Weld Transverse Shrinkage and Pre-Set
Transverse shrinkage per weld and total pull from the Blodgett relation...
Example
You enter
- Weld cross-section (in2) 0.1
- Plate thickness (in) 0.5
- Parallel welds pulling the dimension 3
You get
- Shrinkage per weld 0.04 in
- Total transverse shrinkage 0.12 in
Checked against published worked examples from: Blodgett, Design of Welded Structures.
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeTransverse shrinkage per weld and total pull from the Blodgett relation (0.2 x weld area / thickness + 0.05 x root opening), and the recommended pre-set to lay the parts apart so the assembly cools to size. A screen; restraint, sequence, and a mock-up govern, and longitudinal/angular distortion are out of scope.
Formula or tableTransverse shrinkage per weld = 0.2 x weld area / thickness + 0.05 x root opening (the coefficients are dimensionless; the area-over-thickness ratio carries the length); total = per-weld x weld count; recommended pre-set = total.
Source and editionTransverse weld shrinkage - the Blodgett weld-area-over-thickness relation from Blodgett, Design of Welded Structures (James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation), by name.
Free accessThe published Blodgett relation; the weld area, thickness, and weld count are user-supplied.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field namesweld_area_in2, thickness_in, weld_count, shrink_per_weld_in, total_shrink_in
- Blodgett coefficient 0.2 (dimensionless); fixed in the computeBlodgett, Design of Welded Structures
- Scope transverse component only; longitudinal and angular distortion not estimatedscreen scope