I-Beam Welding Techniques
An I-beam (also known as an H-beam or a wide-flange beam) is a very heavy, durable and structurally sound type of beam used in many buildings, from homes to industrial facilities. These beams can hold immense amounts of weight and still maintain their structural integrity. However, welding these beams can be extremely difficult due to their heavy duty construction. A variety of materials and machines are available to facilitate I-beam welding.
Other People Are Reading
-
The Welding Line
-
Many companies in the United States and abroad have large machines that manufacture, assemble and weld I-beams in place. Known as h-beam welding lines, these machines produce and assemble I-beams from the ground up. A welding line may utilize a submerge arc welding machine or SAW. Every step of the process is guided by this machine, creating one-stop construction materials.
Gas Metal Arc Welding
-
GMAW is one of the most common types of welding for I-beams. This process utilizes an arc formed between a parent metal and an electrode wire that collects in a "weld pool" of the two metals. The speed and ease of use of the GMAW process allows for mechanization, which results in less human interference. "Metal inert gas" welding is a term often used in place of Gas Metal Arc Welding due to the fact that inert gases such as argon or helium are utilized in the process.
-
Thermite Welding
-
The thermite welding process uses high energy materials, more commonly known as thermits or thermites, to produce the melted metals that fill in a welded area of an I-beam. The heat source of this type of welding is the chemical reaction between the components in a mixture, including iron oxide or aluminum powder and an initial heat source. As thermal stress can occur in I-beams due to this welding process, the parent metal is heated with oxyacetylene flames beforehand to ensure fusion.
Laser Welding
-
A laser can be used to weld an I-beam, provided that a monochromatic radiation source is properly focused and administered and a shielding gas, such as helium, is used. Laser welding is much more quick, accurate and distortion-free a process than other types of I-beam welding techniques.
Electron Beam Welding
-
This process uses a focused beam of high energy electrons to heat up the weld joint. Such a process is done within a high vacuum. While the cost for the equipment and process is high and dangerous X-rays are produced during the process, it can be much more accurate, providing one-pass coverage of weld joints. Even thick joints may be welded in one pass. Moreover, electron beam welding ensures low distortion and contamination.
-
