The 5 Types of Welding Joints

Are you learning the different welding techniques? Then, you might not be familiar with the different types of welding joints found in the modern world.  Frequently used by welders all over the world, the joints are great for bringing two metal parts together or when welding through difficult locations.

Frequently used for long-lasting welding, there are various welding joints used to join metals, wood, and plastic.  Note that these Joints are usually tee joints, butt, edge, corner, and lap joints. All these joints have several benefits, such as providing high efficiency and flexibility for alteration as well as addition. Also known to be lightweight and have a smooth appearance, these five joints are mostly used in many industries.

For example, you will find the joints being used in automotive, aircraft, shipbuilding, energy, construction, and infrastructure industries.  The good news is that all these industries use some or all welding joints in their creation or repair processes.

Types of Welding Joints

1. T- Joints (Tee Joints)

One of the most common welding joints, a Tee welding joint is when two metallic materials are joined 90 degrees to each other thus forming a letter T. Also known as a Fillet Weld, the T-joint can also be made by using a pipe or tube while on top of a base plate.

Mostly used to make structural and machine applications as well as attaching tin plates, there are several welding styles used to create a Tee joint. The styles include:

2. An Edge Joint

An Edge Joint is when two parallel pieces with flanging edges are joined together. Since it’s not a strong joint, the edge joint is mostly used in sheet metals where the edges are simply placed side by side and welded. Therefore, you will definitely find this type of welding joint in aerospace repairing the world as well as automotive.

Note that, this kind of joint is said not to be strong because the weld doesn’t fully go through the joint and usually requires regular replacement. However, although this type of joint cannot be used in pressure or stress-like applications, it has various welding styles used in creating Edge joints worth mentioning.  They are:

3. Butt Joint

Another common type of welding joint used by welders, a butt joint, is when two ends of material are joined by simply placing them together. Mostly used in joining metal or wood, this type of joint is used in many places, such as when building gates or fences.

Also, you can find these joints on frame extensions for vehicles, machinery utilities, and piping systems, among others. In addition, the weld joints are also used in automated processes like submerged arc welding processes.

The most universally used method, the joints mainly have sections cut out of the plates in various shapes and sizes. In addition, there are different types of butt joints you should know. They are mainly are:

Single Welded Butt Joints: This is a joint that has been welded from only one side.

Double Welded Butt Joints: This type of joint simply means it has been welded from both sides with the depth of each weld varying slightly.

Open Welded Butt Joints: An open welded butt joint is where a joint has a small gap between the work parts.

Closed Welded Butt Joints:  Unlike an open welded butt joint, the closed joint is where two workpieces touch during the welding exercise.

Note that, there are various styles as a beginner you need to know about. These usually are:

4. A Lap Joint

A lap joint is also in the category of the types of welding joints used to join metal, plastic, or wood. Basically formed when two parts are placed over one another, the lap joint is mostly temporary or permanent.

For temporary joints, it is usually used in most automotive and airplane engines as well as replacement of machinery such as screws, bolts, nails, and rivets among others. The permanent joints are a different case since they are used in the structural frames of cars, motorcycles as well as aircraft fuselages.

Generally divided into categories, the lap joints are either full or half-laps.

Full Lap Joint: Used in woodworking, full laps do not remove material from either part being joined. This means the two pieces of wood are joined together, forming a full combination of the original pieces.

Half Lap Joint: When it comes to a half joint lap two pieces of the same thickness are removed and then welded together as they overlap each other.

Don’t forget, just like the above welding joints, lap joint also has various types of welding styles to make Lap Joint. These include:

5. Corner Joint

Last but not least, a corner joint is created when two parts are put in a right-angled position which usually forms an L shape. Keep in mind, either side of the corner joint is welded, but the inside corner is sometimes not welded.

Also, being a popular technique among welders, corner joints are usually used to join metal sheets, especially the outer edges.  This is usually in various metal industries that make frames, sheet boxes, and other sheet metal materials. Note that there are three kinds of corner welded joints popularly used by welders. These are mainly.

Flush Corner Joint: The flush corner joint is specifically made for welding metal sheets that are 12 gauges or thinner.

Half Open Corner Joint: If you are welding materials heavier than 12 gauges, then you should use half-open corner joints.

Full Open Corner Joint: A full open corner joint is mainly used for producing strong joints. This is especially if you are welding both sides of the materials.

In addition, the corner joints also have several types of styles, such as:

Keep in mind, all the above welding styles are important to understand as you will be in a better position to apply them in the different joints. Therefore, learn them keenly to avoid making any mistakes when using welding joints.

 Conclusion

Even if you are a beginner or an expert in welding, knowing the different types of welding joints is worth it. That is because apart from using the right joints you will get to know the different welding styles applicable to the joints.

So, I hope you have understood the five different types of welding joints shared above. Moreover, no matter the industry you are working in, you will also get to use these welding joints to the maximum thus improving your welding skills.

This will definitely enable you to take make all your materials strong and long-lasting.   Therefore, are you ready to choose the right type of welding joints?

Learn More: Most Common Types of Welding Machines