Narrow-Gap Improved Electroslag Welding for Bridges Demonstration Project, DP-102
Background:
The objective of this Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Demonstration Project 102 (DP-102) "Narrow-Gap Improved Electroslag Welding for Bridges" is to introduce a modified version of a productive welding process for joining thick plates or other thick-wall components. The expected audience includes State Highway Agency bridge engineers, welding engineers, welding inspectors, operators, steel bridge fabricators, consultants, FHWA representatives, and others.
On October 27, 1977, the Federal Highway Administration instructed all Field Offices that the electroslag welding process would not be used on tension members of steel bridges constructed with Federal-aid highway funds. In the 1980s, the FHWA launched a comprehensive research program that developed a modified electroslag welding process, called the "Narrow-Gap Improved Electroslag Welding" (NGI ESW) technique. This new technique significantly improves the properties of the electroslag welds. This new process has had extensive field trials to confirm research findings and it is expected that the FHWA will approve the use of the process for welding tension and compression members of steel bridges in the foreseeable future.
Eighteen (18) NGI ESW workshops will be presented during 1999 and 2000 at various locations around the Nation. States with workshops will be added to this web site as the project develops.