Cleaning New Steel Stock

[Rock knocker]

Shield arc;

I've seen these welded with a robotic MIG setup before! What is the reason that the army core would require a human welder vs a robotic (human supervised) weld? Just asking for my own knowledge

MIG is never suitable for welding outdoors because the shielding gas get blown off by breezes. Many of the heavy wall stacks and vessels are welded flat with a sub-arc process, as the weld is rotated in a large positioner.

The welds Shield-Arc was doing was more than a few years ago, and I've been out of the field work for quite a while also, but SMAW is still the go-to process out in the field, all weather-all conditions.

 

[BlacknTan]

Seems like the testosterone is flowing pretty freely in this thread. I clean materials to be welded to the best of my ability. I believe it produces a better finished product, and I use 3/32 rod quite often... I think it works quite well for us girl scouts and brownies! I've even got some 1/16 Cronatron 338 that finds use sometimes, but, that's for us REAL lightweights..

 

[Shield Arc]

Shield arc;

I've seen these welded with a robotic MIG setup before! What is the reason that the army core would require a human welder vs a robotic (human supervised) weld? Just asking for my own knowledge

I was the project superintendent on that project, so I didn't do any welding. I did elect to go with dual shield for the splices on the 10-feet dia pipes. The work trussle that the crawler cranes are setting on was built with 36-inch dia pipe pile with 36 x 300# I-beams for cap beams, all of this welding was done with Innershield wire. That trussle is roughly the size of a foot ball field.
You can see where we had a tent for the weldors in this picture. I think we had two weldors inside, and four weldors welding on the out side. We did use ceramic backing strips for the root passes. All the welding for the 10-feet dia pipes was 100% X-ray.
Using a robotic welder never even crossed my mind, not even to this day, until I read your question. Generally the owner, (in this case the Army Corp) never tells the contractor how to do things. Sometimes you have to submit a operation plan for their approval, but I don't remember having to do this.

 

[Jesse masterson]

It's never been a question it produces a better product , that's just fact.the question was is it always necessary for a strong weld and can a strong weld be made without it, I think it can but it won't be as pretty and will definitely be pourus. As far as testosterone , that's another fact. Some people don't know how to disagree without being downright rude

 

[ericher69]

I was the project superintendent on that project, so I didn't do any welding. I did elect to go with dual shield for the splices on the 10-feet dia pipes. The work trussle that the crawler cranes are setting on was built with 36-inch dia pipe pile with 36 x 300# I-beams for cap beams, all of this welding was done with Innershield wire. That trussle is roughly the size of a foot ball field.
You can see where we had a tent for the weldors in this picture. I think we had two weldors inside, and four weldors welding on the out side. We did use ceramic backing strips for the root passes. All the welding for the 10-feet dia pipes was 100% X-ray.
Using a robotic welder never even crossed my mind, not even to this day, until I read your question. Generally the owner, (in this case the Army Corp) never tells the contractor how to do things. Sometimes you have to submit a operation plan for their approval, but I don't remember having to do this.

Ok it had to be inner shield wire on a circular clamp/track setup. The gun would provide the weave as it would travel along the track and around the pipe. Something like this but much bigger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAPsGeA35dU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Shield Arc]

That machine wiggles / shakes about as bad as I do!:laughing:

 

[Rock knocker]

Ok it had to be inner shield wire on a circular clamp/track setup. The gun would provide the weave as it would travel along the track and around the pipe. Something like this but much bigger

Automated welding Narrow J-bevel welded without copper backing - YouTube

Sub-arc on a positioner. Large stacks and tanks could be welded by butting the sections together, then welding the interior. Work would then move to the exterior, where a arc-gouger would cut a groove down to the new weld metal on the interior. Another sub-arc bead on the exterior, and call the x-ray guys and the truck

 

[Rock knocker]

I was the project superintendent on that project, so I didn't do any welding

Did you yell at the golden arms if you saw them pick up a grinder?

Oh wait, Golden Arms would yell at you if they had to pickup a grinder

 

[Shield Arc]

Did you weld at the golden arms if you saw them pick up a grinder?

Oh wait, Golden Arms would yell at you if they had to pickup a grinder

We had a very hard time getting weldors there. When we started building the trussle, I was out in the river over seeing the rig up of the derrick to start driving the water piling. Very good friend of mine was over seeing the land pile driving. He called me on the radio, and asked if I could come to the beach and help one of the certified weldors set his machine. This kid was about as screwed up as it gets. The pile driver was always waiting on the weldors because they couldn't splice the piles fast enough. I went in and took one look at this kids weld, and went oh my God! I set his machine. I went over to my buddy and asked how hard the pile were driving. He said they were going right down. I said get that splice in the ground as fast as you can, because the weld is horrible! Right there was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I went back out to the derrick. This kid finished welding the splice, my buddy swung the pile driver over and got back on this pile. The second blow of the hammer I knew we were in trouble! The weld broke! The pile fell over like a big tree that had just been cut! Some one had parked my company pickup too close to the pile diver. Long story short, the hammer came out of the pile driving leads and landed on the hood of my company pickup! I wish I had a picture of that truck. The hammer weighed about 10-tons, drove the engine right in the mud!

I do have a picture of the broken pile.

 

[weldermike]

Yoooowza! Not funny at the moment or after im sure, but good story!