The capacity of fillet welds is a function of the orientation of the weld axis withrespect to the line of action of the applied load. It has been demonstrated by several researchers thatwelds transverse to the line of action of the load are about 50% stronger than longitudinal welds. Thisenhanced strength is reflected in the design provisions of the Canadian steel design standard, S16–01.However, the fact that the deformation ductility of transverse welds is considerably lower than that oflongitudinal welds could have a significant impact on the design of tension splices that employ multipleweld orientations within the same joint.A test series on welded lapped splice connections containing a transverse weld in combination with eitherlongitudinal or 45 degree welds was recently conducted at the University of Alberta. The tests indicatedthat joints containing fillet welds with multiple orientations possess a strength significantly lower than thesum of the strengths of the individual weld segments. The capacity was found to be equal to the ultimatestrength of the transverse weld plus a fraction of the strength of the other welds. This fraction depends onthe deformation ductility of the transverse weld and the load vs. deformation characteristics of the weldswith other orientations.
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