Slots & Tabs
Slots & Tabs
(OP)
Is anyone (successfully) using slots & tabs to locate parts in a welded assembly? We are in the agricultural equipment industry, so we use a lot of hot rolled steel. The thickness tolerance of the material has a direct effect on the thickness of the tab, which affects the locating ability. However, we also have more generous location tolerance than many of you work with.
I am trying to write a design standard for slot and tabs and am not even convinced it will work on a large scale.
I am trying to write a design standard for slot and tabs and am not even convinced it will work on a large scale.





RE: Slots & Tabs
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RE: Slots & Tabs
Had the blanks laser cut; they were beautiful.
The assembly resembled a bicycle wheel, split in two parts for radial assembly on a gas turbine unit. The flanges had arcuate slots, ~.008" wider than the material thickness. The center had mating tabs projecting, and was narrow enough to be bent to the 'wheel' radius by hand.
The tabs extended into the flanges only by half the material thickness. My intent was that the remainder of the slots would be filled with a puddle weld, using our standard TIG process, left underflush and not ground, as I depicted with some proper symbols.
However, most of the welders in that shop couldn't actually read a weld symbol. We hardly ever used them; the default was 'weld the s!!t out of it'. They also were more likely to reach for a snag grinder than a phone when something wasn't quite right.
Well, nothing was wrong with the parts; I had test-fitted them myself, but the welder decided to fill the slot, _and_ 'butter it up', which required that he then had to use the snag grinder to bring the axial face of the assembly down to sort of flush. ... instead of the nice flat unground surface I had asked for.
I guess it was my fault. I had walked the parts and the print out in the shop, pointed out the symbols, explained what I wanted, explained it again, drew a sketch on the print, explained it again, and walked away. I should have welded one myself as an example.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Slots & Tabs
RE: Slots & Tabs
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of these Forums?
RE: Slots & Tabs
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?