Weld Defects

Defects which may be detected by visual inspection can

be grouped under five headings
§ Cracks § Lack of fusion

§ Solid inclusions § Mechanical damage

§ Surface and profiles § Parent material damage

§ Misalignment (set-up § Miscellaneous

CSWIP Welder Training
irregularities)
Defects/Repairs
§ Gas pores and porosity

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Cracks
Cracks that may occur in welded materials are caused
generally by by many factors and may be classified by
shape and position, cracks are classed as planar.
Cracks Classified by Shape Classified by Position
§ Longitudinal § HAZ
§ Transverse § Centreline

§ Branched § Crater

§ Chevron § Fusion zone

§ Parent metal

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Process Cracks Cracks

§Hydrogen induced cold cracking

(HICC)
Longitudinal parent metal crack Transverse weld metal crack
§Solidification cracking (Hot Tearing)

§Lamellar tearing

§Re heat cracking

Longitudinal weld metal crack Lamellar tearing

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 Inclusions

Transverse crack Longitudinal crack

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Gas Cavities Gas Cavities

Gas pore <1.5mm Blow hole.1.5mm
Gas pore Cluster porosity
§ Loss of gas shield

§ Damp electrodes Porosity

§ Contamination
Blow hole
Herringbone porosity § Arc length too large

§ Damaged electrode flux

§ Moisture on parent material

§ Welding current too low Root piping

Root piping
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Solid Inclusions
Slag inclusions are defined as a non-metallic inclusion
caused by some welding process
§ Slag originates from welding
flux
§ MAG and TIG welding
process produce silica
Slag inclusions Lack of sidewall inclusions
fusion with
associated slag
§ Slag is caused by
inadequate cleaning
§ Other inclusions include
tungsten and copper
inclusions from the TIG and
Parallel slag lines Lack of interun
Cluster porosity Herring bone porosity fusion + slag MAG welding process
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 Lack of Fusion

Interpass slag inclusions Elongated slag lines

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Surface and profile Defects Overlap

An imperfection at the toe or root of a weld caused by
§ Poor welder skill metal flowing on to the surface of the parent metal
without fusing to it
§ Incorrect electrode
manipulation § Contamination
Incomplete filled groove
+ Lack of sidewall fusion § Arc blow
§ Slow travel speed
§ Incorrect welding

1 current/voltage § Incorrect welding technique

2
§ Incorrect travel speed
§ Current too low
1. Lack of sidewall fusion § Incorrect inter-run cleaning
2. Lack of inter-run fusion

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Overlap Root Defects

§ Low Amps/volts

§ Large Root face

Incomplete root fusion § Small Root Gap

§ Fast Travel Speed

§ Incorrect Electrode Angle

Incomplete root penetration § Contamination

Toe Overlap § Arc blow

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 Root Defects

Lack of root fusion Lack of root Penetration

Lack of root penetration Lack of root fusion

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Profile Defects

Surface and Profile

Incomplete filled groove Poor cap profile

Poor cap profiles and excessive

cap reinforcements may lead to
stress concentration points at
the weld toes and will also
contribute to overall poor toe
blend Excessive cap height

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Profile Defects

Poor stop/starts

Excess cap reinforcement Incomplete filled groove

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 Miscellaneous Defects Miscellaneous Defects

§ Excessive current § Accidental striking of the arc

§ Damp electrodes onto the parent material

§ Contamination § Faulty electrode holder

§ Incorrect wire feed speed § Poor cable insulation

when welding with the MAG § Poor return lead clamping

welding process
Arc strike
Spatter

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Undercut Cap Undercut

An irregular groove at the toe of a weld run in the
parent metal
§ Excessive amps/volts Measured in both Length & Depth

§ Excessive travel speed

§ Incorrect electrode angle

§ Excessive weaving

§ Incorrect welding technique

§ Electrode too large

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Shrinkage Groove
A shallow groove caused by contraction in the weld
metal along each side of the penetration bead

§ Insufficient weld metal

deposited in the root pass

§ Too fast a cooling rate during

the application of the root
bead pass
Shrinkage groove
§ Poor welding technique

Root undercut Cap undercut

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 Concave Root Concave Root
A shallow groove, which may occur in the root of a butt weld

§ Root faces too large

§ Root gap too large

§ Excessive back purge pressure

during TIG welding
Concave root § Excessive root bead grinding
before the application of the
second pass

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Excessive Root Penetration Excessive Root Penetration

Root penetration bead in excess in accordance with the
relevant specification being used

§ Root faces too small

§ Root gap too large

§ Excessive amps/volts

Excessive root penetration § Slow travel speed

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Burn Through
A localized collapse of the weld pool due to excessive
penetration resulting in a hole in the root run

§ High Amps/volts

§ Small Root face

§ Large Root Gap

§ Slow Travel Speed

Burn through

Concave root Excessive root penetration

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 Root Defects Root Coking/Oxidized Root

§ Loss or insufficient back

purging gas

§ Most commonly occurs

when welding stainless
Burn steels
Through
§ Purging gases include
argon, helium and
occasionally nitrogen

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Burn through M.S.Rogers Copyright © 2003 TWI Ltd M.S.Rogers

Crater Pipe Crater Pipe

Crater pipe is a shrinkage defect and not a gas defect, it

has the appearance of a gas pore in the weld crater

Weld crater
§ Too fast a cooling rate

§ Deoxidization reactions and

liquid to solid volume
change
Crater crack
(Star crack) § Contamination
Crater pipe

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Crater Pipe/Cracks

Crater Cracks
Mechanical Damage

Crater pipe

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

§ Grinding Set--up Irregularities

Set
§ Hammering

§ Chiselling

§ Chipping

§ Breaking off welded attachments (torn surfaces)

§ Using needle guns to compress weld capping runs

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Set--up Irregularities
Set Linear Misalignment

Linear misalignment is measured

from the lowest plate to the
highest point of the cap

Plate/pipe Linear Misalignment Highest point

(Hi-Lo) of the cap
mm

Angular misalignment is
measured in degreeso
Lowest plate

Angular Misalignment

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Parent Material Defects Plate Lamination

A welding inspector should also inspect the parent
material for any visible defects

Mechanical damage Lap

Lamination

Segregation line

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 Questions
QU 1. Give two main causes for the occurrence of a burn through

QU 2. Give two main causes for the occurrence of excessive root

Any
Any Questions?
Questions? penetration on a single-V butt weld

QU 3. Give five defects, which may occur when welding carbon

steel using the MMA welding process with the current
setting to low

QU 4. Give three possible causes for the occurrence of lack of

side wall fusion

QU 5. Sketch the following defects

a. Lack of root wall fusion b. Lack of root penetration
c. Incomplete filled groove d. Concave root

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Welding Repairs

In the event of repair

Weld Repairs § Authorization for repair

§ Removal and preparation for repair

§ Testing of repair - visual and NDT

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Weld Repairs Weld Repairs

§ A weld repair may be used to improve weld profiles or The specification or procedure will govern how the defective
areas are to be removed. The method of removal may be
extensive metal removal
§ Repairs to fabrication defects are generally easier than
§ Grinding
repairs to service failures because the repair procedure
may be followed § Chipping
§ The main problem with repairing a weld is the § Machining
maintenance of mechanical properties
§ Filing
§ During the inspection of the removed area prior to welding
the inspector must ensure that the defects have been § Oxy-Gas gouging
totally removed and the original joint profile has been § Arc air gouging
maintained as close as possible Arc air gouging
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