Weld and Base Metal

Discontinuities
 Discontinuity

“Any interruption in the uniform

nature of an item”
 Discontinuities
Seams and laps
Laminations
Weld undercut
Weld cracks
Weld porosity
Many others
 Defect

“A non-conforming discontinuity”

All discontinuities are not defects.

All defects are discontinuities.
 Discontinuity Criticality
Linear - non-linear
End condition - sharpness
Surface - sub-surface
Loading - uniform, non-uniform
– Fatigue
– Impact
 Crack

“A fracture type discontinuity characterized

by a sharp tip and high ratio of length and
width (depth) to opening displacement”
 Crack Types
Hot/cold
Delayed/underbead
Longitudinal
Transverse
Throat/toe/root
HAZ/base metal
and many more
Longitudinal Crack
Transverse Crack
Throat Crack
Toe Crack
Crater Cracks in Aluminum Weld
Propagation of Crater Crack in
Aluminum Weld
Underbead Cracks
 Underbead Cracking
Often delayed cracking
Caused by hydrogen
Difficult to detect
Avoid with low H2 process
 Incomplete Fusion

“ A weld discontinuity in which fusion did not

occur between weld metal and fusion faces or
adjoining weld beads”
Locations of Incomplete Fusion
Incomplete Fusion at Weld Face
Incomplete Fusion Between
Weld Metal and Base Metal
Radiograph of Side-Wall Incomplete
Fusion
Incomplete Joint Penetration

“Weld metal does not extend entirely

through the joint thickness. The
term is used only for groove welds.”
Examples of Incomplete Joint
Penetration
Incomplete Joint Penetration
Radiograph of Penetration Faults
at Bead Starts and Stops
Partial Joint Penetration

“Penetration not required to be

complete by designer”
 Inclusions

“Entrapped foreign solid material

such as slag, flux, tungsten or oxide”
Surface Slag Inclusion
Radiograph of Elongated
Slag Inclusions
Radiograph of Tungsten Inclusions
 Porosity

“Cavity type discontinuities formed by gas

entrapped during weld metal solidification”
Scattered Surface Porosity
Linear Surface Porosity with
Connecting Crack
Isolated Surface Porosity
Elongated Surface Porosity
Radiograph of Scattered Porosity
Radiograph of Cluster Porosity
Radiograph of Linear Porosity
 Undercut

“A groove melted into the base metal adjacent to

the weld toe or weld root and left unfilled by
weld metal”
Typical Appearance of Undercut
Undercut Adjacent to Fillet Weld
 Radiograph of Surface Undercut

Surface undercut should be found with VT, NOT RT !

 Under fill

“A condition in which the weld face or the root

surface is below the adjacent surface of the
base metal”
Underfill in Groove Welds
 Overlap

“The protrusion of weld metal

beyond the weld toe or weld root”
Overlap Examples

Overlap

Overlap
Overlap in Fillet and Groove Welds
Undercut & Overlap in Fillet Weld

Undercut

Overlap
 Fillet Weld Convexity

“The maximum distance from the face of a

convex fillet weld perpendicular to a line
joining the weld toes”
Fillet Weld Convexity
 Weld Reinforcement

“Weld metal in excess of the quantity

required to fill a joint”
Face and Root Reinforcement
Face Reinforcement on both sides
when welded from both sides
 Effect of Weld
Reinforcement
angle on Fatigue
Strength
Improper and Acceptable Treatment of
Weld Reinforcement
 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”
 Photomicrograph of Martensitic
Structure Produced by an Arc Strike
 Spatter

“Metal particles expelled during fusion welding

that do not form part of the weld”
Crack Formed at Weld Spatter
 Lamination

“A discontinuity with separation or weakness

generally aligned parallel to the worked
surface of a metal”
Cracking and Delamination Due
to Lamination
 Delamination

“Separation of a lamination under stress”

 Lamellar Tear

“A subsurface terrace- and step-like separation in

the base metal, parallel to the surface, caused by
tensile stresses in the through-thickness direction.
Lamellar Tearing
 Seams and Laps

“Longitudinal base metal surface discontinuities

found in wrought products”
Deep Seam on Surface of Semi-
Finished Rolled Product
Cluster Seams on Surface of Semi-
Finished Rolled Product
Lap on Surface of Rolled Steel Billet
 Dimensional
Size irregularities
Shape imperfections
Distortion
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)