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February 18-19, 2012, Work Session (Part 2)

Turning the Water Tank Top

This album is a series of photos showing the almost-completed water tank top being turned to facilitate welding. The lid size is very close to 9'-3" square, and weighs approximately 850 pounds.

After tack welding the tank lid together, it was removed from the tank for welding on both faces. The turning over was done with a small forklift, and a chain; the process is pretty self explaining.

Prior to removing it from the tank, stiff-backs were bolted/welded to it to prevent it from breaking apart at the tack-welded seam. After rolling it upside-down, the bottom side of the seam was welded, and ground flush, so as to not have the weld interfere with a structural tank cross- beam. The lid was rolled a second time to position it right-side -up, and at this time the stiff-backs were removed, and the remainder of the welding completed. As expected, this long weld wrinkled the sheets a bit, but things straightened when it was bolted back into place on the tank structure.

All the photos are by Rick Brigger.

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162	179	192	198
203	210	214

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