WELDING DEFECTS

Cracks
Cracks
• A discontinuity produced by a fracture, can affect both the weld
and the parent material.
• Cracks can occur:
• during the deposition of subsequent runs
• at the point of solidification
• after the completion of welding.
• Four basic types of weld crack may be detected.
1) Centreline (shrinkage) cracks.
2) Transverse cracks (including chevron cracks).
3) Heat affected zone or toe cracks.
4) Crater cracks.
Cracks Centreline cracks
• Known also as shrinkage or solidification cracks.
• Are caused by excessive restraint or the deposition of too much weld metal in
a single pass, from excessive amperage or travel speed too slow and are
possible for all arc welding methods.
• They occur at the point of solidification when the weld metal has a very low
tensile strength.
Cracks Transverse cracks
• Any crack that lies across the weld axis.
• Usually occur when the compressive strength of the parent material is
significantly greater than the tensile strength of the weld metal.
Cracks
Heat affected zone cracks and toe cracks
• HAZ cracks often start at or run to the toe of the weld since there is always a high stress
concentration at this point.
• HAZ cracks are usually caused by one of two mechanisms:

• The first involves dissolved hydrogen (hydrogen induced cracking).

• A second is related to precipitation of brittle material (e.g. chromium
carbide) which may happen when stainless steels are welded.
Cracks Crater cracks
• The cracking mechanism is the same as that for centreline cracking.
• Occurs when the heat source is removed too suddenly at the end of a
weld run.
• Indication is located at the end crater, usually star shaped and relatively
easy to detect.
 Cavities
• Gas pores / Porosity

Causes
• Excessive moisture in flux or preparation
• Contaminated preparation
• Low welding current
• Arc length too long
• Damaged electrode flux
• Removal of gas shield
 Cavities
Isolated pore

Random porosity
 Cavities
Clustered porosity

Aligned porosity
Wormholes Cavities
• These are gas pores, which have become frozen in the weld pool while
attempting to migrate to the surface.
• Occurring due to an excess of dissolved gas in the weld pool or a gas
entrapped in defect .
• Dark indications with worm-like shape, often agglomerated in clusters or
herringbone-like array.
 Cavities
Elongated cavities (hollow bead)
• On the radiograph it appears very similar to slag - the indication with
rounded ends always situated along the centre of the root bead.
• These will generally only occur in the root run of welds deposited by
manual metal arc welding.
Crater pipes Cavities
• A wormhole-like indication in the end crater.
• Crater pipes are commonly followed by crater cracks.
• Occur due to shrinkage at the end of a weld run where the source of heat was
removed too suddenly.
• Is commonly associated to TIG process (but it may also occur with other welding
processes).
 Solid Inclusions
Non-metallic inclusions
• Usually formed by slag, but occasionally other foreign matter such as
windblown sand etc.
• Irregularly shaped indications (either rounded or elongated). Sometimes will
appear on the radiograph as two parallel lines, often referred to as ‘wagon
tracks’.
• Linear slag inclusions with a straight edge often indicate lack of fusion.
 Solid Inclusions

Inclusions - Slag

Causes
• Insufficient cleaning between passes
• Contaminated weld preparation
• Welding over irregular profile
• Incorrect welding speed
• Arc length too long
 Solid Inclusions
Tungsten inclusions
• Associated with the gas tungsten arc welding process.
• Caused by the break-up of the non-consumable tungsten electrode
during, welding falling into the weld pool and do not become molten.
• Tungsten is radiographically extremely dense; therefore, tungsten
inclusions always appear as bright - light images.
 Solid Inclusions
Copper inclusions
• This type of defect can occur particularly with submerged arc or other
welding process where the consumable electrode is fed through a copper
contact.
• If the copper contact gets too near to or touches the molten weld pool,
copper (melting point about 900 °C) will become included in the weld
pool.
• Inclusions may produce light rounded images with diffuse edges.
• Copper inclusions in ferritic steel welds usually cause severe transverse
cracking.
Copper inclusions
 Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Incomplete root Fusion

Causes
• Too small a root gap
• Arc too long
• Wrong polarity
• Electrode too large for joint
preparation
• Incorrect electrode angle
• Too fast a speed of travel for
current
Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Lack of root fusion
• Lack of fusion is where the solid material immediately adjacent to the
molten weld pool failed to become molten during the welding process.
• Lack of root fusion has a fine, dark and straight indication.
Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Lack of side-wall fusion
• Slag inclusion with a straight edge normally indicates lack of fusion (slag
and LOF are commonly combined).
Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Lack of inter-run fusion
• Lack of inter-run fusion may be detected only with the most sensitive
techniques.
Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Lack of fusion & associated Aligned porosity
• Lack of fusion may be associated to aligned porosity.
 Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Incomplete root penetration

Causes
• Too large or small a root gap
• Arc too long
• Wrong polarity
• Electrode too large for joint preparation
• Incorrect electrode angle
• Travel speed is high
Lack of Fusion and Penetration
Incomplete root penetration
• The failure of the weld material to extend into the root of a joint.
• It is a fusion defect.
• Dark continuous or intermittent linear indication, the edges of which will
usually be straight.
Imperfection of Shape
Excessive root penetration
• Excess weld material protruding through the root of a single sided fusion
weld.
• Light, irregular indication at root area.
• Common causes of excessive penetration are, no root face, root gap too
wide, excessive amperage, travel speed too slow and incorrect polarity.
Imperfection of Shape

Root concavity

Causes
• Root gap too large
• Insufficient arc energy
• Excessive back purge TIG
Imperfection of Shape
Root concavity
• A shallow groove, may occur in the root of a single sided weld.
• A dark indication in the centre of the weld.
• Associated to use of backing gas. Other possible causes are no root face,
travel speed too slow, amperage too high, root gap too narrow.
Imperfection of Shape
Incompletely filled groove (lack of fill)
• It is a fusion defect.
• A continuous or intermittent channel along the edge of the weld due to
insufficient weld material.
• Indication of straight edge followed by dark band (material is missing).
Welding Defects
• Incompletely Filled Groove(Lack of reinforcement)

Causes
• Insufficient weld metal deposited
• Improper welding technique
Imperfection of Shape
Lack of reinforcement
• A concave area of the weld cap where the weld is locally thinner,
sometimes thinner than the parent material.
• Appears as a dark area towards the centre of the weld which has diffuse
edges.
• Caused by poor welding practice.
 Welding Defects
Root undercut

Causes
• Root gap too large
• Excessive arc energy
• Small or no root face
Welding Defects

Cap Undercut

Causes
• Excessive welding current
• Welding speed too high
• Incorrect electrode angle
• Excessive weave
• Electrode too large
Imperfection of Shape
Undercut
• An irregular groove at the toe the weld in the parent material.
• It appears as a dark irregular intermittent band adjacent to either the cap
or root weld (or between adjacent capping runs).
• Caused by burning away during welding (excessive amperage) and poor
welding technique.
Imperfection of Shape

Spatter
• Spatter consists of globules of molten filler metal expelled during arc
welding on to the surface of the parent material or weld.
• It appears as small light spots.
• Major causes of spatter are incorrect polarity and welding current too
high.
Commonly Confused Imperfections
Root concavity / Lack of root penetration.
Commonly Confused Imperfections
Incompletely filled groove / undercut / lack of reinforcement.