welding onto 1912 structural steel

huangyhg

welding onto 1912 structural steel
i am back.  we have found out that the 1912 crane rail system requires modification.  we need to weld on some plates and angles to the top flange of the crane beam.  
can we do it?  any thoughts would be helpful.
find a job or post a job opening
van you take a small sample and have it analyzed.
that should tell you a lot...
are you an aisc member?  there is an excellent paper on this topic available for free download to   
no problem.  weld away using correct preheat and electrodes.
civilperson-
i respectfully disagree. i don't think it's a clear-cut issue. just this week we had a webinar about a topic related to this issue. if the steel were manufactured post 1927-ish, then you could say that. prior to that it's more iffy.
i know there is a procedure out there involving welding a test tab to the   
in lieu of finding some specific data on the steel a test for welding as i have for years by taking the approach posted by frvfff">. using a 3/16'x1"x1" tab of mild steel and one passing it with 7018 to the metal in question and trying to bend it 45 degrees it away from the weld. where the weld is not critical i have bent it to to the weld side. another test is the navy test. weld a 1 1/2" tight circle and check for cracks.
another quick test is to take a very small sharp chisel and try to make a chip on the edge of the piece in question. if you make a chip that curls a little you stand a good chance of welding it.   
you will have to do this on every piece you are going to weld to. depending on the structure you can get some pretty ratty steel or wrought iron.
here is an electrode that i've had the most luck with is the cronoweld 321 electrode made by lawson products. this is not a 321 ss electrode, it is screw up by marketing. this rod is more expensive than a 7018 but will weld through most anything.