TECHNOLOGY

Welding Inspection
Defects/Repairs
Course Reference WIS 5
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Weld Defects
Defects which may be detected by visual inspection can
be grouped under five headings

Cracks

Lack of fusion

Solid inclusions

Mechanical damage

Surface and profiles

Parent material damage

Misalignment (set-up

Miscellaneous

irregularities)
Gas pores and
porosity

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Cracks

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Cracks
Cracks that may occur in welded materials are caused
generally by by many factors and may be classified by
shape and position, cracks are classed as planar.

Classified by Shape

Classified by Position

Longitudinal

HAZ

Transverse

Centreline

Branched

Crater

Chevron

Fusion zone
Parent metal

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Process Cracks
Hydrogen induced cold cracking
(HICC)
Solidification cracking (Hot Tearing)
Lamellar tearing
Re heat cracking

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Cracks

Longitudinal parent metal crack

Longitudinal weld metal crack

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Transverse weld metal crack

Lamellar tearing
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Transverse crack
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Longitudinal crack
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Inclusions

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Gas Cavities
Gas pore <1.5mm Blow hole.1.5mm
Gas pore

Cluster porosity

Blow hole
Herringbone porosity

Root piping
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Loss of gas shield

Damp electrodes

Contamination

Arc length too large

Damaged electrode flux

Moisture on parent material

Welding current too

low

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Gas Cavities

Porosity

Root piping
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Cluster porosity
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Herring bone porosity

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Solid Inclusions
Slag inclusions are defined as a non-metallic inclusion
caused by some welding process
Slag originates from welding
flux

Slag inclusions

Lack of sidewall
fusion with
associated slag

Parallel slag lines Lack of interun

fusion + slag
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MAG and TIG welding

process produce silica
inclusions
Slag is caused by
inadequate cleaning
Other inclusions include
tungsten and copper
inclusions from the TIG and
MAG welding process
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Interpass slag inclusions

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Elongated slag lines

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Lack of Fusion

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Surface and profile Defects

Poor welder skill
Incorrect electrode
Incomplete filled groove
+ Lack of sidewall fusion

manipulation
Arc blow
Incorrect welding

1
2

current/voltage
Incorrect travel speed

1. Lack of sidewall fusion Incorrect inter-run cleaning

2. Lack of inter-run fusion
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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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Contamination

Slow travel speed

Incorrect welding technique

Current too low

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Overlap

Toe Overlap
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Root Defects

Incomplete root fusion

Incomplete root penetration

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Low Amps/volts

Large Root face

Small Root Gap

Fast Travel Speed

Incorrect Electrode Angle

Contamination

Arc blow
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Root Defects

Lack of root fusion

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Lack of root Penetration

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Lack of root penetration

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Lack of root fusion

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Surface and Profile

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Profile Defects

Incomplete filled groove

Poor cap profiles and excessive
cap reinforcements may lead to
stress concentration points at
the weld toes and will also
contribute to overall poor toe
blend
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Poor cap profile

Excessive cap height

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Excess cap reinforcement

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Incomplete filled groove

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Profile Defects

Poor stop/starts

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Miscellaneous Defects
Excessive current
Damp electrodes
Contamination
Incorrect wire feed speed
when welding with the MAG

Spatter
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Miscellaneous Defects
Accidental striking of the arc
onto the parent material

Faulty electrode holder

Poor cable insulation

Poor return lead clamping

Arc strike
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Undercut
An irregular groove at the toe of a weld run in the
parent metal
Excessive amps/volts
Excessive travel speed
Incorrect electrode angle
Excessive weaving
Incorrect welding technique
Electrode too large

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Cap Undercut
Measured in both Length & Depth

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Root undercut
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Cap undercut
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Shrinkage Groove
A shallow groove caused by contraction in the weld
metal along each side of the penetration bead

Shrinkage groove

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Insufficient weld metal

deposited in the root pass

Too fast a cooling rate during

the application of the root
bead pass

Poor welding technique

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Concave Root
A shallow groove, which may occur in the root of a butt weld

Root faces too large

Root gap too large

Concave root

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Excessive back purge pressure

during TIG welding

Excessive root bead grinding

before the application of the
second pass

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Suckl backl

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Excessive Root Penetration

Root penetration bead in excess in accordance with the
relevant specification being used

Excessive root penetration

Root faces too small

Root gap too large

Excessive amps/volts

Slow travel speed

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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

Burn through

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High Amps/volts

Small Root face

Large Root Gap

Slow Travel Speed

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Root Defects

Burn
Through

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Burn through

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Root Coking/Oxidized Root

Loss or insufficient back
purging gas
Most commonly occurs
when welding stainless
steels
Purging gases include
argon, helium and
occasionally nitrogen

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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

Too fast a cooling rate

Deoxidization reactions
and
liquid to solid volume
change

Crater crack
(Star crack)

Contamination

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Crater Pipe

Weld crater

Crater pipe

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Crater Pipe/Cracks

Crater Cracks

Crater pipe

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Mechanical Damage

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Mechanical Damage
Mechanical damage can be defined as any surface material
damage cause during the manufacturing process.
This can included damage caused by:
Grinding
Hammering
Chiselling
Chipping
Breaking off welded attachments (torn surfaces)
Using needle guns to compress weld capping runs
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Set-up Irregularities

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Set-upIrregularities
Linear misalignment is measured
from the lowest plate to the
highest point of the cap
Plate/pipe Linear Misalignment
(Hi-Lo)

Angular misalignment is
measured in degreeso
Angular Misalignment
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Linear Misalignment

mm

Highest point
of the cap

Lowest plate

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Parent Material Defects

A welding inspector should also inspect the parent
material for any visible defects

Mechanical damage

Lap

Lamination

Segregation line

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