Welding Journal
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October 2026
Feature Articles
Meeting the Challenges of Structural Steel Welding
Practical strategies to improve quality and efficiency on structural jobsStructural steel repair welding can be a rewarding and profitable specialty, but success requires more than strong welding skills alone. Welders must understand how environmental conditions, jobsite challenges, and equipment selection affect weld quality, productivity, and profitability. From power availability to access constraints, numerous factors can affect project outcomes, hence the right preparation can make the difference between a successful project and a costly setback. Are you up for the challenge of structural steel welding?
see moreRethinking Steel Root Passes
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) has long been the benchmark for producing high-quality root passes in steel welding. The process consistently delivers excellent control and weld quality, making it a trusted choice for critical applications across a wide array of industries where weld integrity is paramount. Alongside shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), manual GTAW root pass procedures have historically been relied on for many projects; however, fabricators and contractors are facing growing pressure to complete projects faster, address skilled labor gaps, and control costs.
see moreA913 Gr50: An Underutilized Grade of Structural Steel
Steel is thermally conductive, but that does not always make preheating easy. With the largest steel sections now exceeding 6 in. in flange thickness, a significant amount of energy is required to reach and maintain the minimum preheat of 225°F (110°C) for prequalified welding of A992 steels.
see moreFillet vs. Groove Welds for Plate Girder Web-to-Flange Connections
Most plate girders are designed using fillet welds at the web-to-flange connections, but some engineers choose groove welds. Designers should be aware that while either type of weld will work — both offer the same quality — in the author’s experience, groove welds can require more than 20 times as much effort as fillet welds. This effort translates into significant time and cost. Hence, in design situations where fillet welds will work, groove welds are wasteful, and fillet welds are the prudent choice.
see moreA Hybrid Approach to Welding Automation
For manufacturers looking to increase welding capacity, incorporating collaborative robots (cobots) into existing operations can provide the flexibility to automate tasks that may not be well-suited to larger industrial systems. Rather than relying on a single automation solution, cobots can be added to work alongside other equipment and welders to help companies increase throughput while maintaining quality.
see moreAluminum Q&A
Here is another quiz to test your knowledge of aluminum and aluminum welding technology. All respondents who provide the correct answers will be entered into a drawing to select five prize winners. The deadline for receiving answers and entering the drawing is October 30. There is only one correct answer to each question.
see moreBrazing Q&A
Q: We are a manufacturer in the A/C and refrigeration industry, and we currently braze our distributors manually using a torch. Distributor bodies are brass, circuit tubes are copper, and we use a silver braze alloy rod with white flux. We use simple fixtures mounted on a turntable, allowing us to rotate the assemblies during brazing.
see moreDefining Postweld Heat Treatment
Terminology related to postweld heat treatment (PWHT) is inconsistent across AWS standards. In this article, we examine the use of PWHT and related terms in AWS D1.1/D1.1M, Structural Welding Code — Steel; AASHTO/AWS D1.5M/D1.5, Bridge Welding Code; and AWS A3.0M/A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, and make recommendations for future code editions.
see moreNews and Updates
News of the Industry
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Appleton, Wis., a division of Illinois Tool Works and a provider of welding products, solutions, and workforce development technologies, is participating in a Korea-U.S. shipbuilding partnership aimed at helping U.S. shipbuilders improve weld quality, increase productivity, and strengthen workforce development efforts.
see moreEducation 411
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) has started a new welding training program in partnership with Senesco Marine, a shipbuilding and marine fabrication company based in North Kingstown, and Polaris MEP, Rhode Island’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership center. The 14-week program is designed to prepare Rhode Islanders for welding careers in the manufacturing, construction, fabrication, and shipbuilding industries. The cost is free for those who qualify.
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see morePublication Archive
View past issues of our magazines, including Welding Journal Research Supplement in PDF format.