Lincoln Electric Equipment and Welding Wire Used for Freedom Tower


Cleveland - Lincoln Electric customer Banker Steel Co. LLC, a steel fabricator based in Lynchburg, Va., recently began construction on 27 massive columns, which will serve as the foundation for the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower in New York City.

Banker Steel is welding six-inch plates to the flanges of the I-beam sections, ranging in size from 30 to 56 feet, to increase the strength of the box columns. On the ground in New York, the columns - each weighing approximately 1,500 pounds per foot - will be assembled and extended six stories underground to serve as supports for the tower's above-ground perimeter columns and a steel frame over the subway tracks.

Lincoln Electric's DC600 welding power source and LT-7 welding tractor are being used by Banker Steel for submerged arc welding of the six-inch-thick cover plates. Banker Steel is using Lincoln's 1/8-inch LA75 welding wire with 960 flux.

Banker Steel began work on the columns in mid-November, and the company's facility and work were showcased on December 8 when New York Governor George Pataki and first responders toured the facilities, met with mill workers and held a short ceremony before the columns make their way to New York. Three of the columns will be traveling on flatbeds throughout various parts of the country to give supporters an opportunity to sign and lend their support to the Ground Zero rebuilding effort. The exact route and schedule have yet to be announced. Installation of the columns begins on December 19.

About Lincoln Electric
Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln has 34 manufacturing locations, including operations, manufacturing alliances and joint ventures in 19 countries and a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices covering more than 160 countries. For more information about Lincoln Electric, its products and services, visit www.lincolnelectric.com.

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