The effect of weld stresses on weld quality

A narrow heat source raises the temperature of a spot on a solid piece of material like metal. The high temperature of the spot decreases with distance from the spot. This is true whether the heat source is an arc, a flame, an electron beam, a plasma jet, a laser beam, or any other source of intense, narrowly defined heat. Stress and strain fields around a moving heat source are organized into a coherent visible system. It is shown that five stresses act across the weld line in turn as an arc passes. Their proportions and positions are considerably altered by weld parameters or condition changes. These pushes and pulls affect the metallurgical character and integrity of the weld area even when there is no apparent difference between after-the-fact examples.