This is a continuation of Part-10. Welding management is a highly technical field requiring specialized acronyms and abbreviations to effectively communicate and manage complex projects. Hence, we should know the terms used in welding work.
Tack Weld – A weld made to hold parts of a weldment in proper alignment until the final welds are made.
Tee Joint - Joints are formed when two pieces intersect at a 90° angle. This results in the edges coming together in the center of a plate or component in a 'T' shape.
Temper - Some steels can be hardened by heating, then quickly quenching. When our chipping hammers get dull, we sharpen, then temper them.
Temper Colors - The colors which appear on the surface of steel heated at low temperature in an oxidizing atmosphere.
Temper Time - In resistance welding, that part of the post-weld interval during which a current suitable for tempering or heat treatment flows. The current can be single or multiple impulses, with varying heat and cool intervals.
Temporary weld - A weld made to attach a piece or pieces to a weldment for temporary use in handling, shipping, or working on the weldment.
Tenacious – Cohesive, tough.
Tensile Strength – The maximum stress a material can endure under a stretching load without tearing is known as its tensile strength.
Tension - Pulling taut or stretching with force. A good example is a rubber band. Tension is when you stretch it apart.
- Tension Test - A test in which a specimen is broken by applying an increasing load to the two ends. During the test, the elastic properties and the ultimate tensile strength of the material are determined. After rupture, the broken specimen may be measured for elongation and reduction of area.
Test Coupon - A weld test coupon is a small piece of metal used to test a welder’s proficiency in various welding procedures.
Thermal Conductivity – The quantity of heat passing through a material.
Thermal Spraying – A group of processes in which finely divided metallic or non-metallic materials are deposited in a molten or semi-molten condition to form a coating.
Thermal Stresses – Stresses in metal resulting from non-uniform temperature distributions.
Thermit Crucible - The vessel in which the thermit reaction takes place.
Thermit Mixture - A mixture of metal oxide and finely divided aluminum with the addition of alloying metals as required.
Thermit Mold - A mold formed around the parts to be welded to receive the molten metal.
Thermit Reaction - The chemical reaction between metal oxide and aluminum which produces superheated molten metal and aluminum oxide slag.
- Thermit Welding - A group of welding processes in which fusion is produced by heating with superheated liquid metal and slag resulting from a chemical reaction between a metal oxide and aluminum, with or without the application of pressure. Filler metal, when used, is obtained from the liquid metal.
Thermionic – The emission of electrons as a result of heat.
Thermocouple - A thermoelectric device for measuring temperature which consists of two wires of two differing metals which are connected at two points, a voltage being developed between the two junctions in proportion to the temperature difference provides the capacity for measuring difference in temperature.
Throat – In welding, the area between the arms of a resistance welder. In a press, the distance from the slide centerline to the frame of a gap-frame press.
THROAT OF FILLET WELD - This term encompasses two measurements. The theoretical throat is the perpendicular distance from the root of the joint to the hypotenuse of the largest inscribable right triangle within the fillet-weld cross-section. The actual throat, on the other hand, refers to the distance from the root of the fillet weld to the center of its face. Both measurements are crucial in determining the strength and quality of the weld.
Tie-in - After running a STRINGER BEAD, a tie-in is made when another stringer bead parallel to the first is burned halfway into it. Instead of them being two beads side by side, they are intertwined together. Tie-in is very important to give strength when making multiple pass welds.
TIG (P) - Pulsed TIG - A modified TIG process appropriate for welding thinner materials.
Tig Torch – It is like a welding holder, made up of a head to protect the tungsten, collet body, tungsten, and a ceramic cup.
TIG Welding – See Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW).
Toe crack - A crack in the base metal occurring at the toe of a weld.
Toe of weld - The junction between the face of a weld and the base metal.
Torch - A device used in the TIG (GTAW) process to control the electrode position, transfer current to the arc, and direct the shielding gas flow.
- Torch Brazing - A brazing process in which bonding is produced by heating with a gas flame and by using a nonferrous filler metal having a melting point above 800 ºF (427 ºC), but below that of the base metal. The filler metal is distributed in the joint of capillary attraction.
Torch Standoff Distance – The dimension from the outer face of the torch nozzle to the workpiece.
Transferred Arc – In plasma arc welding, a plasma arc is established between the electrode and the workpiece.
Tungsten - This stuff is hard! It also has the highest melting point(3410° Celsius) of any metal, with only the element carbon having a higher one. This makes it a good Electrode to use in TIG.
Underbead Crack – A crack in the heat-affected zone generally not extending to the surface of the base metal.
Undercut – A groove melted into the base plate adjacent to the weld toe or weld root and left unfilled by weld metal.
Underfill – It is a weld Defect that happens when you are not depositing enough filler metal according to the welding specs.
Underwater Welding - Underwater welding, also known as hyperbaric welding, involves welding at elevated pressures. The welding can either take place in the water itself (known as wet welding) or in a dry, pressurised enclosure (known as dry welding).UPSET - A localized increase in volume in the region of a weld, resulting from the application of pressure.
Upset Welding - A resistance welding process in which fusion is produced simultaneously over the entire area of abutting surfaces, or progressively along a joint, by the heat obtained from resistance to the flow of electric current through the area of contact of those surfaces. Pressure is applied before heating is started and is maintained throughout the heating period.
Upsetting Force - The force exerted at the welding surfaces in flash or upset welding.
Vapor Pressure – The pressure exerted by a vapor when a state of equilibrium has been reached between a liquid, solid, or solution and its vapor. When the vapor pressure of a liquid exceeds that of the confining atmosphere, the liquid is commonly said to be boiling.
Vertical position - The welding position in which the axis of the weld is nearly vertical.
Viscosity – The resistance that a fluid (either a liquid or a gas) presents to flow.
Visual Inspection – It is the easiest and most fundamental Weld Test. After the weld is completed, a qualified inspector will examine it closely. The inspection will check for issues such as undercut, porosity, and underfill.
Voltage – It is the force that causes electrons to flow through a conductor.
Voltage regulator - An automatic electrical control device that keeps a steady voltage supply to the primary of a welding transformer.
