The primary purpose of a weld access hole, as the name implies, is to allow the welder access to start and stop the weld beyond the plane of a beam web or other obstruction. At the same time, the weld access hole also minimizes restraint to allow for shrinkage in the welded joint and eliminates the intersection of welds in orthogonal directions (and the associated intersection of stresses).

last modified 13 September 2002