Skaggydog
Bolt holes shall comply with the provisions of the RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using ASTM A325 or A490 Bolts, Section 3.3 except that thermally cut holes shall be permitted with a surface roughness profile not exceeding 1,000 in.
(25 m) as defined in ASME B46.1. Gouges shall not exceed a depth of 1/16 in.(2 mm).
Answer
Although previous specifications limited the methods that can be used, the 2005 AISC specification, Section M2.5, allows the use of any hole-making method that results in a surface roughness not exceeding 1,000 microinches. Most methods can be used to achieve this, including punching, drilling, and thermal cutting with flame and plasma equipment.
Charlie Carter, S.E., P.E.
American Institute of Steel Construction
AISC also used to require the approval of the E.O.R. but a couple three years ago they dropped the Engineer of Records need for approval.
The last is what led us to our purchase of a Robotic Plasma Beam Line from Burlington Automation
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Marshall