Before welding repairs are performed to repair a crack, after drilling a 3/8-inch hole at each end of the crack, what is the correct procedure for welding overlays as an emergency crack stopper?
• Purpose of drilling stop holes at the ends of a crack in steel structure • How weld overlays can either relieve or concentrate stress near a crack tip • Whether emergency crack stoppers should be applied at one end or both ends of a crack, and how close to the drilled holes they should be placed
• Think about why the 3/8-inch holes are drilled at the ends of the crack in the first place. How would putting weld metal right up against those holes affect stress there? • In an emergency repair, do you want to prevent the crack from growing in one direction or in both directions? How does that affect how many overlays you use? • What shape and orientation of weld would best distribute the load away from the crack tip rather than focusing it back into the crack?
• Verify whether both ends of the crack need protection or only one end for an emergency crack stopper. • Check if recommended practice keeps welds slightly away from the drilled holes to avoid making them new crack initiation points. • Confirm that the overlay is specified as trapezoidal and perpendicular to the crack, not parallel.
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