Guidance Note

Site welding No. 7.01

Scope rary condition prior to welding either at
This Guidance Note focuses on the practical ground level or in the air. These temporary
management and control necessary to connections are normally removed after joint
achieve satisfactory performance of site completion to restore the clean lines of the
welding operations. bridge. Temporary welded attachment areas
need non-destructive testing to ensure that
General no unacceptable imperfections remain.
Technically, there is very little difference
between undertaking bridge welding opera- Access, working platforms and shelters
tions at site and in the workshop. The princi- Safety is always the prime consideration and
pal differences relate to issues of accessibility all activities must be conducted in accord-
and the varying environmental conditions ance with current statutory legislation.
encountered, but with careful control, a range
of welding techniques and practices can be Shelters are needed to provide protection for
as effective in the site environment as in the the operatives and to shield weld areas from
shop. wind and rain. Well-designed shelters provide
an environment relatively free from draughts
Inevitably, there are costs associated with but running water is more difficult to protect
managing any site operation, and economics against. To protect weld zones, more primi-
will dictate whether welding is more cost tive methods of protection are needed, such
effective than bolted joints. Handling and as ‘putty dams’ to divert water flows away
lifting activities and the provision of resources from the welding area.
in terms of equipment and labour all contrib-
ute to the decision-making process. There Many or all of the joints require temporary
are, of course, many other considerations and access to be provided. Working platforms
each project has to be assessed on individual must be at a suitable height to enable welding
merits. For a comprehensive review and a to be undertaken in as much comfort as
tabular comparison between welded and possible. Variable height platforms may be
bolted splices, see GN 1.09. required on deep section girders to provide
access to all parts of the joint.
Characteristics of site welded joints
The location of site joints is normally deter- It is necessary to protect the public, other
mined at the design stage. Designers locate trades and contractors from the risk of falling
joints at points of contraflexure and/or where objects, grinding sparks and ultra-violet light
there may be intended changes of plate from the welding arc. Fire risks need to be
thickness. Ideally, the site joints should be in controlled and any hot metal spillage must be
the thinnest materials, to minimize welding contained within the welding area in fire
times and thus reduce costs. blankets or other non-flammable material.
Molten metal dropping on timber boards can
Most site welds on bridgework are in-line butt smoulder for many hours after work has
welds in several positions including flat, ceased and can burst into flame when fanned
vertical and overhead. Some fillet welds are by the wind.
required, for example to continue the web to
flange joints or to introduce a stiffener or Gas equipment needs to be regularly in-
other member omitted in order to provide spected to check for leaks and damage.
improved access for welding. Hoses carrying flammable gases for cutting
and welding should be routed away from the
Shop trial assembly ensures reasonable fit up immediate welding area and removed com-
and alignment of joints but frequently site pletely from enclosed areas, when not in use.
conditions cause variations in root gaps and
misalignment of flanges and webs during Inside box girder sections or other spaces
construction. Some form of designed connec- where there is difficult access or poor ventila-
tion, either bolted brackets or welded landing tion, consideration should be given to the
cleats or a combination of both, is necessary need for fume extraction and confined space
to connect the girder sections in the tempo- working procedures.

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Power supply Where the nature of existing material is

Power is normally generated at site; it is rare uncertain (and thus the determination of
to be able to pick up mains power to run suitable welding procedures is difficult) it may
equipment on bridge construction projects. be helpful to take small samples for chemical
The site needs and location dictate the eco- analysis (from non-critical locations) using a
nomics of how this is done. One option is to Rotabroach tool. It is worth retaining any
have large primary generators powering material that is removed as part of the refur-
several welding sources and perhaps other bishment, so that test samples can be made.
pieces of equipment, such as lights and
power tools, via a distribution board. Alterna- Procedure control
tively, each welder might have his own mobile All site activity has to be controlled in accord-
generator complete with welding and auxiliary ance with written and approved method
power to run grinders and other electric hand statements; welding operations are no excep-
tools. The latter system provides the flexibility tion. Risk assessments should address all
to work on several remote fronts and does not potential site hazards including those specifi-
stop everybody working in the event of a cally associated with welding operations. The
major breakdown on primary generation method statement needs to include safe
plant. systems of work to overcome the hazards
and to protect the workforce.
Electrical equipment is subject to safety
regulations; installations should be checked Welding procedures are an integral part of
regularly by qualified personnel. Clearly, the method statement. Formulating welding
equipment including personal protection procedure specifications should be under the
equipment should be kept dry and in good control of welding coordination personnel
condition to avoid the risk of electrical shock appropriately qualified, trained and experi-
or burns. Damage to equipment and cables enced. Bridgework specifications typically
should be reported and regular inspections require qualification testing of welding proce-
made to ensure earth connections are making dures in accordance with EN ISO 15614-1
good contact. +A2 (Ref 1). Procedures qualified in accord-
ance with former national standards or speci-
Refurbishment projects fications are not invalidated by the issue of
On refurbishment projects, site welding may this Standard, provided that technical re-
include joining to or repair of existing struc- quirements are equivalent.
tures and thorough site tests and investiga-
tions have to be undertaken to identify the Based upon these tests, detailed working
material type and composition and to estab- procedures can be developed specifically for
lish weldability. Clearly older materials are the project. Procedure development is influ-
likely to present more welding complications enced by the following factors:
than more modern materials of known history.
Processes:
It should also be noted that the effects of The two most important factors that affect
direct high temperature flame or arc on some welding costs are deposition rates and duty
construction materials, such as lead-based cycle. (‘Duty cycle’, in this context, is the ratio
paints and cadmium plating on bolts, produce of actual welding (arcing) time to the total
highly toxic fumes that can create a severe time, from setting-up before welding to final
hazard to health. Thorough investigation of checking and cleaning of the completed
the existing structure and risk assessment is weldment. It is sometimes referred to as
essential before any cutting or welding opera- operator efficiency.) These factors are very
tions are permitted. much process-dependent and in turn influ-
ence the choice of site welding process.
Contaminants such as oil, grease and paint
have to be removed prior to welding opera- Several welding processes are viable under
tions taking place. The use of solvents and site conditions and it is a matter of selecting
paint strippers necessitates appropriate risk the appropriate one for the application. The
assessment and safety precautions. following comments are made in relation to

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 Guidance Note

No. 7.01

the use of common welding processes (pro- can sustain longer weld runs. Poor equip-
cess numbers are as defined in EN ISO 4063 ment management may adversely affect
(Ref 2)). the duty cycle and regular maintenance is
vital to prolong equipment usage.
 Manual metal arc (MMA) welding
- Process 111  Self-shielded tubular cored arc welding
This is the most widely used process for (Innershield) - Process 114
site welding because of its versatility and This process offers good productivity, with
relatively simple equipment. It may well be similar equipment to that for processes
the only practicable method where access 135, 136 or 138. It has the advantage that
is difficult or the joint is remote from the a separate gas shield is not required and
power source. Hydrogen controlled basic welding can be undertaken in somewhat
electrodes are required for welding of car- less effective shelters. Tight procedural
bon manganese and low alloy steels and control is required to ensure the mechani-
stringent storage controls are necessary to cal properties of the weld.
preserve their low hydrogen characteris-
tics. Deposition rates and duty cycles are  Submerged arc welding - Process 12
relatively low. The process produces its Submerged arc welding with one electrode
own gas shield around the arc from the - Process 121
flux coating. While this is a fairly robust Submerged arc welding with tubular cored
process, it still needs shielding from direct electrode
draughts to avoid welding defects. - Process 125
High deposition rates can be achieved
 Gas-shielded metal arc welding with these processes but they are limited
- Process 13 to flat plate butt or fillet welding and gen-
Metal active gas (MAG) with solid wire erally would only be economically viable in
- Process 135 situations where long joints in thick plates
Tubular flux cored wire (FCAW) or large fillets are required. The processes
- Process 136 are normally mechanized on a tractor car-
Tubular metal cored wire (MCAW) riage unit and the equipment is therefore
- Process 138 bulky and some form of guidance may be
All of these processes can be effective at needed to follow the weld preparation.
site and provide good deposition rates. Other process variants include multiple
However, the requirement for a gas shield wires or metallic powder additions but
necessitates good environmental protec- equipment becomes increasingly complex
tion otherwise draughts can blow away the and impractical for site use.
gas and cause porosity and possible met-
allurgical changes. Solid or metal-cored Most submerged arc welding fluxes are
wire electrodes can be used successfully hygroscopic in nature and stringent han-
in the flat and horizontal positions, whilst dling procedures are necessary to condi-
flux-cored wires are better suited to posi- tion the flux and to control weld metal hy-
tional welds. drogen levels.

The main disadvantage of these process-  Drawn arc stud welding with ceramic
es is the more complex equipment re- ferrule - Process 783
quired. Rectifier or inverter type power For bridgeworks, welded shear stud con-
sources and shielding gas bottles are nectors are required for composite con-
normally situated at ground level. Wire struction or threaded studs are sometimes
feed units generally have to be positioned welded on for fixing formwork. These are
close to the working area. Long intercon- normally shop welded to beams and gird-
necting cables are required if the working ers, but occasionally, it becomes neces-
area is remote. Duty cycles are higher sary to carry this out on site. Specialist
than for MMA welding because there is no subcontractors have mobile equipment
regular electrode changing and welders capable of undertaking this operation. Pre-

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production testing is required to ensure the range of dimensional tolerances allowed

correct operation and performance of the by the WPS.
equipment.
Many contractors use ceramic backing to
For situations where there are very few support the first run of weld deposited in the
studs to attach at site, for example to re- root area, to improve quality. These backings
place damaged, missing or incorrectly po- are supplied in a variety of shapes and sizes
sitioned studs, it may be quicker and easi- to fit on or in joints. Adhesive foil tape holds
er to manually weld on the studs. This re- the ceramic backing in place. The advantage
quires the same procedural controls as is that a higher current than normal for root
previously described and appropriate de- runs can be used to deposit the first run, thus
sign checks on weld type and size to en- minimizing the risk of fusion defects and
sure their integrity. ensuring a consistent penetration bead. The
regularity of the penetration bead means that
Welding position: a minimum backgrind, if any, may be all that
The nature of bridge construction necessi- is necessary to dress the root prior to second
tates the welding of girder sections in position side welding.
either before erection on the ground or after
erection from access platforms. Typical I- Sequence:
section girder flanges are normally filled in Careful sequencing of the welds is necessary
the flat (PA) position from the top; backgoug- to reduce the risk of distortion and to mini-
ing and welding to completion takes place in mize the building in of residual stress. With
the more difficult overhead (PE) position. The splices in I-section girders, the flanges are
web is normally welded from one side and normally welded first, to allow the shrinkage
back gouged and completed from the other forces to distribute themselves without any
side in the vertical (PF) position. Large cope web plate restraint. Web gaps are sometimes
holes are required in the top and bottom of deliberately set wide to allow shrinkage to
the web to provide continuity in the trans- occur, thus leaving the intended gap prior to
verse flange welds. Infill plates may require commencing the web weld.
butt welding into the web to fill these holes
upon joint completion and testing. Horizontal- Large box girders may need a stepped weld-
vertical (PB) and horizontal-overhead (PD) ing sequence to distribute shrinkage forces in
fillet welds complete the joint. Working posi- a balanced way to reduce the risk of distor-
tions are defined in more detail in EN ISO tion. It is very important to maintain dimen-
6947 (Ref 3) sional control and to adjust the sequence if
necessary to counteract distortion effects. It
Inclined webs of trapezoidal box girder sec- is more difficult to correct out-of-tolerance
tions and other architectural bridge designs shape after welding than to take sensible
may require intermediate positional welds and precautions before and during the process.
these need to be considered accordingly.
Preheat:
Joint set up and accuracy: Preheating joint areas prior to welding and
Provided that a satisfactory trial assembly is maintaining heat during welding is part of a
undertaken at the steelwork contractor’s strategy designed to avoid hydrogen (or cold)
works, there is every chance that the site joint cracking of welds. It is an expensive opera-
set up will be accurate. However, it is inevita- tion and often difficult to control, particularly
ble that site conditions necessitate small under site conditions. Temperature is de-
adjustments to deal with plate misalignments. pendent on factors including material thick-
Experienced contractors anticipate this pos- ness and composition, weld heat input and
sibility and provide jacking and wedging the hydrogen potential of the process used.
equipment to effect these adjustments. Root EN 1011-2 (Ref 4) gives detailed guidance
gaps can be adjusted by trimming or weld and methods for calculating preheats.
metal build up, under procedure control to
ensure that the welding conditions are within Applying preheat promotes the diffusion of
hydrogen from the weld and heat affected

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 Guidance Note

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zone and reduces thermal shock effects. In achieved. Welders are issued with a quantity
addition, it modifies the rate of cooling of the of electrodes in a heated quiver to maintain
weldment to lessen the risk of forming crack controlled storage at the work place.
susceptible microstructures in the heat af-
fected zone. Increasing use is being made of electrodes
supplied in vacuum-sealed packaging, e.g.
Modern steel-making processes produce tins, foil wrap and plastic tubes. These are
structural steels with good weldability and supplied with guaranteed low hydrogen po-
careful balancing of the factors affecting tential and eliminate the use of on-site ovens
hydrogen cracking can reduce the preheat and quivers. However, it should be empha-
requirement. Conditions requiring more strin- sized that hydrogen levels are preserved only
gent procedures are discussed in the Stand- when operators adhere strictly to the manu-
ard; of particular relevance to bridgework are facturer recommendations for using these
the comments on joint restraint. In any event, products.
it is prudent to include in the procedure an
instruction to warm the joint prior to welding EN 1011-2 emphasizes the point that the
to dispel any moisture present from, for most effective assurance of avoiding hydro-
example, damp weather or early morning gen cracking is to reduce the hydrogen input
condensation. to the weld metal from the welding elec-
trodes. Stringent consumable storage and
Methods of applying heat at site normally handling procedures provide this assurance.
include using an oxygen-fuel gas lamp fitted
with purpose made heating nozzles. Time Welder approval
needs to be allowed for heat to distribute Another important aspect of welding is to
through the thickness of the material. Tem- monitor the competence of individual welders
perature-indicating crayons or contact ther- or machine operators. The requirement for
mometers can effectively measure tempera- qualification or approval testing is prescribed
ture. Larger lengths of joint in very thick in specifications and standards but the suc-
materials may justify the cost of electrical cess of all welding projects relies heavily on
resistance type heaters or portable induction the workforce having appropriate training.
heating equipment, which can be controlled
using thermocouples to maintain accurate Approval testing for bridgework in the UK is
temperature. normally carried out in accordance with the
requirements of EN ISO 9606-1 (Ref 5). The
It is important to keep a regular check on Standard prescribes tests to be conducted to
preheat temperature; the effects of cold approve welders for process, type of joint,
weather and inherently large heat sinks can position and filler material.
lower steel temperature rapidly.
Inspection and testing
Maintaining or even increasing the tempera- EN 1090-2 (Ref 6) is the Standard for the
ture for a period of at least 2 hours as a post execution of steel structures and defines the
heat-treatment assists the hydrogen diffusion inspection and testing requirements for weld-
process and can be included in the proce- ed joints. The execution class normally speci-
dure. Control of post heating can only be fied for bridgeworks is EXC3. Clause 12.4 of
done effectively using an electric heater the Standard describes the welding inspec-
system. tion requirements. These may be supple-
mented or changed by project specific re-
Consumable storage: quirements.
All welding consumable electrode products
need to be stored in a clean, dry environ- For highway infrastructure projects, the re-
ment. Traditionally, hydrogen controlled quirements are given by the Specification for
electrodes are supplied in shrink-wrapped Highway Works (SHW) Series 1800 published
cardboard packaging. These need transfer- in August 2014 (Ref 7) and a project-specific
ring to a drying oven before use to ensure Appendix 18/1. The SHW interprets and
that anticipated low hydrogen properties are implements PD 6705-2 (Ref 8) and introduces
the concept of Quantified Service Categories

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(QSC). The QSC characterizes a component Important considerations at site again include
or structure (or part thereof) in terms of the maintaining safe access for inspection per-
circumstances of its use within specified limits sonnel until all testing is complete and satis-
of static or cyclic stressing. Six levels of QSC factory.
are designated by the following symbols, F36,
F56, F71, F90, F112 and F140. For comment References
on specifying QSC, see GN 2.12. 1. EN ISO 15614-1: 2004 + A2: 2012 Speci-
fication and qualification of welding proce-
The QSC determines the method, frequency dures for metallic materials. Welding pro-
of testing and acceptance levels which are cedure test. Arc and gas welding of steels
different from those in EN 1090-2. It should and arc welding of nickel and nickel alloys.
be noted that Table 18/5 of the SHW increas- 2. EN ISO 4063: 2010 Welding and allied
es the frequency of testing for site welded processes. Nomenclature of processes
joints. and reference numbers.
3. EN ISO 6947: 2011 Welding and allied
Non-destructive testing techniques typically
processes. Welding positions.
include visual and magnetic particle inspec-
tion for surface examination, and ultrasonic 4. EN 1011-2: 2001 Welding. Recommenda-
testing for sub-surface examination. An alter- tions for welding of metallic materials. Arc
native non-destructive testing technique is welding of ferritic steels.
radiography but this method is rarely used on 5. EN ISO 9606-1: 2013 Qualification testing
site because of safety and practicality issues. of welders. Fusion welding. Steels.
Guidance Note 6.06 describes visual inspec- 6. EN 1090-2: 2008+A1: 2011 Execution of
tion after welding and Guidance Notes 6.02 steel structures and aluminium structures.
and 6.03 describe in further detail the surface Technical requirements for steel struc-
and sub-surface non-destructive testing of tures.
welds. 7. Manual of Contract Documents for High-
way Works. Volume 1 Specification for high-
Specifications state that personnel should be way works. Series 1800 Structural steelwork.
appropriately trained and qualified to under- Amendment – August 2014, TSO.
take the work. 8. PD 6705-2: 2010+A1: 2013 Structural use
of steel and aluminium. Part 2: Recommen-
SHW Series 1800 Clause 1812.4.3 describes dations for the execution of steel bridges to BS
the ring and bend testing required for any on- EN 1090-2.
site welded shear studs. Of course, threaded
studs should be load tested to confirm the
weld integrity to avoid damaging the thread.

Destructive testing of production test plates

may also be required where site butt welding
is undertaken. The requirement is not includ-
ed in EN 1090-2 and needs to be specified.
SHW Table 18/11 does specify production
tests depending on weld type, QSC and
material grade. The Table includes details of
test type and testing rate. Test specimens,
such as, tensile tests, macros and Charpy
impact tests need to be taken from extended
run on/off plates attached to the joints. It is
prudent that such plates are of sufficient size
to permit the taking of extra samples in case
there is a need for re-tests.

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