I thought I saw somewhere in D1.1 that you have to pre-heat the base material for arc gouging, as well as welding. This would be for thick material like 2" thick. I can't seem to find it anywhere. Can anyone help?
Chris I never heard that before and don't recall seeing it in D1.1. But the air Carbon Arc guide from Arcair has a note saying if you need preheat to weld it then use preheat to gouge it. http://www.thermadyne.com/arcair_pdfs/89_250_008.pdf Learn something new daily works for me thanks. Good Luck Marshall
Check with the AISC Steel Construction Manual. I seem to recollect a requirement for preheating for certain materials over a certain thickness prior to thermal cutting being performs.