UT field welded joints

Date 12-05-2002 18:22

Our shop has for years(at least the 18 that I've been here) attached pour stop(bent plate) by shop welding, provided the edge of slab dim. is given on the contract drawings. At the beam to column moment connections, we had been running the bent plate up and around within a 1/2" of the column faces. The engineer has requested(for good reason) that we hold back the bent plate from this connection so someone can UT this joint.

What do other fabricators do at these locations?

Note: If the beam flange is 1" thick, the plate will have to be held back a foot or so, to let the UT guy get to all three legs(if flange = 1" the legs are 2 3/4" each, plus room to manuever 3 or 4 in.). Now when the flange is thicker that distance will grow even larger.
Wet soopy concrete will now pour around these columns onto the floor below. Being a Level II UT guy myself, I understand that a guy will not be able to sit on the top flange and reach around a bentplate that is 15" off the centerline of the beam and still be able to UT from the underneath. Also from underneath the top flange, you will miss testing the most probable spot for an indication, right at the center of the flange, where the welder has to stop and start his weld through a rat hole. OOPS, I forgot that this job the backing bar does not have to be removed so you are now stuck with UT'ing from the top side only.

By DGXL

Date 12-06-2002 17:18

John:
Why do you guys run the bent plate so close to the beam/column connection? Typically we leave room (about 12") for the welding and testing, then a short piece is attached in the field when the SMRF joint has been welded, inspected and tested. The weld quality for the short piece is not too critical, it just holds the mud unitl it sets. Kind of like an erection tool. Then they spray the weld-splice with cold galv. as the material is usually galvanized.

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 12-09-2002 13:09

DGXL,
We have been getting away with it I guess. Believe it or not, I think this is the first time this has come up. It was spelled out on the approval drawings. I don't know how these pieces were inspected in the past. All those field welded joints have been covered by bent plate, at least half of the top flange anyway. We should have addressed this before now, but we'll have to retrain our detailers(draftsman) to hold the plate back from now on out.
John Wright