Batam Training Institute

Welding
g Defect

Weld Defect

Defects which can be detected by

visual inspection can be grouped :

{ root defects
{ contour defects
{ surface irregularities
g
{ surface cracks
{ miscellaneous

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Weld Defect

1. Root defects
Area to be 2. Contour defects
inspected 3. Surface irregularities

4. Surface cracks
5. Miscellaneous

Group 1 - 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 concavity
(suck-back; under washing - non-standard terms)
A shallow ggroove which may y 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 centerline
{ Burnthrough
(melt through)
A localized collapse of the molten pool due to excessive
penetration, resulting in a hole in the weld run

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Group 1 - Root defects

Incomplete root fusion or penetration

{ Incomplete root fusion is when the

weld fails to fuse one side of the
joint in the root. Incomplete root
penetration occurs when both sides
of the joint are unfused.

Incomplete root fusion or

penetration
a) An excessively thick root face in a butt weld.

b) Too small a root gap

c) Misplaced welds

il
d)) Failure tto remove sufficient
ffi i t metal
t l in
i cutting
tti b
back
k tto
sound metal in a double sided weld

e) Incomplete root fusion when using too low an arc

energy (heat) input

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Group 1 - Root defects

LACK OF ROOT FUSION
Lack of union on the root of a joint

LACK OF ROOT FUSION

{ In MIG welding, the correct welding parameters

for the material thickness
thickness, and a short arc length,
length
should give adequate weld bead penetration.
{ Too low a current level for the size of root face
will give inadequate weld penetration.
{ Too high a level, causing the welder to move too
quickly, will result in the weld pool bridging the
root without achieving adequate penetration.
{ It is also essential that the correct root face size
and bevel angles are used and that the joint gap
is set accurately. To prevent the gap from closing,
adequate tacking will be required.

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LACK OF ROOT FUSION

Best practice in prevention

{ The following techniques can be used to prevent lack of
root fusion:
{ In TIG welding, do not use too large a root face and
ensure the welding current is sufficient for the weld
pool to penetrate fully the root
{ In MMA welding, use the correct current level and not
too large an electrode size for the root
{ In MIG welding, use a sufficiently high welding current
level but adjust the arc voltage to keep a short arc
length
{ When using a joint configuration with a joint gap, make
sure it is of adequate size and does not close up during
welding
{ Do not use too high a current level causing the weld
pool to bridge the gap without fully penetrating the
root.

LACK OF ROOT FUSION

Remedial actions
If the root cannot be directly inspected,
for example using a penetrant or
magnetic particle inspection technique,
detection is by radiography or ultrasonic
inspection. Remedial action will normally
q
require removal by
y gouging
g g g or g grinding
g to
sound metal, followed by re-welding in
conformity with the original procedure.

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Excessive penetration
(Excess penetration bead)
{ Fig.1. Excess penetration
Excess weld metal protruding
p g
through the root of a fusion (butt)
weld made from one side only.
{ With pipe welding this type of
imperfection may cause effects in
the fluid flow that can cause
erosion and/or corrosion
problems.

{ Common causes
{ Penetration becomes excessive
when
h the
h joint gap is too large,
l
the root faces are too small, the
heat input to the joint is too high
or a combination of these causes.

Excessive penetration
(Excess penetration bead)

Acceptance
{ The criteria which sets the level of acceptable
penetration depends primarily on the application code
or specification.
{ ASME B31.3 bases acceptability on the nominal
thickness of the weld, for instance, allowing for a
thickness range of 13-25mm up to 4mm of protrusion.
However, ASME notes that 'more stringent criteria may
be specified in the engineering design'.

Avoidance
{ It is important to ensure that joint fit-up is as specified
in the welding procedure. If welder technique is the
problem then re training is required.

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Root concavity
(suck-back; underwashing)
Common causes
{ Root concavity is caused by
shrinkage of the weld pool in
the through-thickness direction
of the weld. Melting of the root
pass by the second pass can
also produce root concavity.

{ This imperfection is frequently

associated with TIG welding
with the most common cause
being poor preparation leaving
the root gap either too small or,
in some cases, too large.
Excessively high welding speeds
make the formation of root
concavity more likely.

Root concavity
(suck-back; underwashing)

Acceptance
{ The root concavity may be acceptable. This will
depend on the relevant standard being worked to.
For example:
{ ASME B31.3 requires that the 'total joint thickness,
including weld reinforcement, must be greater than
the weld thickness'.

Avoidance
{ It is important to ensure that joint fit-up is as
specified in the welding procedure and that the
defined parameters are being followed. If welder
technique is the problem then retraining is required.

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Root Defects

Concave root Excess root penetration

Burn Through

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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

ƒ High Amps/volts

ƒ Small Root face

ƒ Large Root Gap

ƒ Slow Travel Speed

Burn through

Group 2 - Contour defects

{ Incompletely filled groove

A continuous or intermittent channel
in the surface of a weld,
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
A non-standard term used to
describe poor appearance
{ Unequal
q legs
g
(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

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Incomplete filled groove

{ Incomplete filled groove This is

a continuous, or intermittent,
channel in the surface of a weld,
running along its length, due to
insufficient weld metal.

{ Common causes
{ This problem arises when there
has been insufficient filler metal
(current or wire feed too low or
g a travel speed)
too high p ) so that
the joint has not been sufficiently
filled. The result is that the
thickness of weldment is less than
that specified in the design, which
could lead to failure.

Incomplete filled groove

Acceptance
{ Most
M t standards
t d d will ill nott acceptt this
thi type
t off
imperfection, except perhaps over short lengths and
even then a smooth transition is required. The
designer expects the joint to be adequately filled, but
not too much so (see excess weld metal).
{ Often the presence of this imperfection is an
indication of poor workmanship and could suggest
that further training is required.
{ This second article on shape imperfections refers
mostly to fillet welds but there are two additional
butt weld imperfections that require some comment.

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Contour Defects

Excess cap reinforcement Incomplete filled groove

Asymmetric fillet weld (a fillet weld where

the legs are of unequal length)

{ Asymmetric fillet weld

Common causes :
Due to incorrect electrode
positioning or to gravity
pulling the molten pool
towards one face of the joint.
It is an mainly a problem
with fillet welds made in the
horizontal/vertical (PB)
position.

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Asymmetric fillet weld (a fillet weld where

the legs are of unequal length)

{ Acceptance
{ There are instances where asymmetry may be
specified ( e.g. to place the toe stress concentration
in a particular region).
{ for a 10mm leg length fillet weld ( i.e. 7.1mm
throat) allow a difference in leg lengths of about
2.5mm at the stringent quality level and 3.4mm at
the moderate quality level. Acceptance is related to
the throat thickness.
{ The consequence of this imperfection is a significant
increase in weld volume.
volume
{ Provided the leg length requirement is achieved
there would not be a loss of strength.
{ Perhaps this is why, in other standards, a
requirement is not specified and the acceptability is
left to the inspection personnel to make the
'engineering judgement'!

Group 3 - Surface irregularities

{ 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
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

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Group 3 - Surface irregularities

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
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

Undercut

{ The figure shows

undercut at surface of a
completed joint but it
may also be found at the
toes of each pass of a
multi-run weld.

Fig.2.
Fig 2 Undercut { The latter can result in
This is an irregular groove slag becoming trapped in
at the toe of a run in the the undercut region.
parent metal.

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Undercut

Common causes
{ When arc and gas welding, undercut is
probably the most common shape ‰ Excessive amps/volts
imperfection.
f
{ With single-sided pipe welds it may also
‰ Excessive travel speed
be found at the bore surface. It may
also be seen on the vertical face of fillet ‰ Incorrect electrode angle
welds made in the horizontal vertical
position. ‰ Excessive weaving
{ A wide spreading arc (high arc voltage)
with insufficient fill (low current or high ‰ Incorrect welding technique
travel speed) is the usual cause.
{ welder technique, especially when ‰ Electrode too large
weaving, and the way the welding torch
is angled can both cause and be used to
overcome undercutting ( i.e. angled to
push the weld metal to fill the melted
groove). High welding current will also
cause undercut - this is generally
associated with the need for a high
travel speed to avoid overfilling of the
joint.

Undercut

{ acceptance
{ AWS D1.1
D1 1 has a limit of 1mm.
1mm Standards may
also place limits on the length of the undercut.
{ Measuring undercut can be a problem because of
the small size of the imperfection compared with
the general environment where there can be mill
scale, irregularities in the surface and spatter.
{ In critical applications the imperfection can be
'corrected' by blend grinding or by depositing an
additional weld bead.

{ Avoidance
{ This imperfection may be avoided by reducing
travel speed and/or the welding current and by
maintaining the correct arc length.

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Undercut

Root undercut Cap undercut

Overlap (cold lapping)

{ Fig.3. Overlap
This is an imperfection at a toe or
root of a weld caused by metal
flowing on to the surface of the
parent metal without fusing to it. It
may occur in both fillet and butt
welds.

{ Common causes
This is often caused by poor
manipulation of the electrode or
welding gun, especially when the weld
pool is large and 'cold', where the
welder allows gravity to influence the
weld shape before solidification.
Tightly adherent oxides or scale on
the metal surface can also prevent
the weld metal fusing with the parent
metal to cause the overlap
imperfection.

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Overlap (cold lapping)

{ Avoidance
{ A id
Avoidance is
i achieved
hi d through
th h an
acceptable level of welder skill and a
reduction in weld pool size (obtained by
reducing current or increasing travel
speed). Adequate cleaning of the parent
plate is also important.
{ Acceptance
{ St d d rarely
Standards l allow
ll the
th presence off
this imperfection, unless the length is
short. Overlap can be very difficult to
detect, especially if it is extremely small.

Linear misalignment

Fig.4 Linear misalignment (Also known

g )
in the USA as high-low).
{ This imperfection relates to deviations
from the correct position/alignment of
the joint.

Common causes
{ This is primarily a result of poor
component fit-up before welding,
which can be compounded by
variations in the shape and thickness
of components ( eg out of roundness of
pipe). Tacks that break during welding
may allow the components to move
relative to one another, again resulting
in misalignment.
{ erosion.

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Linear misalignment

Acceptance
{ The
h acceptability
bl off this
h defect
d f is related
l d
to the design function of the structure
or pipe line either in terms of the ability
to take load across the misalignment or
because such a step impedes the flow of
fluid.
{ Acceptance varies with the application.
{ AWS D1.1 allows 10% of the wall
thickness up to a maximum of 3mm

{ Th consequence off linear

The li misalignment
i li
can, when welding is carried out from
one side, be lack of root or sidewall
fusion to give a sharp continuous
imperfection along the higher weld face
toe. In some situations linear
Linear Misalignment misalignment in the bore of a pipe can
lead to in-service problems where
turbulence of the carrier fluid in the pipe
creates subsequent

Read the Bead

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Linear misalignment

Linear Misalignment

Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

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Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

The characteristic features and principal causes of

porosity imperfections are described. Best practice
guidelines
id li are given
i so welders
ld can minimise
i i i
porosity risk during fabrication.

Porosity

Cluster porosity Herringbone porosity

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Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

{ Identification
{ Porosity is the presence of cavities in the
weld metal caused by the freezing in of
gas released from the weld pool as it
solidifies. The porosity can take several
forms:
{ distributed
{ surface
f breaking
b ki pores
{ wormhole
{ crater pipes

Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

{ Distributed
porosity (Fig. 1) is
normally found as
fine pores
throughout the
weld bead.
Surface breaking
Fig. 1. Uniformly distributed
porosity pores

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Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

usually
y indicate a
large amount of
distributed porosity

Fig. 2. Surface breaking pores (T fillet

weld in primed plate)

Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

{ Cause

{ Porosity is caused by the absorption of nitrogen,

oxygen and hydrogen in the molten weld pool which is
then released on solidification to become trapped in the
weld metal.
{ Nitrogen and oxygen absorption in the weld pool
usually originates from poor gas shielding.
{ As little as 1% air entrainment in the shielding gas will
cause distributed porosity and greater than 1.5%
results in gross surface breaking pores.
{ Leaks in the gas line, too high a gas flow rate, draughts
and excessive turbulence in the weld pool are frequent
causes of porosity.

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Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

{ Source
{ Hydrogen can originate from a number of
sources including moisture from
inadequately dried electrodes, fluxes or the
workpiece surface. Grease and oil on the
surface of the workpiece or filler wire are
also common sources of hydrogen

Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

{ Surface coatings like primer paints and surface

t
treatments
t t suchh as zinc
i coatings,
ti may
generate copious amounts of fume during
welding. The risk of trapping the evolved gas
will be greater in T joints than butt joints
especially when fillet welding on both sides

{ Special mention should be made of the so-so

called weldable (low zinc) primers. It should
not be necessary to remove the primers but if
the primer thickness exceeds the
manufacturer's recommendation, porosity is
likely to result especially when using welding
processes other than MMA.
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Gas pores and porosity/ cavity

Prevention

The gas source should be identified and removed as follows:

{ Air entrainment
{ - seal any air leak
{ - avoid weld pool turbulence
{ - use filler with adequate level of deoxidants
{ - reduce excessively high gas flow
{ - avoid draughts

{ Hydrogen
{ - dry the electrode and flux
{ - clean and degrease the workpiece surface

{ Surface coatings
{ - clean the joint edges immediately before welding
{ - check that the weldable primer is below the
recommended maximum thickness

Wormholes

{ Elongated pores or
wormholes
{ Characteristically,
wormholes are elongated
pores. which produce a
herring bone appearance on
the radiograph.

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Wormholes

{ Cause
{ Wormholes are indicative of a large amount of gas
being formed which is then trapped in the solidifying
weld metal.
{ Excessive gas will be formed from gross surface
contamination or very thick paint or primer coatings.
{ Entrapment is more likely in crevices such as the
gap beneath the vertical member of a horizontal-
vertical, T joint which is fillet welded on both sides.
{ When welding T joints in primed plates it is essential
th t th
that the coating
ti thi
thickness
k on the
th edge
d off the
th vertical
ti l
member is not above the manufacturer's
recommended maximum, typically 20µm, through
over-spraying

Wormholes

{ Prevention
{ Eli i ti
Eliminating th
the gas and
d cavities
iti preventst
wormholes.
{ Gas generation
- clean the workpiece surfaces
- remove any coatings from the joint area
- check the primer thickness is below the
manufacturer's maximum
{ Joint geometry
- avoid a joint geometry which creates a
cavity

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Crater pipe

A crater pipe forms during

the final solidified weld
pool and is often
associated with some gas
porosity.

{ A depression due to
shrinkage at the end of
a run where the source
off heat
h was removed.
d

{ Causes - breaking the

arc too quickly, too
rapid cooling.

Crater pipe

Cause
{ This imperfection results from shrinkage
on weld pool solidification.
{ Consequently, conditions which
exaggerate the liquid to solid volume
change will promote its formation.
{ Switching off the welding current will
result in the rapid
p solidification of a large
g
weld pool.
{ In TIG welding, autogenous techniques,
or stopping the wire before switching off
the welding current, will cause crater
formation and the pipe imperfection.

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Crater pipe

{ Prevention
C t pipe
Crater i iimperfection
f ti can b
be prevented
t d by
b
removing the stop or by welder technique.
{ Removal of stop
- use run-off tag in butt joints
- grind out the stop before continuing with the
next electrode or depositing the subsequent weld
run
{ W ld
Welder technique
t h i
- progressively reduce the welding current to
reduce the weld pool size
- add filler (TIG) to compensate for the weld pool
shrinkage

Porosity susceptibility of materials

Material Gas Cleaning

C-Mn steel Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Grind to remove scale coatings

Oxygen

Stainless steel Hydrogen Degrease + wire brush + degrease

Aluminium and Hydrogen Chemical clean + wire brush + degrease +

alloys scrape

Copper and alloys Hydrogen, Nitrogen Degrease + wire brush + degrease

Nickel and alloys Nitrogen Degrease + wire brush + degrease

Principal gases causing porosity and

recommended cleaning methods

Gases likely to cause porosity in the commonly used

range of materials are listed in the Table.
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Group 4 - 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
ff t d zone
c) ... transverse
d) Crater crack
(star cracking)

Cracks

Typical types of cracks :

{ Hydrogen cracking

{ Solidification cracking

{ Lamellar tears

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Crack (transverse and longitudinal)

Hydrogen Cracking

{ There are three factors which combine to

cause cracking
ki iin arc welding:
ldi
{ hydrogen generated by the welding process
{ a hard brittle structure which is susceptible
to cracking
{ tensile stresses acting on the welded joint
{ Cracking generally occurs when the
temperature has reached normal ambient.
In practice, for
f a given situation (material
( l
composition, material thickness, joint type,
electrode composition and heat input), the
risk of hydrogen cracking is reduced by
heating the joint

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Hydrogen Cracking

Hydrogen Cracking

Factors:

1.Hydrogen > 15 ml hydrogen per 100 mg

weld metal
2.Temperature < 350q C
3.Hardness > 400 VPN (Vickers pyramid
number))
4.Stress > 50 % yield (cannot be measured
so assume it is > 50 % yield)

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Solidification cracking

Also known as hot cracking or centreline cracking. Always

occurs in the weld metal.
Causes - In carbon manganese steels; sulphur in the parent
plate, shape of the weld, stress.

Solidification cracking

{ Sulphur.
{ During solidification the centre of the weld is the
last to cool. Sulphur from the parent plate forms
iron sulphide with iron from the weld pool. The
iron sulphide forms a thin liquid film on the grain
boundaries, which has a lower melting point than
iron, so as the weld cools it is pushed towards
p
the centre of the weld. The iron sulphide has
very little tensile strength, so as it cools, the
weld is under stress and cracking will result.
Phosphorous contamination in the material can
also cause solidification cracking.

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Lamellar tears.

Lamellar tears.

Causes
{ Poor through thickness ductility in parent
plate where high shrinkage strains
(through thickness stress) act through the
plate thickness in combination with
parent metal inclusions.
{ The inclusions can be lamellar inclusions,
small micro inclusions or tramp elements
elements.
Only occurs on the leg with stresses on
the non-rolling direction / through
thickness

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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

ƒ Too fast a cooling rate

ƒ Deoxidization reactions
and liquid to solid volume
change

ƒ Contamination

Group 5 - Miscellaneous

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

Spatter
{ Globules of metal expelled during
welding on to the surface of parent
metal or of a weld

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Arc Strike

ƒ Accidental striking of the arc

onto the parent material

ƒ Faulty electrode holder

ƒ Poor cable insulation

ƒ Poor return lead clamping

Arc strike

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

ƒ Hammering

ƒ Chiselling

ƒ Chipping

ƒ Breaking off welded attachments (torn surfaces)

ƒ Using needle guns to compress weld capping runs

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Solid inclusions

Inclusions

Interpass slag inclusions Elongated slag lines

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Solid inclusions

Fig. 1. Radiograph of a butt weld

showing two slag lines in the weld
root

Solid inclusions

Slagg is normally
y seen as elongated
g
lines either continuous or
discontinuous along the length of
the weld. This is readily identified in
a radiograph, Fig 1. Slag inclusions
are usually associated with the flux
processes, ie MMA, FCA and
submerged arc, but they can also
occur in MIG welding

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Solid inclusions
Causes
{ As slag is the residue of the flux coating in MMA
welding,
g, it is principally
p p y a deoxidation pproduct from the
reaction between the flux, air and surface oxide. The
slag becomes trapped in the weld when two adjacent
weld beads are deposited with inadequate overlap and
a void is formed. When the next layer is deposited, the
entrapped slag is not melted out. Slag may also
become entrapped in cavities in multi-pass welds
through excessive undercut in the weld toe or the
uneven surface profile of the preceding weld runs, Fig
2.
{ As they both have an effect on the ease of slag
removal, the risk of slag imperfections is influenced by
{ Type of flux coating
{ Welder technique
{ The type and configuration of the joint, welding
position and access restrictions all have an influence on
the risk of slag imperfections.

Solid inclusions

a) Poor (convex) weld bead

profile resulted in pockets of
slag being trapped between the
weld runs

b) Smooth weld bead profile

allows the slag to be readily
removed between runs

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Solid inclusions

The ease of slag removal for the principal flux types

are:
Rutile or acid fluxes

{ large amounts of titanium oxide (rutile) with

some silicates.
{ The oxygen level of the weld pool is high enough
to give flat or slightly convex weld bead.
{ Th fl
The fluidity
idit off the
th slag
l is
i determined
d t i d by
b the
th
calcium fluoride content. Fluoride-free coatings
designed for welding in the flat position produce
smooth bead profiles and an easily removed slag.
{ The more fluid fluoride slag designed for
positional welding is less easily removed.

Solid inclusions

Basic fluxes –
{ the high proportion of calcium carbonate
(limestone) and calcium fluoride
(fluospar) in the flux reduces the oxygen
content of the weld pool and therefore its
surface tension.
{ The slag is more fluid than that produced
with the rutile coating
coating.
{ Fast freezing also assists welding in the
vertical and overhead positions but the
slag coating is more difficult to remove.

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Solid inclusions

Consequently,
q y, the risk of slag
g
inclusions is significantly greater
with basic fluxes due to the inherent
convex weld bead profile and the
difficulty in removing the slag from
the weld toes especially in multi-
pass welds.

Solid inclusions

Welder Technique.

Prevention of slag inclusions by grinding

between runs

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Solid inclusions
{ Welding technique has an important role to play in
preventing slag inclusions.
{ Electrode manipulation should ensure adequate
shape and degree of overlap of the weld beads to
avoid forming pockets which can trap the slag.
{ Thus, the correct size of electrode for the joint
preparation, the correct angle to the workpiece for
good penetration and a smooth weld bead profile are
all essential to prevent slag entrainment.
{ In multi-pass vertical welding, especially with basic
electrodes,, care must be taken to fuse out any y
remaining minor slag pockets and minimise undercut.
{ When using a weave, a slight dwell at the extreme
edges of the weave will assist sidewall fusion and
produce a flatter weld bead profile.
{ Too high a current together with a high welding
speed will also cause sidewall undercutting which
makes slag removal difficult.

Solid inclusions

Prevention of slag inclusions by grinding

between runs
{ It is crucial to remove all slag before depositing
the next run. This can be done between runs by
grinding, light chipping or wire brushing.
{ Cleaning tools must be identified for different
materials eg steels or stainless steels, and
segregated.
{ When welding with difficult electrodes, in narrow
vee butt joints or when the slag is trapped
through undercutting, it may be necessary to
grind the surface of the weld between layers to
ensure complete slag removal

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 Batam Training Institute

Solid inclusions

Best practice
{ The following techniques can be used to prevent
slag inclusions:
{ Use welding techniques to produce smooth weld
beads and adequate inter-run fusion to avoid
forming pockets to trap the slag
{ Use the correct current and travel speed to avoid
undercutting the sidewall which will make the slag
difficult to remove
{ Remove slag between runs paying particular
attention to removing any slag trapped in crevices
{ Use grinding when welding difficult butt joints
otherwise wire brushing or light chipping may be
sufficient to remove the slag.

Lack of fusion

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Batam Training Institute

Lack of fusion

Lack of union between

weld metal and parent
metal at a side of a
weld

Lack of fusion

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 Batam Training Institute

Lack Of Fusion

Lack of root penetration Lack of root fusion

LACK OF INTER-RUN FUSION

{ Lack of fusion
i
imperfections
f ti can
occur when the weld
metal fails
{ to fuse completely
with the sidewall of
the joint (Fig. 1)
{ to penetrate
adequately the
previous weld bead
(Fig. 2).

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Batam Training Institute

LACK OF INTER-RUN FUSION

Magnetic arc blow

{ Fig. 3. Interaction of
magnetic forces causing
arc deflection

Fig. 4. Weld bead deflection in

DC MMA welding caused by
welding past the current return
connection

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 Batam Training Institute

Magnetic arc blow

{ When welding ferromagnetic steels lack of

f i
fusion iimperfections
f ti can b
be caused
d
through uncontrolled deflection of the arc,
usually termed arc blow. Arc deflection
can be caused by distortion of the
magnetic field produced by the arc
current (Fig. 3), through:
{ residual magnetism in the material
through using magnets for handling
{ earth's magnetic field, for example in
pipeline welding
{ position of the current return

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Batam Training Institute

Defect assessment form

Defects Weld face Weld root

Mark 'A' for acceptable
p
Mark 'R' for rejectable
Cracks
Incomplete side fusion
Incomplete interun fusion
Incomplete root fusion
Incomplete root penetration
U d
Undercut ddepth
h
Undercut blend
Undercut length
Excess penetration
Root concavity
Overlap

Questions

• Give two main causes for the occurrence of a burn

g
through
• Give two main causes for the occurrence of excessive
root penetration on a single-V butt weld
• Give five defects, which may occur when welding
carbon steel using the MMA welding process with the
current setting to low

• Give three possible causes for the occurrence of lack

of side wall fusion

• Sketch the following defects

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

Welding Defect Page 45