Steel Bulb Flat for Ship & Barge Building

Max Weiss is the industry leader in bulb flat bars for ship and barge building projects. Bulb flats are hot-rolled sections of steel with one end having a “stem” sticking out. Compared to other forms of steel, such as angle or flat bar, bulb flats are stronger in terms of strength to weight ratio and are excellent for stiffeners for ship and barge building. Bulb flats are used in the ship building industries, as well as with bridge construction. With Max Weiss Company’s proprietary bending process we offer accuracy in end cuts and bending, saving you time and money while working diligently with your 1:1 CAD file for a nearly perfect fit. 

Benefits of Bulb Flat

Bulb flats will save time and costs for your specific ship and barge building project in various ways. Firstly, in terms of plate stiffening, bulb flat bars are a great solution for plate stiffening. Bulb flats provide a low paint area, with no need for edge grinding prior to painting and require fewer lugs compared with alternative plate stiffeners. Plate stiffeners are secondary plates or sections which are attached to beam webs or flanges to stiffen them against out of plane deformations. Also, bulb flats have a long lifespan in terms of corrosion buildup and maintenance costs. The rounded shape of the material prevents corrosive buildup and maintains painted surfaces and makes it easy to access, clean and maintain. The most important feature of this type of material is that when your structure is under extreme stress and starts to buckle, the shape of a bulb flat is highly resistant. This increases the longevity of your desired structure, whether it’s for bridges, ships or barges. Ultimately, we want to make sure that you can deliver on a project on time and on budget.