Welding Basics
Like any specialized field, welding has terminology and nomenclature that are unique to the industry and knowing the basics will help you understand the chatter around the welding shop.
Welding Joint Designs
The welding joint design describes the interface geometry of the members to be welded. While there are endless part designs, most welding joints can be referenced back to these five (5) basic joint designs.
Weld Types
The "type" of welds may imply that it refers to the process used. However, the type of the weld describes its overall geometry or shape in a cross-sectional view. There are two (2) main types of welds found in the above weld joint designs: Groove and fillet welds.
Welding Positions
Often misunderstood, the welding position refers to the weld progression and not to the physical location of the welding operation. There are four (4) main welding positions for flat, sheet or plate geometries and two (2) positions that refer to welded pipe assemblies. Given that this section is titled the "basics" we will focus on the four (4) main positions: FLAT, HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL UP OR DOWN, AND OVERHEAD. The image below shows each joint type in the appropriate orientation for each given weld position.