Demagnetising a pipe

Weld defects/imperfections in welds - lack of sidewall and inter-run fusion

This article describes the characteristic features and principal causes of lack of sidewall and inter-run fusion. General guidelines on best practice are given so that welders can minimise the risk of imperfections during fabrication.

Identification
Lack of fusion imperfections can occur when the weld metal fails to fuse completely with the sidewall of the joint (Fig. ! to penetrate ade"uately the previous weld bead (Fig. #!.

Fig. 1. Lack of side wall fusion

Fig. 2. Lack of inter-run fusion

Causes
The principal causes are too narrow a joint preparation$ incorrect welding parameter settings$ poor welder techni"ue and magnetic arc blow. %nsufficient cleaning of oily or

scaled surfaces can also contribute to lack of fusion. These types of imperfection are more likely to happen when welding in the vertical position.

Joint preparation
Too narrow a joint preparation often causes the arc to be attracted to one of the side walls causing lack of side wall fusion on the other side of the joint or inade"uate penetration into the previously deposited weld bead. Too great an arc length may also increase the risk of preferential melting along one side of the joint and cause shallow penetration. %n addition$ a narrow joint preparation may prevent ade"uate access into the joint. For e&ample$ this happens in ''( welding when using a large diameter electrode$ or in '%G welding where an allowance should be made for the si)e of the no))le.

Welding parameters
%t is important to use a sufficiently high current for the arc to penetrate into the joint sidewall. *onse"uently$ too high a welding speed for the welding current will increase the risk of these imperfections. +owever$ too high a current or too low a welding speed will cause weld pool flooding ahead of the arc resulting in poor or non-uniform penetration.

Welder technique
,oor welder techni"ue such as incorrect angle or manipulation of the electrode-welding gun$ will prevent ade"uate fusion of the joint sidewall. .eaving$ especially dwelling at the joint sidewall$ will enable the weld pool to wash into the parent metal$ greatly improving sidewall fusion. %t should be noted that the amount of weaving may be restricted by the welding procedure specification limiting the arc energy input$ particularly when welding alloy or high notch toughness steels.

Magnetic arc blow

.hen welding ferromagnetic steels lack of fusion imperfections can be caused through uncontrolled deflection of the arc$ usually termed arc blow. (rc deflection can be caused by distortion of the magnetic field produced by the arc current (Fig. /!$ through0 residual magnetism in the material through using magnets for handling earth1s magnetic field$ for e&ample in pipeline welding position of the current return The effect of welding past the current return cable which is bolted to the centre of the place is shown in Fig. 2. The interaction of the magnetic field surrounding the arc and that generated by the current flow in the plate to the current return cable is sufficient to deflect the weld bead. 3istortion of the arc current magnetic field can be minimised by positioning the current return so that welding is always towards or away from the clamp and$ in ''( welding$ by using (* instead of 3*. 4ften the only effective means is to demagnetise the steel before welding.

Fig. 3. Interaction of magnetic forces causing arc deflection

Fig. 4. Weld bead deflection in D !!" welding caused b# welding past t$e current return connection

Best practice in prevention

The following fabrication techni"ues can be used to prevent formation of lack of sidewall fusion imperfections0 use a sufficiently wide joint preparation select welding parameters (high current level$ short arc length$ not too high a welding speed! to promote penetration into the joint side wall without causing flooding ensure the electrode-gun angle and manipulation techni"ue will give ade"uate side wall fusion use weaving and dwell to improve side wall fusion providing there are no heat input restrictions if arc blow occurs$ reposition the current return$ use (* (in ''( welding! or demagnetise the steel

cceptance standards
The limits for incomplete fusion imperfections in arc welded joints in steel are specified in 56 78 #9: ; (%64 9: ;! for the three "uality levels (see Table!. These types of imperfection are not permitted for <uality Level 5 (stringent! and * (intermediate!. For <uality level 3 (moderate! they are only permitted providing they are intermittent and not surface breaking. For arc welded joints in aluminium$ long imperfections are not permitted for all three "uality levels. +owever$ for "uality levels * and 3$ short imperfections are permitted but the total length of the imperfections is limited depending on the butt weld or the fillet weld throat thickness. cceptance limits for specific codes and application standards

"pplication Steel

ode%&tandard ISO 5817:1992

"cceptance limit Level B and C not permitted. Level D intermittent and not surfa e !rea"in#.

$luminium

Levels B' C' D. Lon# imperfe tions not permitted. ISO 1%%&2:1992 Levels C and D. S(ort imperfe tions permitted. *ot permitted *ot permitted .l. not #reater t(an 15mm /dependin# on ,all t(i "ness0 .l. not #reater t(an 25mm /less ,(en ,eld len#t( 1-%%mm0

)ressure vessels BS55%%:1997 Stora#e tan"s )ipe,or" Line pipe BS2+5&:1989 BS2+--:1987 $)I 11%&:198-

!etection and remedial action

%f the imperfections are surface breaking$ they can be detected using a penetrant or magnetic particle inspection techni"ue. For sub-surface imperfections$ detection is by radiography or ultrasonic inspection. =ltrasonic inspection is normally more effective than radiography in detecting lack of inter-run fusion imperfections. >emedial action will normally re"uire their removal by localised gouging$ or grinding$ followed by re-welding as specified in the agreed procedure. %f lack of fusion is a persistent problem$ and is not caused by magnetic arc blow$ the welding procedures should be amended or the welders retrained.