Incomplete Filled Groove
Slag Porosity Lack of
Cap Undercut fusion Cap Undercut
Inclusion Intermittent Intermittent
Cap Undercut
Intermittent Arc Strike
Arc Strike
Cold lap is
lap is a condition where the weld filler metal does not properly fuse with
the base metal or the previous weld pass material (interpass cold lap). The arc
does not melt the base metal sufficiently and causes the slightly molten puddle
to flow into the base material without bonding.
Incomplete Filled Groove Lack of Sidewall
Lack of Sidewall Fusion Porosity Fusion
Surface Slag
Overlap and Excess Cap Height Full Weld Length
Porosity is the result of gas entrapment in the solidifying metal. Porosity can take many
shapes on a radiograph but often appears as dark round or irregular spots or specks
appearing singularly, in clusters, or in rows. Sometimes, porosity is elongated and
may appear to have a tail. This is the result of gas attempting to escape while the
metal is still in a liquid state and is called wormhole porosity. All porosity is a void in
the material and it will have a higher radiographic density than the surrounding area
Lack of Incomplete Filled Groove
Slag Cap Undercut Porosity fusion
Inclusion Cap Undercut
Intermittent
Intermittent
Cap Undercut
Intermittent
Arc Strike Arc Strike
Cluster porosity is caused when flux coated electrodes are contaminated with
moisture. The moisture turns into a gas when heated and becomes trapped
in the weld during the welding process. Cluster porosity appear just like
regular porosity in the radiograph but the indications will be grouped close
together.
Incomplete Filled Groove
Porosity Lack of
Cap Undercut fusion Cap Undercut
Slag Intermittent
Inclusion Intermittent
Cap Undercut
Intermittent Arc Strike Arc Strike
Slag inclusions are nonmetallic solid material entrapped in weld metal
or between weld and base metal. In a radiograph, dark, jagged
asymmetrical shapes within the weld or along the weld joint areas
are indicative of slag inclusions.
Arc strike
Lack of root penetration Burn through Poor stop/start
Linear misalignment
Lack of root penetration Lack of root fusion
Mechanical damage Lack of root fusion
+ poor stop/start
Incomplete penetration (IP) or lack of penetration (LOP ) occurs when the weld metal
fails to penetrate the joint. It is one of the most objectionable weld discontinuities.
Lack of penetration allows a natural stress riser from which a crack may propagate.
The appearance on a radiograph is a dark area with well- defined, straight edges that
follows the land or root face down the center of the weldment.
Lack of root
Arc strike fusion
Lack of root Lack of root Lack of root Spatter
fusion fusion fusion
Root undercut intermittent
Spatter
Incomplete fusion is a condition where the weld filler metal does not
properly fuse with the base metal. Appearance on radiograph:
usually appears as a dark line or lines oriented in the direction of the
weld seam along the weld preparation or joining area.
Internal concavity or suck back is a condition where the weld metal has
contracted as it cools and has been drawn up into the root of the weld. On a
radiograph it looks similar to a lack of penetration but the line has irregular
edges and it is often quite wide in the center of the weld image.
Root undercut Arc strike
intermittent
Lack of penetration intermittent
Ground flush root
Internal or root undercut is an erosion of the base metal next to the root of
the weld. In the radiographic image it appears as a dark irregular line offset
from the centerline of the weldment. Undercutting is not as straight edged
as LOP because it does not follow a ground edge.
Mechanical damage
Cap undercut Cap undercut
Spatter/irregular cap profile
External or crown undercut is an erosion of the base metal next to
the crown of the weld. In the radiograph, it appears as a dark
irregular line along the outside edge of the weld area.
Arc strike
Lack of root penetration Burn through Poor stop/start
Linear misalignment
Lack of root penetration Lack of root fusion
Mechanical damage Lack of root fusion
+ poor stop/start
Offset or mismatch are terms associated with a condition where two pieces being
welded together are not properly aligned. The radiographic image shows a noticeable
difference in density between the two pieces. The difference in density is caused by
the difference in material thickness. The dark, straight l ine is caused by the failure of
the weld metal to fuse with the land area
Incomplete
Filled Groove +
Lack of
Cap Undercut Sidewall
Longitudinal
Surface slag & Spatter Fusion
Crack
Slag Inclusion
Incomplete Filled Groove
+ Lack of Sidewall Fusion
+ Cap Undercut
Intermittent
Inadequate weld reinforcement is an area of a weld where the thickness of weld metal deposited is
less than the thickness of the base material. It is very easy to determine by radiograph if the weld
has inadequate reinforcement, because the image density in the area of suspected inadequacy
will be higher (darker) than the image density of the surrounding base material.
Incomplete Filled Groove
Porosity Lack of Sidewall
Lack of Sidewall Fusion
Fusion
Surface Slag
Overlap and Excess Cap Height Full Weld Length
Excess weld reinforcement is an area of a weld that has weld metal added in
excess of that specified by engineering drawings and codes. The
appearance on a radiograph is a localized, lighter area in the weld. A visual
inspection will easily determine if the weld reinforcement is in excess of that
specified by the engineering requirements.
Incomplete
Filled Groove +
Lack of
Cap Undercut
Sidewall Longitudinal
Surface slag & Spatter Fusion Crack
Slag Inclusion Incomplete Filled Groove
+ Lack of Sidewall Fusion
+ Cap Undercut
Intermittent
Cracks can be detected in a radiograph only when they are propagating in a direction
that produces a change in thickness that is parallel to the x -ray beam. Cracks will
appear as jagged and often very faint irregular lines. Cracks can s ometimes appear
as "tails" on inclusions or porosity.
Tungsten inclusions. Tungsten is a brittle and inherently dense material used
in the electrode in tungsten inert gas welding. If improper welding
procedures are used, tungsten may be entrapped in the weld.
Radiographically, tungsten is more dense than aluminum or steel, therefore
it shows up as a lighter area with a distinct outline on the radiograph.
Parent material
gas cavities
Plate corrosion
Poor Stop/Start
Lack of Root Fusion
Crater pipe Surface Slag
Surface slag
Linear Misalignment
Oxide inclusions are usually visible on the surface of material being
welded (especially aluminum). Oxide inclusions are less dense than
the surrounding material and, therefore, appear as dark irregularly
shaped discontinuities in the radiograph.
Arc strike
Lack of root penetration Burn through Poor stop/start
Linear misalignment
Lack of root penetration Lack of root fusion
Mechanical damage Lack of root fusion
+ poor stop/start
Burn-Through results when too much heat causes excessive weld metal to penetrate
the weld zone. Often lumps of metal sag through the weld, creating a thick globular
condition on the back of the weld. These globs of metal are referred to as icicles. On
a radiograph, burn-through appears as dark spots, which are often surrounded by
light globular areas (icicles).
