Welding Defects and Remedies: Lack of Fusion Incomplete Penetration Undercutting Porosity Longitudinal Cracking

WELDING DEFECTS
AND REMEDIES
Lack Of Fusion
Incomplete Penetration
Undercutting
Porosity
Longitudinal Cracking
SUBMITTED BY:
PRIYANKA YADAV 111524
SOURABH CHOPRA 111525
SUDHANSHU 111867
A welding defect is any flaw that compromises the usefulness of the finished weldment.
The following are the main type of welding defects with their causes and remedies :-
LACK OF FUSION
Lack of fusion, also called cold lapping or cold shuts, occurs when there is no fusion
between the weld metal and the surfaces of the base plate. This defect can be seen in
Figure.
CAUSES
The most common cause of lack of fusion is a poor welding technique. Either the
weld puddle is too large (travel speed too slow) and/or the weld metal has been
permitted to roll in front of the arc.
Again, the arc must be kept on the leading edge of the puddle. When this is
done, the weld puddle will not get too large and cannot cushion the arc.
Another cause is the use of a very wide weld joint. If the arc is directed down the
center of the joint, the molten weld metal will only flow and cast against the side
walls of the base plate without melting them.
REMEDIES
The heat of the arc must be used to melt the base plate. This is accomplished by
making the joint narrower or by directing the arc towards the side wall of the
base plate.
When multi-pass welding thick material, a split bead technique should be used
whenever possible after the root passes. Large weld beads bridging the entire
gap must be avoided.
Lack of fusion can also occur in the form of a rolled over bead crown. Again, it
is generally caused by a very low travel speed and attempting to make too large
a weld in a single pass. However, it is also very often caused by too low a welding
voltage. As a result, the wetting of the bead will be poor.
When welding aluminium, the common cause of this type of defect is the presence of
aluminium oxide. This oxide is a refractory with a melting point of approximately
35000F (19270C). It is also insoluble in molten aluminium. If this oxide is present on the
surfaces to be welded, fusion with the weld metal will be hampered.
INCOMPLETE PENETRATION
This type of defect is found in any of three ways:
1) When the weld bead does not penetrate the entire thickness of the base plate.
2) When two opposing weld beads do not interpenetrate.
3) When the weld bead does not penetrate the toe of a fillet weld but only bridges
across it. Welding current has the greatest effect on penetration.
CAUSES
Incomplete penetration is usually caused by the use of too low a welding current
and can be eliminated by simply increasing the amperage.
Other causes can be the use of too slow a travel speed and an incorrect torch
angle. Both will allow the molten weld metal to roll in front of the arc, acting as
a cushion to prevent penetration.
Longer arc length
Electrode diameter relatively large
REMEDIES
The arc must be kept on the leading edge of the weld puddle.
Use proper arc current
Use small electrodes
Change or redesign the joint
UNDERCUTTING
As shown in Figure, undercutting is a defect that appears as a groove in the parent

metal directly along the edges of the weld. It is most common in lap fillet welds, but can
also be encountered in fillet and butt joints.
CAUSES
This type of defect is most commonly caused by improper welding parameters;

particularly the travel speed and arc voltage.
When the travel speed is too high, the weld bead will be very peaked because of
its extremely fast solidification. The forces of surface tension have drawn the
molten metal along the edges of the weld bead and piled it up along the center.
Melted portions of the base plate are affected in the same way.
The undercut groove is where melted base material has been drawn into the
weld and not allowed to wet back properly because of the rapid solidification.
REMEDIES
Decreasing the arc travel speed will gradually reduce the size of the undercut
and eventually eliminate it.
When only small or intermittent undercuts are present, raising the arc voltage
or using a leading torch angle are also corrective actions. In both cases, the weld
bead will become flatter and wetting will improve.
Weaving should be proper
Use proper electrode
POROSITY
Porosity is gas pores found in the solidified weld bead. As seen in Figure, these pores
may vary in size and are generally distributed in a random manner. However, it is
possible that porosity can only be found at the weld center. Pores can occur either
under or on the weld surface.
CAUSES
The most common causes of porosity are atmosphere contamination, excessively

oxidized work piece surfaces, inadequate deoxidizing alloys in the wire and the
presence of foreign matter.
Atmospheric contamination can be caused by:
1) Inadequate shielding gas flow.
2) Excessive shielding gas flow. This can cause aspiration of air into the gas
stream.
3) Severely clogged gas nozzle or damaged gas supply system (leaking hoses,
fittings, etc.
4) An excessive wind in the welding area. This can blow away the gas shield.
REMEDIES
Clean the base metal properly

Proper electrode should be utilised
Use filler metal having high contents of deoxidizers
Reduce welding speed , to allow gases to escape
LONGITUDINAL CRACKING
Longitudinal or centerline cracking, of the weld bead is not often encountered in mig
welding. However, that which does occur can be one of two types: hot cracks and cold
cracks. Typical hot cracks are shown in Figure. Hot cracks are those that occur while
the weld bead is between the liquidus (melting) and solidus (solidifying) temperatures.
In this temperature range the weld bead is mushy.
CAUSES
Hot cracks usually result from the use of an incorrect wire electrode
(particularly in aluminum and stainless steel alloys).
The chemistry of the base plate can also promote this defect (an example would
be any high carbon stainless steel casting).
Any combination of the joint design, welding conditions and welding techniques
that results in a weld bead with an excessively concave surface can promote
cracking.
One form of this defect which may often be encountered, particularly with any
5000 series aluminum, is called a crater crack. These are small cracks which
appear at the end of the weld where the arc has been broken. Although small,
these cracks are troublesome since they can propagate into the weld bead.
REMEDIES
Cooling rate should be controlled

Use fresh electrodes or baked ones
Increase electrode size , raise welding current
Use preheat , anneal the base metal before welding
A crater crack is shown in Figure . The major reason for this defect is the incorrect
technique for ending the weld. To properly end a weld, the crater should be filled.
This is done by reversing the arc travel direction before breaking the arc. This
technique is depicted in Figure. In addition, if the welding control is designed to
supply gas for a short time after the arc is broken, the crater should be shielded
until it is completely solidified.
EXAMPLE OF LONGITUDINAL CRACKING
EXAMPLE OF CRATER CRACKING
SLAG INCLUSION
There are two types of inclusions: linear inclusions and isolated inclusions. Linear
inclusions occur when there is slag or flux in the weld. Slag forms from the use of a flux,
which is why this type of defect usually occurs in welding processes that use flux, such
as shielded metal arc welding, flux-cored arc welding, and submerged arc welding, but
it can also occur in gas metal arc welding. This defect usually occurs in welds that
require multiple passes and there is poor overlap between the welds. The poor overlap
does not allow the slag from the previous weld to melt out and rise to the top of the new
weld bead. It can also occur if the previous weld left and undercut or an uneven surface
profile. To prevent slag inclusions the slag should be cleaned from the weld bead
between passes via grinding, wire brushing, or chipping.
Isolated inclusions occur when rust or mill scale is present on the base metal.
CAUSES
Slag removal is not appropriate

Longer arc length is used
Oxide inclusions
Improper weld joint design
REMEDIES
Use proper arc length

Use fresh and proper electrode
Use more electrode angle & more speed
DISTORTION
Welding methods that involve the melting of metal at the site of the joint necessarily are
prone to shrinkage as the heated metal cools. Shrinkage then introduces residual
stresses and distortion. Distortion can pose a major problem, since the final product is
not the desired shape. To alleviate certain types of distortion the w/p can be offset so
that after welding the product is the correct shape. The following pictures describe
various types of welding distortion:
Longitudnal shrinkage Angular distortion

Fillet distortion Neutral axis distortion
Transverse shrinkage

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WELDING DEFECTS

This type of defect is found in any of three ways:

2) When two opposing weld beads do not interpenetrate.

As shown in Figure, undercutting is a defect that appears as a groove in the parent

This type of defect is most commonly caused by improper welding parameters;

The most common causes of porosity are atmosphere contamination, excessively

Clean the base metal properly

Cooling rate should be controlled

EXAMPLE OF CRATER CRACKING

Slag removal is not appropriate

Use proper arc length

Longitudnal shrinkage Angular distortion

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