Length of time to weld a pipe joint?

How big is the pipe? What material? What environment (shop or field)? What weld pattern (bias, butt, or longitudinal)? How good does the weld have to be?

Tom.

I had many of the same questions and found this guideline, and while it does not directly provide answers, it contains much useful information:

CONTRACTOR'S STANDARD PIPE & FITTING SPECIFICATION

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(1) All pipe is to be made of a long hole, surrounded by metal concentric with hole.

(2) All pipe is to be hollow throughout entire length. Do not use holes of different length than the pipe.

(3) All pipe is to be of very best quality, perfectly tubular or pipular.

(4) All acid proof pipe is to be made of acid proof metal.

(5) OD of all pipe must exceed the ID otherwise the hole will be on the outside.

(6) All pipe is to be supplied with nothing in the hole so that water, steam, or other stuff can be put inside at a later date.

(7) All pipe is to be supplied without rust, as this can be more readily put on at the job site.

(8) All pipe is to be cleaned free of any covering such as mud, tar, barnacles, or any form of manure before putting up, otherwise it will make lumps under the paint.

(9) All pipe over 500 feet long must have the words "long pipe" clearly painted on each end so that fitter will know that it is long pipe.

(10) Pipe over two miles long must also have these words painted in the middle so that fitter will not have to walk the full length of pipe to determine if it is long pipe or not.

(11) All pipe over six inches in diameter is to have the words "large pipe" painted on it, so that the fitter will not use it for small pipe.

(12) All pipe closures are to be open on one end.

(13) All pipe fittings are to be made of the same stuff as the pipe.

(14) No fittings are to be put on pipe unless specified. If you do, straight pipe becomes crooked pipe.

(15) Fittings come in all sort of sizes and shapes. Be sure to specify the direction you are going when ordering.

(16) Fittings come bolted, welded or screwed -- always use screwed. They are the best kind.

(17) Flange must be used on all pipe. Flanges must have holes for bolts quite separate from the big hole in the middle.

(18) If flanges are to be blank or blind, the big hole in the middle must be filled with metal.

(19) All flanges must be cast or forged of the very best iron metal, close and grained, free from blow holes, lumps, cavities, pock marks, pin pricks, and warts, otherwise we can't use them.

(20) Gaskets are to be used to fill spaces between flanges.

(21) Gaskets are to be made of metal, rubber, [plastic, paper or some kind of goop -- do not use cow or sheep manure, it cracks when it gets dry.

(22) All bolts are to be screwed.

(23) All bolts must have a head on one end and a nut on the other.

(24) Bolts without heads are to be furnished as studs.

(25) Studs without heads are to be screwed all over and have two nuts which is standard. Studs with three nuts are not to be used since they would be odd.

(26) All nuts are to be furnished in sacks. Sacks must be whole and sound, minimum two nuts per sack. Paper sacks will not be tolerated.

(27) All piping must be installed with valves.

(28) All valves must have an opening on each end with a flapper in the middle that goes up and down or sideways when you turn the wheel or crank so that it will open or close, otherwise the stuff will run out the ends.

(29) Valves are to be furnished by the kind required as follows: Ball valves are to have a ball inside Gate valves are to have a gate inside Globe valves are to have a globe inside Check valves are to have a check inside Angle valves are to have an angle inside Plug valves are to have a plug inside Diaphragm valves art to have a diaphragm inside.

(30) Ball valves are not to be used anywhere with a female connection.

(31) Diaphragm valves are to be used with a female connection.

(32) All completed piping lines must go somewhere and connect to something. The fitter is required to verify this before turnover.

(33) All pipes shorter than 1/8" are uneconomical in use, requiring many joints. They are generally known as washers.

(34) Other commodities are often confused with pipes. These include: Conduit, tube, tunnel and drain. Use only genuine pipe.

(35) Scottish Regiments in the Army use Army pipes in unusual ways. These are not approved of in engineering circles.

(36) When ordering 90 degree or 30 degree elbows, be sure to specify right hand or left hand, other wise you will be going the wrong way.

(37) Be sure to specify to your vendor whether you want level, uphill or downhill pipe. If you use downhill pipe for going uphill the product will flow the wrong way.

(38) All coupling should have either right hand or left hand thread, do not mix the threads, otherwise, as the coupling is being screwed on one pipe, it's being screwed off the other.

(39) Joints in pipes for water must be water tight. Those in pipes for compressed air however need only be air tight.

(40) Lengths of pipe may we welded or soldered together. This method is not recommended for concrete or earthenware pipes.

(41) Pipe over 5 feet in diameter shall have an arrow* painted at 10 foot intervals with the word EXIT.

(42) When such pipe is longer than 20 feet all the arrows* must point in the same direction. * It has been suggested that the arrow(s) point to the open end of the pipe.This option is under study by the committee.

what I was needing is information on various sizes of pipe and thicknesses as far as how long it take to butt weld each joint. For example 6" schedule 80 pipe form start to finish how long should it take to butt weld that joint 6010 root pass and 7018 fill and cap.

weld pattern (bias,

To give you an answer in email would take too long to type in and I don't have that much time. I suggest you get a copy of the following text for a detailed method to use.

"The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding", The Lincoln Electric Company, 22801 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44117

I have the twelfth edition and chapter 12 is titled "Welding Costs" which should answer your question. Their many welding texts are reasonably priced and worth the cost.

Jim Y

What kind of welding equipment are you going to use?

Pipeline guys make semi-automated welders that can do this sort of thing to very high quality in a few minutes. By hand would take a little longer, to the same quality, but would probably be quicker for a leak-tight weld. Are we going for full x-ray inspected pressure integrity here, or just enough to keep the water inside?

Tom.