3.11 Break in Arrow
In most cases of groove welds, both members to be joined require some form of preparation. Hence,
the use of an ordinary welding symbol with an ordinary straight-line arrow is entirely satisfactory.
However, such is not the case with groove welds requiring the preparation of only one member in the
joint. If the preparation of one specific member is of importance, the welding symbol must have
positive means to identify this member.
This is conveniently done by a break in the arrow, with the arrow pointing in the direction of the
member to be chamfered.
It should be noted that the arrow need not touch this particular member. The only matter of importance
is the direction in which the arrow points (to the left or to the right).
The arrow need not be broken if the welding symbol is not used to specify which members have to be
prepared. There are, of course, situations in which only one member can be prepared, in which case a
break in the arrow is superfluous.
The following examples will illustrate the point.