Frame cutting, mods and welding (1 Viewer)

[cruisermatt]

Looks like an assembly picture.
that weld looks gross but for a body mount (front core support) I doubt that will ever be a structural issue. Too bad it’s visible front and center whenever it goes on the lift for tires or brakes.

I can see it now, welded up by the new guy, sent off to PC in a hurry without QC since they’re behind schedule and no choice but to run it at this point. Been there done that, as both the new guy and the one getting chewed out for not checking the new guys work

 

[LINUS]

That got solved where I’m at - you stamp the flange taper w/ your initials & Lord help you if you pop more than 2-3 welds in a calendar year save high turbulent acid streams.

Signing your work makes people both accountable & willing to learn if they had bad form/practices - but here even the root pass has to be flush as extra bead in the pipe makes a back-eddy that prematurely wears out a spoolpiece.

 

[ntsqd]

Even non super-critical steam doesn't like flow interruptions/obstructions. Super-Critical steam will cut right thru Sched XXH 316 SST if given a chance to start those eddies.

In HS a class that I was in built a trailer for a fork-lift. One of the other kids did a very poor job of fitting a secondary 3/8" strap cross-member to the Channel frame. A guy on the far side struck an arc (1/8" 6011) and I struck an arc on my side with the same. We weren't getting enough fill so with my off-hand I grabbed a third rod and started feeding it into the arc as well. We got 'er done! I've often wondered how that weld looks these nearly 25 years later......
I'm sure glad that we didn't have to initialize those welds.

 

[BILT4ME]

Agreed with all above, was just curious since I haven't seen any failures myself

Having grown up on a farm and regularly seeing farm trucks heavily overloaded and not being used for their intended purpose, I have seen a number of frames crack. Most are related to the hydraulic dump boxes and attachments to the frames that then propagated to the rest of the frame. So, I saw the frame get repaired, then break again at a later date.

I was fascinated by how the cracks would form and where they went, so it made me aware of how the forces were pushed through the frame, even though I didn't understand them at the time.

I had heard all the parts about "the steel will crack next to a good weld" and all those things. I now know that the steel next to the weld is the HAZ and has a different molecular structure to the weld itself as well as the surrounding base metal. The molecular structure can be readjusted with heat control and pre-heating / post-heating to control heating and cooling when proper repairs are done.

Most repairs are NOT done in proper circumstances or procedures, because most people don't know what those should be. I've been dealing with welding for 35+ years professionally and there is still a ton that I don't know. I am NOT a CWI, but I do a lot of weld inspection for our company. We rarely have critical power-plant or oil rig type weld requirements, but they all fall within the AWS window of requirements.

My brother is was a shop superintendent for a trucking company for 13 years and had moved on to be a truck and diesel instructor for another 25. He has sent me pics of frame damages and repairs over the years and all of these repairs had to be done by certified welders following proper procedures so the trucks could be re-certified by the DOT of that state in order to be put back on the road. Some states have no regulations.

Most of the current truck frames are specialized materials and have stickers on them that say "Do Not Weld" on them. I would suspect that the 80 series (and newer) LC's also have frames made of materials other than A-36 carbon steel, based on how rigid they are and the flex they can take before failure.

All of the repairs I had seen were the Z-cut at a 45° with football-shaped fish plates.

I still find this all very interesting and I get the pleasure of dealing with failed welds from job sites and analyzing what the root cause could have been and how we can prevent them in the future.

I thought this was one of the better snippets of questions about truck frame welding.

AWS Truck Frame Welding Q's

 

[ntsqd]

This unit really affords very good control when TIG welding out of position. The biggest thing in any welding process is being in a comfortable position.
This transformer type unit requires a robust power supply compare to the smaller inverter counter parts.
For those who noticed the 73 Amp display, it was set up for repairing a cast iron part using silicon bronze.

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Just noticed the motor on the wall in the background. I'm going with DIY rotary phase converter with the barber spiral so it's easy to see when it's spinning.

 

[firestopper]

Just noticed the motor on the wall in the background. I'm going with DIY rotary phase converter with the barber spiral so it's easy to see when it's spinning.

Winner winner, chicken dinner!
I run 9-3 Ph. machines from this source.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

@firestopper , apologies to the OP for getting a bit off subject but that's a very nice shop. I have a 40 x 40 with heat and AC and looking into wall materials. It's a metal frame building with high walls and rolled insulation like your shop. I'm researching wall materials. Is that all sheetrock or do you have something else integrated low? Thanks

 

[ntsqd]

@firestopper , apologies to the OP for getting a bit off subject but that's a very nice shop. I have a 40 x 40 with heat and AC and looking into wall materials. It a metal frame building with high walls and rolled insulation like your shop. I'm researching wall materials. Is that all sheetrock or do you have something else integrated low? Thanks

FWIW I went with normal house insulation and sheet-rock in my garage shop. I specified that the texture coat be fairly smooth so it doesn't catch and hold grinding dust etc. Had two skylights installed first and I wish that I could have put in more. I painted the walls semi-gloss white and had 3 pairs of 4' fluorescent lights put in. At the time LED's were very expensive toys. The electrician thot I was crazy with that much light in a garage. Now I need to redo that aspect as I do not feel that there is enough light in our typical 2 car garage.

EDIT: I have some pics of what I did, but should probably put them in a different thread.

 

[firestopper]

@firestopper , apologies to the OP for getting a bit off subject but that's a very nice shop. I have a 40 x 40 with heat and AC and looking into wall materials. It a metal frame building with high walls and rolled insulation like your shop. I'm researching wall materials. Is that all sheetrock or do you have something else integrated low? Thanks

Hi,
The inside walls on the shop are 3/4"x4'x8'BC plywood. The last 8" at the top float but the rest is secured to the red iron Perlins. Base angle was also used to secure the bottom. Heavy primer coats followed by tape and texture. The 3/4" plywood provides excellent anchor options.
I opted out of the light insulation they offered and went with R-30 throughout. The R-30 is 10" compressed down to an 8" space. The white Skrim sheet over the insulation is secured with clips and wire at 16"OC.
I figure I'd include info on the insulation as well.
I live in SW Desert so no heat other than a propane salamander heater for 20 minutes then off. For cooling, I run a 12K cfm evaporative cooler.
The ductwork was not installed at the time these photos were taken but it runs down the center line of the building and I get 32-34º pulldown difference from the outside.
Another note if your considering plywood walls. If you purchase a bunk (bundle of 52 sheets), you can save.
In my case, 40' x 80' I needed approx 49 sheets so three extra sheets came in handy for other applications. By purchasing a bunk, each 3/4" x 4' x 8' sheet cost $32 where as if I purchased sheets individually they ran $38 each. Of course who knows what stupid money they're getting these days.

The three red iron horizontals provided ample screw options.

Here you can see the last eight inches (top) float.

Since we had walls, there was no need to use skim sheet behind the walled area.

Awaiting texture.

Primed, painted and striped. Yes the lines follow around the backside of the I-beams. The base was treated to 6" mop board to finish up the walls.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Hi,
The inside walls on the shop are 3/4"x4'x8'BC plywood. The last 8" at the top float but the rest is secured to the red iron Perlins.

Thanks. Never would have guessed that as I don't see any sign of a but joint anywhere in the photos. Nice work.

 

[LINUS]

@firestopper - nice pics!

- I gots the shop envy now


Funny aside, that’s the nicest integration around the I - beams & the stripes add to that.
Looks mega-muey bueno!

 

[sodafeld1]

As you can see here it is really not that hard to lay it out and get a 45* angle for the cut and splice. This particular one was a stretch so no frame was removed. I am a self taught fabricator and welder by the way.

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For this stretch the frame was sleeved and then capped over the sleeve. Rosette or plug welds also help tie it all together.

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This is what you really don’t want to be doing.

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Cheers

So the internal sleeve is custom made to fit snug and held by the staggered plug welds alone? I imagine a weld through paint is used? Thank you posting this, great knowledge and information.

 

[sodafeld1]

So the internal sleeve is custom made to fit snug and held by the staggered plug welds alone? I imagine a weld through paint is used? Thank you posting this, great knowledge and information.

How is the internal fish plate skip welded? Sorry can't get my head around how you accessed inside the frame. The fish plate had curved sides? Lots of smaller plug welds?

 

[sodafeld1]

How is the internal fish plate skip welded? Sorry can't get my head around how you accessed inside the frame. The fish plate had curved sides? Lots of smaller plug welds?

Oh, I see the skip weld is for external fish plate. Still, for the internal box it is held by the rossettes?