Welding as a Process in Ship Construction

The paper points to the necessity for a reduetion in the cost of shipbuilding, and as riveting is one of the most expensive items of construction the substitution of welding for riveting would decrease the cost of construction considerably. A brief review is given of what has been done in substituting welding for riveting, and to the limited extent to which electric welding has been tried it has been found successful. Lloyd's Register is prepared to classify electrically-welded vessels subject to certain provisions, but shipbuilders have not as yet adopted welding to a large extent for the reason, in the author's opinion, that they know that welds are lacking in uniformity and it is impossible to tell when a joint is good or bad. The author believes that the correct method of approaching the problem of olectric welding is first to obtain workmen who are thoroughly trained and skilled and the suggestion is made that only certified men should be employed at this work. From the welding of minor parts the process could be advanced to more important members until eventually a ship would be produced in which both the processes of welding and riveting would be utilized in whatever proportions would attain maximum economy of construction.