Visual Inspection of defects and

Discontinuities Rev. 7/12/05

• Welding defects typically have an allowable limit.

Different codes and standards vary greatly in the
allowable.
• • Visual inspection, after the weldment is finished is a policing
• function that is essential to assure quality, but during welding is a
• different matter. It detects errors and discontinuity while correction is
• still feasible and least costly.
• • Any program for assuring quality should utilize the visual inspection
• process as early into the production process as possible.
• • The visual inspection process must be based on a measurable and
• consistent procedure to be effective.
• • Everyone involved in a welding project must each make consistent
• and equal calls on their inspections, hopefully this will help.

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 Example Weld Standards List
Weld Standards
1. Undercut – Shall not exceed 1/32”
2. Porosity – The frequency of piping porosity in fillet welds
shall not exceed one in each 4 in. [100 mm] of weld length and the
maximum diameter shall not exceed 3/32”
3. Overlap – Shall not be permitted
4. Weld size – To print minimum
5. Weld Shape – Convex to slightly concave
6. Wrapping – Complete except as shown on print
7. Weld Spatter – See FPR0904 and FPR0905
8. Craters – To be filled to the full cross section of the weld
9. Weld Length – 0” to [+0.25” for weld lengths less than <1”,]
[0.5” for weld lengths equal to or greater than > 1”]
10. Arc Strikes – Shall not exceed 1/32” deep maximum
11. Crack Prohibition – Any crack shall be unacceptable, regardless
of size or location 3

Defects and Discontinuities

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.
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.4

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 Only reject defects.
Discontinuities are, by
definition, acceptable.
Repair is therefore
unnecessary and not cost
effective.
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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.
• This causes a reduction of material thickness and adds a notch stress
riser

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 The last bullet will let us know why this defect is bad,
knowing the why fors may help us understand and put forth
more effort in avoiding them. WE illustrate the negative
effects, for material reduction use the example of ¼”
material with 1/16” undercut, THAT’S ONE FOURTH
REDUCTION, if the weldment design is dependent on ¼”
thickness we just weakened it by 25%. For notch stress
riser, are you familiar with sheet rock/dry wall a small scribe
mark causes it to break quite easily, this theory applies
across the board for all material. Adding the two issues
together we’ve just compounded the problem. Now for a
quick lesson on stress transfer, stress flows through
materials by following the path of least resistance (much like
water on land). What happens when water runs into a ditch
(a notch), it concentrates in it and flows along it. Same thing
occurs in steels with undercut.
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Undercut
(cont......)
Undercut typically has an allowable limit.
Different codes and standards vary greatly
in the allowable amount.
Weld audit form F-PR-09-03 specifies the
allowed depth is “shall not exceed 1/32” in.
Reduction of material thickness for material thickness 0.25” and
up, reduction of thickness is of lesser concern, if the undercut depth
is marginal we should make the call dependent on the notch effect
stress riser, therefore in these situations we should not reject if the
transition at the edge is smooth.(This should particularly apply on
flare grooves where accurately measuring of the undercut is
difficult.) 8

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 Excessive undercut = creates a notch

Potential Results-stresses concentrate at the notch combined with the reduction of

material thickness (notice the base metal did not deform prior to the weld failing)

Porosity
Porosity – Porosity is defined as “Cavity-type discontinuity
formed by gas entrapment during solidification”. Detection of
surface porosity is easily found by seeing holes in the welds
surface. The maximum allowable for visible porosity is “The
frequency of piping porosity in fillet welds shall not exceed
one in any four inches of weld length and the maximum
diameter shall not exceed .90” thousandths. The measurement
of porosity is done by measuring the largest surface cross-area
of the hole. Note; the standard only specifies “piping porosity
in fillet welds” therefore all other types of porosity, and any
porosity in groove welds are unacceptable.

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Make note that you should repair porosity
when you see it. This allowable is more to
cover our liability if we miss it. No porosity is
good porosity. If the porosity were to extend
completely through the weld it will create
problems with our E-coat paint system. What
do you think the stress is going to do? Flow
into and concentrate at the cavity!

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 Overlap
• Definition: When the face of the weld extends beyond the
toe of the weld
• Cause: Improper welding technique. Typically, electrode
angles and travel speed.
• Prevention: Overlap is a contour problem. Proper welding
technique will prevent this problem.
• Negative Effects: Unsightly, Lack of fusion, stress riser,
and hides the true leg size in fillet welds.
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Overlap
Overlap is measured with
a square edge such as a
6” rule. No amount of
overlap is allowed.


 








 





 








 



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 Overlap = lack of fusion
Weld overlap
Sectioned crosscut of the weld

Potential Results- lack of fusion causes

weld to separate from base metal

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Size And Shape

This slide is for key thoughts, remember them, we
will address each in the following slides.

• If it renders the part unusable, it is a defect.

• If it is outside the allowable limit, it renders the
part unusable.
• Things don’t have to be perfect, just within the
acceptable tolerance. Working to perfection is too
time consuming and costly
• The throat thickness has the most significant value
when comparing weld size to strength.
• Shape affects the welds ability to transfer stresses
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 Weld Size
Weld size – Weld size is the measurement of the weld.
The allowable is “to print minimum” which shall correlate
with the associated fillet weld gauge as minimum.

•Although not a cause for rejection, consistently oversized

welds should be drawn to the attention of the welding
supervisor. Increasing the size of a ¼” fillet weld to 5/16”
involves an increase of more than 50% in weld metal,time,
heat input and distortion potential.
You are not adding any more strength, only the previously
mentioned wastes and problems. Slightly over welding
might keep us from under welding when we are unused to
making a particular weld size. (Slightly is the key term
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here)

Measuring fillet welds

Measurement of fillet welds For fillet welds

measurement is taken from the smaller of the two
legs or the side of the largest right isosceles
triangle that can be wholly inscribed within the
weld.

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 Measuring fillet welds

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Use the correct side of the fillet weld gauge for each
profile. (For a flat fillet weld it will require using both
sides of the gauge.)

Fiber Metal Fillet Gage

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 Measuring groove welds
Measurement of groove welds The measurement for
groove welds is “the depth of penetration into the
joint”; since, visually you cannot see the depth of
penetration, the visual measurement should be the
face width is equal to weld size, unless weld detail
is specified on the blueprint.
Flare-bevel and Flare-V are groove welds and this rule
applies to them also.

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Leg equals size

This slide explains the
anatomy of welds.
(Note size of weld).
Also note the
isosceles triangle
inscribed in the fillet
weld. Geometry rules
apply here. Multiply
the leg length by 1.5
and you get the face
approximate width (for
a visual reference).
Multiply the leg length
by .707 you get the
throat thickness of the
fillet weld.
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 Weld Shape
Weld shape – Weld shape is defined by the AWS Visual
Inspection Workshop Manual as “refers to the weld profile (in
cross section). The most significant feature of weld shape is
the angle between the base metal and the weld. As this angle
increases, the stress concentration increases. The measurement
for weld shape, “convex to slightly concave”, shall be in
conformance with “Acceptable (conforming) and
Unacceptable (non-conforming) weld shapes) from the AWS
D1.1. (See Fig.)

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Acceptable and unacceptable

weld profiles
The
requirements
Concave weld=undersized
here are
mandatory.
Note the
isosceles
Leg too
triangle rule
small=undersized applies here
also.

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 Excessive Concavity or
Convexity
• Definition: Concavity or convexity of a fillet weld which
exceeds the specified allowable limits
• Cause: Amperage and travel speed

• Prevention: Observe proper parameters and techniques

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Concavity
Makes the weld
undersized because of
reduction of throat
thickness

Note the reduction equal

approximately 1/3rd the
strength. What is going to
happen when the stresses
concentrate at the low
point? Failure!

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 Under-filled flare-bevel = Excessive concavity

Actual throat thickness

Throatthicknessrequiredto beequalstrength asthinnerbasemetal

Throat thickness required to be equal
strength as the material

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Under-filled flare-bevel = Excessive concavity

• Profile causes the weld joint to

fail under stress
Potential Results
• Insufficient throat thickness
does not allow the weld to
achieve equal strength as the
base metal

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 Convexity
The shape of the excessively
convex weld creates a stress
riser at the edges of the weld

Kind of ropey looking, isn’t

it? This explains the
description of ropey weld.
We will discuss the
curvature and stress riser
shortly.

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Reinforcement
The amount of a groove weld which extends beyond the surface
of the plate

• Excessive
Face Reinforcement
• Insufficient
• Improper contour These next two slides
are concavity and
convexity as related
to groove welds (This
includes Flare-
grooves!)

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Root Reinforcement

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 Excessive Reinforcement
• Definition: Specifically defined by the standard.
Typically, Reinforcement should be flush to 1/8”
maximum height.
• Cause: Travel speed too slow, amperage too low

• Prevention: Set amperage and travel speed on scrap plate.

• The contour of excessive reinforcement adds a stress riser at

the weld toe
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Underfill
• Definition: The weld surface is below the adjacent surfaces
of the base metal
• Cause: Improper welding techniques

• Prevention: Apply proper welding techniques for the weld

type and position. Use stringer beads before the cover pass.
• Reduces throat thickness

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 Improper Weld Contour
(Shape)
• Definition: When the weld exhibits less than a 1350
transition angle at the weld toe. 1350

• Cause: Poor welding technique

• Prevention: Use proper techniques. A weave or whip motion

can often eliminate the problem.
• Again reduces stress transfer by creating a stress riser

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Wrapping

Wrapping- Wrapping is defined by Towing Products as “This

occurs at weld intersections (corners), it is the act of tying the
welds together (completely) sealing the intersection”.
Detection is done by inspecting at the corners and weld
intersections for the welds to be connected. The allowable is
“complete except as shown on print”.
This means that the wrap is considered part of the weld
and must be measured the same. Besides the structural
integrity, improper wrapping can trap water and create
problems for E-coat system.
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 Spatter
• Definition: Small particles of weld metal expelled from the
welding operation which adhere to the base metal surface.
• Cause: Long arc length, severe electrode angles, high
amperages.
• Prevention: Correct the cause. Base metal can be protected
with coverings or hi-temp paints.
• Repair: Remove by scraping or sanding. Sometimes must be
tested as if it were a weld.
• Is a corrosive defect 35

Weld spatter is a corrosive defect.

When the spatter is expelled from the arc it is also
expelled from the shielding gas, it’s basically a small
flying porous weld. When it sticks tightly to the base
metal this means that it was still hot enough to
create some fusion and break down the surface
oxide, thus reducing the metals ability to resist
corrosion. You might think that it’s no big deal
because the weldment gets painted, right? Ok, what
happens when you scrape the spatter? So what do
you thick happens to the paint that was on the
dislodged spatter? It comes off with it! What kind of
environment is our product used in? EXTREMELY
CORROSIVE, ROAD SALT, WATER SPRAY, AND
WHATEVER ELSE THAT YOU DRIVE OVER. 36

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 The allowable for spatter is
defined on forms F-PR-09-04 and
F-PR-09-05

A general rule to
keep in mind is,
“if you make it
you scrape it”
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Weld Craters
• Definition: A depression left at the termination of the weld
where the weld pool is left unfilled.
• Cause: Improper weld termination techniques
• Prevention: Proper weld termination technique

• Repair: If no cracks exist, simply fill in the crater. Generally

welding from beyond the crater back into the crater.
• Weld audit Form F-PR-09-03 specifies “must be filled to
the full cross-section of the weld.
The weld craters are part of the included length of the
weld therefore must meet all the size requirements
(including concavity profile requirements). 38

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 Weld crater not filled to full cross
section of weld
Unfilled crater weakens the weld
Potential Results-stresses concentrate
at the ends of the welds

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Arc Strike
• Definition: A localized fusion weld outside the weld zone.
• Maximum depth shall not exceed 1/32”
• Cause: Carelessness
• It rapidly heats and quenches the metal making it brittle and
susceptible to cracking

Quenching can be by explain, taking a file and heating

it to glowing red then putting it in a bucket of water.
What happens when you slam the file into the welding
table? It shatters! This rule applies to all carbon steels
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only in varying degrees of severity.

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 Weld Length
Weld length – Weld length is defined as “The linear
measurement of the weld bead. In general reference the weld
length can be –1/8” to +1/4”, unless weld length tolerances are
specified on the drawing.
We are usually not held to the same tolerances as the print
because welding is a manual skill and it would be
extremely difficult to weld to a plus or minus 30
thousandths. The 1/8” and ¼” tolerances are general rule,
except when we have a print that specifies weld length
tolerances then the specified tolerance takes precedence.
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Cracks

• Crack – A crack is defined as “A fracture type

discontinuity. “ A crack is detected by looking for a sharp
tip and high ratio of length and width to opening
displacement. Cracks are NOT allowed regardless of their
size or location.
• Considered the most severe weld or material discontinuity
because of the cracks tendency to propagate (grow) when
under stress.

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