Welding Procedure WPS Number

Authorized by KSS
Date 10/5/17
777G Ski Plate Extension Revision 03
General Info.
Part
Part# 311-7740 Source
Part Name Frame Supporting WPQR(s)
Model 777G Description
Joint Preheat
Joint Design Misc Preheat Temp °C (min) 20
Root Opening mm Root Face mm Method Flame
Buttering NA Interpass Temp °C (min) 20
Back Gouge Required Yes X No Interpass Temp °C (max) 300
Backing Material N/A Comments:
Base Materials Postweld Heat Treatment
Group # Material Spec Thickness Heating Rate (°C/ hr) NA
1 1E0650 Up to 32 mm Hold Temp/Time 0C NA
ASTM A572 Grade 42/50 mm Cooling Rate (°C/ hr) NA
mm Comments:
Filler Materials Gas/Flux Technique
Process SMAW or FCAW Stringer Bead X Weave Bead X
Electrode E7018 H4R or E71T-1H8, -9H8, -12H8 Restrictions on Weave 2X Dia
Size FCAW 0.045” (1.2 mm) Initial / Interpass Cleaning Chip/Brush
Shielding Gas 75/25 (Ar/CO2) Back Gouge Method Arc Air
Flow Rate (CFH) 40 – 45 Other Notes
Electrode Stickout FCAW 5/8 – ¾”
Flux NA
Position Inspection
Position of Groove VU,OH Fillet VU,OH Method VT/MT/PT/UT
Vertical Progression Up X Down Comments: AC or DC Yoke
Welding Materials
Pass Filler Metals Current Travel
or
Process Volts Speed Joint Design
Weld Class Dia. Polarity Amps
Layer (ipm)

All SMAW E7018H4R 1/8” DCEP 100-125 na na

All FCAW E71T-1H8 0.045” DCEP 200-240 24-27 10-16

All welders need to be qualified according to a national or international code (such as AWS D1.1).
Qualification needs to be up to date and for the material, thickness, process and position being
utilized in the repair.
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General Notes: This procedure applies to miscellaneous crack repairs in the frame main rail
assemblies and extension/modification of the internal ski plates to offset future issues.

Figure 1 shows the general area of the frame for which this procedure applies. It applies to both the left and
right hand side of the frame.

Figure 1 - General area of frame (left side).

In some cases, cracks may develop at the groove weld between the volcano casting and the inside front
window plate. Figure 2 shows an example of a crack and its location.

Figure 2 - Specific area of frame (left side).

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The first course of action is to identify the extent of the crack. If the crack has propagated out of the
groove weld and through either the window plate, the volcano casting or the bottom/top rail section,
then access to the inside of the frame is required for a proper repair.

IMPORTANT: If the crack is contained within the groove weld only, contact the Product Service
Engineer for guidance on whether to continue with this procedure.

Repair will require excavation and welding both internally and externally. Therefore, it will be necessary to gain
access to the inside of the rail assembly. Access is available via removal of the opposite side window plate.

Note: Before removing window plate construct a locating fixture to capture the location of the front
tank mount in relation to the rear tank mount that will remain on the truck.

LEFT SIDE TOOLING

Note: Material required for fixtures can be a common structural steel such as ASTM A36.

Fabricate the following parts in Figures 3, 4, and 5, then tack weld together to achieve the semi-completed part
shown in Figure 6.

Figure 3 - Base plate.

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Figure 4 - Vertical plate.

Figure 5 - Gusset.

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 Figure 6 - Semi-completed fixture.
Fabricate the plate assembly shown in Figure 6 and attach to the rear tank mount (with mounting hardware) so
that it lies across the front tank mount surface. The holes on the plate may not line up perfectly with the
threaded holes in the front tank mount. That is okay. Position the rod (shown in Figure 7) on top of the rail
section and against fixture so as to capture the height of the front tank mount. Tack weld rod to fixture. Finish
weld rod to fixture. This will be used to relocate the front tank mount fixture after repairs have been completed.
An example of the fabricated fixture located on the frame is depicted in Figure 8.

Figure 7 - Rod.

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 Figure 8 - View of tank mount fixture.
Remove tooling and set aside until repairs have been complete.

RIGHT SIDE TOOLING

Note: Material required for fixtures can be a common structural steel such as ASTM A36.

Fabricate the following parts in Figures 9, 10, and 11, then tack weld together to achieve the semi-completed
part shown in Figure 12.

Figure 9 - Base plate.

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Figure 10 - Vertical plate.

Figure 11 - Gusset.

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 Figure 12 - Semi-completed fixture.

Fabricate the plate assembly shown in Figure 12 and attach to the rear tank mount (with mounting hardware)
so that it lies across the front tank mount surface. The holes on the plate may not line up perfectly with the
threaded holes in the front tank mount. That is okay. Position the rod (shown in Figure 13) on top of the rail
section and against fixture so as to capture the height of the front tank mount. Tack weld rod to fixture. Finish
weld rod to fixture. This will be used to relocate the front tank mount fixture after repairs have been completed.
An example of the fabricated fixture located on the frame is depicted in Figure 14.

Figure 13 - Rod.

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 Figure 14 - View of tank mount fixture.

Remove tooling and set aside until repairs have been complete.

REMOVE OUTSIDE WINDOW PLATE

The front tank mount has been TIG dressed at the fillet weld toe to prevent fatigue cracking. In order to retain
the factory TIG dressing, leave the tank mount attached to the window plate.

Gouge/excavate welds securing outside window plate as shown in Figure 15.

Figure 15 - Remove outside window plate.

Note: Be cautious when removing the outside window plate. Retain as much of the window plate as
possible as it will need to be reused after the repair is complete.

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To assist with removal of the plate, refer to the following figures to understand the weld joints securing the plate
in place.

Figure 16 - Weld joint details.

The top and bottom horizontal weld joints are comprised of a steel rail section that is 32 mm thick (top/bottom)
and the vertical plate that is 12 mm thick. This is shown in Figure 17.

12 Steel Rail

32

Figure 17 - Weld joint detail A.

There is an internal 25 mm thick gusset/plate that is used for both backing and structural purposes. This is
shown in Figure 18.

12 mm

25 mm

Figure 18 - Weld joint detail B.

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 Figure 19 - Outside window plate removed.

CRACK REPAIR

After the outside window plate has been removed the extent of the cracking should be visible. Depending on
the extent of crack propagation, it will likely include the vertical and bottom plates as depicted in Figure 20.

Figure 20 - Potential plates to be repaired.

Cracking will also likely exist behind the steel backing strip as this can be a crack initiation site. See Figures 21
and 22.

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 Figure 21 - Weld joint.

Figure 22 - Possible crack initiation sites.

Note: The steel backing strip will need to be removed by gouging/grinding to gain access to the crack.

Figure 23 shows an example of a crack revealed after the steel backing strip has been removed.

Figure 23 - Backing strip removed with crack visible.

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Note: Make sure to remove the ends of the backing strip by excavating and/or grinding to sound metal.

Figure 24 - Excavate ends of backing strips.

For all three locations (window plate, groove weld and bottom/top rail) repair from both sides referring to the
following figures.

The following illustrations (Figures 25 - 31) demonstrate the sequence of steps necessary to conduct a through
thickness crack repair on steel plate.

Crack
Section
Thickness

Figure 25 - Through thickness crack.

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 Gouged Profile

Section
Crack Thickness

Figure 26 - Excavate 1/2 thickness.

Note: For the bottom 32 mm steel rail section it may be desirable to weld the majority in the flat
position and the minority in the overhead position. Adjust the excavation depth as needed to
accommodate your particular situation.

Finish Grind to
Achieve 600
Included Angle

Section
Crack Thickness

Figure 27 - Grind/sand excavation.

Verify that all cracks have been removed prior to welding. The use of magnetic particle (MT) or dye
penetrant testing (PT) is required.

Section
Crack Thickness

Figure 28 - Weld 1/3 to 1/2.

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 Section
Thickness

Backgouge/Grind

Figure 29 - Excavate opposite side to sound weld metal.

Section
Thickness

Figure 30 - Weld the second side complete.

Weld complete and

sand flush (both sides)

Section
Thickness

Figure 31 - Complete welding and sand both sides flush or to the profile of adjacent material.

Important: After repairing groove weld do not insert a backing strip. Sand flush or to profile of
adjacent material.

Note: For repairs made on plates with open ends (such as the corners), attach run on/run off tabs in
order to place weld starts on tabs and outside of finished weld. Lack of fusion defects associated with
weld starts will then be non-existent when tabs are removed.

Figure 32 gives examples of the use of run on /off tabs.

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 Figure 32 - Run on/off tab examples.

SKI PLATE EXTENSION/MODIFICATION

To mitigate future cracking, the internal ski plates should be extended/modified on both the top and bottom rail
sections. Figure 33 below shows the location of the ends of the internal ski plates.

IMPORTANT: THE PROCEDURE WILL ONLY SHOW ONE SIDE (LEFT BOTTOM) OF THE FRAME
UNDERGOING THE SKI PLATE EXTENSION/MODFICATION. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL 4 SKI
PLATES (TOP AND BOTTOM IN LEFT AND RIGHT FRAME RAIL) BE COMPLETED AT THE SAME TIME.

Figure 33 - Ski plates (top and bottom).

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Figure 34 indicates the need for the ski plate to extend forward to the internal vertical gusset plate.

Figure 34 - Extension of ski plate.

Remove the visible end of the existing ski plate (top and bottom) by gouging and grinding the ski plate back to
the internal vertical gusset plate and the fillet welds around the periphery. See Figure 35.

IMPORTANT: USE CAUTION WHEN GOUGING TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE UNDERLYING RAIL
SECTION.

After gouging/grinding, sand the underlying rail surface flush. Fill any craters or divots by welding and then
sand flush.

Figure 35 - Remove nose.

Fabricate new extension parts. See Figure 36 for dimensional detail. Material is ASTM A572 Grade 42.

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 Figure 36 - Extension plate.

Figure 37 – Fit new plate.

Note: The long square edge of the new plate will be facing outward.

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 Internal
Gusset 450
25 mm

New Plate

6 mm (min)
Existing 12 mm
fillet weld

Rail

Figure 38 - Weld joint detail C.

Internal
Gusset
25 mm
450

Exisiting
New Plate Plate

6 mm (min)

Rail

Figure 39 - Weld joint detail D.

Tack on all four sides then weld according to Figures 40 and 41. Use a balanced welding technique to
minimize welding distortion. Weld one pass at each of the four locations, then repeat until final weld size is
obtained.

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 Figure 40 – Weld details.

Figure 41 - Weld detail.

Inspect all welds visually to ensure all weld quality meets or exceeds the requirements shown at the end of the
document.

Sand all weld starts and stops.

Grind/sand the edges of the outer window plate that was previously removed to clean/bright base material.

Use the fabricated fixture to locate the front tank mount (on the window plate) in relationship to the rear tank
mount. Observe the resulting fit up of the four weld joints and then remove and prepare the edges of the plate
to obtain the weld joints shown in Figure 42 and 43.

Note: You can also grind/sand a slight bevel (10 0 to 150) on the 12 mm window plate to provide better access
for weld joint detail A.

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 450

12 Steel Rail

6 (min)

32

Figure 42 - Weld joint detail A.

450 Bevel

12 mm Window
Plate

6 mm (min)

25 mm

Internal
Gusset

Figure 43 - Weld joint detail B.

Once proper fit up is achieved, secure the window plate in place. Weld 6 mm fillet welds (50 mm length) as
shown in Figure 44.

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 Figure 44 - Tack window plate in position.

Grind/taper the ends of all the 6 mm fillet welds. Finish the root pass on all four sides of the plate by welding a
6 mm fillet weld between all the previously deposited 6 mm fillet welds.

Complete the welding of the vertical weld joints as shown in Figure 45.

Figure 45 - Weld complete vertical weld joints.

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 Figure 46 - Weld complete horizontal weld joints.

Inspect all welds visually to ensure all weld quality meets or exceeds the requirements shown at the end of the
document.

Note: Ultrasonically test the complete joint groove welds (weld joint details A and B)

Sand all weld starts and stops and ensure corners are slightly rounded.

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Acceptance Criteria (Welding)

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 APPENDIX
If there is a need to replace the outside window plate (either side or both), please refer to the dimensions
below.
Material should be ASTM A572 Grade 42 or 50.
Ends will require a 45 degree bevel prepared by grinding.

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