WELDING DEFECTS CAUSES &

SOLUTIONS
 GENERAL REASONS FOR DEFECTS
 Lack of know-how.

 Welding process characteristic.

 Base metal defects or base metal composition, with an inherent susceptibility

towards cracking.

 Defective welding filler metals.

 Joint environment (design fit-up, support etc)

 Welding environment (Atmosphere, preheat, interpass temperature,etc)

 TYPES OF DEFECTS
 Defects involving inadequate bonding
 Lack of fusion in fused weld.
 Incomplete penetration.

 Inclusion
 Slag Inclusion.
 Oxide film in fusion weld.
 Tungsten Inclusion.

 Geometric defects
 Undercut.
 Excessive Reinforcement.
 Burn through or excessive penetration.
 TYPES OF DEFECTS CONTD…
 Distortion.
 Improper weld profile.

 Metallurgical Defects
 Cracks, Gas porosity, Arc strike, Embitterment.
 DISCONTINUITY
 It is not always possible to produce a weld which is 100% free from
discontinuity.
 A discontinuity is defined as an interruption of the typical structure of a
weldment, such as lack of homogeneity in the mechanical, metallurgical
or physical characteristics of the material or weldment.
 A discontinuity is not necessarily a defect.
 Discontinuities are rejectable only if they exceed specification
requirements in terms of type, size, distribution or location.
 A rejectable discontinuity is referred to as a defect.
 All defects are discontinuities but, all discontinuities are not defects.
 Acceptance levels for the various types of discontinuities are set out in ISO 5817.
 DISCONTINUITY CONTD…
 There are three quality levels – B, C and D. Level B is the most severe and is
normally only required where demands are extremely high, e.g. in the welding of
pressure vessels.
 With the correct welding conditions, techniques and material quality standards,
the GMAW process will yield a very high quality weld deposit.
 However, as with any other welding process, weld defects can occur.
 Most defects encountered in welding are due to an improper welding procedure.
 Once the causes are determined, the operator can easily correct the problem.
 LACK OF FUSION
 Lack of fusion occurs when there is no
fusion between the weld metal and the
surfaces of the base plate.
 This is normally a serious imperfection
that can only be accepted, to a limited
extent, at the lowest quality level.
 It has adverse effects on mechanical
and corrosion properties as well as
structural integrity.
 LACK OF FUSION CONTD…
Common Causes
 Lack of fusion occurs when the melt pool is too large or when travel speed is so low that the
weld pool runs ahead of the arc.
 Narrow joint angles (less than ~60) and unfavorable welding positions (e.g.vertical-down) both
have a negative impact.
 If the melt pool is too cold or too small, non-molten edges may give rise to a lack of fusion.

Solutions
 Ensure that the travel speed and the wire speed/current are suitable for each other.
 Avoid welding in narrow/tight joints. If necessary, prior to welding, grind slightly to open the
joint.
 In MIG welding, weld bead penetration is wider when CO 2 or He is added to the shielding gas.
 INCOMPLETE PENETRATION/ LACK OF PENETRATION
This type of defect is found in any of three
ways:
 When the weld bead does not
penetrate the entire thickness of the
base plate.
 When two opposing weld beads do not
interpenetrate.
 When the weld bead does not
penetrate the toe of a fillet weld but
only bridges across it.
 Full penetration is essential for
structural integrity and good
mechanical and corrosion properties.
 INCOMPLETE PENETRATION CONTD…
Common Causes
 Root gap too narrow or the bevel angle too small.
 Diameter of the welding consumable too large.
 Incorrect welding parameters, i.e. too low current or too high voltage.
Solutions
 Increase the root gap (a common gap is 2 – 3 mm).
 Adjust the welding parameters (e.g. increasing the current while decreasing the travel
speed improves penetration).
 The angle of the welding torch is very important. A “leading” angle (torch angled towards
the travel direction) increases penetration.
 Grinding followed by a sealing run on the second side is sometimes used to ensure full
penetration.
 UNDERCUT
• A defect that appears as a groove
formed in the parent metal adjacent to
the toe of a weld along the edge of the
weld & left unfilled by the weld metal
• An undercut may serve as a stress
concentrator and, consequently, reduce
static and fatigue strength.
• Potentially, it is also a corrosion
initiation point.
 UNDERCUT CONTD…
Common causes
 Forms at weld toes when gravity and surface tension are insufficient for the weld
pool to flow adequately into the zone melted by the arc.
 High welding speed or current.
 Excessively large electrodes or wire diameter. • Improper weaving of the arc.
Solutions
 Adjust welding parameters/techniques.
 Undercut should be repaired, as required, by toe grinding and/or additional
welding,
  POROSITY
 Porosity is characterized by cavity
type discontinuity formed by gas
entrapment during solidification.
 Particularly if it is surface breaking,
porosity can be detrimental to the
corrosion performance of a weld.
 The various codes distinguish between
“isolated” and “clustered/ localized”
porosity.
 Dependent on the thickness being
welded, and the quality level in
question, considerable levels of
porosity may be allowed.
 POROSITY CONTD…
Common Causes
 Damp consumables (FCA, MMA and SAW fluxes) and/or moisture on the plate or
joint surface. • Grease or dirt on the plate or joint surface.
 Welding on top of primers or other coatings.
 Inadequate gas protection (TIG, MIG or PAW) due to draughts, too high or too low
gas flows or leaking hoses and connections.
 Moisture entrainment in the shielding gas.
Solutions
 Store consumables correctly in a climate controlled room.
 Take particular care when welding outdoors or in draughty locations.
 Prior to welding, carefully clean all plate and joint surfaces.
 To avoid leakage and moisture entrainment, check all hoses and connections.
TYPES OF POROSITY

Isolated Porosity

Clustered/ Localized
Porosity
 CRACKS
 Cracks may form in the weld or
base metal when localized stress
exceeds the ultimate strength of
the material.
 Cracks can be classified as
 Hot cracks
 Cold cracks
 Cracks are also designated
according to orientation with
respect to weld length
 Transverse crack
 Longitudinal crack
 According to location
 Face crack, Root crack, Toe
crack & Underbead crack etc.
 HOT CRACKS
 Hot Crack in the weld that occurs just after the welds are completed and
sometimes while the welds are being made.
 Solidification and liquation cracking (Hot cracking) both have a detrimental
effect on corrosion performance and structure.

Common Causes
 Solidification cracking – caused by a combination of high tension, unfavorable
solidification directions and segregation of contaminants during solidification of
the weld bead. Cracking is generally intergranular.
 Liquation cracking in the weld or HAZ – this is associated with multipass
welding (mainly SAW). Repeated welding passes may cause remelting of
secondary phases. In combination with high restraint, this may lead to cracking.
Crack morphology is generally intergranular.
 HOT CRACKS CONTD…
Solutions
 Avoid/reduce restraint.
 Minimize residual stresses by using balanced and double-sided welding
techniques.
 Avoid excessive heat input (max. 1.5 kJ/mm for fully austenitic steels).
 Ensure the weld zone is clean.
 Use basic fluxes/coatings – these give fewer inclusions/impurities.
 Use welding methods without any slag formers (e.g. TIG and MIG) – these
produce cleaner welds with fewer inclusions/impurities.
 COLD CRACKS
 Those cracks that occur after the weld bead has completely solidified are called
cold cracks.
 These defects can occur when the weld is too small to withstand the service
stresses involved.
Common Causes
 Cold cracks may form on weld metal or base metal specially at heat
affected zone due to:
 Effect of hydrogen, restraint & martensite formation
 High carbon equivalent,
 Too high cooling rate Inclusions & Laminations
Solutions
 Clean joint from rust.
 COLD CRACKS CONTD…
 Use low hydrogen type baked electrode.
 Proper pre-heating to reduces diffusion of H2 .
 Post-welding treatment to relive stress.

CRATER CRACK
 CRATER CRACK
 A depression left in weld metal where the arc was broken or the flame was
removed or electrode was changed.
 The cracks serve to concentrate stresses.
 This can be detrimental if the component is subjected to static and/or fatigue
loads.
Common cause
 Incorrect extinction of the electrode.
Solutions
 To avoid crater cracks, good stainless steel practice should be followed. Back-
step welding from the crater immediately before the arc is extinguished.
 Weld craters should be dressed off or lightly ground to remove any crater
cracks. It is extremely unlikely that any subsequent welding pass will melt out
crater cracks.
 EXCESSIVE PENETRATION/ EXCESSIVE REINFORCEMENT
Common causes
 Welding parameters (welding speed and current in particular) unsuitable for the
joint configuration.
Solutions
 Rebalance the welding parameters.
 OVERLAP
 Protrusion of weld metal beyond the toe or root of the weld
 Tends to produce mechanical notch
Common Causes
 current too low
 Too large deposition in a single run
 Longer arc
 slow arc travel speed.
Solutions
 Proper welding technique
 Use proper size of electrode
 INCLUSIONS
 Metallic or nonmetallic solid material entrapped within the weld metal, between weld
passes or between weld metal & base metal.
 H₂: the most undesirable inclusion (causing: cold crack)
 Lowers the strength of joint & make it weaker.
Common causes
 Slag remaining from previous beads – i.e. slag that has not been remelted by subsequent
passes over the bead.
 Improper starts/stops when welding with covered electrodes.
 Tack welds that have not been ground away before welding.
Solutions
 Between passes, carefully grind tack welds and all starts and stops.
 To obtain and keep the correct arc length, use the right welding technique and welding
parameters.
 INCLUSIONS CONTD…
 Avoid too tight/narrow joints – follow the recommendations.
 Seek to form a weld bead with a concave or flat surface.

 METALLIC INCLUSION: Entrapped droplets of tungsten in welds in TIG welding.

 extremely brittle & can fracture easily under stress.
Common Causes
 Dipping of tungsten electrode into molten weld pool
 Use of heavy current
 Use of oxygen contaminated shielding gas
Solutions
 Avoid contact between the electrode & the work
 Use larger electrode
 SPATTER
Common causes
 Improper shielding gas protection or unsuitable shielding gas.
 Suboptimum welding parameters giving an unstable arc.
 Contamination by dirt, grease or moisture.
 The risk of spatter is, to some extent, connected with alloy content. A high-alloy
consumable is generally a little more difficult to weld (without spatter) than a low-
alloy consumable
Solutions
 Tune the welding parameters.
 Where feasible, use another shielding gas.
 Ensure the weld zone is clean.
 Never use contaminated or moist electrodes.
 STRAY ARCING/ ARC STRIKES
 When a welder accidently strikes the electrode or the electrode holder against
the work, usually adjacent to the weld, causing an unwanted arc. Such spots are
referred to as “arc strikes
Common causes
 Improper manipulation of the electrode or welding torch.
 Because of their reignition characteristics, basic type electrodes are slightly
more prone to stray arcing.
Solutions
 Ignition must occur at a point in the joint itself.
 Use run-on/run-off plates for ignition/extinction.
 BURN-THROUGH
 The holes burned through the parent metal in a single pass weld or the root run
in multi run welds.
 It arises when the weld pool becomes too large and drops through the weld line.
Common causes
 Voltage or current too high.
 Excessively large diameter electrodes/ welding wires.
 Welding speed too low or too high.
 Excessive root opening.
Solutions
 •Great care should be taken as regards welding parameters.
 Spatter

Inclusion

Arc strikes
Burn-through
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