Professional Documents
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AND
DISCONTINUITIES
DEFECT
• A flaw or flaws that by nature or accumulated effect render
a part or product unable to meet minimum applicable
acceptance standards or specifications. The term designates
rejectability.
DISCONTINUITY
• An interruption of the typical structure of a material, such as
a lack of homogeneity in its mechanical, metallurgical, or
physical characteristics. A discontinuity is not necessarily a
defect.
WELD JOINT DISCONTINUITIES
• Misalignment (hi-lo) • Inclusions • Base Metal
• Undercut • Slag Discontinuities
• Wagontracks – Lamellar tearing
• Underfill
• Tungsten – Laminations and
• Concavity or Convexity Delaminations
• Spatter
• Excessive reinforcement – Laps and Seams
• Arc Craters
• Improper reinforcement • Porosity
• Cracks
• Overlap – Uniformly Scattered
• Longitudinal
• Burn-through • Transverse
– Cluster
• Incomplete or Insufficient • Crater
– Linear
Penetration • Throat – Piping
• Incomplete Fusion • Toe • Heat-affected zone
• Surface irregularity • Root microstructure
– Overlap •
alteration
Underbead
• • Base Plate laminations
Arc Strikes • Hot
• Cold or delayed
• Size or dimensions
DIMENSIONAL DEFECTS
A Dimensional defects are any defect that cause the weld metal. Parent
metal, work piece to be out of specification or tolerance.
Dimensional defects are mainly caused by improper set up or distortion.
This should be managed before the welding process.
MISALIGNMENT (HI-LO)
• Definition: Amount a joint is out
of alignment at the root
• Cause: Carelessness. Also due to joining different
thicknesses (transition thickness)
• Prevention: Workmanship. Transition angles not to exceed
2.5 to 1.
• Repair: Grinding. Careful on surface finish and direction of
grind marks. Inside of Pipe /Tube difficult.
Linear Misalignment
UNDERCUT
• Definition: A groove cut at the
toe of the weld and left unfilled.
• Cause: High amperage, electrode
angle, long arc length, rust
• Prevention: Set machine on scrap metal. Clean metal
before welding.
• Repair: Weld with smaller electrode, sometimes must be
low hydrogen with preheat.
UNDERCUT
(CONT......)
• This is caused by :
• Travel speed being to slow
• Amps to low
• Poor electrode manipulation.
EXCESSIVE CONCAVITY OR
CONVEXITY
• Definition: Concavity or convexity of a fillet weld which
exceeds the specified allowable limits
• Cause: Amperage and travel speed
• Repair: Grind off or weld on. Must blend smoothly into the
base metal.
Concavity
EXCESSIVE CONCAVITY
Root Concavity
Convexity
EXCESSIVE CONVEXITY
REINFORCEMENT
The amount of a groove weld which extends beyond the surface
of the plate
Root Reinforcement
EXCESSIVE
REINFORCEMENT
• Definition: Specifically defined by the standard. Typically,
Reinforcement should be flush to 1/16”(pipe) or flush to
1/8” (plate or structural shapes).
• Cause: Travel speed too slow, amperage too low
• Cause: Carelessness
• Prevention: In difficult areas, adjacent areas can be
protected using fire blankets.
• Repair: Where applicable, arc strikes must be sanded
smooth and tested for cracks. If found, they must be remove
and repaired using a qualified repair procedure and
inspected as any other weld.
Arc Strike
INCLUSIONS
• Slag
• Wagontracks
• Tungsten
Slag Inclusion
• Definition: Slag entrapped within the weld
• Repair: Carefully grind the root pass face flat. be careful not
to gouge other areas on the weldment.
Wagon Tracks
Tungsten Inclusion
• Definition: A tungsten particle embedded in a weld.
(Typically GTAW only)
• Cause: Tungsten electrode too small, amperage too high,
AC balance on +, Upslope too high, electrode tip not
snipped, electrode dipped into the weld pool or touched
with the fill rod, electrode split.
• Prevention: Eliminate the cause