This chart describes visual inspection of the joint after welding, with particular

reference to arc welded joints in steel.

Inspection should also include, as appropriate, checks before and during welding
Inspection should be carried out under good Assessment os pften a matter of pass or fail, based
on:
lighting, with viewing aids as necessary. on wheter there are any imperfections which
 Parent metal  Assembly individually exceed the limits laid down for that type
Fillet welds should normally be cheked for.
 Consumables  Welding procedure of imperfection. Limits may be expressed as a
 Material preparation percentage, for example “Undercut exceeding 1mm
 Size – leg
in depth, or between 0,5 and 1,0mm and extending
Unless otherwise specified, the target
Visual inspection may be followed by non-destructive testing and/or proof testing. for more than 20% of the length of the joint, shall
lengths of the two legs are equal.
be cause for rejection”. Different imperfections,
 Size – throat
provided that they do not exceed individual limits,
 Excess weld metal
may normally be present simultaneously. In all
Not normally specified separately from
cases, the specification provides the only
throat.
authoritative rulling.
 Concave weld face
 Undercut
Where a series of welds of similar type is being
Welds are never perfect, so any form of specify inspection standards himself or
made, and a drift towards the tolerance limits
inspection must have a clear initiate their specification.
becomes apparent, remedial action should be
specification of what imperfections are
initiated.
acceptable. Loose definitions, such as It is not generally possible to eliminate
“good workmanship” or “to the all subjective judgements from visual
standard accepted in the trade”, cannot inspection, but most critical work will
convey wheter a particular joint is also undergo further testing, such as
stressed specially lightly or heavily, or radiography or ultrasonics, which will
whether it is critical so safety in the final resolve ambiguities.
product; the designer should therefore The specification will often state what kind of report
Check for eveness of Even if the weld bead is to be ground off, a regular is required. Types of report vary widely; the
 Face width appearance provides some assurance that gross following list is increasing order of detail.
 Excess weld metal defects are not present in the interior.
(reinforcement, bead height)  Pass/Fail for joint
Go/No-go template
 ripples
Joint
If the weld to be inspected is a testpiece
for a procedure approval test or check, or
Pass/Fail
a welder approval test, it must be marked
with an unambiguous reference Short weld Restart  Pass/Fail + reason

Joint Pass/Fail by reason of

 Pass/Fail for individual imperfections

Leg length measured Throat thickness measured
with a weld gauge with a weld gauge Undercut pass/fail

Lack of penetration pass/fail

Unless otherwise indicated, the weld bead Manual metal arc welds must be restarted at
should extend to na end or corner of the each electrode change, and should not be too
Macrosection pass/fail
parent metal. irregular at that point. Restarts in critical
welds made by other processes may be cause
for rejection.
Make na initial check to see if there are any  Chart showing locations of imperfections
obvious discrepancies in the following.

 Parts welded Crater Spatter

 Component orientation and assembly
 Welding process Undercut measured
 Preparation
 Fit-up, for example gap in a fillet joint
with a weld gauge
 Weld on correct side of joint
 Direction of welding – upward or
downward
 Number of runs

 Statement of measurements and observations on

individual imperfections
Surface oxidation Cracks - note
Acceptable welds may be marked, usually by a
The parent metal on either side of the weld  Location  Length stamp, which should be secured against
should be correctly aligned; with a normal  Orientation  Width (if measureable) unauthorised use; na alternative method must be
butt weld the parent metal should be selected if the marking would have adverse effects
joined so that there is no discontinuity as a crack initiator.
Face side
Longitudinal cracks*
apart from excess weld metal and Weld gauge
penetration. Shrinkage of the cooling weld  Incomplete fill
metal inevitably causes some angular  Undercut
misalignment and distortion.  Excess weld metal
A certain amount of “excess” weld metal is
Check: deposited in the course of making any
 Alignment of parent metal sound weld, but too much results in a
Linear misalignment lower toe angle, increasing stress
Angular misalignment concentration.
 Consistency along joint
 Distortion

Root side
 Incomplete penetration  Excess penetration  Root concavity
A certain amount of “excess” penetration is normal.