AWS A3.0:2001

An American National Standard

Standard Welding Terms and Definitions

Including Terms for Adhesive Bonding,Brazing,Soldering, Thermal Cutting,and Thermal Spraying

Key Words — Standard welding terminology,

welding definitions, brazing, soldering, thermal spraying, thermal cutting

AWS A3.0:2001

An American National Standard

Approved by American National Standards Institute

July 2, 2001

Standard Welding Terms and Definitions

Including Terms for Adhesive Bonding, Brazing, Soldering, Thermal Cutting, and Thermal Spraying

Supersedes ANSI/AWS A3.0-94

Prepared by AWS A2 Committee on Definitions and Symbols

Under the Direction of AWS Technical Activities Committee

Approved by AWS Board of Directors

Abstract

This standard is a glossary of the technical terms used in the welding industry. Its purpose is to establish standard terms to aid in the communication of welding information. Since it is intended be a comprehensive compilation of welding termi- nology, nonstandard terms used in the welding industry are also included. All terms are either standard or nonstandard. They are arranged in the conventional dictionary letter-by-letter alphabetical sequence.

550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, Florida 33126

!

" #

$ ! % &'()*)*'+,-'&

..& / 0 1 2 3/ 44*,+ 5 ,&&*

6 7

6

'

#

!

! !

!

!

"

8 7

6 9

3

: "

;8 < =

: # # '

2 = 8 ..& / 0 1 2 3/ 44*,+

" = #

> 8

! '

8 4 ? =

?

#

> # 4 ? = '

? @ A 4 ? = "

6 1

: 8 ? 1

..& / 0 1 2 3/ 44*,+

9

? ? ? ,,, 1 = = 2 &*B,4 8 % B)(').&'(-&&C

% %DD

Personnel

AWS A2 Committee on Definitions and Symbols

R. L. Holdren, Chair Edison Welding Institute

A. J. Kathrens, 1st Vice Chair Canadian Welding Bureau

J. E. Greer, 2nd Vice Chair Moraine Valley Community College

C. B. Pollock, Secretary American Welding Society

L. J. Barley Faurecia Exhaust Systems, Inc.

H. B. Cary Consultant

J. P. Christein Newport News Shipbuilding

C. K. Ford Hobart Institute

B. B. Grimmett Edison Welding Institute

M. J. Grycko, Jr. Green Acres Consulting Service

R. D. McGuire National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors

L. J. Siy Compositools, Inc.

J. J. Vagi Engineering Consultants

*G. B. Coates General Dynamics Armament Systems

*J. G. Guenther Dean Lally L. P.

*E. A. Harwart Consultant

*J. J. Stanczak Steel Detailers & Designers

AWS A2B Definitions Subcommittee

R. L. Holdren, Chair Edison Welding Institute

J. E. Greer, Vice Chair Moraine Valley Community College

1. B. Pollock, Secretary American Welding Society

   L. J. Barley Faurecia Exhaust Systems, Inc.

   H. B. Cary Consultant

   B. B. Grimmett Edison Welding Institute

   1. J. Grycko, Jr. Green Acres Consulting Service

      1. J. Vagi Engineering Consultant

      2. R. Willens Duke Engineering & Services

*A. B. Cedilote Industrial Testing Lab Services

*A. T. Cullison American Welding Society

*D. L. Kuruzar Manufacturing Technology, Inc.

*R. D. McGuire National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors

*Advisor

iii

Foreword

(This Foreword is a not part of AWS A3.0:2001, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, but is included for information purposes only.)

The A2 Committee on Definitions and Symbols was formed by the American Welding Society to establish standard terms and definitions to aid in the communication of welding information. This publication is the major product of work done by the Subcommittee on Definitions in support of that purpose.

The first AWS document containing welding definitions was prepared by the Committee of Definitions and Chart and approved by the Executive Committee as Tentative Definitions of Welding Terms and Master Chart of Welding Processes, on January 18, 1940. A revision was approved by the AWS Board of Directors on May 7, 1942.

The next revision, bearing the designation A3.0, was called Standard Welding Terms and Their Definitions. This revision, published in 1949, listed the terms alphabetically.

During the late 1950s, the Committee was reorganized as the AWS Committee on Definitions and Symbols, and after several years’ work, produced A3.0-61, AWS Definitions, Welding and Cutting. Subsequent revisions were published in 1969, 1976, 1980, 1985, 1989, and 1994.

The present publication, A3.0:2001, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, defines 1359 terms, with 58 illus- trations to support and clarify the definitions, as well as classification charts and corollary information for the welding processes.

The standard terms and definitions published here are those that should be used in the oral and written language of welding. Since this is intended to be a comprehensive compilation of welding terminology, nonstandard terms used in the welding industry are included. All terms are either standard or nonstandard; standard terms are identified by boldface and nonstandard terms are labeled as such.

Standard terms have been approved by the American Welding Society, whereas, nonstandard terms have not. It is recommended that standard terms be used in all welding literature, in particular, documents of a legal nature; for example, standards, contracts, laws, and regulations. Nonstandard terms are not recommended for any purpose.

To make this document most useful, the terms are arranged in the conventional dictionary letter-by-letter alphabetical sequence. It is the policy of the American Welding Society to use only generic terms and definitions in this publication. The numerous proprietary brand and trademark names commonly used to describe welding processes, equipment, and filler metals are not included.

To preserve an understanding of old documents and literature, welding terms believed to be no longer significant in the welding industry are included. Obsolete or seldom used processes are listed separately in Table 5.

The figures have been grouped together, rather than dispersed throughout the text. This grouping is desirable, since several figures illustrate more than one term.

Also, figures concerning related terms have been grouped to illustrate similarities, differences, and interrelationships. Two classification arrangements are presented in this publication as charts of a hierarchy of welding processes.

The traditional Master Chart of Welding and Allied Processes places the main categories in the center, with the sub- categories in boxes around the perimeter.

The Joining Method Chart and corollary classification charts are based exclusively on the physical state of materials at the joint during coalescence. This results in three major classifications of the welding processes; fusion welding for liquid/liquid, solid-state welding for solid/solid, and brazing and soldering for liquid/solid.

Some of the views and intentions of the Definitions Subcommittee are presented in the Definitions Subcommittee Manifesto, included in this document as Annex A.

To improve understanding of the terms and definitions published in A3.0, the Guide to A3.0 is included as Annex B. Interested readers are encouraged to submit pertinent comments, including new or modified definitions to the Secretary, AWS A2 Committee on Definitions and Symbols, American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126. Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of this standard may be obtained by sending a request, in writing, to the Managing Director, Technical Services, American Welding Society. A formal reply will be issued after it

has been reviewed by the appropriate personnel following established procedures (see Annex D).

v

Table of Contents

Page No.

Personnel iii

Foreword v

List of Figures viii

List of Tables ix

Terms and Definitions 1

Annexes—Nonmandatory Information

Annex A—The Definitions Subcommittee Manifesto of 1987 125

Annex B—A Guide to A3.0 131

Annex C—Modifications to A3.0 from A3.0-94 135

Annex D—Guidelines for Preparation of Technical Inquiries for AWS Technical Committees 141

vii

List of Figures

Figure Page No.

1. Joint Types 47

2. Flanged Joints 48

3. Spliced Butt Joints 49

4. Joint Root 50

5. Groove Face, Root Edge, and Root Face 51

6. Bevel Angle, Bevel Face, Depth of Bevel, Groove Angle, Bevel Radius, and Root Opening 52

7. Edge Shapes 54

8. Single-Groove Welds 55

9. Double-Groove Welds 58

10. Welds in Flanged Joints 60

11. Butting and Nonbutting Member or Members 61

12. Split Pipe Backing 61

13. Edge Weld, Scarf Groove, Weld Joint Mismatch, Root Face Extension, and Consumable Insert 62

14. Seam Welds and Spot Welds 63

15. Various Weld Types 64

16A Welding Position Diagram for Groove Welds in Plate 65

16B Welding Position Diagram for Fillet Welds in Plate 66

16C Welding Position Diagram for Groove Welds in Pipe 67

1. Welding Test Positions and Their Designations for Groove Welds in Plate 68

2. Welding Test Positions and Their Designations for Fillet Welds in Plate 69

3. Welding Test Positions and Their Designations for Groove Welds in Pipe 71

4. Welding Test Positions and Their Designations for Fillet Welds in Pipe 72

5. Position of Beam, Filler Material, Gun, or Torch 74

6. Weld Bead Types 75

7. Welding Application Nomenclature 76

8. Parts of a Weld 78

9. Weld Sizes 83

10. Groove Weld Size and Joint Penetration 87

11. Melt-Through and Root Surface Profile 89

12. Complete Fusion 90

13. Incomplete Fusion 91

14. Fusion Welds 92

15. Joining without Fusion 93

16. Weld Discontinuities 94

17. Crack Types 95

18. Welding Current Polarity 96

19. Plasma Arc Torch Nomenclature 97

20. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Torch Nomenclature 97

21. Electroslag Welding Process Nomenclature 98

22. Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Gun Nomenclature 99

23. Metal Transfer in Gas Metal Arc Welding 100

24. Oxyacetylene Flame 101

25. Oxygen Cutting 102

26. Filler Metal Packaging 102

27. Thermal Spraying Surface Preparation 103

    viii

    Figure Page No.

28. Generalized Diagram of Inertia Friction Welding 104

29. Generalized Diagram of Direct Drive Friction Welding 105

30. Typical Arrangements for Multiple Spot Welding 106

31. Typical Arrangements for Single Spot Welds 107

32. Resistance Welding Current Characteristics for Frequency Converter Equipment 108

33. Multiple-Impulse Resistance Spot Welding Schedule 109

34. Single-Impulse Resistance Spot Welding Schedule 109

35. High-Frequency Resistance Welding 110

36. Typical GTAW or PAW Program for Automatic Welding 112

37. Typical GMAW, FCAW, and SAW Program for Automatic Welding 112

54A Master Chart of Welding and Joining Processes 113

54B Master Chart of Allied Processes 114

1. Joining Method Chart 115

2. Fusion Welding Process Classification Chart 116

3. Solid-State Welding Classification Chart 117

4. Brazing and Soldering Classification Chart 118

List of Tables

Table Page No.

1. Letter Designations of Welding, Joining, and Allied Processes 119

2. Alphabetical Cross-Reference to Table 1 by Process 121

3. Alphabetical Cross-Reference to Table 1 by Letter Designation 121

4. Suffixes for Optional Use in Applying Welding, Joining, and Allied Processes 122

5. Obsolete or Seldom Used Processes 123

6. Joint Type Designators 123

ix

AWS A3.0:2001

Standard Welding Terms and Definitions

Including Terms for Adhesive Bonding, Brazing, Soldering, Thermal Cutting, and Thermal Spraying

Note: Vertical lines preceding terms indicate where changes (additions, modifications, corrections, deletions) from the 1994 edition were made. A single line represents a minor or editorial change. Double lines rep- resent a new term or a major change.

Boldface indicates standard terms, lightface indicates nonstandard terms. Terms for standard welding processes and for standard welding process variations are followed by their standard letter designations.

A

abrasion soldering. A soldering process variation dur- ing which the faying surface of the base metal is mechanically abraded.

abrasive blasting. A method of cleaning or surface roughening by a forcibly projected stream of abrasive particles.

absorptive lens. A filter lens designed to attenuate the effects of glare and reflected and stray light. See also filter plate.

accelerating potential, electron beam welding and cut- ting. The potential that imparts velocity to the electrons.

acceptable weld. A weld that meets the applicable requirements.

acetylene feather. The intense white, feathery-edged portion adjacent to the cone of a carburizing oxyacety- lene flame. See Figure 40.

acid core solder. A solder wire or bar containing acid flux as a core.

activated rosin flux. A rosin base flux containing an additive that increases wetting by the solder.

active flux, submerged arc welding. A flux formulated to produce a weld metal composition that is dependent on the welding parameters, especially arc voltage. See also alloy flux and neutral flux.

actual throat. The shortest distance between the weld root and the face of a fillet weld. See Figure 25. See also effective throat and theoretical throat.

adaptive control, adj. pertaining to process control that automatically determines changes in process condi- tions and directs the equipment to take appropriate action. See also automatic, manual, mechanized, robotic, and semiautomatic.

adaptive control brazing. See adaptive control welding. adaptive control soldering. See adaptive control welding. adaptive control thermal cutting. See adaptive control

welding.

adaptive control thermal spraying. See adaptive control welding.

adaptive control welding. Welding with a process con- trol system that automatically determines changes in welding conditions and directs the equipment to take appropriate action. Variations of this term are adaptive control brazing, adaptive control soldering, adap- tive control thermal cutting, and adaptive control thermal spraying. See Table 4. See also automatic welding, manual welding, mechanized welding, robotic welding, and semiautomatic welding.

adhesive. A polymeric material having chemical and physical properties differing from those of the base materials, placed at their faying surfaces, to join the materials together as a result of the attractive forces of this polymeric material.

adhesive bond. An attraction, generally physical in nature, between an adhesive and the base materials.

1