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Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / Inspection Trends
- - By jwright650 (*****) Date 07-10-2014 19:02
Good job guys(you know who you are)!
Once again you fellas have a couple of well written columns. :wink:
Parent - By Milton Gravitt (***) Date 07-10-2014 21:24
Yes all of the columns where well written and very informative.

        M.G.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-11-2014 16:02
All I can say is that it is truly amazing to me what Mary Ruth, IT editor, and her staff can do with a little bit of mumbo jumbo digital content from a rambling old inspector.  :lol:

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By jwright650 (*****) Date 07-11-2014 16:33
:cool: You are too modest Brent.
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-16-2014 00:03
Pardon??  I was talking about Al's article  :lol: 

No, seriously, he and I have stated more than once how great the editorial staff is at making us look better.  Sometimes for space sake, sometimes for content, sometimes because personalities and the way we normally express something is removed for the sake of content purity. 

Whatever, I can't complain about anything they have done to my submissions. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
- By 803056 (*****) Date 07-11-2014 21:39
I haven't received my issue yet. I'll have to see what Brent wrote for us. It should be good.

Best regards  - Al
- - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-12-2014 13:30
Milt sent me a message early in the week that he had read it.  You can get to it off the 'Home' page of aws.org.  Then, I got the notice from AWS that it was available for viewing or pdf download at this link:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aws/it_201407/

Hard copy should be in my mailbox when I get home.  Took the wife out of town for the weekend for her birthday.  This job has had me gone a lot and I decided to do something with just the two of us for a few days.

Al, great pointers on report writing.  I use a form that also includes weather conditions as here in AZ that can be important for preheat and rain is always a consideration for the engineer to know what is going on.  Affects scheduling changes too.

I appreciate an engineer who gives decent grid lines (A-D one way and 1-4 perpendicular) for pinpointing where joints are.  I have made my own for those who can't seem to be bothered with making our job easier.  Makes it easy for documenting any problems and how the work is progressing.  Especially if another inspector is sent for the followup inspection.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By Superflux (****) Date 07-12-2014 17:18
Brent,
I have made my own for those who can't seem to be bothered with making our job easier.

Does such benevolence pay better?
Are you Buddhist?
Sorry, but I seem to be becoming more of a capitalist in my advancing chronology.
OK, I do this stuff too on occasion...
BUT! I was a Buddhist back in another life.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-12-2014 17:34
Let's make sure we are talking about the same thing, doing a grid when there isn't one so that I can identify where various joints are in the building from my report.

I do see this as capitalism.  Creativity of the individual even though it is really someone else's job.  The engineer should see this as something to be done to ease fabricator and inspection communication.  And the bottom line is economical gain on behalf of all parties due to faster and more accurate reports, repairs, and original construction.

Anyway, hope your work is going well.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - By Superflux (****) Date 07-12-2014 18:58
OK as I see it, it comes down to simple ease of kicking a few stones out of the path to make the return trip easier with fewer stumbles.
This last gig forced me to wear many hats so that in the long run (the past 3 weeks!) my trip out the gate (Yesterday, YAY!!!) smoother.
The plan worked and I managed to wrap up 50,000 cells of an excel spread sheet minimally painless.
QA, engineering, field QC and NDE techs were all like "a bunch of hogs looking at a wrist watch".
I threw hissy fits even though I am usually as calm as a Shao Lin monk.
  And the bottom line is economical gain on behalf of all parties due to faster and more accurate reports, repairs, and original construction.
That is THE bottom line.
Mega Petro got their doohickey built, no one got kilt, I made a few shekels (ie. capitalism!) and life goes on through out the cosmos.

In the big picture of things, I suppose those of us who go the extra mile (Creativity of the individual as you so well stated) are the true winners in this whacky business... and in life.
Just got back from a midnight full moon stroll on a remote beach on the Andaman Sea.
Ahhh, life is GREAT.

Done whining and having a Tiger beer.
- - By 803056 (*****) Date 07-13-2014 15:52 Edited 07-13-2014 15:58
Life is what you make it.

I'm looking forward to reading your article Brent.

Regarding my article, it was difficult to keep the word count down. As noted, every job is different, not all are structural projects. You make an excellent point regarding the use of grids. Regardless of the type of project, a grid system makes it easier to locate a specific detail.

Currently, I am working on several of the largest presses in the Western Hemisphere. One of the presses has the capacity to lift the stern of  the aircraft carrier G. W. Bush out of the water.

Best regards - Al
Parent - - By 99205 (***) Date 07-14-2014 18:17
There seems to be a strange phenomenon happening to me.  The more I read here, the more I see as an Inspector, the more I study, the less I know.  The only thing I can deduce from this is that, I need study more, be more observant while inspecting and read this forum more often.  Wait, will that mean, I will realize that I know even less than I thought?  I knew I should stayed with Physics.

BTW, great articles, Brent and Al.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-14-2014 18:25
Thanks for the compliments.  But, I'm with you on your observations.  The more I hang out here and the more research I do for articles the more I find out how little I really know. 

Praise the Lord for the ability He gave us to pool knowledge, network, and find such a great resource as this forum in order to vastly increase the learning curve. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 07-19-2014 14:29
Your article on “Protected Zones” is an excellent article Brent! It was well written and makes one appreciate some of the factors that must be considered with those types of connections. You did an excellent job introducing us to an important subject for those of us that deal with designs and fabrication in seismic active areas. I expect to see the applications for AWS D1.8 expanding into other areas where connections can expect to see load excursions beyond the elastic limit.

Your article makes a very important point that it is the  CWI’s responsibility to study the applicable code and research the subject matter to fully appreciate and understands the implications of the requirements. The CWI credential is the entry level of certification for the inspector. The CWI credential does not mean the individual has mastered all the subject matter that the inspector needs to know. The CWI’s education must be on going.

I chuckle when I see someone that has passed their CWI examinations and then offers their books “for sale” with the assumption they will not need to refer to them in the future. My initial thought is, “Another short lived career. I hope he kept his welding helmet.”

The subject of "plastic hinge" can be your next article. I know many inspectors do not understand the differences between designs that incorporate stresses well below the elastic limit, i.e., allowable stress designs, and those that anticipate maximum loads that can exceed the elastic limit. A connection that is designed to yield and deform as a means to absorb and dissipate energy responds much differently to the influence of a discontinuity than a connection designed to operate within the elastic range.

Good job my friend.

Best regards – Al
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-19-2014 21:45
Thank you Al, and Glyn.

Al, I know what you mean about word counts.  I just went through my current project and trimmed over 200 words off and am still higher than I should be, though not too bad now. 

Plastic hinges may have to wait,  I'm probably already over taxing the editorial staff.  They need a break from me.  :lol:  Besides, I have one completed and two more in the works that don't include Plastic Hinges.  But thanks for the suggestion, it would be a good follow up to the Protected Zones article.  Almost needs an engineers touch.  Maybe a joint venture with someone higher up the food chain. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 07-20-2014 09:07
Another fine article Brent!

Remember that the K.I.S.S. method can be the best method in certain circumstances... However there are situations when thoroughness is necessary...
The key is to use your wisdom in order to decide and eventually know when to implement one or the other. :smile::grin::lol::yell::twisted::yell::lol::roll::wink::cool:

Keep-em coming Hoss!:grin::lol::cool:

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-20-2014 16:27
Good morning Henry,

Hope all is well with you.

After each article, as I'm sure Al can attest to, one gets emails and messages from all sorts of people.  But coming from each of you here the compliments are more special as I know something of each of your expertise and I know that if there is a mistake there you will bring it to my attention. 

We know Al doesn't make any mistakes in his writings but I am much newer at this from both the inspections and writing aspect.  Sometimes the volume of resources can get overwhelming and issues like Protected Zones definitely are deeper than my educational background.  But, that doesn't mean there are not practical applications that can be understood by even the newest of us.  And there is much we do need to understand and apply to our work so we do not speak out of place.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 07-21-2014 05:48 Edited 07-21-2014 06:05
"Yer learnin kid, Yer learnin":lol::wink:

"Yuntz have a good week now Obee Kaybee!" Dat's Pittsburgh talk or as we like to call it: "It's burg thing ya know?":surprised::eek::roll::wink::cool:

Btw, Al doesn't any mistakes just like I'm worth 20 million! I mean, as in the words of Joe Kane: "Where did you learn how to spell!
An Inspector must be able to write reports that are not only grammatically correct, but also with proper spelling and penmanship as if anyone still knows how to do that anymore!" and on, and on...  All kidding aside, we haven't heard much from him as of late and I'm guilty for not keeping in touch with him more often as I should, I just hope he's okay...

In any event, you also have Mary Ruth and her crew to fix any "Oopseedaisies" as the editors do... She interviewed me back in 1999 or 2000 for the July issue of the Welding Journal and it looks like she has aged gracefully since then... A Graceful woman indeed! And so very easy to speak with... But yeah, Al doesn't make any mistakes at all.:smile::grin::lol::yell::twisted::yell::lol::yell::roll::grin::twisted::wink::cool:

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - By 803056 (*****) Date 07-21-2014 21:40
I blame it on my daughter. She proof reads most things before I send them out.

Al
Parent - By 46.00 (****) Date 07-19-2014 16:26
Brent, thank you for the article! I shall be grid marking my jobs from now on! very good idea!
Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / Inspection Trends

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