Weld Cracking - Lincoln Electric

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weld CrackingAn Excerpt from The Fabricators' and Erectors'Guide to Welded Steel ConstructionThe James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation1Weld CrackingSeveral types of discontinuities may occur in welds orheat affected zones. Welds may contain porosity, slaginclusions or cracks. Of the three, cracks are by far themost detrimental. Whereas there are acceptable limitsfor slag inclusions and porosity in welds, cracks arenever acceptable. Cracks in a weld , or in the vicinity ofa weld , indicate that one or more problems exist thatmust be addressed. A careful analysis of crack charac-teristics will make it possible to determine the cause andtake appropriate corrective the purposes of this section, Cracking will be dis-tinguished from weld failure. Welds may fail due toover-load, underdesign, or fatigue. The Cracking dis-cussed here is the result of solidification, cooling, and thestresses that develop due to weld shrinkage.

preheat and interpass temperature, postweld heat treat-ment, joint design, welding procedures, and filler mater-ial. The judicious use of peening as an in-process stress relief treatment may be necessary when fabricating high-ly restrained members. Centerline Cracking Centerline cracking is characterized as a separation in the

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