Help requested - How to fix warped 1/8" plate

[psacustomcreations]

I have a baseplate of 1/8" thick material that is 12"×20". I basically welded an 1/8" thick "I" beam to the plate.

One side is a bit warped but the other has a good bow to it. I obviously over welded it and did not let sections cool properly between welds.

Where should I apply heat to the baseplate to minimize the existing distortion? If possible, please draw on the pic so it is easier to understand. The other option is a BFH to try to bear it into shape although I think that might not be a viable option.

I have seen the pics that CEP and Samm post about flame straightening. But on a plate like this, where to apply heat I am unclear.

I need to make another item like this but it will be a bit larger. The new baseplate will be 3/16" thick while the I beam will still be 1/8" thick just longer flanges and web.

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[BD1]

I found that 1/8" plate can be terrible before I even touch it.
As for this, I would cut it off and replace.
I wouldn't waste time on it. Sometimes I invest time trying to make it work and then end up cutting it off anyway .



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[CAVEMANN]

If you try flame straightening the heat would be applied on the "longer" side of the plate which is the side that has the I-beam welded to it, due to the size you need to cool it all the way across evenly, it may work or may not. I've straightened plenty of line shaft for well pumps and it can be a royal pain, especially if the bow spirals.

[ronsii]

I vote for the BFH some carefully placed 2x wood here and there then beat the #*$*# out of it

[psacustomcreations]

Thanks everyone.
I will probably do as BD1 suggests by giving Cavemann's idea a shot before I resort to the BFH until I finally cut it off and replace it.
If I go down that road, it will only be so I have a better understanding of how flame straightening works on a piece like this. This is just the stand for a bell. If I make or do something similar for a customer, I want to better understand how to limit the problem from occurring and then how to correct it.

[Munkul]

That was always going to warp. The 1/8" is too thin to resist bending. It's actually really quite flat still, considering. Flame straightening won't help that at all in my experience.

It quite possibly could be straightened by placing wood under the welded areas and using a soft mallet to persuade the surface flat again... that's what i would try anyway.

What's it for? Why does it need to be perfectly flat?

A "flange" type piece like that wants to be made from 1/4" minimum - and clamped to a flat surface while you weld it.

[Willie B]

Your welds, along with the heat affected steel shrunk. A section of your plate is too small for where it is. The obvious solution is heating the back side (bottom) of the plate.

Trouble is, that shrinks that area more.hammering on an anvil around the welds will stretch that section of plate back to size, but it'll be very difficult to hammer where the welds are. I don't have confidence in any sure solution.

[N2 Welding]

Pat Did you clamp the 1/8” base plate down really good to a nice thick cold table prior to welding the I beam onto it? Maybe you can do shorter length welds or even quick tack welds like on vehicle body panels and also possibly use the wet rag/towel trick covering the base plate and also wrapped around the I beam just past the area of the weld to keep both materials as cool as possible to prevent as much warp as possible.

How good is the fit up prior to welding? If perfectly flat between plate and beam perhaps you can grind a 1/32” concvex shape on the beam where it fits to the 1/8” plate. I have no real world experience here just thinking outside the box on things I would try if time and materials for practice was of no concern.

[thegary]

Cut it off and start over. Use small tack welds and only put enough weld on the piece to insure it does not fall apart. I would not fully weld it like you did this time. The stress induced by the weld will compound even if done in small tacks and let cool in between. The base is too thin to resist the stress.

[cd19]

I'd be tempted to use a dull air chisel to peen the welds and see where that takes you.

[timrb]

This is just the stand for a bell.

Given that the whole unit probably just has to look nice, how about sidestepping the issue by making a wooden base out of some nice hardwood and screwing the plate to that?

Tim

[psacustomcreations]

The plate went to the base of this smaller bell.
I ended up using a BFH and getting it mostly flat. It does still bow up at the front but I can live with that. This is yard art not anything structural. Additionally, the base will be covered by mulch or rocks most likely.
I used a series of much shorter welds with time to cool between welds in order to attach the arch to the larger second base. That base was also 3/16" thick so that helped a bit.
These are pics of the base then the two before acid wash. The ladt pic is of the much bigger brother to show a typical installation.





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[psacustomcreations]

Thanks for all the suggestions. This was a good reminder to me not to over weld a joint.
You can read about it, watch videos, and think about it, but sometimes making the mistake drives the point home.
One of the disadvantages of being a part time welder is mistakes like this.

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[robson1015]

Looks like it needs a thicker base...3/8 possibly

[psacustomcreations]

Looks like it needs a thicker base...3/8 possibly

I had made all the pieces of the large one out of 1/4" and had no issues. That was a bear to move by myself but doable. Making it out of 3/8 would make it too heavy to move by myself.

For the small one above I used 1/8" for the base and it warped.

The medium one has a 3/16" base and with skip welding it went pretty well.

This was the first time I made ones in these smaller sizes. I want to tweak the designs a bit on any in the future.


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[magnum.rh]

We solved this on our Engineering Drawings by adding a note to "Weld in the Constrained Condition." Next time try clamping the 1/8" plate down on all sides with clamps reaching as far in to make sure the plate can not flex up. Even so much as adding heavy weights. Using 1/8" plate should not be an issue if you want to save weight rather than go to 1/4". The sides of the Space Station are not that big/thick but had to be restrained while machining/welding to prevent the exact same thing from happening.