Figure 1: Groove weld terminology

Figure 2: Fillet weld terminology

COMMON WELD DISCONTINUITIES
1. WELD REINFORCEMENT

In grove welds, weld reinforcement is weld metal in excess of the quantity required to fill a joint.
Located at both root and face of a groove weld. Undesirable when it creates high stress
concentrations at the weld toes or weld root similar to convexity. This condition may result from
improper welding technique or insufficient welding current.

Location: Weld face of a groove weld

2. CONCAVITY

Is the max distance from the face of a concave fillet weld to a line joining the weld toes. It is
sometimes called insufficient throat. It is not reject able unless the weld is undersize. Must be
inspected using fillet weld gauge capable of measuring throat dimension since that is the limiting
dimension in terms of the size of a concave fillet weld. Concave fillet weld cannot be measured
correctly by leg size.
 Location: Weld metal zone (weld face or fillet weld)

3. CONVEXITY

Is the max distance from the face of a convex fillet weld perpendicular to a line joining the weld
toes. It results in a mechanical notch at the junction of the weld face and the base metal similar to
that produced by overlap. The severity is greater when the convexity is greater.

Location: Weld metal zone (weld face or fillet weld)

4. INCOMPLETE FUSION

Is a condition where the weld metal does not fuse with the base metal. Appearance on radiography
is usually a darker line or lines oriented in the direction of the weld seam along the weld joining
area. Result of improper welding techniques/ preparation of base metal/ joint design. Deficiencies
causing incomplete fusion include insufficient welding hear or lack of access to all fusion faces or
both. Unless the weld joint is properly cleaned the tightly adhering oxides can interfere with
complete fusion, even when there is proper access for welding and proper welding heats are used.
Location: Weld metal/ weld interface zone (between passes)

5. INCOMPLETE JOINT PREPARATION

Joint root condition in which weld metal does not extend through the joint root. The unpenetrated
and unfused area is a discontinuty described as incomplete joint penetration. For joint welded from
both sides, backgouging may be specified before welding the other side to ensure that there is no
incomplete joint penetration. Pipe welds are vulnerable to this type of discontinuity since the inside
of the pipe is inaccessible. Weld that are required to have complete joint penetration may require
visual and NDE method
 Cause: Low amperage, low preheat, tight root opening, fast travel speed, short arc length.

Location: Base metal zone (weld root)

6. UNDERCUT
A grove cut at the toe of the weld and left unfilled. It is an erosion of the base metal next to the toe
of the weld face. Undercut typically has an allowable limit which differs based on codes and
standard. It creates a mechanical notch which is a stress concentrator. When undercut is controlled
within the limits of specifications it is not considered a weld defects. Undercut is generally
associated with either improper welding techniques or excessive welding currents or both.

Causes: High amperage, electrode angle, long arc length, rust

Root undercut is an erosion of the base metal next to the root of the weld. In radiographic images,
undercutting appears not as straight edged as lack of penetration because it does not follow the
straight edge.
 Location: Weld interface zone (adjacent to weld toe or weld root in base metal)

7. UNDERFILL

Weld face or root surface of a groove weld extends below the adjacent surface of the base metal. It is an
area where the deposited weld metal is less than the required thickness. It results from the failure of the
welder t completely fill the weld joint. In RT films, the image density in the area of inadequacy will be
darker than the surrounding image density.
Location: Weld metal zone (weld face or root surface of a groove weld)

8. OVERLAP

Is the protrusion of unfused weld metal beyond the weld toe or weld root (face of the weld
extend beyond toe of the weld caused by metal flowing on to the surface of the parent metal
without fusing to it). Overlap is a surface discontinuity that forms a mechanical notch and is
nearly always considered rejectable.

Common causes may be insufficient travel speed and improper preparation of base metal.
Location: Weld interface zone (weld toe or root surface)
9. LAMINATION

Type of base metal discontinuity with separation or weakness generally aligned parallel to the
worked surface of a rolled product. May be completely internal and detected by UT. May also be
extend to an edge or end where they are visible at the surface and detected by visual, PT or MPI.
May be found when cutting or machining exposes internal laminations. It is formed when gas voids,
shrinkage cavities or nonmetallic inclusions in the original ingot are rolled flat. Generally run parallel
of rolled products and found in shapes and plates.

Location: Base metal zone (generally mid thickness of section)

10. DELAMINATION

Lamination that has separated under stress.

11. SEAMS OR LAPS

Are base metal discontinuities that found in rolled, drawn and forged products. Differ from
laminations in that they appear on the surface of worked product. When the discontinuity is parallel
to the principal stress, it is not a critical defect. When seams or laps are perpendicular to the applied
or residual stress, it will often propagate as cracks. While seams and laps are surface discontinuities,
their presence may be masked by manufacturing processes that have subsequently modified the
surface of mill product. Welding over seams or laps can cause cracking or porosity.

Location: Base metal surface generally aligned with rolling direction.

12. LAMELLAR TEAR

Is a subrsurface terraced and step like crack in the base metal with a basic orientation parallel to the
wrought surface. Caused by tensile stress in the through thickness direction of base metals
 weakened by the presence of small, dispersed, planar shaped, nonmetallic inclusions which are
parallel to the metal surface. Lamellar tearing most often occurs in heavy section materials may
extend over long distances and initiates in regions of the base metal that have a high incidence of
stringer like, nonmetallic inclusions in parallel planes and high residual stress. The fracture usually
propagates from one lamellar plan to another by shear along lines that are near normal to the rolled
surface.

Location: Base metal zone (near HAZ)

13. POROSITY

Gas pore – a cavity formed by trapped gas during the solidification of molten metal. Appears as dark
round irregular spots in clusters or rows. Sometimes elongated and may have an appearance of a
tail. This is the result of gas attempting to escape while the metal is still in liquid stated and is called
wormhole porosity.

Location:

Weld metal zone (can also be found in the base metal zone and HAZ if the base metal is casting) –
uniform scattered, cluster, piping, aligned and elongated porosity

Weld metal and interface zone – uniform scattered and cluster porosity

Causes

1. Insufficient protection/ wind/ interpass cleaning

2. Unsteady travel speed
3. Welding weave too wide
4. Allowing slag to run ahead of the arc
5. Using too large and electrode
6. Damp electrode

a) Single Porosity

b) Uniform scattered porosity

 Often caused by low amp or short arc gap or an unshielded weld start

c) Cluster Porosity

Caused when electrodes are contaminated with moisture or OH-. It appears like regular porosity
in a film but the indications will be grouped close together.
14. CRACKS

Cracks is detected in a radiography only when it produces a change in thickness that is parallel to the
x ray beam. Often appears zig jagged with faint irregular line. Can also appear as tail to an inclusion
or porosity.

a) Longitudinal Crack

A crack running in the direction of the weld axis. May be found in weld or base metal.
 Cause: Pre heat or fast cooling prob. Also caused by shrinkage stresses in high constraint areas.

Location: Weld metal, HAZ and base metal (weld metal or base metal adjacent to weld
interface)

b) Root Crack

A crack in the weld at the weld root.

Cause: Transverse shrinkage stresses. Same as throat crack.

Location: weld interface and HAZ (root surface or weld root)

c) Throat Crack

A longitudinal crack located in the weld throat area.

Cause: Transverse stresses probably from shrinkage. Indicates inadequate filler metal selection
or welding procedure. May be due to crater crack propagation.

Location: weld metal (parallel to weld axis. Through the throat of a fillet weld)

d) Toe Crack

A crack in the base metal beginning at the toe of the weld

Cause: Transverse shrinkage stresses. Indicates a HAZ brittleness prob.

Location: Weld metal and HAZ

e) Cold Crack

A crack that occurs after the metal has completely solidified.

Cause: Shrinkage, highly restrained welds, discontinuities.

f) Underbead Crack

A crack in the unmelted parent metal of the HAZ.

Cause: Hydrogen embrittlement

Location: HAZ
g) Hot Crack

A crack in the weld that occurs during solidification

Cause: Micro stresses from weld metal shrinkage pulling apart weld metal as it cools from liquid
to solid temp.

h) Solidification cracks due to the bead factor

i) Crater crack

Generally in the shape of an X which is found in a crater. It is a hot cracks.

Causes: Center of the weld pool becomes solid before the outside of the weld pool, pulling the
center apart during cooling.

Location: weld metal (weld metal at point where arc is terminated)

j) Hydrogen crack
May also be called cold cracking or delayed cracking. It occurs in ferritic steels, most often
immediately on welding or a short time after welding.
In C-Mn steels, the crack will normally originate in the HAZ but may extend into the weld metal.
 Crack can also occur in the weld bead, normally transverse to the welding direction at an angle
of 45. They followed a jagged path but may be non - branching.
In low alloy steels, the cracks can be transverse to the weld, perpendicular to the weld surface,
but are non-branching and essentially planar.
On breaking open the weld (prior to any heat treatment), the surface of the cracks will normally
not be oxidized, even if they are surface breaking, indicating they were formed when the weld
was at or near ambient temp.
Cracks which originate in the HAZ are usually associated with the coarse grain region. The crack
can be intergranular, transgranular or a mixture. Intergranular cracks are more likely to occur in
the harder HAZ structure formed in low alloy and high carbon steel. Transgranular cracking is
more often found in C-Mn steel structures.
In fillet weld, cracks in the HAZ are usually associated with the weld root and parallel to the
weld. In butt welds, the HAZ cracks are normally oriented parallel to the weld bead.

k) Transverse Crack

A crack running into or inside a weld, transverse to the weld axis direction.

Cause: Weld hardness prob.

Location: weld metal, HAZ,base metal (weld metal may propagate into HAZ and base metal)

15. ARC STRIKE

A localized coalescence outside the weld zone. Damage on the parent material resulting from the
accidental striking of an arc away from the weld.

Cause: Carelessness
16. ARC CRATERS

A depression left at the termination of the weld where the weld pool is left unfilled.

Cause: Improper weld termination tech.

17. SPATTER

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 amp

18. BURN THROUGH

A localized collapse of the molten pool due to the excessive penetration, resulting in a hole in the
weld run. On a radiograph, burn through appears as dark spots surrounded by light globular areas.

Cause: Excessive heat input

19. INCLUSION

a) Slag inclusion

Slag is normally seen as elongated lines either continuous or discontinuous along the length of
the weld. Slag (foreign material trapped in the weld) entrapped within the weld or bet the weld
and base metal. In a radiograph, dark, jagged assymetrical shapes within the weld or along the
weld joint areas are indicative of slag inclusion.

Cause: Low amp, improper tech. trying to weld in an area that is too tight. Slow travel in vertical
down.

Radiograph of a butt weld showing 2 slag lines in the weld root.

Pockets of slag being trapped between the weld runs

 Smooth weld bead profile allows the slag readily removed between runs.

b) Wagon Tracks

Slag term for a groove left at the toe of a root pass which becomes filled with slag and is trapped
in the weld.

Cause: The contour of the root pass is too high, or the weld toe is not bonded to the base metal.

c) Tungsten Inclusion

A tungsten particle embedded in a weld (GTAW only). Brittle and dense material used as an
electrode in tungsten inert gas welding. Radiographically, tungsten is more dense than
aluminum or steel; therefore, it shows as a lighter area with distinct outline on the radiograph.
 Cause: Tungsten electrode too small, amp too high, AC balance on+, upslope too high, electrode
tip not snipped, electrode dipped into the weld pool or touched with the fill rod, electrode split.

d) Oxide Inclusion

Visible on the surface of a weld metal (esp aluminum). Less dense than the surrounding metals
and appears as dark irregular shaped discount in radiograph. Also referred as puckering in ISO.