Porosity is gas pores found in the solidified weld bead.

As seen in Figure 10-4,

these pores may vary in sizeand are generally distributed in a random manner.
However, it is possible that porosity can only be found atthe weld center. Pores
can occur either under or on the weld surface.The most common causes of
porosity are atmosphere contamination, excessively oxidized work piecesurfaces,
inadequate deoxidizing alloys in the wire and the presence of foreign matter.
Atmosphericcontamination can be caused by:
1) Inadequate shielding gas flow.
2) Excessive shielding gas flow. This can cause aspiration of air into the gas
stream.
3) Severely clogged gas nozzle or damaged gas supply system (leaking hoses,
fittings, etc.
4) An excessive wind in the welding area. This can blow away the gas shield.
The atmospheric gases that are primarily responsible for porosity in steel are
nitrogen and excessiveoxygen. However, considerable oxygen can be tolerated
without porosity in the absence of nitrogen. Oxygenin the atmosphere can cause
severe problems with aluminum because of its rapid oxide formation. The
gassupply should be inspected at regular intervals to insure freedom from
leakage. In addition, excessivemoisture in the atmosphere can cause porosity in
steel and particularly aluminum. Care should be exercisedin humid climates. For
example, a continuous coolant flow in water cooled torches can cause
condensationduring periods of high humidity and consequent contamination of
the shielding gas.Excessive oxidation of the work pieces is an obvious source of
oxygen as well as entrapped moisture.Again, this is particularly true for
aluminum where a hydrated oxide may exist. Anodized coatings onaluminum
must be removed prior to welding because they contain water as well as being
an insulator.Porosity can be caused by inadequate wire deoxidation when
welding semi-killed or rimmed steels. Theoxygen in the steel can cause CO
porosity if the proper deoxidizing elements are not present.Foreign matter can be
a source of porosity. An example is excessive lubricant on the welding wire.
Thesehydrocarbons are sources of hydrogen which is particularly harmful for
aluminum.Other causes of porosity may be extremely fast weld solidification
rates and erratic arc characteristics.When solidification rates are extremely
rapid, any gas that would normally escape is trapped. Extremelyhigh travel
speeds and low welding current levels should be avoided.Erratic arc
characteristics can be caused by poor welding conditions (voltage too low or
high, poor metaltransfer) and fluctuation in the wire feed speed. All these
occurrences cause severe weld puddle turbulence.This turbulence will tend to
break up the shielding gas envelope and cause the molten weld metal to
becontaminated by the atmosphere.

LONGITUDINAL CRACKINGLongitudinal or centerline cracking, of the weld bead is

not often encountered in mig welding. However, thatwhich does occur can be
one of two types: hot cracks and cold cracks. Typical hot cracks are shown
inFigure 10-5. Hot cracks are those that occur while the weld bead is between

the liquidus (melting) andsolidus (solidifying) temperatures. In this temperature

range the weld bead is mushy. Hot cracks usuallyresult from the use of an
incorrect wire electrode (particularly in aluminum and stainless steel alloys).
Thechemistry of the base plate can also promote this defect (an example would
be any high carbon stainlesssteel casting). Any combination of the joint design,
welding conditions and welding techniques that results ina weld bead with an
excessively concave surface can promote cracking.One form of this defect which
may often be encountered, particularly with any 5000 series aluminum, iscalled
a crater crack. These are small cracks which appear at the end of the weld where
the arc has beenbroken. Although small, these cracks are troublesome since they
can propagate into the weld bead. A cratercrack is shown in Figure 10-6. The
major reason for this defect is the incorrect technique for ending theweld. To
properly end a weld, the crater should be filled. This is done by reversing the arc
travel directionbefore breaking the arc. This technique is depicted in Figure 10-7.
In addition, if the welding control isdesigned to supply gas for a short time after
the arc is broken, the crater should be shielded until it iscompletely solidified.
10Those cracks that occur after the weld bead has completely solidified are
called cold cracks. These defectsoccur only when the weld is too small to
withstand the service stresses involved.For your convenience and quick
reference, Table 10-1 lists all possible defects, their cause and correctiveaction.
FAULT OR DEFECTCAUSE AND/OR CORRECTIVE ACTION
1) POROSITY
A. OIL, HEAVY RUST, SCALE, ETC. ON PLATE
B. WIRE MAY NEED WIRE HIGHER IN Mn AND Si
C. SHIELDING PROBLEM; WIND, CLOGGED OR SMALL NOZZLE, DAMAGED GAS HOSE, EXCESSIVE GASFLOW, ETC.
D. FAILURE TO REMOVE GLASS BETWEEN WELD PASSES
E. WELDING OVER SLAG FROM COVERED ELECTRODE
2) LACK OF PENETRATION
A. WELD JOINT TOO NARROW
B. WELDING CURRENT TOO LOW; TOO MUCH
C. ELECTRODE STICKOUT WELD PUDDLE ROLLING IN FRONT OF THE ARC
3) LACK OF FUSION
A. WELDING VOLTAGE AND/OR CURRENT TOO LOW
B. WRONG POLARITY, SHOULD BE DCRP
C. TRAVEL SPEED TOO LOW
D. WELDING OVER CONVEX BEAD
E. TORCH OSCILLATION TOO WIDE OR TOO NARROWF. EXCESSIVE OXIDE ON PLATE
4) UNDERCUTTING
A. TRAVEL SPEED TOO HIGH
B. WELDING VOLTAGE TOO HIGH
C. EXCESSIVE WELDING CURRENTS
D. INSUFFICIENT DWELL AT EDGE OF WELD BEAD
5) CRACKING
A. INCORRECT WIRE CHEMISTRY
B. WELD BEAD TOO SMALL
C. POOR QUALITY QF MATER IAL BEING WELDED
6) UNSTABLE ARC
A. CHECK GAS SHIELDING
B. CHECK WIRE FEED SYSTEM
7) POOR WELD STARTS OR WIRE STUBBING
A. WELDING VOLTAGE TOO LOW
B. INDUCTANCE OR SLOPE TOO HIGH
C. WIRE EXTENSION TOO LONGD. CLEAN GLASS OR OXIDE FROM PLATE
8) EXCESSIVE SPATTER

A. USE Ar-CO OR Ar-O INSTEAD OF CO

2

B. DECREASE PERCENTAGE OF He

C. ARC VOLTAGE TOO LOW

D. RAISE INDUCTANCE ANO/OR SLOPE
9) BURNTHROUGH
A. WELDING CURRENT TOO HIGH
B. TRAVEL SPEED TOO LOW
C. DECREASE WIDTH OF ROOT OPENING
D. USE Ar-CO OR Ar-O INSTEAD OF CO
2

10) CONVEX BEAD

A. WELDING VOLTAGE AND/OR CURRENT TOO LOW
B. EXCESSIVE ELECTRODE EXTENSION
C. INCREASE INDUCTANCED. WRONG POLARITY, SHOULD BE DCRPE. WELD JOINT TOO NARROW