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Rippled Steel Floor - Welding Tip

ChrisS - 6/1/05 at 09:01 PM

All of those who have already welded in your steel panels and floors will tell you its pretty much impossible to get them welded on without getting a rippled effect caused by the heat distortion from the welding.

Theres no real trick to stopping this from happening, but there is a way to resolve this after fully welding the panel in.

Once fully welded find the high or low spot as near to the middle of the panel as possible, then using not too much power as to burn through the panel weld a spot making it gradually larger depending of the severity of the distortion in the panel. Once youve done this you should find that the once distorted panel is as tight as a drum.

Best of luck.

Digital Eyes - digital cctv specialists
www.digital-eyes.co.uk

phelpsa - 6/1/05 at 09:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ChrisS
All of those who have already welded in your steel panels and floors will tell you its pretty much impossible to get them welded on without getting a rippled effect caused by the heat distortion from the welding.

Theres no real trick to stopping this from happening, but there is a way to resolve this after fully welding the panel in.

Once fully welded find the high or low spot as near to the middle of the panel as possible, then using not too much power as to burn through the panel weld a spot making it gradually larger depending of the severity of the distortion in the panel. Once youve done this you should find that the once distorted panel is as tight as a drum.

Best of luck.

Digital Eyes - digital cctv specialists
www.digital-eyes.co.uk

I might try that out.

Adam

Mark Allanson - 6/1/05 at 09:24 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ChrisS
All of those who have already welded in your steel panels and floors will tell you its pretty much impossible to get them welded on without getting a rippled effect caused by the heat distortion from the welding.

Theres no real trick to stopping this from happening, but there is a way to resolve this after fully welding the panel in.

Once fully welded find the high or low spot as near to the middle of the panel as possible, then using not too much power as to burn through the panel weld a spot making it gradually larger depending of the severity of the distortion in the panel. Once youve done this you should find that the once distorted panel is as tight as a drum.

Best of luck.

Digital Eyes - digital cctv specialists
www.digital-eyes.co.uk

commonly known as heat shrinking, best done with sexy ahotalene, but a blowlamp will also do the job. Work inwards with a spiral motion, planish with a wooden mallet with a leather covered dolly underneath.

A lot or work, considering that only unlucky hedgehogs can see all your hard work

Alan_Thomas - 6/1/05 at 09:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ChrisS
All of those who have already welded in your steel panels and floors will tell you its pretty much impossible to get them welded on without getting a rippled effect caused by the heat distortion from the welding.

No ripples in my floor but then I drilled 5mm holes every 25mm around floor and plug welded to chassis - no distortion and a quick dress with the grinder and it is as flat as the original sheet. - Alan

Chris_R - 6/1/05 at 09:52 PM

Why don't more people do that?

Mark Allanson - 6/1/05 at 10:17 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Chris_R
Why don't more people do that?

I plug welded mine, 8mm holes every 50mm, loads of distortion with 18g steel. If you don't get distortion with this thickness of steel you simply have not used enough heat to secure the floor

Chris_R - 6/1/05 at 10:22 PM

Mark,

Would you expect distortion with 16swg?

stephen_gusterson - 6/1/05 at 10:31 PM

well, i know my 16swg is correctly welded then!

dunno if thats a

or a

atb

steve

Mark Allanson - 6/1/05 at 10:41 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Chris_R
Mark,

Would you expect distortion with 16swg?

Certainly, but it would be less pronounced

You will get distortion when using any flat plate, just look a a picture of a naval frigate, they are skinned in 1/4 plate

Pseudo7 - 6/1/05 at 10:49 PM

"...drilled 5mm holes every 25mm around floor and plug welded to chassis..."

That's exactly what I was thinking of doing...shear loads will still be transferred as the plug welds are better in load transfer than fasteners, but not as good as a fully perimeter welded panel. Better than a riveted alum panel however.

Properly dressed out, should look prettier too. Just more work drilling all those holes however

What about stitch welding around the perimeter of the panel in 1" lengths, alternating side to side, inside tube edge, outside tube edge? Perhaps that would reduce/eliminate the warping? Similar to the pic attached (Ref. http://keith.miata.net/seven/flip.php?x=65)

I haven't welded any thin gage steel panels yet, so I don't have any experience.
Rescued attachment 7_drivers_floor.jpg

Mark Allanson - 6/1/05 at 10:58 PM

The floor in the image is at least 2mm thick as you cannot get pickled plate in anything thinner. The welds look excellent, helped by the thickness of plate

kb58 - 6/1/05 at 11:01 PM

Another way is to bend up the edges of the floor pan 1/8" or so, and weld only those parts of it.

Alan_Thomas - 6/1/05 at 11:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson

quote:
Originally posted by Chris_R
Why don't more people do that?

I plug welded mine, 8mm holes every 50mm, loads of distortion with 18g steel. If you don't get distortion with this thickness of steel you simply have not used enough heat to secure the floor

Distortion is not an essential sign of good weld penetration, its a sign of too much heat in the same place. My floor is 16swg and a single plug produces no distortion. the secret is to weld one miss 3 weld one etc. By the thime you go back to weld the inbetween holes, again jumping over the gaps, the metal has cooled enough that the plug weld does not heat the surrounding metal enough to cause distortion. - Alan