Weldability studies on the replacement repair welded joints of a damaged steel bridge

In recent years, the replacement repair welding, through which damaged bridges are repaired by replacing of the damaged. sections with new steel plates through cutting and welding under in-service conditions, has been highlighted for its brilliant features i.e. it can be achieved without incurring traffic dislocation. However, the validity of the repair method is not fully verified because of its lack of safety and reliability. Moreover, repair method by welding inevitably involves Cutting and welding process, and the weldability of the replacement repair welded joints has not yet been clarified. In this paper, the weldability of the replacement-repair-welded joints was investigated in order to improve reliability in the repair welded joints of the aged steel bridge. A Steel plate was extracted front the steel bridge after the period of prolonged service, and was welded with a new plate, using replacement repair welding technique, in order to construct a specimen. Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) process was used to fabricate the double "V" butt joints. Welded joints were characterized on the basis of chemical composition analysis.. hardness test and micro-structural analysis.