipment.   A butt welding joint is also known as a square grove weld.  It’s the easiest and probably the most common weld there is.  It consists of two flat pieces that are side by side parallel.  It’s a very affordable option.

Welding Styles Used To Create Butt Joints:

• Bevel-groove butt weld
• Square-groove butt weld
• V-groove butt weld
• U-groove butt weld
• J-groove butt weld
• Flare-bevel-groove butt weld
• Flare-V-groove butt weld

Fillet Welding Joint

Fillet Welded Joints
Fillet Welded Joints are just another terminology for corner, lap, and tee joints. Fillet Welded Joints are the most common type of welding joint and accounts for nearly 75% of joints made with arc welding. You do not need to prepare the edge and this type of joint make it easy to weld piping systems. Butt welds are more expensive than fillet welds. Fillet welds are mostly used in piping systems to join pipe to socket joints.

Joint Preparation

Welding joints can be prepared in numerous ways including:

• Casting
• Shearing
• Machining
• Forging
• Filing
• Stamping
• Oxyacetylene cutting (thermal cutting process)
• Routing
• Grinding
• Plasma arc cutting (thermal cutting process)

A Brief Word On Welding Safety

If you’re just learning or even if you’ve done welding for years it can’t be said enough that it’s critical to be fully aware of your surroundings when you begin to weld.  You must take the time to know who’s around trying to watch and what dangers you are exposing yourself to.

Welding vs Riveting

Welding and riveting are two ways to join metal to metal. They both have their particular pros and cons. Different situations call for one or the other. Neither is best for every possible situation. We’ll take a look at the different strengths and weaknesses of both metal joining systems.

Ways Welding Is Better Than Riveting

• Welding can be done anywhere on the structure. Edges can be welded to edges without having to overlap. Riveting needs to have a certain amount of clearance from the edges to be joined.
• Welding saves weight in the construction process. Since metal is actually joined to metal, gussets or other connecting hardware is not needed. Even the rivets themselves have weight, so being able to join the metal together without having to use them saves a bunch of weight.
• Unlike riveted joints the tensions members’ strength is not diminished by welding.
• Quality welding leaves a smooth surface, while riveting has the ends of rivets on the surface of the whole structure. Using welding to produce a strong yet beautifully smooth surface creates our functional but aesthetically pleasing architecture.
• Welded joints are better many times because the material on both sides of the weld is actually physically joined.
• Welding can easily join sections of metal column or pipe. Trying to join these items with rivets can be difficult or impossible given certain situations.
• Welding is a faster way of joining metal. This means that is you have a time sensitive project welding holds the edge. It also means less man hours, which helps save on costs.
• Additions or alterations can easily be made with welding. Structures built with rivets are less flexible and additional engineering is necessary to make these changes with riveting.