From what you say, I deduct that you're talking about wide flange (WF) shapes which are welded, not rolled. I also deduct that they're used as the upper drum's supporting columns, right?
Welded shapes are made to "manufacturer's standards", i.e., it is the manufacturer who determines, or establishes, their dimensions, material, details, etc.
When the structural engineer designs a steel structure using those welded shapes, he does that based on the manufacturer's catalog, which contains all the information needed.
The shapes made by one manufacturer are NOT necessarily the same than those made by another manufacturer.
With all this conversation I want to say that, for some particular reason I don't know (although I wish I knew), the manufacturer of those shapes has welded the flanges the way you explain.
In many years of professional life I've seen and worked with a lot of welded shapes, but the welds were the same all the way along, no one showed a different weld starting 24 inches from the end, as you say.
Giovanni S. Crisi
Sao Paulo - Brazil
It would be a lot easier to explain if I could draw a pic on here. Yes, it is a bolted connection...and it seems to me like the welds are larger at the ends to give support for the torque that the bolts are put upon...I.E. when the boiler fires up, there's quite a bit of vibration ( I know, I've stood on top of it during operation). Obviously, these were made in a manufacturing facility, most likely with automated equipment....my guess is SAW, noting the sheer size of the welds.
Could these weld be at moment connections(bolted moments)? The paddle plates on the top flange may very well have been designed this way. Larger fillets toward the connection. I only guessing as there is not enough information given in the post about the connection in question to determine the why's. If you could supply more info about the design type of the connection, if it is something typical in the building or just near the columns or whether the plates are simply cover plates to make the column worth more. The post just leave the door open and needs more info to help.
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