Laser Scanning‐based Assessment of Geometrical Imperfections in Welded I‐sections with Varying Flange Fabrication Processes

Kollár, Dénes and Horváth, András and Kövesdi, Balázs Géza and Lebastard, Maxime and Bureau, Alain (2026) Laser Scanning‐based Assessment of Geometrical Imperfections in Welded I‐sections with Varying Flange Fabrication Processes. CE/PAPERS, 9 (2-3). pp. 1870-1874. ISSN 2509-7075

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Abstract

Accurate characterization of geometrical imperfections in welded members is essential for structural design and for calibrating advanced numerical models. This study presents a detailed investigation of imperfections in a total of thirteen welded I‐sections using a 3D laser scanner. The studied members comprise plasma‐cut, flame‐cut and hot‐rolled flanges with varying cross‐sectional dimensions. The resulting point clouds are processed in MATLAB, where filtering and smoothing techniques are applied to quantify imperfections in accordance with EN 1090‐2. The evaluation covers global bow imperfections about both major and minor axes, out‐of‐straightness, out‐of‐squareness, flange flatness and distortion, as well as local web imperfections. Results indicate that global bow imperfections about the major axis generally remain within the EN 1090‐2 tolerance of L /1000. Conversely, bow imperfections about the minor axis frequently exceed manufacturing tolerances, particularly in specimens with flame‐cut flanges, where welding‐induced shrinkage has a pronounced influence. Local flange imperfections, combining the effects of assembly errors and welding distortions, can vary between b f /85 and b f /500 based on the current measurements, surpassing even the recommended amplitudes for advanced finite element analysis with equivalent geometrical imperfections. Web distortions range from h w /545 to h w /103, exceeding code‐based essential tolerances in four specimens. These findings highlight that imperfections arising from welding and flange fabrication processes often exceed recommended design values, suggesting that existing geometrical imperfection recommendations in EN 1993‐1‐14 may require reassessment for realistic implementation in advanced finite element‐based structural analyses.

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