WELDING PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

 

In this post, we will briefly see some commonly occuring Welding Defects and their Solutions.

WELDING DEFECTS	CAUSES	SOLUTIONS
Porosity	Wrong current setting Excessive speed Dirt or impurities in base metal	Set proper current Reduce speed of travel Use shallow penetration electrode.
Spatter	Amperage (heat) too high Excessive arc length .Arc Blow Wrong polarity	Reduce amperage Shorten arc Direct travel to the direction of blow. Switch to opposite
Arc Hard to Start	Current setting too low Poor or no ground Work dirty Low input line voltage Broken cable Corroded holder jaws	Increase current (Amperage) Attach ground to clean area of metal Remove rust, paint, oxides Check line voltage Usually in holder or ground- replace cable File and clean them up nicely
Slag Inclusions	Current setting too low Too short an arc Wrong bead forming procedure	Increase amperage Increase arc length Correct to proper waving bead (Welder Skills)
Poor Fusion	Current setting too low Wrong manipulation Too long an arc Incorrect work preparation	Reset current Correct speed and change weave Shorten arc length to frying sound Clean and prepare weld joint (V Joint)
Undercut	Current amperage too high Travel speed too fast Arc length excessive Incorrect electrode to work angle Wrong diameter electrode	Lower amperage Reduce welding travel speed Shorten arc length Use correct electrode angle (Welder Skills) Increase electrode diameter one size
Distortion	Improper set-up and jigging Excessive heating of weld area Wrong welding procedure	Correct set-up or jigging design Reduce heat in work Use correct welding procedure Use back step welding
Cracking	High carbon or poor quality material Wrong bead configuration Improper selection of electrode type Too fast cooling	Preheat Avoid excessive heat and puddle size Check and use correct type of electrode Preheat and post-heat,  Cool slowly