Weld and Base Metal

Discontinuities

WIT 9- 1
 Discontinuity

Any interruption in the uniform

nature of an item

WIT 9- 2
 Discontinuities
Seams and laps
Laminations
Weld undercut
Weld cracks
Weld porosity
Many others

WIT 9- 3
 Defect

A non-conforming discontinuity

All discontinuities are not defects.

All defects are discontinuities.

WIT 9- 4
 Discontinuity Criticality
Linear - non-linear
End condition - sharpness
Surface - sub-surface
Loading - uniform, non-uniform
Fatigue
Impact

WIT 9- 5
 Crack

A fracture type discontinuity characterized

by a sharp tip and high ratio of length and
width (depth) to opening displacement

WIT 9- 6
 Crack Types
Hot/cold
Delayed/underbead
Longitudinal
Transverse
Throat/toe/root
HAZ/base metal
and many more

WIT 9- 7
 Hot Crack (Solidification crack)

1st cause: Sulfur content

WIT 9- 8
 Hot Crack (Solidification crack)
2 cause: W/D ratio
nd

Solidification crack

WIT 9- 9
 Longitudinal Crack

WIT 9- 10
 Throat Crack

WIT 9- 11
 Transverse Crack

WIT 9- 12
 Crater Cracks in Aluminum Weld

WIT 9- 13
 Propagation of Crater Crack in
Aluminum Weld

WIT 9- 14
 Cold Crack
1- H2 Cracks

WIT 9- 15
 FACTORS FOR H.I.C.C.
1.The presence of a sufficient amount of
diffusable hydrogen.
H2 >15ml/100gm of deposited weld metal
2. A microstructure susceptable to cracking.
Hardness > 350 VPN
3. A tensile stress.
Stresses > 0.5 of yield
4. Temperature
< 200C
WIT 9- 16
 1- H2 Cracks

WIT 9- 17
 Toe Crack

WIT 9- 18
 Underbead Cracks

WIT 9- 19
 Underbead Cracking
Often delayed cracking
Caused by hydrogen
Difficult to detect
Avoid with low H2 process

WIT 9- 20
 Lamellar Tearing

WIT 9- 21
 Lamellar Tearing
Cracking occurs in joints where:
a thermal contraction strain occurs in the through thickness
direction of steel
plate
non-metallic inclusions are present as very thin platelets, with
their principal planes parallel to the plate surface

WIT 9- 22
 Lamellar Tearing
To Avoid lamellar tearing:
use a clean steel with guaranteed through-thickness
properties (Z grade)
a combination of joint design, restraint control and
welding sequence to minimise the risk of cracking.

WIT 9- 23
 AVOIDANCE OF LAMELLAR TEARING.
Lamellar Tearing

Grind and infill with

ductile weld metal Re-design weld

Control
restraint

For critical work a forged

T piece may be used
WIT 9- 24
Forged T Piece
 Incomplete Fusion

A weld discontinuity in which fusion did not

occur between weld metal and fusion faces or
adjoining weld beads

WIT 9- 25
 Locations of Incomplete Fusion

WIT 9- 26
 Incomplete Fusion at Weld Face

WIT 9- 27
 Incomplete Fusion Between
Weld Metal and Base Metal

INCOMPLETE ROOT FUSION

WIT 9- 28
Radiograph of Side-Wall Incomplete
Fusion

WIT 9- 29
 Incomplete Joint Penetration

Weld metal does not extend entirely

through the joint thickness. The
term is used only for groove welds.

WIT 9- 30
 Examples of Incomplete Joint
Penetration

WIT 9- 31
 Incomplete Joint Penetration

WIT 9- 32
 ROOT DEFECTS
LACK OF ROOT PENETRATION

NOTE:TWO STRAIGHT EDGES EQUAL TO

THE ROOT GAP PREPARATION.
ALSO ABSENCE OF WELD METAL

WIT 9- 33
 Radiograph of Penetration Faults
at Bead Starts and Stops

WIT 9- 34
 Partial Joint Penetration

Penetration not required to be

complete by designer

WIT 9- 35
 ROOT DEFECTS

Lack of root Incomplete root

fusion Penetration
WIT 9- 36
 ROOT DEFECTS
CONCAVE ROOT DEFINITION:
A shallow groove that may
occur in the root of a butt
weld.

CAUSES:
Root face too large
Low arc energy
Excessive back purge

WIT 9- 37
 ROOT DEFECTS
ROOT CONCAVITY

WIT 9- 38
 ROOT DEFECTS
BURN THROUGH

Causes
Excessive amperage during welding of root
Excessive root grinding
Improper welding technique
Slow travel speed
Large root gap/small root face (irregular fit up)
WIT 9- 39
 Inclusions

Entrapped foreign solid material

such as slag, flux, tungsten or oxide

WIT 9- 40
 Surface Slag Inclusion

WIT 9- 41
 Radiograph of Elongated
Slag Inclusions

WIT 9- 42
 Radiograph of Tungsten Inclusions

WIT 9- 43
 Porosity

Cavity type discontinuities formed by gas

entrapped during weld metal solidification

WIT 9- 44
 Scattered Surface Porosity

WIT 9- 45
 Linear Surface Porosity with
Connecting Crack

WIT 9- 46
 Isolated Surface Porosity

WIT 9- 47
 Elongated Surface Porosity

WIT 9- 48
WIT 9- 49
 Radiograph of Scattered Porosity

WIT 9- 50
 Radiograph of Cluster Porosity

WIT 9- 51
 Radiograph of Linear Porosity

WIT 9- 52
 Undercut

A groove melted into the base metal adjacent to

the weld toe or weld root and left unfilled by
weld metal

WIT 9- 53
 Typical Appearance of Undercut

WIT 9- 54
 Undercut Adjacent to Fillet Weld

WIT 9- 55
 UNDERCUT

WIT 9- 56
 Radiograph of Surface Undercut

Surface undercut should be found with VT, NOT RT !

WIT 9- 57
 Underfill

A condition in which the weld face or the root

surface is below the adjacent surface of the
base metal

WIT 9- 58
 Underfill in Groove Welds

WIT 9- 59
 SURFACE DEFECTS
INCOMPLETELY FILLED GROOVE/ LACK OF
SIDEWALL FUSION

WIT 9- 60
 Overlap

The protrusion of weld metal

beyond the weld toe or weld root

WIT 9- 61
 Overlap Examples

Overlap

Overlap

WIT 9- 62
 Overlap in Fillet and Groove Welds

WIT 9- 63
 Undercut & Overlap in Fillet Weld

Undercut

Overlap

WIT 9- 64
 Fillet Weld Convexity

The maximum distance from the face of a

convex fillet weld perpendicular to a line
joining the weld toes

WIT 9- 65
 Fillet Weld Convexity

WIT 9- 66
 Weld Reinforcement

Weld metal in excess of the quantity

required to fill a joint

WIT 9- 67
 Face and Root Reinforcement

WIT 9- 68
 Face Reinforcement on both sides
when welded from both sides

WIT 9- 69
 Effect of Weld
Reinforcement
angle on Fatigue
Strength

WIT 9- 70
Improper and Acceptable Treatment of
Weld Reinforcement

WIT 9- 71
 Arc Strike

A discontinuity resulting from an arc,

consisting of any localized remelted metal,
heat-affected metal, or change in the surface
profile of any metal object

WIT 9- 72
 Photomicrograph of Martensitic
Structure Produced by an Arc Strike

WIT 9- 73
 Spatter

Metal particles expelled during fusion welding

that do not form part of the weld

WIT 9- 74
 Crack Formed at Weld Spatter

WIT 9- 75
 High Low (Miss alignment)

3 mm

WIT 9- 76 15
 Macro example

WIT 9- 77
 Lamination

A discontinuity with separation or weakness

generally aligned parallel to the worked
surface of a metal

WIT 9- 78
 Cracking and Delamination Due
to Lamination

WIT 9- 79
 Seams and Laps

Longitudinal base metal surface discontinuities

found in wrought products

WIT 9- 80
 Deep Seam on Surface of Semi-
Finished Rolled Product

WIT 9- 81
 Cluster Seams on Surface of Semi-
Finished Rolled Product

WIT 9- 82
Lap on Surface of Rolled Steel Billet

WIT 9- 83
 Dimensional
Size irregularities
Shape imperfections
Distortion

WIT 9- 84
 Discontinuities in EBW and LBW
Unique to the special attributes of the high-
energy beams and narrow weld width

Beam deflection (missed joint)

Root Porosity
Shrinkage voids
Hot cracks
Lack of fusion (spiking)

WIT 9- 85