Bridge Question

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About what year was rivited construction replaced by welded construction on bridges? I live near the Erie canal and a lot of the old bridges over the canal have rivited construction.
Reply:That answer is probably going to vary depending on the area and what was available to the contractors at the time. Some areas taking longer to move to welds than others. I would guess many changed after WWII. The Crysler Building  and the Empire state building both finished in 1931 were rivited. They were still riveting buildings and ships during the war. Electric welding increased dramatically with the ship building programs during the war. Much of the riviting was replaced by welds in the Liberty ship design..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:We'll let you know when it happens... Riveted bridges are still constructed, though they are very uncommon these days. One or two have gone up in my area (new jersey) over the last few years that I know of.
Reply:Originally Posted by enlpckWe'll let you know when it happens... Riveted bridges are still constructed, though they are very uncommon these days. One or two have gone up in my area (new jersey) over the last few years that I know of.
Reply:I know in our last round of contract negotiations we still covered rivet gangs...Pretty rare to find someone that would even have the foggiest sketch as to properly heat and install a rivet but they are still used. The manpower to install a rivet is rather intense and expensive. Most rivet gangs where 4 men, a heater, a tosser, bucker up and the riveter. Way more cost effective to weld or use TC bolts. I think rivetting went out of style and common practice in the mid 70's and  certainly was almost non existant by the early 80's. By that time welding and using TC Bolts(or bolts of any kind) were the accepted practice.
Reply:My dad, who is a sturctural engieering and does a fair amount of work on older sturctures, said that riveting in bridges and building construction was almost entirely replaced by threaded fasteners after WWII as DSW said.  This was mainly due to the huge surplus of threaded fasteners and the machines to make them after the war effort died down.  Thats not to say rivets were immediatly abandoned, but in the sturctural engineering circles, the war is when the main transition occured.If it doesn't fit, you aren't hitting it hard enough!Miller AerowaveMiller Radiator 1A4.5" DeWalt (with the paddle switch!)Jackson NexGen Helmet