Abstract:
Preparation of a weld between a structural I-beam end and a beam-to-column attaching end component wherein no beam flange material is removed to participate in the creation of a weld trough. Instead, the space for a weld trough is created in the end component, and this trough is prepared with enough all-over length to establish run-on and run-off regions for molten weld material, which regions extend laterally outwardly from the opposite transverse ends of a flange. Full-section welds between a beam&#39;s flanges and the attaching end component are achieved without the need to use any run-on and run-off tabs, and also without the need to employ any traditionally-used backing bars.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This patent application claims appropriate priorities to each of two currently co-pending, same inventorship, prior U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, one of which, Serial No. 60/424,082, was filed Nov. 5, 2002, disclosing an invention entitled “Weld Preparation”, and the other of which, Serial No. 60/463,898, was filed Apr. 16, 2003, disclosing an invention entitled “Beam End Component Weld Preparation”. The respective entire contents of these two prior provisional applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention (structure and methodology) pertains to structural weld preparation in the context of a connective interface between the end of an I-beam, and a beam-attaching end component that is used to connect the beam to a column in a building frame structure.  
           [0003]    When, in the construction of a steel building frame, such as a frame for a multi-story building, the end of an I-beam is anchored to the side of a column, it is typical for a weld connection to be made directly between that beam end and appropriate adjoining beam-end connecting structure. In preparation for establishing such a weld, it is also typical that material is removed from the long transverse edges of the flanges at the end of an I-beam to create weld-material-receiving troughs for use when the beam ends are brought into appropriate close relationship with the beam-end structure to which weld-attachment is intended. Additionally, run-on and run-off tabs are usually added to extend the trough ends to insure a full weld section over the full width of a flange. Also, it is customary that back-up bars are added to assist in the achieving of a full-section weld, and to prevent molten weld material from flowing through the joint region at the end of a beam.  
           [0004]    This practice involving the use of added tabs and back-up bars creates additional steps of preparation for welding material, adds to construction costs, and can lead to further expense where such tabs and bars must ultimately be removed, as by grinding away, to eliminate potential stress-riser regions in the vicinity of a weld.  
           [0005]    The present invention addresses these issues in a simple, effective and practical manner  
           [0006]    A preferred and best-mode embodiment of, and manner of practicing, the invention involve the creation of elongate, weld-material-receiving troughs in beam-attaching end components to which beam ends are to be welded, rather than in beam-end flanges per se. These troughs are positioned so as to confront directly, and to align with, an I-beam&#39;s flanges, and the troughs are prepared with lengths which include opposite end regions that extend laterally beyond the lateral edges of the beam&#39;s flanges. These end regions function as run-on and run-off regions for molten weld material, and do so in a manner which obviates the need for any added run-out, etc. tabs.  
           [0007]    In a modified form of the invention the mentioned trough end regions are formed in such a fashion that they form walled, containment pockets for molten weld material.  
           [0008]    These and other features and advantages which are offered and attained by the structure and methodology of the present invention will become more fully apparent as the detailed description which now follow is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a simplified, fragmentary, isometric view showing a portion of a building frame structure which includes an upright column to which four elongate I-beams are shown connected through beam-attaching end components that are joined to the illustrated ends of these beams by a connection interface which include a beam end weld preparation prepared in accordance with practice of the present invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail showing generally the central portion of FIG. 1.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line  3 - 3  in FIG. 2.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a further enlarged, fragmentary isometric view illustrating the end of one beam and one attached end component.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary view taken generally as indicated by arrow  5  in FIG. 4.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along the line  6 - 6  in FIG. 5, and wherein certain portions of structure are removed in order to contain the overall size of the figure.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged views somewhat like FIGS. 4 and 6, respectively, illustrating a modified form of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]    Beginning with FIGS.  1 - 3 , inclusive, in the drawings, indicated generally at  10  is a portion of a plural-story building frame including upright hollow, square cross section columns, one of which is shown fragmentarily at  12 , horizontal interconnecting I-beams, four of which are shown fragmentarily at  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 , and sets of inner and outer, moment and gravity load-transmitting, collar structures, such as those illustrated at  18 , that function to form nodal connections between columns and beams. The long axis of column  12  is shown at  12   a.  The respective long axes of beams  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16  are shown at  13   a,    14   a,    15   a,    16   a.    
         [0017]    In each collar-structure set, an inner collar, such as inner collar  18   a  is joined as by welding, in a circumsurrounding fashion, to the four outside faces of column  12 , and seated thereon, through male-female, gravity-lock mating substructures (not specifically detailed herein) is an outer collar, such as outer collar  18   b,  which is corner-clamped to and around the associated inner collar. The specific details of these collar structures do not form any part of the present invention. Relevant to the present invention, however, is the fact that outer collar  18   b,  or if a collar structure is not here employed, some other nodal connecting form using a generally planar beam-end end component, is made up of four generally planar components, such as component  18   c,  which form, and are referred to herein as, beam-attaching end components that are welded to I-beam ends via weld preparations which are made in accordance with the invention. These weld preparations, which are filled with weld material (as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3), are shown generally (and only schematically) as darkened features  19  in FIGS. 2 and 3. The locations where these weld connections exist constitute what is referred to herein collectively as a connective interface. As will now become more apparent, the exact construction of such beam-attaching end components is not critical to practice of the present invention, except for the facts that (a) each such component presents a generally planar beam-attaching facial side (or expanse), such as side  18   d,  to an I-beam end, and that (b) this side is characterized with a beam-facing expanse which spans what is referred to herein as the end footprint of an I-beam which is to be welded to the component. (See beam footprint designated generally F in FIG. 3).  
         [0018]    The weld preparations ( 19 ) proposed by the present invention are now described with specific reference only to beam  13 , and to the single end component  18   c  which is so labeled in the drawing figures. There are two such weld preparations and connections provided for each I-beam end, and two of these preparations and connections, an upper one and a lower one, are shown in detail for beam  13  in FIGS.  2 - 6 , inclusive. Very specifically one preferred and best-mode (embodiment) form of a weld preparation made in accordance with the invention is shown in these figures. For simplicity of illustration and description, beam  13  and end component  18   c  are shown in different orientations in FIG. 4 than they are in FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0019]    Focusing attention especially on FIG. 4- 6 , inclusive, here two weld preparations (with welds) are shown at  19  between I-beam  13  and end component  18   c  with its beam-attaching facial side, or expanse,  18   d.  The entire end surfaces, or expanses, of beam  13  are planar, and lie in a common plane  22  (see FIGS. 5 and 6) which is substantially normal to the beam&#39;s long axis  13   a.  No flange material is removed.  
         [0020]    Formed appropriately in end component  18   c  to which the shown end of beam  13  is welded are upper and lower weld-material-receiving troughs  24 ,  26 . These troughs, as can be seen, are disposed confrontingly adjacent the ends of the flanges in beam  13 . Preferably, troughs  24 ,  26  each has a length L 2  (see particularly FIG. 4), which is greater than the defined, common lateral dimensions L 3  (see also FIG. 4) of the beam flanges. An important consequence of this is that troughs  24 ,  26  possess spaced end regions,  24   a,    24   b  in trough  24 , that extend laterally beyond the lateral edges of the beam&#39;s flanges. These regions function, in accordance with the invention, as run-on and run-out regions, or zones, or pockets, for receiving, along with the remainders of troughs  24 ,  26 , molten weld material, such as that shown (now hardened) at  28 . The presence of these end zones which, one will note, do not require the presence of any added run-on and run-off tabs, enable full-strength, full-flange-width welds to be created along the entire lateral dimensions of the beam&#39;s flanges. The provision of regions  24   a,    24   b  assures that any potential variables in weld integrity associated with starting or ending a weld procedure will exist beyond and outside of the critical zone immediately along the width of a flange. Additionally, these provided run-on and run-off trough regions do not require any post-welding treatment to eliminate potential stress-riser zones.  
         [0021]    Each of troughs  24 ,  26 , along with its respective end regions, such as end regions  24   a,    24   b,  constitutes one form (embodiment) of weld preparation made in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]    Not shown in the drawings, and not forming part of the present invention, are additional welds which join opposite vertical sides of web  13   b  to the facial expanse  18   d  in the vertical region between the weld preparations. Modestly shown at  29  in FIG. 6 are appropriate fillet welds which are suitably created in the regions generally shown.  
         [0023]    Practice of the invention to create the structure of the invention so far described herein can be expressed as including the steps of:  
         [0024]    (a) preparing a beam end so that its two flanges lie in a substantially common plane which is normal to the beam&#39;s long axis;  
         [0025]    (b) preparing an end component&#39;s beam-attaching facial side with upper and lower, elongate, weld-material-receiving troughs which will confront the beam&#39;s flanges;  
         [0026]    (c) positioning the prepared beam end and the prepared end component appropriately relative to one another; and  
         [0027]    (d) producing weld connections by filling the troughs with molten weld material in a manner which joins the beam and end component.  
         [0028]    A more detailed expression of a selectable additional step involves creating the mentioned troughs to have lengths which are greater than the widths of the confronting beam&#39;s flanges, thus to provide run-on and run-off regions for molten weld material.  
         [0029]    During welding, preferably a beam end and an end component are oriented so as to take advantage of gravity in weld formation. A is weld thus preferably first formed in a weld preparation along the length of one beam flange, and then the united beam and end component are rotated 180° about the beam&#39;s long axis to accommodate the making of a weld in the other weld preparation along the length of the other flange.  
         [0030]    A somewhat modified form and practice of the present invention are illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this form of the invention, a beam-attaching end component, again identified with the reference designation  18   c,  is prepared with a somewhat differently configured pair of upper and lower weld preparations with troughs, such as trough  30 . The thus differentiated, alternative shape of each trough  30  (as compared to troughs  24 ,  26 ) is clearly illustrated in these two figures. Whereas previously described troughs  24 ,  26 , at the locations of the end regions, such as end regions  24   a,    24   b,  are effectively “open ended”, this is not so for comparable regions  30   a,    30   b  in trough  30 . Regions  30   a,    30   b  are defined, at least in part, as walled cavities, or pockets, by two spaced walls (see walls  30   c,    30   d ) which exists in end component  18   c.  These walls are spaced along a line, such as line  32 , which is substantially normal to the nominal plane  18   e  (see FIG. 8) of end component  18   c.    
         [0031]    Preferably, a short length L 1  (see FIG. 8) of the beam&#39;s central web  13   b  is removed to provide a web recess  13   c.  This recess furnishes clearance for the beam&#39;s flanges to extend conveniently into the weld preparation troughs, and over shelves, such as shelf  30   e  (see FIG. 8) in trough  30 . In this arrangement, of course, the end expanse of web  13   b  is not coplanar with the end expanses of the two flanges.  
         [0032]    In this modification of the invention, no I-beam flange is removed to accommodate welding. Again, no added run-off tabs are required, or employed.  
         [0033]    Another form of the invention, useable with both modifications thereof as so far described, involves the creation of an elongate vertical channel in the face of a beam end component, extending between and opening at opposite ends to the two prepared weld-preparation troughs (upper and lower), and possessing a lateral width which will accommodate the free insertion of a beam&#39;s central web (like web  13   b ). In such a form, the entire end of a beam can lie in a common plane, and the flanges will extend over regions in the two troughs which are like just mentioned shelf  30   e.    
         [0034]    An added practice step involved with this modified form of the invention is that the weld preparation troughs are preformed, at each end, with spaced walls that define a walled cavity which accommodates start-up and run-out of molten weld material.  
         [0035]    Accordingly, while preferred and best-mode implementations of, and manners of practicing, the invention have been described and illustrated, it is appreciated that other variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.