4 Facts About Welding in the Construction Industry

Welding plays an important role in our society and it’s uses span across many different industries. It’s easy to overlook what an integral role has in our everyday lives! A vast array of structures, such as bridges and large buildings, have utilized welding in construction to accomplish spectacular feats of durability and craftsmanship. Let’s take a look at 4 facts you may not know about welding in the construction industry.

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1. Growth Within the Industry

Welding in construction has continued to see steady, solid growth year over year. For example, over 50% of steel produced globally is used in the construction of commercial and residential buildings. Just within the United States, more than 40 million tons of steel are used every year in the construction industry! Construction welding is crucial to a robust economy and the construction of new buildings supports local communities.

2. Types of Welding Used in the Construction Industry

The industries that utilize welding in their construction projects are wide reaching so let’s take a moment to explore a few welding methods that are commonly used. Submerged metal arc welding or SMAW is frequently used in welding steel structures. Another method includes Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG welding) which is known for its compatibility with not only stainless steel but also copper, aluminum and bronze. For projects such as heavy equipment repair, Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) is often used.

3. Construction Welding – Infrastructure & State Treasures

Spend some time driving around your state and you will be sure to notice the ways construction welding has been used to build up the infrastructure around you. This may include bridges, highways and even railways! You may also find famous structures such as the Grand Canyon Skywalk which used over 1 million pounds of steel to construct and utilized a submerged arc welding technique to complete. The skywalk can hold up to 70 million pounds of weight and sustain a magnitude 8.0 earthquake!

Another amazing structure to observe is the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis. Builders used MIG welding as well as spot welding to complete this remarkable structure. There are so many ways that welding can be used in the construction of incredible landmarks, such as this.

4. The Sky’s the Limit!

With a strong demand and continued growth, there will be no shortage of welding careers available to you. If you have chosen this career path, you will be happy with the opportunities you will have to grow in your profession. President of the American Welding Society, David McQuaid, states that by the year the US may be facing a shortage of more than 400,000 welding professionals. Your skillset is in high demand so whether you are new to welding or looking to begin your career, you are in the right place.

We think one of the best things about construction welding is how frequently it is used all around us. These structures, highways and bridges allow us the freedom to explore our surroundings, observe structural masterpieces and in the simplest form, complete daily tasks such as driving to work. Did you know that approximately 120,000 vehicles cross the Brooklyn Bridge everyday? The skilled welders that have been so vital in the construction field have our highest accolades and the future for the industry remains bright!

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The construction industry is responsible for the creation of all kinds of structures with varying sizes, levels of complexity, and uses. From simple, small structures such as family homes to large, complex ones like bridges, dams, and manufacturing plants. Structural integrity and durability are the most important considerations in this industry. This is why the construction industry employs a very large quantity of metals. In the United States alone, more than 40 million tons of steel are used annually in the construction industry. The majority of this quantity is used to create structural frameworks. This is where welding plays an indispensable role in construction.

Welding technologies are widely used in the construction industry, mainly for the fabrication of structurally sound metal frameworks by fusing various metals components. It is also used to create and maintain non-structural components. Some of the welding used for construction is pre-fabricated in a shop environment while other parts of the welding process are done on-site.

Applications of Welding in Construction

Construction comprises numerous industries, including transportation, oil, and gas, telecommunication, power, manufacturing, many others. The construction industry is very broad & diverse and is divided into three major sectors which differ by the type of structures they create. These sectors are Building, Infrastructure, and Industrial.

The application of welding is crucial to all three sectors.

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Building Construction

As the name suggests, the building construction sector involves the creation of structures in which people can dwell and carry out their activities. This sector is further divided into residential and non-residential. Building construction mainly employs welding in the creation of structural frameworks from metal components. Welding is used for connecting steel I-beams, trusses, columns, and footers, to support the walls, roof, and floors of a building. These components are cut to shape and size, lifted into position, and welded together.

Structural welding is not employed as extensively in small buildings, as it is in high-rise buildings that require thousands of metal joints. Welding in building construction is also used for the fabrication of non-structural building components such as firewalls, stairs, handrails, and floor joists. Furthermore, welders work with other professionals in setting up various systems in a building. These include:

• Electrical systems – creating electrical conduits Construction for laying wires.
• Plumbing systems – installing water supply and wastewater drainage pipes.
• Ventilation systems – installation of vents and ventilation pipes.
• Fuel systems – installation of gas supply pipes.

Infrastructure Construction

This sector is responsible for the creation of infrastructures such as bridges, dams, railways, stadia, water supply systems, highways, and wastewater management systems. The application of welding in infrastructure construction is mainly structural. This is because most of the structures created in this sector are megastructures that completely depend on structural reliable metal frameworks created via welding. Certain infrastructure such as bridges can be made almost entirely of metal. Others such as dams and water systems require a lot of pipe welding.

Industrial Construction

Industrial construction covers all structures that are utilized industrially. Structures created by this sector hardly stand alone but are usually part of a large system of numerous components and structures that work together for specific purposes. Such systems include manufacturing plants, refineries, mills, power generation stations, and many more. Industrial construction is considered the most diverse sector within the field as it cuts across numerous industries. The applications of welding in this sector are as diverse as the sector itself. TIG welders are used for the fabrication and maintenance of structural frameworks, pipelines, industrial equipment, and support structures for large components.

Welding Technologies Employed in the Construction Industry

The construction industry has a wide range of welding needs. Most existing welding technologies have one use or the other in the industry. Some of these and their uses are as follows:

• SMAW: Also known as arc welding, submerged metal arc welding (SMAW) is mainly used for welding steel structures.
• FCAW: Flux-cored arc welding is considered more convenient than its submerged arc counterpart. This technology is widely employed in fabrication using structural steel as well as heavy equipment repair
• GTAW: Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also known as TIG welding, is crucial for its compatibility with various metals including stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, and copper.
• GMAW: Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), popularly known as MIG welding, is employed for both structural and non-structural purposes.
  Application-specific welding systems employed in the construction industry include stud welders such as ProWeld Arc and pipe welders such as the PipeWorx welding system.

Benefits of Welding in the Construction Industry

Durability

The importance of structural integrity and durability in construction can hardly be overemphasized as structural failure can lead to a devastating loss of life and resources. Structures created weigh thousands of tons and are expected to last for hundreds of years. With the high strength and durability of weld joints, stakeholders in construction can rest assured that there’s nothing to worry about from the point of the framework.

Efficiency

Productivity is crucial to saving costs, resources, and time on any construction project. Productivity in a project is dependent on the efficiency of the processes involved. In terms of advancing construction efficiency, welding is at the forefront. While welding itself is a highly efficient process when using the right equipment, several other technologies have been incorporated into the process to make it even more efficient. Some of the technologies used in welding that are particularly beneficial to the construction industry are as follows:

ArcReach® Technology

This technology saves builders thousands of dollars and increases speed and productivity by eliminating the need for a welder to move to and from a power source to make necessary adjustments during welding. This is particularly helpful in high altitude welding where the actual welding may be 100s of meters above the ground where the power source is located. Some of the solutions that make up ArcReach include Cable Length Compensation (CLC™) which automatically adjusts the delivered voltage based on the cable length to ensure that the set voltage is always supplied; and Adjust While Welding (AWW™), which allows the operator to remotely adjust weld settings right from where they are working.

Weld Automation Equipment

Types of automation equipment that increase efficiency and accuracy include automatic wire feeders, welding manipulators, turning rolls, and welding positioners which are used to hold and rotate the pipe or other weldment.

Multiprocess TIG Welders

Some welding projects require more than one welding technology at a spot. It is stressful enough to switch equipment not to imagine doing this at heights where you would need to ascend and descend repeatedly. Multi-process welders eliminate this problem by combining various welding technologies into a single compact unit. In addition to all these, another factor that boosts productivity is the portability of welding equipment. This is appreciated when work has to be carried out over rugged terrain, at height, or in relatively small spaces.

Flexibility

The construction industry has a wide range of fabrication requirements. One of the numerous reasons why welding is indispensable in construction is its flexibility. For any size, work environment, or material, there is a suitable welding technique. For example, 5 cm diameter pipes can be welded as good as 50 m long beams and columns. Also, the various metal grades used in construction are all compatible with one welding technology or another.

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