Butt welds - Size

Weld cap width Excess weld metal height

Root penetration

Root bead width

Butt welds - Profile

x x x

Butt welds - Toe Blend

x x x

Butt welds - Weld Width

Under Fill

Excess Weld Metal

Incomplete filled groove

Excess cap reinforcement

Incompletely Filled Groove

Poor Restart

Poor stop/starts

Cap Undercut

Cap undercut

Overlap

Overlap

Overlap
DEFINITION: An imperfection at the toe or root of a weld caused by metal flowing onto the surface of the parent plate without fusing to it. CAUSES: Contamination Slow travel speed High amperage Welding technique

Overlap

Overlap

Lack of Fusion

Causes Improper welding technique Insufficient weld metal deposited

Inter run Incompletely Filled Groove `

Causes Improper welding technique Insufficient weld metal deposited

Slag Inclusions - Cap

Causes Insufficient cleaning between passes Contaminated weld preparation Welding over irregular profile Incorrect welding speed Arc length too long

Gas pores / Porosity

Causes Low welding current Arc length too long Excessive moisture in flux or preparation Contaminated preparation Damaged electrode flux Removal of gas shield

Spatter

Causes Excessive arc energy Excessive arc length Damp electrodes Arc blow

Arc Strikes
Causes Electrode straying onto parent metal Electrode holder with poor insulation Poor contact of earth clamp

Mechanical damage can be defined as any surface material damage cause during the manufacturing process. This can included damage caused by:
Grinding Hammering Chiselling Chipping

Breaking off welded attachments (torn surfaces) Using needle guns to compress weld capping runs
Chisel Marks Chisel Marks Chisel Marks Pitting Corrosion Grinding Marks

Crater Crack and pipe

Porosity
Cluster porosity

Porosity

Gas pores

Porosity

Cluster Porosity

Cluster porosity

Worm Hole

Herringbone porosity

Lack of Fusion
Causes

Amperage too low Contaminated weld preparation Amperage too high (welder increases speed of travel)

Slag inclusions

Lack of sidewall fusion with associated slag

Parallel slag lines

Lack of interun fusion + slag

Lack of side Wall Fusion

Lack of sidewall fusion

Slag Inclusion

Interpass slag inclusions

Slag Inclusions

Causes Arc length too long Incorrect welding speed Insufficient cleaning between passes Contaminated weld preparation Welding over irregular profile

Wagon Track

Elongated slag lines

Tungsten Inclusions

Causes Contamination of weld Caused by tungsten touching weld metal or parent metal during welding using the TIG welding process

Excess Penetration

Causes Excessive amperage during welding of root Excessive root gap Poor fit up Excessive root grinding Improper welding technique

L.O.P

Causes Too small a root gap Arc too long Wrong polarity Electrode too large for joint preparation Incorrect electrode angle Too fast a speed of travel for current

Root L.O.F

Lack of root fusion

Root Welding Defects

Lack of fusion

Incomplete Penetration

Root L.O.F
Causes
Too small a root gap Arc too long Wrong polarity Electrode too large for joint preparation Incorrect electrode angle Too fast a speed of travel for current

Root Concavity

Root concavity

Root Concavity

Causes Root gap too large Insufficient arc energy Excessive back purge TIG

Burn Through

Causes Excessive root grinding Excessive amperage during welding of root Improper welding technique Slow travel speed Large root gap/small root face (irregular fit up)

Burn Through

A shallow groove caused by contraction in the weld metal along each side of the penetration bead or can occur in the center of the weld bead

Insufficient weld metal deposited in the root pass Too fast a cooling rate during the application of the root bead pass Poor welding technique

Shrinkage groove

Shrinkage groove

Root piping

Root undercut

Causes Root gap too large Excessive arc energy Small or no root face

Root undercut

Alignment Imperfection
Non-alignment of two abutting edges

2mm Also Known as: Hi Low. Mismatch. or Misalignment

50mm 3mm

Angular distortion. Measure the distance to the edge of the plate (50mm). Use a straight edge (rule) to find the amount of distortion then measure the space (3mm). This reported as Angular distortion 3mm in 50mm