Weld Repair in Protected Area

[djfriesen]

Hi,

I have been contacted by a client about providing a repair procedure for where an angle was welded to, and removed from, the bottom flange of a beam in the protected area of an RBF connection. Has anyone run into this before, and been able to justify a repair process? I looked at AISC 341-10 and 358-10, and they seemed to contradict each other (and themselves, sometimes) regarding whether or not this repair was allowed. There are definitely not supposed to be connections here, but one section talked about them being repaired, if they were present.

I'm hoping someone has seen this before and can offer some guidance. The client is an architectural firm, and the slab floor has been placed above this beam already, so removal would be very expensive.

If anyone has any input, I would appreciate it very much.

Dan

 

[wannabeSE]

AWS D1.8, Structural Welding Code Seismic Supplement, has a couple requirements for removal of welds and repairs at the protected zone. Is this for a Buckling restrained Braced Frame (BRBF) or a prequalified moment connection in AISC 358?. If it is a BRBF, you may want to contact the brace manufacture to here their experience. Ultimately, the engineer of record should approve the repairs. I know other engineers that have approved similar repairs to SMF protected zones, but I personally do not have any experience.

 

[connectegr]

Duane Miller included some recommendations and requirements for these repairs, in a presentation at the 2013 NASCC conference. I think the presentation and slides are available on the AISC website.

http://www.FerrellEngineering.com

Providing fabrication and erection efficient structural design of connections. Consulting services for structural welding and bolting.

 

[djfriesen]

Thanks for the replies, guys. It's a pre-qualified "dog bone" connection, per AISC 358. Hopefully AWS D1.8 will have some answers. I listened to Duane's talk, and I didn't find any reference to weld repairs, but he did have some interesting info on shotpins and their effects on the protected zone.

Dan