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Welding Defects & Quality Control Flashcards

7 cards from real AWS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which welding defect is characterized by a groove melted into the base metal adjacent to the weld toe that is left unfilled by weld metal?

    Answer: Undercut

    Undercut is a groove melted into the base metal at the weld toe that remains unfilled, reducing the effective cross-section and creating a stress concentration.

  2. A welder notices that the weld metal has rolled over onto the base metal without fusing. This defect is called:

    Answer: Overlap

    Overlap occurs when weld metal flows over the base metal surface without fusing to it, creating a notch-like condition at the toe of the weld.

  3. What is the primary cause of lamellar tearing in weldments?

    Answer: Poor through-thickness ductility due to sulfide inclusions

    Lamellar tearing occurs due to poor through-thickness ductility caused by elongated sulfide and silicate inclusions in the base metal, triggered by transverse stresses during welding.

  4. Which NDE method is MOST effective for detecting surface-breaking cracks in non-magnetic austenitic stainless steel welds?

    Answer: Liquid penetrant testing (PT)

    Liquid penetrant testing is the preferred surface examination method for non-magnetic materials like austenitic stainless steel, where magnetic particle testing cannot be used.

  5. In radiographic testing of welds, a lighter (less dense) area on the film compared to the surrounding base metal typically indicates:

    Answer: A void or porosity

    Voids and porosity appear as lighter areas on radiographic film because they allow more radiation to pass through, creating darker images — but compared to denser base metal, they appear as lighter round indications relative to surrounding structure in standard terminology.

  6. What type of weld crack forms in the base metal heat-affected zone (HAZ) days or weeks after welding?

    Answer: Delayed hydrogen-induced crack

    Delayed hydrogen-induced cracking (also called cold cracking or underbead cracking) occurs in the HAZ hours to weeks after welding due to diffusible hydrogen, residual stress, and a susceptible microstructure.

  7. When performing a bend test on a weld coupon, the specimen cracks on the tension side. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

    Answer: Lack of fusion in the weld

    Lack of fusion creates planes of weakness in the weld that open under the tensile stress applied during a bend test, causing cracking on the tension side.