Welding Plate Girders

[SmithJ]

I am designing a steel plate girder for a moment frame. My shear flow calculations show that I can get away with welding one side of the Flange/Web interface and simply tack welding the other side. I am trying to find out if this is acceptable practice with respect to Plate Girders.

I have searched through the AISC Manual and can not find any reference that allows or disallows this practice. Any experience with this kind of issue please?

Also, if there are any code guidelines/references about this issue, I would aapreciate if you would share them.

Thanks in advance.
JS.

 

[UcfSE]

If you have too much weld on one side the shrinkage it causes may warp your section. Try using a minimum weld on both sides or even a given length of weld at a given spacing, both sides.

 

[dbuzz]

I wouldn't recommend it and agree with UcfSE's advice to use minimum weld on both sides of the web. I would also make the weld continuous rather than intermittent to mitigate the risk of crevice corrosion should the protective coating system fail during the service life.

 

[JStephen]

Normally, you'd use intermittent welds on both sides, rather than full on one side and tack on the other. Also known as "stitch welding". On just a single piece, the savings wouldn't be that vast. And if someone was set up to do it semiautomatically, it might actually take longer for the stitch welding.