Safety Concerns with Welding Reinforcement Bars: Can You Share Technical Insights?

Safety Concerns with Welding Reinforcement Bars

Welding reinforcement bars to fabricate any ladder or basket is unsafe from a safety standpoint. I hope everyone will agree with this issue. The reason for denying this practice is that welded parts will rust or oxidize, leading to a reduction in strength. I am looking for a bit more technical explanation regarding this matter. Please come forward and share your views and thoughts on this issue.

Regards

Not using reinforcement bars for ladders is "Good Engineering Practice." However, there is no such legal requirement. If the weld joint is properly prepared and painted, rusting can also be eliminated. A similar phenomenon happens if other sections are used for the ladder. One must have proper weld chamfers, ensure welding quality, and disallow any undercuts.

I believe the major hazard is that the reinforcement bars (TMT Bars) are not plain. When a person holds these bars on a monkey ladder, their hands can get injured. Instead, pipes are recommended for ladders. If you search for ladders, you will find many manufacturers of ladders/baskets. Perhaps you can review their designs.

I hope I have made my point of view clear.

Thanks & Regards,
Sudhir

Thank you for your reply. It is a general practice to fabricate ladders and fix them in the mechanical structures that are going to be erected. After the installation of the staircase, temporary ladders will be removed. It is not possible to fix standard ladders in all structures, especially those exceeding a height of 12 meters. According to ASTM standards, welding is not feasible on all rebars. As per IS 1786, the carbon content should be equivalent to or less than 0.42% to guarantee welding on rebars.

I am seeking opinions from our senior members.
Regards

Welding of Reinforcement Steel and Mild Steel

The carbon content of reinforcement steel and mild steel is different. Hence, the welding of rebars with other mild steel materials should be avoided unless a procedure qualification is established for the correct selection of electrodes to be used for such welding. Normally, people tend to use E6013 type electrodes for rebar welding, which is not correct. Moreover, the contact surface of rebar with mild steel materials may not be uniform, and proper penetration of the weldment cannot be ensured.

Regards, Pon

Thank you for your inputs on this thread as well.

Dear Vijay,

As Mr. Pon and Sudhir explained, I would like to add that they are using the same type of electrodes E6013/10 for welding the MS materials. I am not sure if you are familiar with MIL certificates for rebar. You may want to inquire with your QC personnel as they should be knowledgeable about MIL certificates. By reviewing it, you might gain an understanding of the type of welding rod that can be used for a particular rebar.

I have not encountered this situation before, Mr. Vijay. I have simply shared my views. I hope this information proves helpful.

Thank you.

Yes, the chemical composition and carbon equivalent of TMT bars and mild steel are different, and their weldability should be established by qualification as per ANSI/AWS D1.1.

Pon