4/11/14Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed, Travel Speed, and Voltage print | close Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed, Travel Speed, and Voltage Welding Design Sun, 2009-11-01 12:00 Q: We would like to decrease the development time for new MIG welds. Is there a way to pre-calculate wire-feed speed, travel speed and voltage, to get us close before we strike the first weld? A: Yes it is possible to calculate starting wire-feed speed and travel speed. This is a very common question from manufacturers welding with solid wire or flux-cored wire. Most welding professionals know the wirefeed speed (WFS) where a process runs well based on their experience, or can quickly get WFS from manufacturer's recommended procedures. However, determining how fast to travel for a particular size weld bead ends up being an iterative, time-consuming process. By understanding a few concepts and doing some math with a few simple formulas, we can determine at least a good starting point for a welding procedure that produces the desired weld. Deposition rate — It is essential to recall that Deposition Rate is directly proportional to the speed at which a particular wire diameter emerges from a welding gun during welding. Deposition rate has nothing to do with how fast the gun is traveling nor the voltage setting on the machine. Deposition rate is simply a measure of how many pounds of wire come from the welding gun in a certain amount of time, typically measured in lb./hr. If wire-feed speed increases, deposition rate increases. We also understand that if we maintain the wire-feed speed and change to a larger diameter wire, deposition rate will increase as well. Armed with this understanding, calculating deposition rate ends up being a very powerful exercise that gives you a number that can be used to calculate key welding parameters. Let's look at the formula and an example: Deposition rate calculation Deposition rate (lb./hr) = 13.1×(Wire diameter)2 ×(Wire-feed speed)×(Efficiency) Wire diameter in inches (in.) Wire-feed speed in inches per minute (IPM) Efficiency (1.0 for solid wire, 0.85 for cored wire) This calculation is for steel only E.g.: Wire diameter = 0.045 in. (1.2 mm) solid wire, WFS = 300 IPM. Deposition rate = 13.1×(0.045)2 ×(300)×(1.0) = 7.96 lb./hr About this Ad Calculating travel speed with deposition rate — Knowing the deposition rate, we can calculate the travel speed in inches per minute (IPM) for a particular weld. Let's say we want to make a 3/8-in. steel fillet weld (assume 10% reinforcement or 0.4125 in. leg) using 0.045-in. solid wire at 300 IPM, the weight of weld metal per foot can be calculated by multiplying the density of steel (0.283 lb./in3 ) by the volume of weldingdesign.com/print/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 1/6 4/11/14 Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed.042 0. Wire-feed speed calculation Wire-feed Speed = (deposition rate)/5×(weight of wire per foot {lb./ft) Wire Diam.0054 5/32 0.02 in3 .4125 in.57 IPM for that same 3/8 in.045 in.2887 lb.96×0.31 IPM Making it easier — The Bartonian Conversion Factor (Table 2) makes things a bit easier for fillet welds. fillet weld would be 5.2887) = 8.045 0. 3/8-in.7 = 5.03 IPM for a two-pass fillet weld.040 0.4125 in. fillet weld at 12 lb.01 7/32 0.0054) = 444. Travel Speed = (deposition rate)×(# of passes)/5×(weight of weld metal {lb.. The example below uses the conversion factor to calculate travel speed at 5. 3/8 in. of weld metal/ft=1/2×b×h×12 in.094 1/16 0. the travel speed for a one-pass.=1. Travel speed calculation Travel speed = (deposition rate)×(# of passes)/5×(weight of weld metal per foot {lb.57 IPM (./ft}) = (12)/5×(0. or 16./ft./ft}) = (7.×0./hr deposition rate would be 8.0033 3/32 0. in. Travel Speed = 7. solid wire.045 in.065 0.052 0.2887) Table 2: Bartonian Conversion Factor weldingdesign. Weight of weld metal/ft of 3/8 in.283 lb.55 IPM for a three-pass weld. From the calculation below./ft}) = (12)×(1)/5×(0. in.4 IPM Table 1: Weight of Wire Wire Diam./ft) 0.0072 3/16 0. fillet weld using a 0. we see that the travel speed for a one-pass. Weight of Wire (lb..023 0.02 in3 )=0.=1/2×0.0043 1/8 0./in3 )×(1. Weight of Wire (lb. welding wire. and Voltage weld metal per foot as follows: Weld weight per foot calculation Vol. 11.128 5/64 0.31 IPM as calculated below.96)×(1)/5 × (0. fillet weld=(0.035 0.52 IPM Calculating wire-feed speed with deposition rate — Let's assume a requirement to make fillet welds at a rate of 12 lb.016 Of course. Travel Speed. We can calculate the WFS using the formulas below and Weight of Weld Wire per foot in Table 1./hr using 0.com/print/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 2/6 .52 IPM.×12 in.2887) = 5. .066 0.638 0. Weight of Weld Metal (lb.106 0. Weight of weld metal per foot* B* 3/16 .239 0.106 0.1559 0.133 0.91 2.040 0.com/print/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 3/6 .969 1.372 0.956 1.213 0.28 1.283 lb.70 1 1/2 0.120 0.159 0.425 0.027 0.201 1 3/8 .398 0.319 0.080 0.850 3/4 0.5 5/16 .55 2 0.213 0.319 0.199 0.289 0.159 0.425 0.638 0. These values are taken from Table 12-1 in The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding by the Lincoln Electric Co. Weight of Weld Metal (lb.319 1/4 0.478 0. 0.279 0. Table 3: Square Butt Plate Size.40 Table 4: Fillet Weld Plate Size.7 Travel Speed = Deposition Rate × B Weight of weld metal per foot can be calculated for any joint type by calculating the volume and multiplying by the density of the weld metal (eg.213 0.319 0. the values shown in Table 3 through Table 6 eliminate the need to do the calculation.106 0.28 1.319 0.072 2.7 1/4 .638 0.080 0.213 3/16 0.531 3/8 0.478 0. The following sample calculations use Tables 3 through 6./ft) (leg size is 10% oversized) weldingdesign.093 0.4/11/14 Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed.558 0. and show the Weight of Weld Metal per Foot for several common joint types welded with steel.266 0.159 0.744 1/2 0.425 0. in.239 0./ft) (20% reinforcement for each gap size below) 1/16 1/8 3/16 1/4 3/8 1/2 1/8 0.55 3.053 0./in3 for steel).080 0.186 0. in.425 5/16 0.053 0.850 1. in. and Voltage Bartonian Conversion Factor (* assumes 10% reinforcement) Leg Size.850 1.159 0.319 0.28 1.129 1. Travel Speed.638 7/16 0. However.28 1 0.638 0.7 2. 198 0. 1/8 in.080 0.578 3/4 1.278 0.606 2.120 0.009 0.129 0. 3/8 0.115 0.057 0.352 0.163 0.165 4.443 1/2 0.058 0.031 0.423 11.791 1.499 0.30 1 2.478 7/16 0.375 0. in.512 10.366 0.053 0.6595 0.1559 3/4 0.032 0.106 1/2 0.072 0.104 0.150 0.394 0. Weight of Weld Metal (lb.668 2.490 0.910 1.712 0.022 0.159 0.398 13.640 5. Travel Speed.371 0. Weight of Weld Metal (lb.276 0.021 0.455 0. and Voltage Flat weld Convex weld Concave weld 1/8 0.48 1.041 0.com/print/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 4/6 .235 0.938 1.174 0.069 0.032 0.347 2.505 0.350 5.227 0.049 0.407 1.334 0.080 0.396 1 1/2 0.0065 0.863 6.395 3.512 0.961 2.594 0.037 0.289 0.650 1/2 0.603 1.100 0.059 0.128 0.412 5.226 3/8 0.843 9.201 0.627 7.037 0.849 3/4 0.014 0.545 0.641 2 1.212 5/16 0.137 0.103 1.417 0.850 3.045 0.089 0.084 0.514 0.123 0.325 7/16 0.213 weldingdesign.084 0.64 2.910 1 0.165 0.081 1/4 0.178 0./ft) (cap reinforcement height) 1/16 in.145 5/16 0.254 0.332 3/8 0.412 7.466 1.093 0.269 0.599 0.027 0.041 0.584 Table 6: Cap Pass Cap Width.258 0. in.651 0.119 1/4 0.080 0.16 1./ft) (Vee-groove included angle) 14° 20° 30° 45° 60° 70° 75° 80° 90° 1/8 0.149 0.088 0.041 0.232 0.092 0.047 3.036 3/16 0.191 0.31 Table 5: Vee Groove Butt Weld Plate Size.06 2.378 2.015 0.053 3/16 0.040 0. 1/4 in.053 0.026 0.4/11/14 Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed.338 1.337 0. 3/16 in.401 0.106 0. plate Vee groove weld with 90° included angle and 1/8 in.199 0.51 lb. Send your questions to Kevin by e-mail to: AskKevin@penton. is a registered Professional Engineer with 21 years of manufacturing experience.39 lb.106 0. with a 3/16 in. Application Engineer at Lincoln Electric.478 0.425 2 0.266 1 1/4 0./hr) = 13.1×(1/16 in.1 ×(. reinforcement using 1/16 in. and Voltage 1 0. Travel Speed.39)×(1)/5×(0. Having a good starting point for welding procedure development will decrease time and guesswork on the shop floor.080 0. plate square butt weld into a backing. 90%Ar/10%CO2 shielding gas.0) = 11. Deposition Rate (lb.com/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 weldingdesign./hr) = 13. gap and 1/8 in.186 0. Source URL: http://weldingdesign.319 0./hr Travel Speed for fill and cap passes = (11. solid wire. solid wire and 90%Ar/10%CO2 shielding gas? Re-arranging the Travel Speed calculation above to solve for Deposition Rate we get: Deposition rate = 5×Travel speed×(Weight of weld metal {lb.213 0.5/13. but some tweaking may have to be done to achieve your desired weld.319 1 1/2 0. Deposition rate (lb. 1/4 in.)2 ×(1) = 622 IPM Summary — Using math and these simple formulas can reduce your weld-development time.052)2 ×(325)×(1. These calculations will get you close. reinforcement using 0.1×(Wire diameter)2 ×(Efficiency) = 16. Our process runs great with WFS at 285 IPM and 26 volts.052 in.com.319 0.053) = 8.com/print/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 5/6 .49 IPM Sample Calculation No. and improve your pre-WPS documentation.51)×(6)/5×(0.165)/1 = 16.372 1 3/4 0.279 0. 75%Ar/25%CO2 shielding gas. cored wire./hr Travel speed for fill and cap passes = (12.18 IPM Sample Calculation No.4/11/14 Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed. Manufacturer recommends WFS at 325 IPM and 30 volts.)2 × (285)×(.85) = 12.239 0.045 in.849 + 0.239 + 0. Kevin Beardsley. fillet weld at 20 IPM travel speed using 0.3 — What should my wire-feed speed be if I want to make a fat.1×(0.159 0.1 — 1/2-in./ft})/(# of passes) Depostion rate = 5×20 IPM×(0./hr Re-arranging the Deposition Rate calculation above to solve for Wire-feed Speed we get: Wire-feed speed = Deposition rate/13.133 0.199) = 13.093 0.5 lb.159 0.045 in.066 0.2 — 3/8 in.638 Sample Calculation No. com/print/welding-qa/precalculating-wire-feed-speed-travel-voltage-7806 6/6 .4/11/14 Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed. and Voltage weldingdesign. Travel Speed.
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