Hey I'm just a stupid a$$ former ship-yard welder, who worked on the "SMALL-BOATS," 350 Ft. long, Approx. 80' Ft. wide. It's not the heat so much, as the obvious "POOR WELDS." Took a full year of Welding school, through a local community college, just a little after the earth wakes in California, had numerous different people talk to us about the new earth wake standards for rebuilding of roads (read that as bridges) we're talking a whole lot of welding (i.e. heat) going on. When something is welded, properly, the welded joint is stronger the the adjoining material. Just the simple facts.
For those arm chair welding hero's commenting, I've noticed not one of you has asked "GEE WERE THE WELDS EVER X-RAYED?" I'm guessing you didn't even know that X-Raying welds could be done. In the field, when the guy who does the X-Raying shows up, the welders refer to him / her as the un-employment guy. Why, because, if your welds fail, your FIRED!!!!
I had to weld some VERY BIG PAD-EYE'S onto the Pilot house, so they could lift the pilot house up onto the ship. Eighty feet, from the ground up, then move into place. Oh, it only weighed 120 Metric Tons' so I guess I don't know just what I'm talking about.
Earth Wakes. I see you’ve met my acquaintance Otto Core Wrecked...
Oh C’mon! Welding is no different from painting! If you watch someone doing it for a few minutes you can easily do it too. /S