Weld finishing with oxy-cut 2

[starflex]

Hi All,

I am working on a project and yesterday I noticed something that did not look familiar to me.

We are talking about structural steel (grade 300 / 350). One of the welder was finishing the weld profile wth oxy-cut flame.

It was the first time I have witnessed a similar situation. Is it normal or acceptable practice ? I would suppose that later on grinder will be used anyway to improve the finishing, but in terms of adding another termal cycle to the joint.. wouldn't it be a bit detrimental?

Thanks all!

P.

 

[metengr]

It is not normal practice to perform this activity.

 

[gtaw]

I am assuming (ouch, did I really say that?) the welder is removing excessive weld face reinforcement using an oxy-fuel torch. The added thermal cycle is no different than another weld bead added to what is already there. However, the slower heating and cooling may increase depth of the HAZ associated with the thermal cutting operation. It could have an adverse affect on the notch toughness if there is a concern for notch toughness. If the weldment is within the building envelop, it probably is of little concern. The degree of degradation is dependent on the specific technique employed by the welder.

Oxy-fuel gouging and carbon arc gouging is often used to remove weld defects in preparation for repair. I see little difference in what the welder is currently doing and preparing a defective weld.

Best regards - Al

 

[metengr]

starflex;
Al brings up a good point based on an assumption. I may have a translation issue with how you refer to weld profile. Are we talking about removal of excessive weld reinforcement or preparation to repair a finished weld that contains a defect?

If so, I agree with above. Regarding weld profile or smoothing a rough weld face, I see no reason to use an oxy-acetylene torch, a grinder works best.

 

[gtaw]

I was envisioning a situation where the welder may be removing a shelf bar on a horizontal groove weld. While the structural welding code allows them to stay in place, owners often want them removed. The welder, or more than likely, someone else, would spend a week of Sundays grinding the shelf bar and weld to produce a flush finish. Oxy-fuel or carbon arc gouging is usually the means used to remove the bulk of metal (shelf bar and excess reinforcement). A little finish grinding and the job is done.

Best regards - Al

 

[starflex]

Hi All,

My (very) bad. gatw assumption is correct: the welder was removing excessive weld face reinforcement using a oxy-fuel torch., not as preparation for a repair (in that case they generally adopt carbon-arc gouging).

(As partial excuse, English is not my first language.. OT: do you have a link with technical jargon specific to welding?)

 

[gtaw]

The AWS standard for welding terminology is AWS A3.0 Standard Terms and Definitions. I prefer to use standard terminology when possible so anyone having a difficult time understanding the discussion can look up the term. AWS does a pretty good job of including sketches to clarify the meaning of particular words.

The use of nonstandard terms only muddies the water because there is no comprehensive document that helps define the "slang" terminology. This is particularly troublesome when the audience is international.

Best regards - Al

 

[starflex]

Thanks all for the contribution.

Much appreciated as always!

P.

 

[DekDee]

Starflex,
Not sure what your role actually is but you should be reporting it to someone higher up the food chain as it is totally unprofessional work (as noted by Al & metengr).
A competent welder makes his/her weld and then walks away.
A less competent welder makes his/her weld and then dresses it to make it look good with a grinder.
An incompetent welder makes his/her weld and then dresses it to make it look good with an oxy torch