TO SHIP CONSTRUCTION. 239 



ners to withstand all the longitudinal stresses and making suitable connections between these 

 memlicrs with diagonal bracing. 



We have, however, in a ship also to consider water pressure, which means plating. A 

 ship might be designed with transverse joints made sufficiently flexible in a longitudinal di- 

 rection to assure the entire longitudinal stresses being borne by the strength members. Such 

 a ship, however, would naturally require increased material. The design proposed con- 

 templates stressing this intermediate transverse plating to an amount proportionate to the 

 joint efficiency. 



I have for some years considered the possibility of building riveted ships along the lines 

 proposed in this welded-ship design, and find it possible to design such a ship with riveted 

 connections without increasing the hull weight. In a welded-ship design we have been able 

 to show a substantial saving in weight, approaching 20 per cent of the total hull steel in a 

 9,000-ton dead-weight 'tween deck cargo vessel of the ordinary three-island type. 



The main savings in the design due to welding consist of : — 



1 . Reduction in overlaps by using butt connections. 



2. Reduction in angle flanges due to connecting the web of frame, beams, etc., to the 

 plating at right angles by welding. 



3. The saving of rivet heads. 



4. Reduction in scantlings due to increased joint efficiency. 



The efficiency of the joints is by far the most important factor and upon this depends the 

 future of the welded ship. It is, therefore, most encouraging to know of the excellent work 

 being done by the members of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, Electric Welding Commit- 

 tee, and by Lloyd's Committee, which encourages the prediction that in the near future weld- 

 ing in some form will be the connecting medium used in ship construction. 



Mr. W. L. Merrill, Visitor (Communicated) : — In connection with Mr. Cox's very 

 instructive paper on welding and training of welders, I wish to emphasize the importance of 

 training welders not only for ship work, but for any other class of arc welding. 



There have been in the past too many failures of the arc-welding process in the indus- 

 trial field, due to the supposition that the welding apparatus and electrodes did the welding. 

 This is far from true; In the enthusiasm of manufacturers to sell welding apparatus too 

 little attention has been paid, in many cases, to the importance of the operator, and even now 

 I personally could not say whether successful arc welding is a trade or an art. Whichever 

 it is, the man must acquire proficiency in doing the work if his work is to be successful. With 

 the older tradesi no one would think of taking a blacksmith — that is, a good blacksmith — and 

 give him a set of high-grade wood-working tools and expect him to do successful cabinet 

 work at the start. Should such a condition exist, what is more natural than that at this 

 first few trials he should make a failure and tell his employer that it was due to the tools 

 with which he had been supplied. This is absolutely analogous of what happens in many 

 cases in arc welding. I would say that, briefly, the fundamental requirements for a suc- 

 cessful arc welder would be, first comparative youth. This is necessary on account pf the 

 steadiness which he must develop with his welding hand, and, while men past middle age 

 have become good welders, it takes a great deal longer to require the "feel" and the steadi- 

 ness of the muscles, and the operator is very apt to become discouraged. Second, a man 

 should preferably have some previous experience in metal work, be it as blacksmith, in boiler 

 shop, machine shop or what not. Third, he should have patience. 



