Welded Plate Girder

The Ultimate Guide to Welded Plate Girder

If you are looking for a welded plate girder, in China, Sunnyda is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers. Sunnyda welded plate girder is perfect for large construction projects. The number one application bridges. This is I beam that can be bolted, riveted, etc.

There are different sizes that you could choose for welded plate girder according to your project applications. You can choose a wide flange type. There are different components of our welded plate girder.

Welded plate girders are also suitable railroad applications and highways which based the sizes and weights to your transportation mode.

There are many welded plate girder components like web plate, flange, stiffeners, splices, and end connections.

All of these components are important to provide full support.

We ensure the application is safe and secured to all passengers. Through our durable, high quality welded plate girders, Sunnyda fully supported many applications successfully. It offers a long life span even in huge traffic or transportation mode.

Sunnyda welded plate girders are capable and strong to carry heavy loads. Earlier construction projects especially bridges, it has 24 to 46 m span varying. But these days, using a welded plate girder, it offers safety because of lightweight and excellent service, unlike other connections.

Sunnyda is perfect to rely on when searching for a durable and cost-effective welded plate girder. We are capable to help your business and help your budget be saved.

Be one of the successful clients at Sunnyda. There are 90% of repeated orders because of the best quality and service offered. If you need your welded plate girder orders urgently, we will make the delivery fast yet safe. We will ensure the packaging.

Send your inquiries now and get your ideal welded plate girder!

Welded Plate Girder FAQ

Table of Contents

Introduction
Q1: What Is Welded Plate Girder?
Q2: What Are The Applications Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q3: What Are The Advantages Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q4: What Are The Components Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q5: What Are The Fabrication Process Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q6: What Materials Are Used To Manufacture Welded Plate Girder?
Q7: Does Manufacturer Provide Welded Plate Girder Design?
Q8: What Is The Difference Between A Welded Plate Girder And I Beam?
Q9: What Is The Difference Between Welded Plate Girders And Riveted Plate Girders?
Q10: Why Welded Plate Girders is Preferred Than Truss Girders?
Q11: What Are The Types Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q12: What Are The Specifications Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q13: What Are The Sizes Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q14: Does Manufacturer Provide Welded Plate Girder Customization?
Q15: What Is The Minimum Thickness For Welded Plate Bridge Girder?
Q16: How Welded Plate Girders Are Protected From Corrosion?
Q17: What Are The Painting Types That Can Be Applied To Welded Plate Girder?
Q18: What Are the Services Provided For Welded Plate Girder?
Q19: What Are The Standards Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q20: Are Welded Plate Girders Compliant To International Building Codes?
Q21: Does Manufacturer Provide Welded Plate Girder Certifications?
Q22: Are Third Party Inspection Accepted For Welded Plate Girder?
Q23: How Long Does It Take To Deliver A Welded Plate Girder Order?
Q24: How Much Does Welded Plate Girders Cost In China?
Q25: Why Choose China Welded Plate Girder?
Q26: Why Sunnyda Welded Plate Girder Are Preferred?
Q27: What Covers The Warranty Of Welded Plate Girder?
Q28: Get Your Free Consultation. Let’s Talk About Your Welded Plate Girder Requirements?

Introduction

This frequently asked questions document is designed to briefly provide readers with primary information about welded plate girders applications, advantages, design, fabrication process, customization options, standards, specifications, corrosion protection methods, cost, and more.

For more details, please feel free to contact us

Q1: What Is Welded Plate Girder?

Welded plate girders are supported I beam steel made up of high stiff steel, they are mainly used to carry heavy loads, large span, resist to the lateral movements and support bridges, highways, railroads, oil and gas platforms, buildings, etc. They are designed and manufactured to suit the requirements and specifications of different applications in terms of metal thicknesses and spans.

Welded plate girders are prefabricated from separate structural steel plates which are welded together to form a large and deep I-shape composed of a vertical web plate, horizontal flange plate, stiffeners, splices and end connection.

Q2: What Are The Applications Of Welded Plate Girder?

Due to its specific strength, stiffness, durability, versatility and economic cost, welded plate girders are widely used in various infrastructures to carry greater loads and support structures with short to medium spans such as:

• Bridges including Box Girder Bridge, Beam Bridge, Half-Through Plate Girder Bridges, Composite Bridges, Multi-Girder.

• Highway, railroads and railway.

• Building construction, long-span floors in buildings.

• Oil and gas platforms.

• Ships and Subsea structures.

• Crane girders in industrial buildings.

• Lifting structures, Gantry cranes, Overhead Cranes.

Q3: What Are The Advantages Of Welded Plate Girder?

Welded plate girders are widely used in bridges and other infrastructure because of its capability to carry large transverse loads over longer spans than other types of beams; they can be used for up to 100 m spans,  They have high torsional strength and can resist maximum bending and shear stress.

There are a number of advantages of using plate girders in bridge construction or other structures, some of which are as follows:

Cost-Effective

If compared with other types of structural steel, welded plate girders are economical, they offer bridge builders more opportunities to achieve cost savings on material and fabrication. Also, because welded plate girders have a higher strength-to-self weight ratio, the foundation will cost less than reinforced concrete (RC) box girder bridges foundation. In addition to that welded plate girders are prefabricated in a minimal time and delivered ready for a quick and simple on-site erection, this speed construction and lower manpower, machinery and methods cost.

Durable

Welded plate girders are made from high-strength steel which can support heavy loads and offer great stability and maximum resistance to fatigue failures for decades. corrosion protection is applied to welded plate girders according to the environment’s atmosphere to ensure maximum durability and minimize maintenance cost.

Versatile

Welded plate girders are versatile materials that offer more design flexibility for short to medium span applications; a wide range of load requirements, steel plate thickness, straight or curved shape, and more options can be achieved.

Environmentally friendly

Welded plate girders are made from high-strength steel which offers excellent low waste credentials because of its metallurgic properties which don’t degrade over time, welded plate girders can be melted and 100% recycled or reused.

Q4: What Are The Components Of Welded Plate Girder?

A welded plate girder is designed in the form of an ”I” girder capable to resist very high bending and shear stress; it consists of the following components:

• A Web plate is the vertical plate of the girder, its main purpose of the web is to resist applied loads and shear forces.

• A flange plate is the horizontal welded plates that separate the web plates, by its main function is to resist the bending moment acting of the welded plate

• Stiffeners are secondary plates that are welded to the web, they are used to increase shear of capacity web and to eliminate local buckling failures. Different types of stiffeners are used including bearing stiffeners, intermediate stiffeners and longitudinal stiffeners.

• Splices connections are used mainly to assure the continuity of the welded plate girder when the length of the girder is less than the span.

• Welded plate girder thickness is determined according to the design requirements, while the height is calculated based on the site conditions and loads.

Q5: What Are The Fabrication Process Of Welded Plate Girder?

Welded Plate Girders are fabricated from web plates and flange plates which are precut using cutting methods such as shearing, pug cutting machine, plasma cutting or oxy-fuel cutting process. Welded Plate Girders are fabricated

Welded plate girders assembly shall be performed using the progressive assembly method in which all parts cutting, drilling, marking and welding are made in sequence. Welding involve joining together two flanges and a web plate, it is made on the top and bottom flange, and should be performed by certified welders, the best welding tools such as submerged arc welding can be used.

Several inspections and testing are carried out to ensure and guarantee the materials, workmanship, procedures and quality are conformant to international standards. Different testing methods are used including destructive testing which is used to test the performance of materials to support different loads. Nondestructive testing is essential also to ensure good quality welding.

After fabrication all steel surfaces shall be cleaned using blast cleaning to remove scale, oil, grease, dirt, rust, etc.

All flux residue and weld spatter shall be removed from the steel surface prior to galvanizing.

Various types of surface finish can be provided including hot-dip galvanizing, metalizing, coating, etc.

Q6: What Materials Are Used To Manufacture Welded Plate Girder?

Welded plate girders are made from high-performance steel with enhanced strength, stiffness and weldability properties. The following steel grades are the most commonly used:

ASTM A588

A588 steel plates are preferred over carbon structural steel because of their durability and high-strength and flexibility, this type of steel can withstand heavier loads and resist atmospheric corrosion in most environments. A588 steel plates are available in 2-460mm thickness.

ASTM A572 Grade 50

This High-Strength Low-Alloy Columbium-Vanadium Structural Steel plate is frequently used in bridges and other types of buildings construction; it’s available in standard and heavy plate thickness of 3 inches or ticker.

ASTM A36

ASTM A36 steel standard covers carbon structural steel plates, and shapes of structural quality for use in riveted, bolted, or welded construction of bridges.  A36 steel plate grade is widely used due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, formability, machinability and ductility; it can be used in different structural applications such as bridges, ships and building construction. It’s available in standard and heavy steel plates of up to 18” to thicknesses.

ASTM A709 Grade HPS70W

This standard covers specifications for structural plates intended for use in bridges including carbon and high-strength low alloy steel. ASTM A709 steel plates are essential for highway bridge construction; they are available in different grades for structural steel including HPS–70W and HPS–50W.

Welding specifications

Welding materials and processes used in welded plate girders should conform to the specifications of the American Welding Society AWS D1.5.

Stud shear connectors

All stud shear connectors shall conform to the chemical requirements of ASTM A 108, Grades 1015, 1018 or 1020.

Connection Materials

All connection materials used in welded plate girders such as fastening and joining bolts, nuts and washers shall be conformant to the specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials including ASTM A325; ASTM A563 and ASTM F 959.

Q7: Does Manufacturer Provide Welded Plate Girder Design?

Yes, absolutely. Welded plate girders can be designed to suit project specifications, the latest CAD software, 3D modeling and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) are used to provide the required drawing and installation necessary information. Welded plate girders are designed to provide maximum flexural strength, resistance to heavy load loads over large spans and stability against web and flange buckling failure. AASHTO Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) standards, fatigue design and deflection control are applied to welded plate girder bridges to provide an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable infrastructure.

Welded plate girders can be designed as long as deep as required in 30″ to 174″ deep, in parallel flange or variable depth in curved or straight design. All project functional and aesthetic design requirements can be achieved.

Q8: What Is The Difference Between A Welded Plate Girder And I Beam?

All welded plate girders and I beams are structural steels; they have typical I-shaped cross-sections made of a web and flange. Both of them are used to resist forces by bending. However, welded plate girders are classified as a type of support beam which differs from I beam steel in the deep and larger design, plate size, specifications, welded connections, weight, flanges and web thicknesses. Fabrication method is totally different, as I beams are made from a single rolled steel cross-section while welded plate girders are fabricated from separate structural steel plates which are assembled and welded. Welded plate girders are heavy-duty and economic for this reason they are preferred for bridge construction.

Q9: What Is The Difference Between Welded Plate Girders And Riveted Plate Girders?

Welded plate girders and riveted plate girders are both used shorter to medium span bridges, highways, railroads, etc. Welded plate girders can be used for up to a 100-meter span, while riveted plate girders can only span from 15 to 30 meters. Furthermore, welded plate girders are preferred than riveted plate girder because they are light in weight, more economic and offers an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the bridge structures.

Q10: Why Welded Plate Girders is Preferred Than Truss Girders?

Welded Plate girders are more economic than truss girders in terms of fabrication, erection and maintenance cost, compared to welded plate girders, truss girder design is more complicated and requires large space and materials. Also, truss girders are not preferred because of the heavy weight and effect of vibration.

Q11: What Are The Types Of Welded Plate Girders?

Welded plate girders can be designed and manufactured in a straight or curved shape to respond to any project requirements in terms of strength, serviceability, functionality and aesthetics.

Q12: What Are The Specifications Of Welded Plate Girder?

The specifications of welded plate girders are determined through the following geometrical dimensions and characteristics:

• Steel type : A36; A572; A588;

• Overall flange width :20 – 60

• Overall depth :15 – 30

• Clear web depth :10 – 20

• Outstand width :30 – 40

• Flange thickness :3 – 4

• Top flange width :30 – 90

• Bottom flange width :3 -7

• Web thickness :2 -9

• Web depth :5 – 20

• Span length : 10-40

• Stiffener spacing if applicable :10-40

• Weight : up to 140-tons.

Q13: What Are The Sizes Of Welded Plate Girder?

The size of welded plate girders is determined according to the application requirements, welded plate girders’ size is 1/10 to 1/12 the length of the span, based on the load and architectural requirements the dimensions are adjusted.

Welded plate girder can be designed and manufactured as per project specifications; standard welded plate girders are available in the following dimensions:

• Girder length: up to 150

• Girder height: up to 12

• Flange thickness: up to 3 – 8

• Web thickness: up to 4 – 9

• Weight: up to 140-tons.

Q14: Does Manufacturer Provide Welded Plate Girder Customization?

Welded plate girders can be customized to suit different project specifications in sizes, length, steel plate thickness and shapes. The most cost-effective and efficient welded plate girders can be designed and fabricated as per project specifications.

Heavy load requirements and spans from 10 meters to 100 meters can be achieved and successfully delivered on time and within budget.

Q15: What Is The Minimum Thickness For A Welded Plate Bridge Girder?

As per the AASHTO specifications the minimum allowed plate thickness for a welded plate bridge girder is 5/16 inch, while other welded plate girder component thickness should not be less than:

• Plate girder webs: ½ inch.

• Stiffeners, connection plates: 16 7 in, ½ in preferred.

• Plate girder flanges: 1 inch.

• Gusset plates: ⅜ inch.

• Angles/channels: ¼ inch.

Q16: How Welded Plate Girders Are Protected From Corrosion?

Corrosion is a serious threat that can affect the performance of welded plate girders and the integrity of the overall structure; it’s normally caused by exposure to atmospheric corrosion, corrosive chemicals, galvanic corrosion; or stress corrosion.

To protect welded plate girders from corrosion, the following coating is applied:

• Thermal spray metallic coating

Thermal spray coating is a metallic overlay system made from zinc, aluminum, and zinc-aluminum alloys, it’s applied using a flame or electric arc, they are used to protect welded plate girders from rust and extend its durability, but its performance remains inferior to galvanization.

• Galvanized coating

Galvanized coating involves applying a layer of pure zinc through the hot-dip galvanizing process, galvanized coating thickness in this method shall comply to ASTM A123, the minimum galvanized thickness required for welded plates girders used in bridges is 3.9 mils (1 mil = 0.001 inch = 25.4 mm) or thicker. Galvanized coating can ensure a lifetime of 40-60 years to first maintenance.

• Duplex coating

This corrosion protection methods combines two different coating systems, paint over Galvanized coating, or metallic coating and paint system, the duplex can guaranty maximum protection that can last more than 60 years on welded plate girders applications

Q17: What Are The Painting Types That Can Be Applied To Welded Plate Girder?

Different types of heavy-duty paints can be applied to welded plate girders including:

Epoxy-based paint.

Glass flake epoxy-based system.

Organic Zinc Rich Primer.

Moisture Cured Urethane (MCU).

Q18: What Are the Services Provided For Welded Plate Girder?

In addition to the design and fabrication of welded plate girders, multiple services and economical solutions are available including a wide range of profiling services, cutting, punching, coating and galvanizing, and more value-added services are provided.

Q19: What Are The Standards Of Welded Plate Girder?

Welded plate girders are designed and fabricated to meet the highest standards of the following international organizations:

AASHTO standards

Welded plate girders shall comply with the specification of structural steel welding for highway bridges.

AWS – Bridge Welding Code

All fabrication process, materials, cutting, welding and inspections related to welded steel plate girders shall be in accordance with the American Welding Society – Bridge Welding Code, D1.5.

OSHA safety codes

Welded plate girder fabrication process should adhere to OSHA safety codes to ensure work place is free from hazards that may cause serious risk to employees.

SSPC

Welded plate girder coating specifications shall adhere to the standards of the Society for Protective Coating.

Q20: Are Welded Plate Girders Compliant To International Building Codes?

Welded plate girders are designed and engineered as per the International Building codes requirements in terms of loads and resistance factor design, allowable stress design (ASD), capability to withstand bending moment and shear forces. Health and safety concerns and regulations for general buildings are strictly applied.

Q21: Does Manufacturer Provide Welded Plate Girder Certifications?

Certified mill test reports shall be provided by the manufacturer and shall include detailed steel chemical composition, mechanical properties and ultrasonic examination.

Q22: Are Third Party Inspection Accepted For Welded Plate Girder?

Yes, third-party inspection from all major inspection companies is accepted including Bureau Veritas; SGS; Bay Source Global; QIMA; V-Trust, etc.

Q23: How Long Does It Take To Deliver A Welded Plate Girder Order?

A confirmed welded plate girders order can be produced within 5 to 15 days, standard sizes are available in our stock for immediate delivery. Delivery time may vary depending on the quantity ordered and customization if required.

Q24: How Much Does Welded Plate Girders Cost In China?

Welded plate girders price varies between USD 800.00 and USD 1200.00 per Metric Ton.

Q25: Why Choose China Welded Plate Girder?

China Welded Plate Girders are in high increasing demand because the Chinese are the world’s largest manufacturers, who can effectively design, fabricate and export the best quality and cost-effective welded plate girders. This is due to their high production capacity, resources and capability to meet local, regional and international demand competitive advantage and cost leadership.

Q26: Why Sunnyda Welded Plate Girder Are Preferred?

With more than 20 years of expertise and reputation, Sunnyda has become one of the leading manufacturer and exporters of welded plate girders in China; our welded plate girders are used in the most iconic bridges in the World. Whatever are your project requirements, we can fulfill small, medium and large orders of welded plate girders within short timeframes, regardless of the project size, structure complexity or specifications. Our highly skilled engineered, talented designers and certified welders are experienced in all aspects of welded plate girders fabrication and can meet effectively customers’ functional and aesthetic requirements.

Sunnyda invested heavily in high-tech machinery, we are fully equipped with the latest CAD, 3D modeling software and CNC tools. Our people are well trained to provide customers’ support in all project stages, from planning, design, fabrication, realization to completion.

We Are Committed to Providing Customers Across The World With The Highest Standard Materials and Services.

We served different industries including bridge construction, highway, building construction, energy, mining, etc. We have proven our capability to design, fabricate and export welded plate girders to clients from Europe, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Asia, Middle East and Africa.

We operate an accredited quality management system, and we maintain one of the most sustainable environmental management system. Our welded plate girders are made in compliance with the following international organizations standards:

• CE Marking Certification.
• ISO9001:2015 – Quality Management System.
• ISO14001:2015 – Environmental Management System.
• Bureau Veritas Certification.

Q27: What Covers The Warranty Of Welded Plate Girder?

Welded plate girders are covered under the following warranties:

Loads and spans bearing capacity: 1 Year.

Materials: 1 Year.

Workmanship: 1 Year.

Corrosion protection: 1 Year.

Paint Warranty: 1 Year

Q28: Get Your Free Consultation. Let’s Talk About Your Welded Plate Girder Requirements?

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