The types of welding symbols are used to simplify a series of instructions
As in any other case, Symbols are used to specify and better understand the information we want. The types of welding symbols are used to draw designs on a plane used in engineering. It helps the engineer work in a practical and precise way, obeying certain rules.
The American Welding Society AWS established a set of basic symbols for welding and its industrial application. Welding symbols are used to inform a series of instructions graphically. Long explanations are not needed to understand them. Necessarily, to understand and graph the plane’s designs, we need to know what types of welding symbols are used.
You start by drawing a horizontal line called the reference line in any weld design. The other symbols will be added to complement the design from this line. When we proceed to do the welding, the procedures will be placed below or next to the reference line. Simultaneously, an arrow will indicate the place or joint where welding will take place.
Some recommendations on the symbology of welding
When your weld symbol is below your reference line, the part to weld will be on the side of the joint where the arrow is pointing. If, on the contrary, it is above the reference line, the weld will be made on the opposite side of the joint where the arrow points.
The arrow can indicate different directions; the broken arrow can be found, indicating several directions. The first dimension to be made will be concerning the weld’s length. The second additional dimension will show you the distance between the weld centers. There is a variety of types of welding symbols to complement the design according to the engineer’s need.
The utility of Welding Symbols
Symbols in welding are used to simplify a series of instructions that, on a drawing, would take up too much space, making it more difficult to understand. Each symbol or graphic represents a design to follow from a job to be done. Today, many different types of welding symbols are used to specify a significant variety of welding conditions or their variability.