Distortion is a nasty problem we experience in welding. Understanding what causes distortion is important in order to be able to minimize or eliminate it completely. There are physical and mechanical properties that affect distortion susceptibility of materials. To learn more about this you can read 4 Material Properties That Affect Distortion. As fabricators we hardly […]
Most types of stainless steels have good weldability and can be welded with all arc welding processes (GMAW, FCAW, GTAW, SMAW and SAW). Stainless is used in many different applications for its strength, abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance. Unfortunately, many assume it can be welded just like carbon steel. In fact, this is the first […]
If you have been reading our articles for some time you know how strongly we feel about having documented welding procedure specifications which have been qualified by testing or prequalified in conformance with code requirements. Yet when we recommend that these very important documents be developed and used in production we get a lot of […]
It is often incorrectly assumed that quenched and tempered (Q&T) steels are hard to weld or even completely unweldable. This assumption is inaccurate as most Q&T steels have great weldability. However, extreme care must be taken to prevent cracking or loss of certain mechanical properties. A very common quenched and tempered steel is ASTM A514. […]
Porosity is a weld discontinuity that is not as detrimental to structural integrity as cracks, undercut, overlap and lack of fusion. However, it is unsightly and when painted it becomes an eye sore. Because it does not have sharp ends, porosity does not propagate like a crack. The reason for limits to the amount of […]
If you have ever been tasked with selecting the right specification and grade of steel for a particular application you know there are hundreds of choices. Typically these are based on the materials tensile strength and yield strength. There are many factors that go into selecting the right base metal for a given application. In […]
Getting deeper penetration, or at least adequate penetration is very important in welding. There are a few applications in which we wish to minimize penetration, but in general we always want good penetration. There are many variables that affect penetration, some more than others. It is important to know how each individual variable affects the […]
Last week we had the pleasure of working with a fabricator of pressure vessels in order to help them reduce manufacturing costs. As mandated by the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code this fabricator had welding procedure specifications (WPSs) and procedure qualification records (PQRs) in place. These were properly written, tested and documented. The WPS […]
The formation of silicon islands on welds made with the GMAW (mig) and MCAW (metalcore) processes is very common. For the most part, these silicon islands are not a problem. However, if the weld is to be painted, you better remove these islands. Otherwise, they will eventually pop off and leave an unpainted spot in […]
Corten, or COR-TEN, is the trademark name for weathering steels manufactured by U.S. Steel Corporation. Weathering steels are a family of low carbon steel alloys that were specifically developed to provide higher strength and more importantly eliminate the need to paint to protect against the elements (rain, snow, humidity, sun, salt, etc.). A242 and A588 […]
