Visual Inspection of Welds

Butt Weld Size

a) excess weld metal height

b) root penetration

c) weld width

d) root bead width

Fillet welds (size)

Consider:

a) z minimum (and maximum) leg length size

b) a minimum design throat thickness

Shape (Butt Welds)

Consider:
Ideally, (a) is the most desirable but very often it may be difficult to achieve. Because of this, one should assess the excess weld height in conjunction with the weld profile and perhaps the toe blending.

Shape (Fillet Welds)

Consider:

In normal practice, (a) is the most desirable but, again, in many instances it is difficult to achieve. Acceptance levels, therefore, allow tolerances on weld shape.

Toe Blend (Butt Welds)

For butt welds, consider:
In normal practice, (a) is the most desirable but, again, in many instances it is difficult to achieve. Acceptance levels, therefore, allow tolerances on weld shape. Depending on the service conditions of the product, the toe blend may be of greater importance than the size and shape of the weld. A poor toe blend may reduce service life by a considerable margin if the product is under a cyclic load.

Toe Blend (Fillet Welds)

For fillet welds, consider:

In normal practice, (a) is the most desirable but, again, in many instances it is difficult to achieve. Acceptance levels, therefore, allow tolerances on weld shape.

Root Defects
Incomplete root penetration Failure of weld metal to extend into the root of a joint

Lack of root fusion Lack of union at the root of a joint

Excess penetration bead Excess weld metal protruding through the root of a fusion weld made from one side only

Root Defects
Root concavity (suck-back; underwashing - non-standard terms) A shallow groove which may occur in the root of a butt weld, but full fusion is evident

Shrinkage groove A shallow groove caused by contraction in the metal along each side of a penetration bead or along the weld centreline Burnthrough (melt through) A localised collapse of the molten pool due to excessive penetration, resulting in a hole in the weld run

Contour Defects

Incompletely filled groove A continuous or intermittent channel in the surface of a weld, running along its length, due to insufficient weld metal. The channel may be along the centre or along one or both edges of the weld

Bulbous Contour

Bulbous contour A non-standard term used to describe poor appearance

Unequal Legs
Unequal legs (non standard term) Variation of leg length on a fillet weld Note: Unequal leg lengths may be specified as part of the design - in which case they are not imperfections

Undercut
Undercut An irregular groove at a toe of a run in the parent metal or in previously deposited weld metal The inspector must determine if the undercut is continuous or intermittent, or sharp or smooth

Overlap

Overlap An imperfection at the toe or root of a weld caused by metal flowing on to the surface of the parent metal without fusing to it

Gas Pore
Gas pore A cavity, generally under 1.5mm in diameter, formed by trapped gas during the solidification of molten metal

Porosity A group of gas pores

Crater Pipe

Crater pipe A depression due to shrinkage at the end of a run where the source of heat was removed. Crater pipes may also lead to micro-cracking

Surface Cracks
Crack A linear discontinuity produced by fracture

Cracks may be ...

a) ... longitudinal, in the weld metal, i.e. centreline

b) ... longitudinal, in the parent metal or heat affected zone

c) ... transverse
d) Crater crack (star cracking)

Arc Strike
Stray flash/arc burn/arc strike (stray arcing) 1. The damage on the parent material resulting from the accidental striking of an arc away from the weld 2. The accidental striking of an arc away from the weld Note that the same term is used for both the action and the result

Weld Width
Weld width and consistency of weld width

For butt welds and fillet welds, consider: