Troubleshooting welding problems.
Problem Description
Appearance Probably the most common
of weld of welding defects is poor
weld appearance. While this
is not a defect which is
detrimental from a structural
standpoint, it most certainly
detracts from the finished
appearance of the weldment.
Weld Weld spatter is an
Spatter appearance defect of no
consequence to the
structural function of the
weld. Excessive spatter is not
necessary, however, and its
appearance on a weldment is
not pleasing.
Undercut Undercut generally is more
of an appearance defect than
structural detriment.
However, under some
service conditions and
undercut may act as a stress
raiser and be the start of a
fatigue crack. Unfortunately,
however, some inspection
agencies are against
undercut of any type and
demand that it be chipped
out and the joint re-welded.
For these reasons undercut
should be avoided.
9/27/2018
Cause Solution
1. Failure to clean 1. Be sure to remove all slag, flux and
finished weld deposit spatter from weld bead and the adjacent
2. Improper joint base metal.
preparation 2. Use proper joint preparation: get best fit
3. Poor welding possible.
technique 3. Use proper technique for the electrode
4. Failure to set current selected. If the electrode is deposited
properly or improper with a weave, keep the motion uniform.
electrode manipulation Travel along the joint at a constant rate.
5. Use of electrode in a 4. Do not use excessive welding currents.
different position than 5. Select an electrode designed for the
that for which it was position to be welded. If such an
designed electrode is not available, position the
work to meet the requirements of the
electrode. Electrodes with a stable, soft
quiet arc deposit beads of good
appearance, coated electrodes with this
arc characteristic usually have a
powdered iron in their coating.
1. Too high a welding 1. Select the proper current setting for the
current. diameter electrode and plate thickness.
2. Wrong electrode 2. Be sure that the electrode does not have
3. Wrong polarity an inherent spatter producing
4. Too large an electrode characteristic.
Powdered-iron-coated designs of
particular electrode types produce much
less weld spatter.
3. Make certain the polarity is correct for
the electrode.
4. Use an electrode of the proper diameter
for the plate thickness.
1. Welding current to 1. Use moderate welding current and do
high not try to weld too rapidly
2. Electrode diameter too 2. Use a smaller diameter electrode
large 3. Don’t let the molten weld puddle get too
3. Improper electrode large. A uniform weave of the electrode
manipulation will tend to prevent undercutting when
4. Use of welding the making butt welds. Excessive weaving
electrode in a position will cause undercut and should be
other than that for avoided. Undercut on the vertical plate
which it was designed when making a horizontal fillet weld is
caused by the electrode being too near
the vertical plate.
4. Select an electrode suitable for the
position required for a specific job.
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 Troubleshooting welding problems.
Problem Description
Incomplete Incomplete penetration may
Penetration result in structural failure
from one of two causes. First
for all, with incomplete
penetration there may not
be sufficient weld metal to
withstand the stresses
developed in the joint.
Secondly, incomplete
penetration may result in a
cracking of the weld.
Poor Fusion Poor fusion is sometimes
associated with incomplete
penetration and likely it is a
structural fault. Often, poor,
fusion cannot be detected
without a radiographic
examination of the weld. This
difficulty is serious since it
may be present in a weld
that outwardly appears to be
strong and perfect.
Distortion When welding on precise
work, one of the greatest
difficulties confronting the
welder is that of avoiding
distortion of the work. In
some instances, a distorted
weldment is of no value. In
others, it means that
considerable work must be
done to return it to the
desired shape. Such
problems may be avoided by
proper designing and the
exercising of due care during
welding.
9/27/2018
Cause Solution
1. The welding speed is 1. Do not weld too rapidly. If the speed of
too fast travel is too fast insufficient weld metal is
2. Improper joint deposited
preparation 2. Be sure to allow sufficient gap at the
3. Insufficient welding bottom of the weld. Use a back-up bar if
current possible. Chip or cut out the back of the
4. The electrode used is joint, then deposit a back-up bead. Never
too large expect excessive penetration from an
electrode. If the plates are over 3/16 in
thick, play safe and bevel them.
3. Be sure to use sufficient welding current
to attain proper penetration. If
necessary, switch to an electrode type
having deeper penetration characteristics
4. When welding in narrow grooves, use
small diameter electrodes
1. Improper current 1. Remember heavier plates require more
setting current for a given electrode than small
2. Improper welding plates. Be sure to use sufficiently high
technique welding current to insure correct
3. Failure to prepare joint deposition of weld metal with a good
properly penetration of the base metal
4. Wrong size welding 2. In connection with welding technique, be
electrode sure the weave is wide enough to
thoroughly melt the sides of the joint
3. In preparing the joint, be sure the face of
the groove is clean and free of foreign
material
4. Use and electrode sufficiently small to
reach the bottom of the groove in
making the weld
1. Improper welding 1. Before attempting to weld a new and
sequence difficult weldment, study the structure
2. Insufficient control of and develop a definite welding sequence
the welding heat 2. Exercise care in distributing the welding
3. Shrinkage of the weld heat by skip sequence, back stepping,
metal, pulling parts etc. to prevent excessive local heating.
together and changing Preheat is sometimes desirable to avoid
their relative positions an excess heat condition, particularly on
4. Failure to maintain heavy structures
proper dimensions by 3. The effects of weld metal shrinkage can
welding parts in a be minimized by preforming the parts
distorted position sufficiently to compensate for weld
shrinkage. Clamping or tag welding the
parts will also help resist shrinkage.
4. Be sure the various parts of the
weldment are properly aligned prior to
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 Troubleshooting welding problems.
Problem Description
Warping While heavy plates may tend
toward distortion, thin plates
are very easily warped during
a welding application. When
working with thin gage
material, care must be
exercised to avoid warping it.
The defect may not
structurally weaken the part,
but the finished weldment
will certainly be less pleasing
to the eye. Additionally the
warped weldment may not
function properly when put
to use. Warping, in some
instances may be removed
by flame heating
applications. It is best,
however, to follow a welding
program that will hold
warping to a minimum.
Cracks Cracks in a weld usually
indicate weld failure or at
least the start of a condition
that may lead to weld failure
if is not corrected. There are
many kinds of cracks in
welds, some of which are
more serious than others.
Even so, all types of cracks
should be considered as
points of weakness and steps
taken to eliminate their
cause and occurrence.
The most common cracks in
and about a weld joint are
crater cracks, under bead
cracks and longitudinal
cracks. Cracks along the edge
of the weld are sometimes
referred to as toe cracks,
than there are also hairline
cracks across the weld and
micro-cracks.
While these various cracks
9/27/2018
Cause Solution
start welding. Preheat may be helpful
prior to welding since it will tend to
relieve stresses brought by rolling or
forming.
1. Improper preparation 1. Be careful with the fit-up when it comes
of the joint to be to joint preparation. Do not have
welded excessive space between the parts to be
2. Using a wrong welding welded. Where there is likely to be
procedure shrinkage despite all normal precautions,
3. Failure to clamp parts hammer the joint edges thinner than the
properly rest of the sheet before welding. This will
4. Excessive local heating elongate the edges so that weld
in the area of a weld shrinkage will cause them to pull back to
5. Shrinkage of deposited their original shape
weld metal 2. To avoid shrinkage use a back step or
skip sequence welding process
3. Clamping the parts adjacent to the joint
will tend to eliminate shrinkage
4. In welding thin gage material, weld as
rapidly as possible to prevent excessive
local heating in the vicinity of the weld.
5. To avoid shrinkage of the weld metal, use
a high speed welding electrode with
moderate penetrating characteristics
1. The base metal is not 1. Avoid trying to weld a high –sulphur,
of a weldable grade high-phosphorous steel
material 2. In preparing joints for welding, space
2. Improper preparation members uniformly so the gap is even. In
of the weld joints some instances this may mean there is a
3. Wrong welding gap in the welding groove while in other
procedure instances the parts may be welded
4. The weld joint is too closely together. The size of the
rigid weldment and the welding problem at
5. Welds too small for the hand will determine the gap spacing. Be
size of the parts being sure surfaces to be welded are
joined in the structure completely free of dirt, oil, moisture or
other contamination
3. Be sure the welding procedure is such as
to provide sound welds of good fusion.
The welding sequence should allow open
ends of the weldment to move as long as
possible. Avoid stringer bead welding if
cracking is a problem; use a weaving
technique to make full size weld, doing
the job by sections 8 or 10 in long. Crater
cracks may be eliminated by filling the
weld crater at the end of each bead.
Preheating the parts to be welded is
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 Troubleshooting welding problems.
Problem Description
appear in different parts of
the weld and result from
different causes,
identification and elimination
of the basic fault leading to
such structural defects will
result in crack free welds.
Porosity Porosity in welds does not
normally present a problem
from a strength standpoint,
unless the weld is extremely
porous. Uniformly
distributed porosity that is
microscopic in size may be
beneficial under some
service conditions. Surface
holes in the weld bead are
undesirable from an
appearance standpoint and
can be starting point for
fatigue cracks or result in
other defective weld
conditions. Weld
imperfections closely related
to porosity are blow holes,
gas pockets and slag
inclusions. These conditions
tend to weakness the weld
much more than ordinary
porosity.
9/27/2018
Cause Solution
often helpful in avoid cracked welds. If
electrodes are of type whose
performance is affected by moisture pick
up, be sure they are thoroughly dried
before using.
4. Be sure structure to be welded has been
designed properly and a welding
procedure developed to eliminate rigid
joints
5. Always be sure the weld bead is of
sufficient strength to withstand the
stresses that might develop from the
heat of welding. Do not use too small a
weld bead between heavy plates. Be sure
to use welds of sufficient size on all joints
1. One of the major 1. Be sure the base metal is one that will
causes of porosity is produce a porosity free weld. High
poor base metal sulphur, phosphorus and silicon steel
2. Improper welding sometimes produce gaseous
procedure also results combinations which tend to make blow
in porosity of weld holes and gas pockets. Non-ferrous
metal material high in oxygen also tends to
3. Porosity may be an result in porous welds. Base metal
inherent defect of the containing segregations and impurities
welding electrode contribute to porosity.
being used 2. The welding procedure has much to do
with the soundness of finished welds. Do
not use excessive currents but be sure
that each layer of weld metal is
completely free of slag and flux before
depositing another layer. Puddle the
weld, keeping the metal molten
sufficiently long to allow entrapped gases
to escape. Use a weaving pass in making
the weld since a series of stringer beads
is apt to contain minute pin holes.
3. Since some electrodes have a tendency
to produce sounder welds than others,
try to use such electrodes in making
welds. Most low-hydrogen electrodes will
be found helpful in eliminating porosity.
When using the submerged arc process,
be sure the flux is suited to scavenging
gaseous elements. When using bare
electrodes, thorough drying of them or
selection of a type that has a copper flash
coating will eliminate oxygen or
hydrogen being introduced into the weld
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 Troubleshooting welding problems.
Problem Description
Brittle Brittleness in a weld is a very
Welds undesirable characteristic.
This weakness, though
generally not really apparent,
might result in a weld failure
under conditions of extreme
loading or shock. Brittle
welds can and must be
avoided if the desired life
and maximum efficiency are
to be obtained from a weld
joint. This type of weld is not
desirable under any
condition even though it may
be a type of weld that
produces an extremely hard
deposit which might seem
satisfactory for overcoming
abrasive wear.
Corrosion The corrosion of weld
deposits on base metal after
welding is an undesirable
characteristic. While this
corroded condition may not
be classified as either a
structural or appearance
defect, it is undesirable and
may lead to one or the other
of these defects by its
persistence. Welds that
9/27/2018
Cause Solution
1. The most general 1.
cause of the brittle
weld is the use of
excessive welding hat
in the making of the 2.
weld
2. Welding high carbon or
alloy base metals
without proper
considerations
3. Improper joint
preparation
4. Failure to use a
satisfactory welding
electrode
3.
4.
1. Improper weld deposit 1.
for the corrosive
working conditions
2. Failure to clean weld
deposit and base metal
after welding
3. Metallurgical effects of
welding
2.
from moisture on the surface of the
electrode.
Avoid excessive welding heats as they
may result in a coarse grain structure
and burnt metal which tend to result in
a brittle weld.
If there is any likelihood of a brittle weld,
exercise care in selecting the base metal.
It should not be welded until the
analysis and welding characteristics are
known. In some instances the weld
deposit may absorb alloying elements
from the base metal to make it hard and
brittle; lower welding current and faster
electrode travel will decrease
penetration and admixture. Multiple
layer welds will provide upper layers of
less alloy content and greater strength.
Improper welding procedure or base
metal preparation often results in brittle
welds. When welding on medium
carbon (above 30% carbon) or certain
alloy steels, the weld zone may
become hard and brittle as a result of
rapid cooling. Avoid this by preheating to
300 to 500 F prior to welding. While a
single pass deposit may tend to
embrittle, multiple pass welds will result
in annealing of the hardened zone to
produce a refined structure in the
weld deposit that lacks brittleness.
Annealing at 1100 to 1200 F after
welding will generally reduce hardened
areas formed by welding.
Use a coated electrode that will deposit
metal which when mixed with base metal
will provide a weld metal of non-brittle
composition.
Corrosion will be a problem when the
weldment incorporates a material that
corrodes readily when exposed to
corrosive atmosphere. Exercise extreme
care in selecting the base and filler
metals of weldments to be subjected to
corrosive atmosphere. This selection
should be based on the best
metallurgical knowledge of the material
to withstand corrosion.
Be sure to completely remove flux and
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 Troubleshooting welding problems.
Problem Description
corrode may eventually fail
because of cracks and other
defects resulting from
corrosion. The light metals
are especially susceptible to
corrosion as are the un-
stabilized stainless steel.
Arc Blow Magnetic arc blow, or arc
blow, as it is more commonly
known, is a difficulty
sometimes encountered in
welding in tight places using
a DC power source. The
magnetic field developed
causes the arc to jump one
way or another from the
point at which it is directed.
This condition naturally
makes welding much more
difficult and the appearance
of the finished weld less
pleasing.
9/27/2018
Cause Solution
3. When welding stainless steel, use a filler
1. The magnetic field 1. Arc blow can frequently be eliminated by
developed by the DC
arc causes the arc to
blow away from the
point at which it is
directed. This difficulty
is quite prevalent at
the ends of joints and
in the corners of
weldments.
2. If the suggestions do not eliminate arc
other materials deposited on the base
metal which might tend to accelerate
corrosion. It is extremely essential that
the light metals, such as aluminum and
magnesium, be thoroughly cleansed of
their fluxes, since the welding flux used
on these materials is of a highly corrosive
type.
metal equal to or better than the base
metal. When the application calls for an
austenitic material, an extra-low carbon
or stabilized stainless base metal is
preferable to avoid corrosion after
welding. Otherwise, carbide precipitation
in the heat-affected zone of the stainless
may result in a loss of the corrosion
resisting qualities. These qualities can be
restored after welding, however, by
annealing the weldment at 1900-2050 F.
proper location of the ground connection
on the work. Making the ground
connection in the direction the arc blows
from the point of welding will often
prove helpful in reducing the arc blow.
Separating the ground into two or more
parts also is generally quite helpful.
Another means of eliminating arc blow is
to weld toward the direction the arc
wants to jump. Use a short welding arc.
In some instances the placing of a bar
across the open end of a weld groove will
complete the magnetic circuit to provide
a path for the magnetic flux which would
otherwise crowd across its arc.
blow, switch to AC welding which is arc
blow free.
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