In our previous post we discussed categorizing cracks based on when they occur. If you missed this you can read it at Understanding Why Welds Crack: Timing. As discussed in this previous article, cracks can and should be categorized based on three criteria: Timing – did the crack occur immediately after welding (hot crack), did […]
Cracks are perhaps the only discontinuity for which there is no allowance. Most codes require that cracks be repaired. Crosscheck cracks on some hardfacing applications may be OK, but in general, if a weld cracks it’s a big problem. This problem is time consuming and costly in most cases. When you get a crack you don’t […]
Cracks on welds are never good. Welding codes always have allowances for porosity, undercut, weld sizes, and even weld profiles. However, there is never an allowance for cracks. Being a linear discontinuity, a crack will tend to propagate through the weld and into the base metal with relative ease, especially in cyclically loaded structures. So […]
If you have welded aluminum you know that it behaves considerably different than steel. Other than the strength difference and general appearance, there are four physical characteristics of aluminum that make it weld completely different than steel. These are: High thermal conductivity High solidification shrinkage High hydrogen solubility Oxide coating When welding aluminum it is […]
Our last post (Factors Influencing Hydrogen Induced Cracking) went over the factors that contribute to hydrogen-induced cracking. We will now go over how to prevent HIC from happening. If you recall, we mentioned you need all three factors to be present in order to have HIC: These factors are 1. a susceptible microstructure, 2. threshold […]
We recently helped out a customer in determining why some of their welds were cracking. It was determined that cracking on their parts was due to rapid cooling and improperly sized welds. The discussions we had before and after determining the cause were quite interesting. We went over the typical causes for cracking with our […]
