TPT March 2017

I NDUS T RY

Lincoln Electric remembers ‘employee of the century’ Omer W Blodgett, aged 99

handbooks on design, including ‘Design of Weldments’ and ‘Design of Welded Structures’.Hewasalicensedprofessional engineer in the State of Ohio, and a fel- low of the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and the AWS. Other affiliations include Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi. Mr Blodgett was also a long-time member and contributor to a number of professional organisations including the AWS D1 Structural Welding Committee, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Committee on Specifications, and the Welding Research Council (WRC) Task Group on Beam-to-Column Connections. AWS recognised his contributions in 1962, 1973, 1980 and 1983, when he was awarded the AF Davis Silver Medal for his work in structural design. From the AISC, he received the TR Higgins Lectureship Award in 1983, the Engineering Luminary Award in 1997 and AISC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. In 1995, LeTourneau University awarded Mr Blodgett an honorary Doctor of Science degree, in addition to naming the Welding Engineering chair in his honour. In 1999 he was named by Engineering News-Record as one of the construction industry’s top 125 innovators over the past 125 years, a distinction also given to Thomas Edison, Frank Lloyd Wright and RG LeTourneau.

WELDING industry pioneer and Lincoln Electric’s ‘employee of the century’, Omer W Blodgett passed away on 11 January, 2017. He was 99 years old. Mr Blodgett, a world-renowned authority on the design of welded connections, spent 60 years working at Lincoln Electric, retiring as a senior design consultant. During his tenure, he authored numerous manuals and textbooks for the arc welding industry and his seminars on welding were known throughout the welding industry. “We are indebted to Omer, who was a mentor to many,” said Christopher L Mapes, Lincoln Electric’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “He left a lasting legacy in our industry and will be fondly remembered with great honour. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.” Mr Blodgett became involved in welding when he struck his first arc at the age of ten with his father’s Lincoln Stable-Arc welding machine in Minnesota, USA. Through his high- school years Mr Blodgett worked as a welder at his father’s company and became certified as a welder for high- pressure applications in 1938. He earned a Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering and a Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota and then became a welding superintendent at the Globe Shipbuilding Company. Under demanding war-time production conditions Mr Blodgett learned first-hand how to solve welding-related problems, such as distortion and cracking, and

Omer W Blodgett

met James F Lincoln (known as JF), with whom he would share a lifetime friendship. After World War II Mr Blodgett joined Lincoln Electric at JF’s request, first serving as a technical representative and later as a design consultant – working in both the mechanical and structural fields. In this role, he became the primary presenter of the Lincoln Electric Welding Design Seminars, which continue today and are named in his honour. Additionally, Mr Blodgett frequently spoke on welding design at the American Welding Society (AWS) sectional and national meetings and conducted welding design seminars all over the world. During his career he authored numerous technical articles and

Lincoln Electric – USA Website: www.lincolnelectric.com

Tubotech returns to São Paulo THE international trade fairs Tubotech and wire South America will take place against the background of expectations for an economic recovery in the coming year. They will be held jointly at the São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center in Brazil from 3 to 5 October 2017. will be. Following the pattern of the previous event, the trade fair duo is again likely to attract around 500 exhibitors from 24 countries on an exhibition space of over 32,000m 2 , and more than 11,000 trade visitors. Tubotech, the international trade fair for pipes, valves, pumps, fittings and components, will be held for the ninth time. Economic experts believe the Brazilian economy is set to step out of its current recession in 2017, though it is uncertain how dynamic this recovery Since its premiere in 2001, it has developed into a leading trade fair

on the South American continent. The products on offer are pipes and accessories, plants and machinery for the manufacturing, processing and finishing of pipes, raw materials, used machinery, the pipe trade, process engineering tools and accessories, as well as measurement, control and test equipment. Messe Düsseldorf GmbH – Germany Website: www.tubotech-online.com

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MARCH 2017