TOLERANCES & DEFINITION OF ITEMS ON WELDING:

A. WELD REINFORCEMENT ( BUTT WELD ) - is weld metal in excess of the minimum quantity to fill a joint. Reinforcement on each side of all butt welded joints shall not exceed the ffg. thickness: Nominal Wall Thickness(T), in. (mm) Less than 3/32(2.4) 3/32 to 3/16 (2.4 to 4.8) Over 3/16 to 1 (4.8 to 25.4) Over 1 to 2 ( 25.4 to 51 ) Reinforcement or Protusion,in.(mm) 1/32 (0.8) 1/16 (1.6) 3/32 (2.4) 1/8 ( 3.2)

The height of the lesser projection of external weld reinforcement or internal weld protrusion (excess root penetration )shall not exceed the following thickness: Nominal Wall Thickness(T), in. (mm) 1/4(6.4) and under Over 1/4 (6.4) thru 1/2 (12.7) Over 1/2 (12.7) thru 1 (25.4) Over 1 (25.4) Weld Reinforcement (Fillet Weld) Width of Weld Face or Individual Surface Bead,W W 5/16 in. ( 8 mm.) W > 5/16 in. ( 8mm.) to W <1in.(25mm.) W 1in.( 25mm) Max. Convexity,C W 1/16 in.(2mm) 1/18 in. ( 3mm) 3/16 in. ( 5mm )
Size Weld Face

1/16 (1.6) 1/8 ( 3.2) 5/32 (4.0) 3/16 (4.8)

Weld Root Face

R R

C
Size

Note:For double welded joints, the above limitations shall apply to each particular surface of the weld. WELD DISCONTINUITIES - are interruptions or voids in the weld and adjacent parent material of a completed weldment. B.UNDERCUT - is a groove melted into the base metal adjacent to the edge of a weld at either the weld toe or weld root. For structures built to the ANSI / AWWA D100 Standard for welded Steel Elevated Tanks,Standpipes and Reservoirs for Water Storage, undercut may not exceed 1/64" (0.4 mm) on primary stressed joints or 1/32" (0.8mm) on secondary stressed joints. C.UNDERFILL - is the lack of sufficient weld metal to meet the minimum surface contour or profile requirements or minimum weld thickness requirements for a weld joint.In other words, if a welder or welding operator fails to completely fill the groove, the result is an undersize weld.On pipe welds ,underfill at the weld root may also be reffered to as internal concavity or suck-back D.POROSITY -results when gas is trapped in solidifying metal.The trapped gas comes from either the gas used in the welding process or the gas released from chemical reaction that occurred during the welding process.Faulty or dirty materials may also produce gas. The gas becomes trapped in the formed of porous discontinuities in the weld.Proper welding technique avoids gas formation and entrapment. D.1 Piping Porosity - large cylindrical pores that presence of porosity indicates that the welding process is not being properly controlled or that the base metal and welding fluxes are contaminated with gas producing elements.

D.2 Cluster Porosity - is likely to result from improper initiation or termination of weld. E. INCOMPLETE FUSION - is the failure of liquid weld metal to fuse into the groove face of the joint or to adjacent weld beads. Incomplete fusion is usually caused by insufficient application of heat to all faces of the joint.Incomplete fusion can occur anywhere within the joint, i.e. between weld bead and groove faces, and between weld beads. F. INCOMPLETE JOINT PENETRATION - results when the weldmetal fails to extend completely through the joint thickness.This discontinuities can also result from improper joint designs.Incomplete Joint penetration can be present only at the root of the joint. G. OVERLAP - is the protrusion of weld metal beyond the toe or weld root of the weld joint without fusion. Overlap result from lack of control of the welding process in the form of insufficient heat ( current too low ), inadequte travel speed, improper selection of welding materials ( lack of deoxidizers ), or improper preparation of the joint. Overlap is rpohibited in AWS D1.1. H. LAMINATION - are flat , generally elongated, planar base metal discontinuities found near the center of rolled products.Laminations are formed when gas voids in the shrinkage cavity in the ingot are rolled flat, but are not subsequently welded under the pressure of hot rolling.Laminations most often appear near the center lline the material thickness.Ultrasonic testing is the only effective means of locating laminations,unless they extend to an exposed edge of the material.Lamination Lamination will not be revealed by R.T. I. DELAMINATION - is the separation of a lamination under stress.The stress maybe a result of distortion during flame cutting, residal stress from welding, or applied stress. J. CRACKS - may occur in the weld or base metal, or both when localized stresses exceed the strenght of the material.Hot Cracks at high temperatures. Cold cracks develop after solidification is complete and are often service related.Cracks are the most severe discontinuity.They have a very sharf end condition and are likely to propagate.Most welding codes disallow cracks. 9 12 10 13 2 2 10
2
5 13 13

12

4 3 11
6 3

13

6. Root crack 7. Root Surface crack 8. Throat crack LEGEND: 3. Heat-affected zone crack 9. Toe crack 1. Crater crack 4.Lamellar tear 10.Transverse crack 12.Weld interface crack 2. Face crack 5. Longitudinal crack 11.Underbead crack 13.Weld metal crack 1. Crater cracks - occur in the crater that is formed by improper termination of a weld pass.They are considerd hot cracks and are sometimes referred to as star cracks because they often radiate in several directions from the center to the crater.
7 13

2.Longitudinal Cracks -are aligned parallel to the weld axis.They are called longitudinal cracks, whether they are centerline cracks in the weld metal or toe cracks in the HAZ of the base metal. 3. Transverse Cracks - are perpendicular to the weld axis. They remain within the weld metal or extend from the weld metal into the adjacent HAZ and the remainder of the base metal.In some weldments ,transverse cracks can form in the HAZ of the base and not in the weld. 4. A Throat Crack - is a longitudinal crack in the weld face of either a groove or fillet weld. 5. Toe Cracks - are generally cold cracks.They begin and grow from the weld toe where residual stresses are high, especially when the weld exhibits excessive reinforcement or convexity.Toe cracks initiate aproximately perpendicular to the metal surface, but may tend to curve and follow the weld HAZ. 6.Root Cracks - are longitudinal cracks in the weld root .They are generally a form of hot cracking. 7.Arc Strike - represent unintentional melting or heating outside the intended weld deposit area. They are usually caused by the welding ars, but can be produced beneath an improperly secured work connection during welding. Size of Discontinuities - the size of the discontinuities must be considered when evaluating the structural integrity of the entire weld.Acceptance standards specify the allowable size of discontinuity in terms of its linear dimensions.