Arc Welding 101: Satisfying the weld inspector

Q: We have a stiffener bar (continuity connection) in a column that calls for AWS D1.1 BTC-P4 for the flanges and fillet welds on both sides in the web. The stiffeners were field-welded. After assembling 35 connections, we discovered no fillet weld on the bottom side in the web. We can’t weld the bottom side of the stiffener now because of clearance. What are our options? Could we add more than the required ¼-inch fillet at the top of the stiffener to satisfy the inspector? He is not offering any solutions. He just wants the requirements to be met—a fillet weld on both sides.

A: Thank goodness for on-the-ball inspectors. The inspector’s role in this construction project is to monitor the fabrication and erection. Should issues arise, he is to bring them to the attention of those who need to know. Speaking from past experience, this can be a thankless job.

The inspector on your site is insisting the completed welds meet the requirements of the job’s documentation. When things go wrong and an inspector raises the red flag, those on the ground often look to him and ask, “What should we do?” The inspector’s first response should be to tell you to contact the engineer and come up with a documented solution.

Often when we start to brainstorm solutions on the job site, we don’t have all the facts, or we may not understand all the requirements, to make the call. For example, your suggestion for the missing weld on one side of the joint was to increase the weld size on the opposite side. There may be times when this is an acceptable solution, but if the engineer’s concern is the stress riser created from the missing fillet (which is often the case in today’s building construction), that oversized fillet would be of little benefit. And better to bring the issue into the light for engineering analysis now than to find out after the concrete has set that the fix was unacceptable.

Inspectors may or may not have the engineering background to make this call, but it is the engineer responsible for the project who should come up with an acceptable alternative.

Note: Brian contacted me to let me know that the solution to his welding issue was to back up, disassemble each connection, and add the originally required ¼-inch fillet weld. Good call!