Can the use of stiffeners help in minimising distortion?

Frequently asked questions

Longitudinal shrinkage in butt welded seams often results in bowing, especially when fabricating thin plate structures. Longitudinal stiffeners in the form of flats or angles, welded along each side of the seam (Fig 1) are effective in preventing longitudinal bowing. Stiffener location is important: they must be placed at a sufficient distance from the joint so they do not interfere with welding, unless located on the reverse side of a joint welded from one side.

Our technical knowledge pages contain a number of items on distortion in welded assemblies. These can be located by using the search engine - try typing "distortion" into the free text search box or selecting Distortion from the list of keywords.

For more information on fabrication techniques to prevent distortion see Job Knowledge for Welders 36.

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