Reliability of Spot Welds in Cold‐Formed Channels

Abstract

Cold‐formed channels are joined by means of spot welds to form various configurations. They are used in typical electrical cable and conduit supports, also in power plants. The present design procedures follow AISI specifications, which gives the allowable load per spot weld as a function of the thickness of connected plates. Tests were carried out to establish the distribution of spot weld capacity. It has been found that the strength strongly depends on technology of welding. It is recommended to review the AISI provisions and specify special allowable loads for spot welds connecting cold‐formed channels. The allowable loads could vary depending on type of connection (backto‐back, side‐to‐side, side‐to‐back) and technology of welding (degree of correlation between adjacent welds).