How to calculate Heat input?

There are several ways of calculating the heat input. We shall discuss the two most common
methods of calculating the heat input.

1. The American system (given in ASME BPVC Section IX – QW 409.1 (a) and various AWS

standards):

Heat input:

Where,

 Heat input is expressed in J/In (Joule/Inch) or J/mm (Joule/mm)

 Voltage is expressed in Volts
 Travel speed is expressed in In/min or mm/min
The unit for heat input obtained by this formula shall be either in J/In or J/mm. To get the
results in KJ/in or KJ/mm, divide the result by 1000.

Example 1: If a welder takes 2 minutes to complete an 18 inches long weld. He keeps the
voltage at 24 volts and the current 120 amps. What is your heat input?
Answer:
Given data parameters are;

Travel Speed = Length of Weld/Time to weld = 18 inches/2 minutes = 9 in/min

Voltage = 24 volts
Current = 120 amps
Heat Input = (24 X 120 X 60)/ 9 = 19200 J/in
= 19.2 KJ/in (Divided by 1000 to obtain the result in KJ/in.)