SMAW-Beads and Fillet
Welds
NCCER UNIT 9
Intro
The _______ weld is one of the most basic
welds made.
This unit discusses proper ways to strike an
arc, run beads, and , make fillet welds in all
positions using SMAW electrodes.
Preparing our metal
The weld _______ used for making a fillet weld should be carbon steel, ¼ to ¾ inch thick.
Always use a wire brush or grinder to remove heavy mill scale or corrosion.
Steel used for welding practice is expensive and difficult to obtain so always try to conserve as
much as possible.
Always reuse weld coupons until ____________ have been welded on.
Weld on both sides of the joint, then cut the weld apart and reuse the pieces.
Electrode selection
For all the exercises in this unit, fillet welds will
be made with E7018 and E6010 welding rods.
Striking an arc
In order to weld we must first strike the arc. The general rule is that the arc length should be the
diameter _____________________________. (If a 1/8” rod is being used then the arc length
should be 1/8”)
The ___________ is measured from the end of the electrode core to the base metal.
Ways to strike the arc
There are 2 ways to strike an arc: the ____________ method and the _________ method.
The scratching method is the ____________ way to strike an arc. It is usually used by trainees
and is basically like striking a match. This method leaves _____________ on the base metal that
are not allowed by certain welding codes.
The tapping method is the _______ method to use when using a transformer DC welding
machine. This method is harder to perfect but is the method that should be used.
Arc blow
When current flows through a welding machine, strong magnetic fields are created. These
magnetic fields concentrate in the corners, deep grooves, and in the ends of the base metal.
When the arc reaches these magnetic fields, it is deflected. This is known as _________.
Stringer and weave beads
A _______________ is a weld bead that is
made with very little or no side to side motion
of the electrode.
A _____________ is a weld that is made with a
side to side motion of the electrode.
These two beads are usually used for
resurfacing metal.
Stringer beads
When practicing running a stringer bead in the flat position, the electrode angle should be a
____ to _____ degree drag angle in the direction of travel for the weld and at a zero work angle
that is perpendicular to the base metal across the weld.
Travel angles are either drag or push angles.
◦ _____ angle is a travel angle in which the electrode axis points at the weld bead during the running of
the bead.
◦ A ________ angle is the opposite. The electrode points away from the weld bead and toward the
direction of travel.
The __________________, also called a stepping motion, can be used when depositing the
stringer bead to control the weld puddle.
Restarts
___________, sometimes called tie-ins, are
the point where one weld bead stops and
another starts.
These are important because most welds
cannot be completed without at least one
restart.
A restart must be made so that it blends
smoothly into the rest of the weld and does
not stand out.
Terminations
__________ are made at the end of a weld
and always leave a crater.
When making a termination, welding codes
require that the crater be __________to the
full cross section of the weld.
Overlapping beads
Overlapping beads are made by welding beads __________ to one another. These parallel beads
overlap, forming a flat surface.
◦ Can also be called padding.
◦ Used to build up surfaces and to make multi pass welds.
When making an overlap bead, always position the electrode at a work angle of
___________degrees to the side of the previous bead to obtain proper tie-in.
Fillet welds
A fillet weld is a weld that is approximately triangular in cross section and is used with a T-, lap,
and corner joint.
◦ Sizes and locations are given as welding symbols in the WPS.
Can be either convex or concave….
◦ ___________ has its surface bowed out.
◦ ____________ is bowed in.
Welding codes require that fillet welds have a uniform concave or convex face, although a
slightly non-uniform face ________________.
Fillet welds require very little base metal prep time except for cleaning the weld area and
removing all dross from cut surfaces to eliminate porosity.
Fillet weld positions
The most common fillet welds are made in lap
and T-joints.
Positions can be 1F(Flat), 2F(horizontal),
3F(Vertical), or 4F(Overhead)
Fillet weld terms
Common terms discussed with fillet welds…..
__________- exposed surface of the weld
______- distance from the root to the toe of
the weld
_______- junction between the face of the
weld and the base metal
________- deepest point of the weld in
comparison to the base metal
__________- shortest distance from the root
of the weld to its face