MODULE 9- WELD AND BASE METAL DISCONTINUITIES

WELDING INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DISCONTINUITIES AND DEFECT

 DISCONTINUTIES – IS DESCRIBED AS ANY INTERRUPTION IN THE

UNIFORM NATURE OF AN ITEM.

 DEFECT – IS A SPECIFIC DISCONTINUITY WHICH CAN IMPAIR THE

SUITABILITY OF THAT STRUCTURE FOR ITS INTENDED
PURPOSE.
DISCONTINUITIES
 CRACKS – CRACKS ARE INIATED WHEN THE LOAD, OR STRESS, APPLIED
TO A MEMBER EXCEEDS ITS TENSILE STRENGHT.

 GROUPING

 HOT CRACKS – USUALLY OCCUR AS THE METAL SOLIDIFIES, AT SOME

ELEVATED TEMPERATURE.

 COLD CRACKS – OCCUR AFTER THE METAL HAS COOLED TO AMBIENT

TEMPERATURE.
 TYPES OF CRACKS
 LONGITUDINAL – LYING IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE
LONGITUDINAL AXIS.

 TRANSVERSE – LYING PERPENDICULAR TO THE WELD’S LONGITUDINAL

AXIS.

 CETERLINE OR THROAT CRACK – EXTEND THROUGH THE WELD ALONG

THE WELD THROAT, OR THE SHORTEST
PATH THROUGH THE WELD’S CROSS
SECTION.

 TOE CRACKS – CONSIDERED TO BE COLD CRACKS.

- CAUSED BY EITHER THE TRANSVERSE SHRINKAGE STRESSES
OF WELDING, SOME APPLIED SERVICE STRESSES, OR A
COMBINATION OF THE TWO.
 CRATER CRACKS – OCCUR AT THE TERMINATION OFD WELD PASSES.
 UNDERBEAD CRACK – LOCATED AT THE HEAT AFFECTED ZONE
INSTEAD OF THE WELD METAL.

INCOMPLETE FUSION
 A WELD DISCONTINUITY IN WHICH FUSION DID NOT OCCUR BETWEEN
WELD METAL AND FUSION FACES OR ADJOINING WELD BEADS.

INCOMPLETE
FUSION

INCOMPLETE FUSION
 INCOMPLETE JOINT PENETRATION – IT IS A CONDITION WHERE THE
WELD METAL DOES NOT EXTEND
ENTIRELY THROUGH THE JOINT
THICKNESS WHEN COMPLETE
PENETRATION IS REQUIRED BY A
SPECIFICATION.

INCOMPLETE JOINT PENETRATION

 INCLUSIONS – IS ENTRAPPED FOREIGN SOILD MATERIAL, SUCH AS
SLAG, FLUX, TUNGSTEN, OR OXIDE.

 POROSITY – A “CAVITY-TYPE DISCONTINUITIES FORMED BY GAS

ENTRAPMENT DURING SOLIDIFICATION”.

TYPES OF POROSITY

 UNIFORMLY SCATTERED POROSITY – REFERS TO NUMEROUS AVITIES

W/C OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE
WELD IN NO PARTICULAR
PATTERN.

 WORMHOLE POROSITY – ALSO REFERRED TO AS ELONGATED POROSITY

OCCURING AT THE WELD SURFACE.
 PIPING POROSITY – THE MOST DETRIMENTAL CONDITION IF LIQUID
OR GAS CONTAINMENT IS THE PRIMARY FUNCTION
OF THE WELD BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS A MORE
SIGNIFICANT LEAK PATH POSSIBILITY.

 UNDERCUT – IS A SURFACE DISCONTINUITY WHICH OCCURS IN THE

BASE METAL DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE WELD.

UNDERCUT
 UNDERFILL – IS A SURFACE DISCONTINUITY WHICH RESULTS IN A LOSS OF
MATERIAL CROSS SECTION.
- RESULTS WHEN THERE IS NOT SUFFICIENT FILLER METAL
DEPOSITED TO ADEQUATELY FILL THE WELD JOINT.
- UNDERFILL AT THE WELD ROOT OF PIPE WELDS IS SOMETIMES
REFERRED TO AS INTERNAL CONCAVITY OR “SUCKBACK”.

 OVERLAP – IS DESCRIBED AS THE PROTRUSION OF WELD METAL BEYOND

THE WELD TOE OR WELD ROOT.
- CONSIDERED TO BE A SIGNIFICANT DISCONTINUITY SINCE IT
CAN RESULT IN A SHARP NOTCH AT THE SURFACE OF THE
WELDMENT.

 CONVEXITY – REFERS TO THE AMOUNT OF WELD METAL BUILDUP ON THE

FACE OF THE FILLET WELD BEYOND THAT WOULD BE
CONSIDERED FLUSH.
 CONVEXITY – BY DEFINITION, IS THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE FROM THE
FACE OF A CONVEX FILLET WELD PERPENDICULAR TO A
LINE JOINING THE WELD TOES.

CONVEXITY

 WELD REINFORCEMENT – IS DESCRIBED AS THAT WELD METAL IN EXCESS

OF THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO FILL A JOINT.
FACE REINFORCEMENT

ROOT REINFORCEMENT
ACCEPTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE TREATMENT OF EXCESS WELD
REINFORCEMENT

A. EXCESS WELD REINFORCEMENT

REINFORCEMENT

C. ACCEPTABLE TREATMENT OF
WELD REINFORCEMENT
FUSION WELD
REMOVED BY GRINDING
B. IMPROPER TREATMENT OF
REINFORCEMENT
REMOVED BY
GRINDING
 ARC STRIKES – RESULTS WHEN THE ARC IS INIATED ON THE BASE METAL
SURFACE AWAY FROM THE WELD JOINT, EITHER
INTENTIONALLY OR ACCIDENTALLY.

 SPATTERS – METAL PARTICLES EXPELLED DURING FUSION WELDING

THAT DO NOT FORM A PART OF THE WELD.

 LAMINATION – RESULT FROM THE PRESENCE OF NONMETALLIC

INCLUSIONS WHICH OCCUR IN STEEL WHEN IT IS BEING
PRODUCED.

 LAMELLAR TEARING – DESCRIBED AS A TERRACE-LIKE FRACTURE IN THE

BASE METAL WITH A BASIC ORIENTATION
PARALLEL TO THE ROLLED SURFACE.
EXAMPLE OF LAMELLAR TEARING

LAMELLAR TEARING
 SEAMS AND LAPS – ARE BASE METAL DISCONTINUITY RELATED TO
THE STEEL MAKING PROCESS.
- THEY DIFFER FROM LAMINATION IN THAT THEY
ARE OPEN TO THE ROLLED SURFACE OF THE
METAL INSTEAD OF THE EDGE.

 DIMENSIONAL – DIMENSIONAL DISCONTINUITIES ARE SIZE AND/OR

SHAPE IMPERFECTIONS.