Hi All,

I am an artist/fabricator out of California. I am making a 30 foot tall rideable chaotic pendulum, and have some questions about flanges. Essentially, the pendulum will be held up by a tripod of 6 inch steel pipe. These legs will be around 30 feet in length, but will break apart into 15 foot sections. What I plan to do is weld a 2 foot circular flange onto the cut end of the pipe, and brace the flange with (8) 90 degree pieces of plate. This circular flange will line up with another flange attached to the next pipe, and bolt together with 8 structural bolts. Here is an image to help visualize: http://imgur.com/D7plgPD (I know its not perfect perspective, please forgive).

I plan on pre-drilling the flanges and bolting them together before welding, so I can get them lined up. The pipe, flange, and plate are 1/4 inch steel, and I am using a Miller MIG machine to put it all together. What I worry about is that when I weld it all on, the plate will warp. The bolts will then get pinched in and not come out, or if they do come out, will not be able to get back in. Has anyone had any experience welding around bolted materials?

Thanks!
Nathan
PS, for anyone interested here are some images of what the finished piece will look like: http://www.nathankandus.com/Chaotic_Affair2.html