By

S . ANNADURAI , M. Tech.,
Lecturer/AWTI/ICF
 VISUAL INSPECTION
 DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
 NON DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
 By using simple hand tools and gauges to
know whether there is any external weld
defects.
 Before welding
 During welding
 After welding
 Pre heating if any
 Joint fit-up
 Edge preparation
 Alignment
 Cleaning of base metal
 Calibration status of fixtures if any
 PQR if any
 Latest drawing / Production document/ P.O
 Inter pass temperature
 Inter pass cleaning
 Welding sequence
 Process parameters
 Post weld treatment
 Post heating
 Cleaning
 Surface quality
 Internal weld quality
 Dimensional accuracy
 Geometrical accuracy
 stress to which the part will be subjected
during service
 type of material used
 temperature and pressure to which the parts
will be stressed
 the environmental condition (corrosive/ non
corrosive)
 cost and accessibility for repair
 Discontinuity is some feature, which introduces
an irregularity in an uniform structure.
 Defect is a specific discontinuity, which can
impair the suitability of the structure.
 All defects are discontinuities but, all
discontinuities are not defects
Based on location
1) surface defects

2) sub surface/ internal defect

Based on shape
1) Planar defects

2) Voluminar defects
1. DEFECTS INVOLVING INADEQUATE BONDING:-
 Incomplete fusion in fused weld.
 Incomplete penetration.
2. FOREIGN INCLUSION:-
 Slag Inclusion.
 Oxide film in fusion weld.
 Tungsten Inclusion.
3. GEOMETRIC DEFECTS:-
 Undercut.
 Excessive Reinforcement.
 Burn through or excessive penetration.
 Distortion.
 Improper weld profile.
4. METALLURGICAL DEFECTS.
 Cracks, Gas porosity, Arc strike, Embitterment
 Lack of know-how.

 Welding process characteristic.

 Base metal defects or base metal composition, with an inherent

susceptibility towards cracking.

 Defective welding filler metals.

 Joint environment -design fit-up

 Welding environment (Atmosphere, preheat, interpass

temperature, etc
 Crack
 Incomplete fusion
 Incomplete penetration
 Inclusions
 Porosity
 Undercut
 Under fill
 Overlap
 Burn through
 Weld reinforcement
 Arc strike
 Spatter
 Lamination
 Lamellar tear
 Dimensional defect
 Geometrical defect
DEFINITION:
A fracture type discontinuity characterized by
sharp tip and high ratio of length and width
and always having tendency to propagate.
 surface crack
 internal / sub surface crack
 linear crack
 transverse crack
 cold crack
 hot crack
 delayed crack
BASED ON LOCATION WITH REFERENCE TO
VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WELD AGAIN CLASSIFIED
AS
 Root crack
 Throat crack

Toe crack

Crater crack

Under bead crack

HAZ crack

Base metal crack

 General reasons are
1) Presence of hydrogen
2) Improper joint fit
3) Restrains on the joints
4) Presence of sulphur and phosphor in base
metal
5) More carbon equivalent in base metal
6) improper weld technique
7) Improper matching of electrode with base
metal
DEFINITION:
Fusion not taken place between weld metal and base metal
and (or) between weld beads
Properties:
Occurs any where within weld metal and in surface also.
REASONS:
Improper manipulation especially in GMAW
Presence of slag inclusion
Improper joint design
Contamination on job surface
Oxide layers, scales in the joint surface
Low arc current
DEFINITION:
The penetration of molten metal does not extent entirely
through the joint thickness where complete penetration is
required by specification
PROPERTIES:
 Associated with groove welding
 Location is always adjacent to weld root
REASONS:
 Improper joint preparation
 excess root face
 narrow root gap
 Improper selection of electrode
 Improper manipulation
 Improper selection of weld parameter
DEFINITION:
Metallic or non metallic particle entrapped inside the weld
metal
PROPERTIES:
Appearing in the weld metal and surface of weld metal
It is associated incomplete fusion
TYPES :
1. Slag inclusion
2. Tungsten inclusion
3. Scale inclusion
DEFINITION:
It is a cavity type discontinuity formed by gas entrapment
during solidification
PROPERTIES:
Least detrimental discontinuity in structural welding,
characterized by spherical shape
But detrimental in pressure vessels and pipe welding
 Uniformly scattered porosity
 Cluster porosity
 Linear porosity
 Piping porosity
 single cavity type
 elongated type
REASON:
 presence of contaminations

 Presence of moisture in electrode/ base metal/

shielding gas/ surroundings
 Improper welding technique- long arc in SMAW

 Excessive high travel speed in SAW

NOTE
If porosity is there , it indicates some parameters are out
of control and it requires investigation.
DEFINITION :
Elongated porosity at surface

PROPERTIES:
It occurs in SAW process

REASONS:
Granular flux depth is very excessive
Entrapped gas not allowed to escape
DEFINITION:
Surface discontinuity , occurs as linear groove in base
metal, adjacent to the weld at toe or root
PROPERTIES:
Detrimental to the structure
Act as stress raisers
REASONS:
Travel speed too high
Improper manipulation
Excess welding current/ excess heat/ excess melting
of base metal
DEFINITION:
Groove like surface discontinuity
PROPERTIES:
Associated with groove welding
Occurs in face as well root of the weld
Reduces the cross section area of the weld
REASONS:
Travel speed too high in sealing pass
Excessive heating of root pass during the second pass
DEFINITION:
Protrusion of weld metal beyond the toe or root of the
weld
PROPERTIES:
It is detrimental, act as stress raisers
It occurs on the surface
It can hide some defects
It occurs in groove weld and fillet weld
REASONS:
Slow travel speed
Improper angle
Too fluidity of filler metal
DEFINITION:
Excessive weld metal build-up on the face of the weld
PROPERTIES:
Associated with fillet weld
It is detrimental, act as stress risers in fatigue load condition
REASONS:
Travel speed too slow
Low current
Low volt
Presence of contaminations in base metal
Lack of wetting in weld metal
DEFINITION:
 Excessive weld metal deposition
 Properties:
 Associated with groove welding
 Act as stress raisers/ notch effect
 Occurs in face and root of groove weld
REASONS:
 Travel speed too low
 Low current
 Low volt
 Presence of contaminations in base metal
 Lack of wetting of weld metal
LINEAR MISALIGNMENT
 Misalignment between two welded pieces such
that while their surface planes are parallel, they are
not in the required same plane.
Causes
 Inaccuracies in assembly procedures or distortion
from other welds
 Excessive ‘out of flatness’ in hot rolled plates or
sections
Prevention
 Adequate checking of alignment prior to welding
coupled with the use of clamps and wedges
 Check accuracy of rolled section prior to welding
 ANGULAR MISALIGNMENT
 Description
 Misalignment between two welded pieces
such that their surface planes are not parallel
or at the intended angle

 Causes and prevention

 Same as for linear misalignment
DEFINITION: Metal particles stick to the base metal
adjacent to the weld metal
PROPERTIES:
 Large globules of spatters may have sufficient heat to
cause heat affected zone.
 Leads to stress corrosion cracking
 Affect the further inspection operations viz. MPT, UT
and DPT
 Leads to premature failure of applied coatings.
DEFINITION:
 Localized heating of base metal surface by initiating
arc, away from weld joint intentionally /unintentionally
PROPERTIES:
 Very detrimental in LAHS steels
 Rapid cooling may produce hard, brittle
microstructure- tendency to cracking
REASON:
Indiscipline of the welder
 This International Standard provides quality levels
of imperfections in fusion-welded joints
 all types of steel, nickel, titanium and their alloys.
 It applies to material thickness above 0,5 mm.
 It covers fully penetrated butt welds and all fillet
welds
 Three quality levels are given in order to permit
application to a wide range of welded fabrication,
designated by symbols B, C and D.
 different quality levels are applied to individual
welded joints in the same product or component.
 The quality level necessary in each case should
be defined by

1. the application standard

2. the responsible designer in conjunction with
the manufacturer,
3. user and/or other parties concerned.
The choice of quality level for any application should
take account of
 design considerations,

 subsequent processing (e.g. surfacing),

 mode of stressing (e.g. static, dynamic),

 service conditions (e.g. temperature,

Environment)
 consequences of failure. Economic factors are also
important and should include not only
 the cost of welding but also of inspection, test and
repair.
 Quality level
Description of the quality of a weld on the basis of
type, size and amount of selected imperfections

 Fitness-for-purpose
Ability of a product, process or service to serve a
defined purpose under specific conditions
 Short imperfections
In cases when the weld is 100 mm long or longer,
imperfections are considered to be short-
imperfections if, in the 100 mm which contains the
greatest number of imperfections, their total length is
less than 25 mm in cases when the weld is less than 100
mm long, imperfections are considered to be short
imperfections if their total length is less than 25 % of
the length of the weld
 Systematic imperfection
Imperfections that are repeatedly distributed in the
weld over the weld length to be examined, the size of a
single imperfection being within the specified limits
Assessment of imperfections
 Limits for imperfections are given in Table

 If, for the detection of imperfections, micro-

examination is used, only those imperfections shall
be considered which can be detected with a
maximum of tenfold magnification. Excluded from
this are micro lack of fusion.

 Systematic imperfections are only permitted in

quality level D, provided other requirements of
Table 1 are fulfilled.
 Assessment of imperfections
 A welded joint should usually be assessed
separately for each individual type of
imperfection. Different types of imperfection
occurring at any cross-section of the joint need
special consideration. The limits for multiple
imperfections are only applicable for cases where
the requirements for a single imperfection are not
exceeded.
 Any two adjacent imperfections separated by a
distance smaller than the major dimension of the
smaller imperfection shall be considered as a
single imperfection
a - nominal throat thickness of the fillet weld (see also
ISO 2553)
b -width of weld reinforcement
d -diameter of gas pore
h -height or width of imperfection
l -length of imperfection in longitudinal direction of
the weld
s -nominal butt weld thickness (see also ISO 2553)
t -wall or plate thickness (nominal size)
z -leg length of a fillet weld (see also ISO 2553)
α angle of weld toe
β angle of angular misalignment
Imperfec Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
tion mm
designat D C B
ion
Surface Maximum
pore dimension of
a single pore
for
— butt welds 0,5 to 3 d ≤ 0,3 s Not permitted Not permitted
— fillet welds 0,5 to 3 d ≤ 0,3 a

— butt welds >3 d ≤ 0,3 s, d ≤ 0,2 s, but Not permitted

but max. max. 2 mm
3 mm

d ≤ 0,3 a, d ≤ 0,2 a, but Not permitted

— fillet welds >3 but max. max. 2 mm
3 mm
Imperfec Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
tion mm
designat D C B
ion
Incomple Only for single Short
te root side butt ≥ 0,5 imperfecti
penetrati welds ons: Not permitted Not permitted
on h ≤ 0,2 t,
but max. 2
mm
Imperfection Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
designation mm
D C B

Short Short
Continuous Smooth 0,5 to 3 imperfecti imperfections:
undercut transition ons: Not permitted
Intermittent is h ≤0,2 t h ≤ 0,1 t
undercut required.
This is not
regarded
as a h ≤ 0,2 t, h ≤ 0,1 t, h≤ 0,05 t,
systematic > 3 but max. 1 but max. 0,5 but max. 0,5 mm
imperfecti mm mm
on
Imperfectio Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
n mm
designation D C B

Excess weld Smooth h ≤1 mm h ≤1 mm + h ≤1 mm + 0,1 b,

metal transition is ≥ 0,5 + 0,25 b, 0,15 b, But max. 5 mm
(butt weld) required. but max. but max. 7
10 mm mm

Excessive ≥ 0,5 h ≤1 mm h ≤1 mm + h ≤1 mm + 0,1 b,

convexity + 0,25 b, 0,15 b, but max. 3 mm
(fillet but max. 5 but max. 4
weld) mm mm

Burn Not Not Not permitted

through ≥ 0,5 permitted permitted
Imperfectio Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
n mm
designation D C B

Excessive In cases h ≤2 mm + h ≤ 2 mm + h ≤ 1,5 mm + 0,15 a

asymmetry where an ≥ 0,5 0,2 a 0,15 a
of asymmetric
fillet weld fillet weld
(excessive has
unequal leg not been
Length) prescribed
Imperfectio Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
n mm
designation D C B

Insufficient Not Short Short

throat applicable 0,5 to 3 imperfecti imperfections Not permitted
thickness to ons:
processes
with proof h ≤0,2 mm h≤0,2 mm
of + 0,1 a
greater
depth of
penetration
>3 h ≤ 0,3 mm h ≤ 0,3 mm + Not permitted
+ 0,1 a, 0,1 a,
but max. 2 but max. 1
mm mm
Imperfection Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
designation mm
D C B

Excessive The actual Unlimited. h ≤ 1 mm +

throat throat ≥ 0,5 0,2 a, h ≤ 1 mm + 0,15
thickness thickness of but max. 4 a,
the fillet mm but max. 3 mm
weld is
too large.
Imperfection Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
designation mm
D C B

Stray arc Permitted, Not Not permitted

≥ 0,5 if the permitted
properties
of the
parent
metal are
not
affected.
Imperfection Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
designation mm
D C B

Spatter Acceptance Acceptance Acceptance depends

≥ 0,5 depends on depends on on application
application application
e.g. material,
e.g. e.g. material,
Corrosion protection
material,
Corrosion
Corrosion protection
protection
Imperfec Remarks t
Limits for imperfections for quality levels
tion mm
designat D C B
ion
Lack of
fusion ------- ≥ 0,5 Not Not Not permitted
permitted permitted

Micro Only
lack of detectable by ≥ 0,5 permitted permitted permitted
fusion micro
examination
THANK YOU