Weld Defects
What weld defect appears as a groove along the toe of a weld?
Undercut
What welding position is called the flat position?
1F or 1G
What does the E at the beginning of E7018 mean?
Electrode
You see several small holes across the surface of a weld. What defect are you looking at?
Porosity
What happens to the arc if an SMAW electrode is held too far away from the workpiece?
The arc becomes too long and unstable.
What defect occurs when weld metal rolls onto the base metal without properly fusing to it?
Overlap
What position are you welding when making a horizontal fillet weld on a T-joint?
2F
In E7018, what do the first two digits — 70 — represent?
70,000 psi minimum tensile strength
A fillet weld has one leg much larger than the other. What should the welder improve?
Weld size/profile and consistency
What is one likely result of traveling too slowly while welding?
An excessively wide or large weld bead, excessive buildup, or possible overlap.
What defect appears as small holes or cavities caused by trapped gas in the weld?
Porosity
What does the letter F mean in 2F?
Fillet weld
What does the 1 in E7018 indicate?
The electrode can be used in all welding positions.
The weld bead is straight and consistent, but there is a visible groove running along one toe. What defect should be recorded?
Undercut
What can happen if your travel speed is too fast?
A narrow bead, poor fusion, insufficient weld size, or undercut.
Name one common cause of slag inclusion.
Failure to remove slag between passes, improper electrode angle, or incorrect welding technique.
What does the letter G mean in 3G?
Groove weld
Which electrode is known as a low-hydrogen electrode: E6010 or E7018?
E7018
Before inspecting a finished weld visually, what should normally be removed from the weld surface?
Slag, spatter, and anything preventing proper visual inspection.
Your electrode keeps sticking to the workpiece when you try to strike an arc. What machine setting might be too low?
Amperage
A weld looks good on the surface but the weld metal did not properly join to the base metal. What defect may be present?
Lack of fusion
In what position is a 4G groove weld performed?
Overhead
Why should E7018 electrodes be protected from excessive moisture?
Moisture can increase hydrogen in the weld and contribute to hydrogen cracking or weld defects.
Name four things you could evaluate during a visual inspection of a fillet weld.
Examples include weld size, profile, uniformity, undercut, overlap, cracks, porosity, fusion, crater condition, and overall workmanship.
A welder keeps getting slag trapped between multiple weld passes. What should they change?
Completely remove slag and clean each pass before depositing the next weld.