Electric Welding

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 889, 5 February 1930, Page 6

Electric Welding

APPROVED IN NEW ZEALAND

Undue Noise Eliminated

UNTIL quite recently electric welding was looked upon as one of the “tricks of the trade” in routine shop practice. A few year’s have seen its transformation into a self-contained industry, with almost infinite scope for expansion opening up in every direction.

Introduced on a commercial basis little more than 20 r ears ago, the art and its applications have grown with extraordinary rapidity until now very few people go through the day without using some article in the manufacture of which electric welding has played a part.

The handle, spot-welded to the tin pannikin or frying pan, the milk can seam-welded with a perfect and invisible joint, or the are-welded joints in the rails of tramway tracks may not be so romantic as 16-storey buildings or arc-welded battleships, but probably affect our daily life cxuite as much, and each represents quite a little revolution in its own particular industry. With building construction proceeding apace, the methods of yesterday are being swept aside in the onward march of progress and in their place are appearing processes that are not only more durable, but more economical. The incessant roar of the pneumatic riveting machine has been a disquieting feature of steel frame building activities in the cities, but now that the superiority of electric welding is being recognised in this country, this nerve-racking noise should soon be eliminated. Some of the advantages to be gained by the adoption of arc-welding are: Rigidity of the frame is increased by approximately 15 'percent.; the saving in cost is considerable; and the fabrication of the steelwork is practically noiseless —a feature which makes welding particularly suitable for city construction where the noise caused by riveting is most annoying. No provision is made in New Zealand by-laws for arc-welding steel buildings, but after a practical demonstration given in the Wellington Harbour Board's yards, the Wellington City Council approved of this method of construction and is now prepared to grant permits for the erection of buildings. In the tests which were

made, girders were joined at right angles to upright standards, some of which were riveted and some welded. A distinguished company of inspecting architects and engineers went away from the demonstration convinced that arc-welding was capable of standing up to all that was claimed for it. Germany’s Welded Battleship A striking example of welding efficiency is Germany’s latest battlecruiser, Admiral Von Spee. In order to escape the limitations imposed by the Versailles Treaty a 10,000-ton battle-cruiser has been built for the German Navy, in which the weight of the hull has been reduced 1,000 tons by the use of special steels, and by Welding in place of riveting. This saving in weight, and the strength of the welded joints, has permitted the mounting of llin guns where Bin is the maximum calibre used on corresponding vessels in the British and American navies. Welded Automobiles The successful application of welding to the construction of automobiles has enabled Mr. Henry Ford to capture again one-third of the total motor trade of the United States of America. Ford revolutionised design and construction by assembling a complete car by welding. With the single exception of the cylinder block, all castings have been eliminated. In his Detroit plant alone, there are 700 skilled welding supervisors, and 1,500 men operating welding machines who are not considered as welders; 318 skilled acetylene welders, and over 200 skilled arc welders. In the building ot the new Ford car there are 2,000 welds!