Radiographic Interpretation for Welds

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Cluster porosity

Rounded or elongated cavities due to entrapped gas occurring in clusters.

Radiographic appearance

Rounded or slightly elongated dark spots occurring in clusters

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Incomplete penetration (IP) or lack of penetration (LOP)

Lack of fusion in the root of the weld or a gap left by the failure of the weld metal to fill the room

Radiographic appearance

Dark continuous or intermittent line in the center of the weld.

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Cracks

Longitudinal Crack

A discontinuity produced by fracture in the weld metal longitudinal to the weld

Radiographic appearance

A dark continuous or intermittent line along the length of the weld

Transverse crack

A discontinuity produced by fracture in the weld metal across the weld

Radiographic appearance

Fine dark line, straight or wandering in direction running across the width of the weld image.

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Tungsten inclusions

Small pieces of tungsten entrapped during welding

Radiographic appearance

Irregular lower density spots randomly located in the weld image

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Burn-Through

A Severe depression or a crater type hole at the bottom of the weld.

Radiographic appearance

localized darker density with fuzzy edges in the center of the weld image.

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Internal concavity or suck back

 is a case where the weld metal has contracted as it cools and has been drawn up into the root of the weld.

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Internal or root undercut

is an erosion of the base metal next to the core of the weld.

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External or crown undercut

 is an erosion of the base metal next to the crown of the weld.

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Offset or mismatch

are terms associated with a condition where two pieces being welded together are not properly aligned.

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Inadequate weld reinforcement

It is an area of a weld where the thickness of weld metal deposited is less than the thickness of the base material.

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Excess weld reinforcement

It is an area of a weld that has weld metal added in excess of that specified by engineering drawings and codes.

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Cold lap

It  is a case where the weld filler metal does not correctly fuse with the base metal or the previous weld pass material (interpass cold lap).

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Porosity

It  is the result of gas entrapment in the solidifying metal.

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Slag inclusions

Non-metallic solid material entrapped in weld metal or between weld and base metal.

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Oxide inclusions

Usually seen on the surface of material being welded (especially aluminum).

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Incomplete fusion

It  is a condition where the weld filler metal does not sufficiently fuse with the base metal.