Welding and Electrical Skills for Metal Structures Course

Lesson 1 • Hazard Identification in the Shop

Trains students to recognize fire, fume, electrical, and crush hazards before starting work. Builds systematic visual inspection habits used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory Compliance Overview

Introduces workplace safety regulations and inspection standards relevant to welding and electrical trades. Students understand compliance obligations without referencing specific code identifiers.

Lesson 3 • Personal Protective Equipment Essentials

Covers selection and proper use of PPE for heat, arc flash, and electrical shock. Anchors all subsequent hands-on work in safe practice habits.

Lesson 1 • Mechanical Properties of Metals

Explains tensile strength, ductility, hardness, and toughness as they apply to structural performance. Connects material properties to joint design and load-bearing decisions.

Lesson 2 • Common Structural Metals Overview

Introduces carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum as primary structural materials. Provides the material vocabulary used in all welding and fabrication chapters.

Lesson 3 • Metal Preparation and Surface Condition

Covers cleaning, degreasing, and surface inspection before welding or electrical work. Poor surface prep is the leading cause of weld defects and poor electrical connections.

Lesson 1 • Joint Types and Weld Positions

Identifies butt, T, corner, lap, and edge joints and maps them to flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions. Connects drawing callouts to physical setup in the shop.

Lesson 2 • Welding Symbol Notation

Decodes the reference line, arrow, tail, and supplementary symbols used in standard weld notation. Students can read any weld symbol encountered on structural drawings.

Lesson 3 • Blueprint Reading Fundamentals

Teaches orthographic projection, views, and drawing conventions used in structural fabrication. Establishes the visual literacy required to interpret all subsequent technical drawings.

Lesson 1 • Gas Metal Arc Welding Setup

Explains wire feed speed, voltage, shielding gas selection, and gun angle for GMAW on structural steel. Builds on SMAW polarity knowledge to introduce continuous wire processes.

Lesson 2 • Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Fundamentals

Introduces GTAW torch setup, tungsten preparation, and filler rod technique for precision structural joints. Provides the high-quality root pass skills needed in later pipe and code work.

Lesson 3 • Welding Equipment Maintenance

Establishes daily and periodic maintenance routines for all arc welding machines and accessories. Prevents equipment failures that cause weld defects and safety incidents.

Lesson 4 • Shielded Metal Arc Welding Setup

Covers machine polarity, electrode classification, and amperage selection for SMAW on structural steel. SMAW is the baseline process from which other arc processes are compared.

Lesson 1 • Groove Weld Execution

Covers root pass, fill passes, and cap pass sequencing for V-groove and bevel joints on plate. Groove welds are the primary full-penetration joint type in structural steel connections.

Lesson 2 • Flat and Horizontal Fillet Welds

Practices consistent bead profile, leg size, and fusion on T-joints in 1F and 2F positions. Flat and horizontal positions establish the muscle memory baseline for all other positions.

Lesson 3 • Pipe and Structural Tube Welding

Introduces fixed-position pipe welding technique for structural hollow sections and pipe connections. Extends plate welding skills to curved surfaces and restricted access joints.

Lesson 4 • Weld Quality and Visual Inspection

Applies visual inspection criteria to identify surface defects, dimensional nonconformance, and discontinuities. Connects technique execution to the quality standards introduced in Chapter 3.

Lesson 1 • Grounding and Bonding in Metal Structures

Explains equipment grounding, bonding of metal structural members, and ground fault protection. Metal structures create unique bonding requirements that differ from standard building wiring.

Lesson 2 • Electrical Theory Essentials

Introduces voltage, current, resistance, and power as the four core electrical quantities. Provides the theoretical foundation for all electrical installation and troubleshooting work.

Lesson 3 • Overcurrent Protection and Disconnects

Covers fuse and circuit breaker sizing, disconnect requirements, and coordination principles for structural systems. Proper overcurrent protection is the last line of defense against electrical fires.

Lesson 4 • Electrical Measurement and Test Instruments

Covers multimeter, clamp meter, and insulation tester operation for structural electrical systems. Accurate measurement is the foundation of safe installation and fault diagnosis.

Lesson 1 • Wire Pulling and Termination

Covers pulling tension limits, lubrication, and termination torque for conductors in structural conduit systems. Correct termination prevents loose connections, arcing, and overheating failures.

Lesson 2 • Lighting and Receptacle Installation

Installs industrial lighting fixtures and receptacles suited to metal structure environments. Covers wet location, vibration, and high-bay requirements common in fabrication facilities.

Lesson 3 • Panel and Distribution Board Installation

Guides installation, conductor landing, and labeling of distribution panels on structural steel frames. Panels are the central node of every structural electrical system.

Lesson 4 • Motor and Control Circuit Wiring

Wires motor starters, contactors, and basic control circuits used in structural equipment installations. Motor loads are the dominant electrical load in metal fabrication environments.

Lesson 1 • Quality Documentation and Traceability

Establishes material traceability, inspection records, and as-built documentation for structural projects. Complete documentation is required for structural handover and regulatory compliance.

Lesson 2 • Nondestructive Testing Methods

Introduces visual, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, and ultrasonic testing for structural welds. NDT is the primary tool for verifying internal and surface weld quality without destruction.

Lesson 3 • Defect Analysis and Corrective Action

Applies root cause analysis to weld and electrical defects to prevent recurrence. Systematic defect analysis is the bridge between inspection findings and lasting quality improvement.

Lesson 4 • Electrical System Commissioning

Covers pre-energization checks, insulation testing, and load testing for structural electrical systems. Commissioning confirms that installation work meets design intent before live operation.