SURVEY OF WELDING PROCESSES

The current Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) "Special Provision No. 4 Welding Steel Bridges" prohibits the use of welding processes other than shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and submerged arc welding (SAW). Nationally, bridge welding is codified under ANSI/AASHTO/AWS D1.5M/D1.5:2002 Bridge Welding Code. That document allows the use of other welding processes including flux core arc welding, gas metal arc welding, electroslag welding and electrogas welding after passing qualification tests. Both the KYTC Special Provision and the Bridge Welding Code were reviewed. Representatives from 14 state highway agencies, fabrication shops, universities and welding equipment firms were questioned regarding the wider use of the welding processes allowed by the Bridge Welding Code but prohibited by the KYTC Special Provision. Based upon those responses, recommendations are provided to KYTC for updating the Special Provision and more fully adopting the Bridge Welding Code.