A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  Y   

A

Abrasion A condition of wear most often caused by rubbing together two or more surfaces.
AC The accepted abbreviation for alternating current. A common type of electricity that reverses its direction of electron flow regularly and periodically.
Acetylene Gas composed of two parts carbon and two parts hydrogen. When burned in an atmosphere of oxygen, it produces one of the highest flame temperatures.
Acetylene cylinder A specially built container used to store and ship acetylene. Occasionally called tank or bottle.
Acetylene regulator An automatic valve used to reduce acetylene cylinder pressures to working torch pressures and to keep the flow of acetylene constant.
Acid core solder See cored solder.
Activated rosin flux A rosin or resin base flux that contains an additive to increase wetting action of solder.
Alloy A mixture of two or more metals to achieve specific qualities, such as hardness, ductility, and so forth.
Annealing Softening metals by heat treatment. This process most commonly involves heating the metals up to a critical temperature and then cooling them slowly.
Anode The positive terminal of an electrical circuit.
Arc The flow of electricity through a gaseous space or air gap.
Arc cutting A group of cutting processes wherein the severing or removing of metals is accomplished by melting with the heat from an arc between an electrode and the parent metal.
Arc-seam weld A weld bead with an arc welding unit.
Arc-spot weld A spot weld made by an arc welding process.
Arc voltage The electrical potential across an arc. The pressure or voltage of an arc.
Arc welding Fusing metals using the arc welding process.
Automatic oxygen cutting Oxygen cutting with equipment that is fully automated, requiring only that an operator set up the work initially.
Automatic welding Usually, some type of arc welding wherein all welding operations are controlled and initiated by automation.
AWS The abbreviation for the American Welding Society.
Axis of a weld An imaginary line alone the center of gravity of the weld metal and perpendicular to a cross section of the weld metal

B

Back gouging The forming of a bevel or groove on the other side of a partially welded joint to assure penetration upon subsequent welding from that side.
Backfire Momentary retrogression or burning back of the torch flame into the torch tip. Immediately following the withdrawal of the tip from the work, the gases can be re ignited by the hot work piece. Otherwise, the lighter might be necessary.
Backhand welding That method of welding in which the torch and rod are so disposed in the vee that the torch flame points back at the completed weld, enveloping the newly deposited metal. The rod is interposed between the torch and the weld.
Balling up The formation of globules of molten brazing filler material or flux caused by failure to adequately wet or tin the base metal. Also a professional welders' term (slang) used to describe a job that has been done poorly.
Base metal Materials composing the pieces to be joined by welding. Also called parent metal.
Bead Denotes the appearance of the finished weld and describes the neatness of the ripples formed by the metal while it was in a semi liquid state.
Bevel A special preparation of metal that is to be welded; here the edge is ground or cut to an angle other than 90 degrees to the surface of the parent metal.
Blind joint A joint in which no portion is visible.
Blowpipe A term used to describe an oxyacetylene torch handle.
Bond Junction of the weld metal and the base metal
Braze A weld wherein coalescence is produced by heating to temperatures higher than 800 degrees Fahrenheit and by using a nonferrous filler metal with a melting point below that of the base metals. The filler metal is distributed in the joint by capillary attraction.
Braze-welding A weld wherein coalescence is produced by heating to a temperature higher than 800 degrees Fahrenheit by using a nonferrous filler metal with a melting point below the base metals. The filler metal is not distributed in the joint by capillary attraction.
Brine" test" A method for determining the surface hardness of metallic materials.
Bronze welding See braze welding.
Buildup The amount of weld face or bead that extends above the surface of joined metals.
Burned metal Term occasionally applied to the metal that has been combined with oxygen so that some of the carbon has changed into car- bon dioxide and some of the iron into iron oxide.
Burning Violent combination of oxygen with any substance that produces heat. This word is sometimes used in place of the term flame cutting.
Butt joint An assembly in which the two pieces joined are in the same plane, with the edge of one piece touching the edge of the other.
Butt weld The actual weld in a butt joint.

C

Capillary action Property of a liquid to move into small spaces if it has the ability to "wet" these surfaces.
Calcium carbide (CaC2) A chemical compound of calcium and carbon usually prepared by fusing lime and coke in an electric furnace. This compound reacts with water to form acetylene gas.
Carbon An element that, when combined with iron, forms various kinds of steel. In steel it is the changing carbon content that determines the physical properties of the steel. Carbon is also used in a solid form as an electrode for arc welding, as a mold to hold weld metal, and for brushes in electrical motors.
Carbonizing See carburizing.
Carburizing A carburizing flame is an oxygen/fuel gas flame with a slight excess of fuel gas.
Case hardening Adding carbon to the surface of a mild-steel object, and heat treating to produce a hard surface.
Castings Metallic forms produced by pouring molten metal into a shaped container or mold.
Cathode An electrical term for a negative terminal.
Celsius The temperature scale used in the metric system. Zero represents the freezing point of water and 100 is the boiling point (at sea level). To convert to Fahrenheit, multiply by nine, divide by five, and add 32. Celsius was the name of the Swede who invented the centigrade system. Symbol is C.
Chamfering See beveling.
Coalescence Process by which the base metal parts grow together or grow into one body.
Coated electrode Metal rod used in arc welding. The rod has a covering of materials that aid in the arc welding process.
Complete joint penetration Joint penetration that extends completely through the joint.
Concave fillet weld A fillet weld having a concave face.
Concave weld face A weld having the center of its face below the weld edges. An indented weld bead.
Cone The conical part of a gas flame next to the orifice of the tip.
Continuous weld Making the complete weld in one operation.
Convex fillet weld A fillet weld having a convex face.
Cored solder A solder wire or bar containing flux as a core.
Corner flange weld A flange weld with only one member flanged at the location of welding.
Corner joint Junction formed by edges of two pieces of metal touching each other at an angle of about 90 degrees.
Corrosive flux A flux with a residue that chemically attacks the base metal. It might be composed of inorganic salts and acid, organic salts and acids, or activated rosins and resins.
Coupons Specimens cut from the weld assembly for testing purposes.
Covered electrode See coated electrode.
Cracking The action of opening a valve on a tank of fuel gas or oxygen and then closing the valve immediately.
Crater A depression in the face of a weld, usually at the termination of an arc weld.
Creep The gradual increase of the working pressure (as indicated on the gauge) that occurs because the regulator seat does not close tightly against the inlet nozzle and thus permits the high-pressure gas to leak into the low-pressure chamber. When this condition exists, the regulator should be repaired by qualified personnel before use.
Crown The curve or convex surface of a finished weld bead.
Cutting attachment A device attached to a gas welding torch handle to
convert it into an oxygen cutting torch.
Cutting flame Cutting by a rapid oxidation process at a high temperature produced by a gas flame accompanied by a jet action that blows the oxides away from the cut.
Cutting tip That part of an oxygen cutting torch from which the gases issue and bum.
Cylinder A portable metallic container for storing and transmitting com- pressed gases.

D

Dead-annealed The result of heating a work-hardened metal to a red color and immediately quenching it in water. This softens the metal and renders it workable again.
Deoxidized copper Copper from which the oxygen has been removed by the addition of a deoxidizer, phosphorus, or silicon. This lowers the electrical conductivity but yields a product more suitable for oxyacetylene welding.
Deposited metal Filler metal that has been added during a welding operation.
Depth of fusion The distance that fusion extends into the base metal or previous layer from the surface melted during welding.
Dip brazing A brazing process in which the heat required is furnished by a molten chemical or metal bath. When a molten chemical bath is used, the bath might act as a flux. When a molten metal bath is used, the bath provides the filler metal.
Dip soldering A soldering process in which the heat required is furnished by a molten metal bath, which provides the solder.
Direct polarity Direct current flowing from anode (base metal) to cathode (electrode). The electrode is negative and the base metal is positive.
Distortion Warping of a metal or metal surface as a result of uneven cooling.
Down hand welding Welding in a flat position.
Drag In oxyacetylene cutting, the amount by which the oxygen jet falls behind the perpendicular in passing through the material.
Drop-thru An undesirable sagging, or surface irregularity, usually en- countered when the welder brazes or welds near the solidus of the base metal. The condition is caused by overheating with rapid diffusion or alloying between the filler metal and the base metal.
Ductility The property of metals that enables them to be mechanically deformed without breaking when cold.

E

Edge joint A welded joint connecting the edges of two or more parallel or nearly parallel parts.
Electrode A substance that brings electricity up to the point where the arc is to be found.
Elongation The total amount of stretching of a specimen produced in a tensile strength test.
Erosion Reducing the size of or wearing away of an object because of liquid or gas impact.
Expansion Increase in one or more of the dimensions of a body, usually caused by a rise in temperature.
Explosion welding A solid-state welding process wherein coalescence is affected by high-velocity movement that is produced by a controlled detonation.

F

Face of weld The exposed surface of a weld.
Fahrenheit A temperature scale used in most English-speaking countries where 32 degrees is the temperature at which water will freeze and 212 degrees is the temperature at which water will boil, at sea level. Symbol is F.
Ferrous metals Those metals and alloys of which the principal base or constituent is iron. These metals are magnetic as well.
Filler metal Material to be added in making a weld.
Fillet To weld metal in the internal vertex, or comer, of the angle formed by two pieces of metal, thus giving the joint additional strength to withstand unusual stresses.
Fillet weld Metal fused into a comer formed by two pieces of metal whose welded surfaces are approximately 90 degrees to each other.
Flame cutting Cutting performed by an oxygen/fuel gas torch flame that has an oxygen jet.
Flanged edge joint A joint in two pieces of metal formed by flanging the edges of the plates at 90 degrees and joining with an edge weld.
Flashback The retrogression or burning back of the flame into or beyond the mixing chamber. Sometimes accompanied by a hissing or squealing sound and the characteristic smoky; sharp-pointed flame of small volume. When this occurs, immediately shut off the torch oxygen valve, and then the acetylene valve.
Flat position A horizontal weld on the upper side of a horizontal surface.
Flow ability The ability of a molten filler metal to flow or spread over a metal surface.
Flux A chemical compound or mixture in powder, paste, or liquid form. Its essential function is to combine with or otherwise render harmless those products of the welding, brazing, or soldering operation that would reduce the physical properties of the deposited metal or make the welding, brazing, or soldering operation difficult or impossible.
Forehand welding That method of welding in which the torch and rod are so disposed in the vee that the torch flame points ahead in the direction of welding and the rod precedes the torch.
Fuel gases Gases usually used with oxygen for heating, such as acetylene, natural gas, propane, methoacetylene, propadyne, and other synthetic fuels and hydrocarbons.
Fuse plug A safety device employed on compressed gas cylinders. It consists of a low melting point alloy that melts at a predetermined temperature, thus relieving excessive internal pressure due to heat.
Fusion For the purposes of this book, the melting and flowing together of metals.

G

Gas pocket A cavity in a weld caused by entrapped fuel gas.
Gas welding A group of welding processes wherein fusion takes place as a direct result of the heat applied with a blowpipe using fuel gas and oxygen. It is always best to be specific when discussing welding fuels; therefore, you will speak of oxyacetylene welding, Mapp /oxygen welding, and so forth.
Generator An apparatus for mechanically controlling the generation of acetylene by the reaction of calcium carbide and water.
Gouging The forming of a bevel or groove by removing material.
Groove The opening provided by a grooved weld.
Grooved weld A welding rod fused into a joint that has the base metal removed to form a V, U, or J trough at the edge of the metals being joined.

H

Hard facing or hard surfacing The application of a hard, wear-resistant alloy to the surface of a softer metal by an arc or gas welding process.
Heat Molecular energy in motion.
Heat conductivity The speed and efficiency of heat energy movement through a substance.
Heat-affected zone That part of the base metal that has been altered by the heat from the welding, brazing, or cutting operation but might not have actually melted.
Horizontal position A weld performed on a horizontal seam.
Hose Flexible medium used to carry gases from regulator to the torch. It is made from rubber and reinforced with fabric.
Hydrogen Considered one of the most active gases. When combined with oxygen, it forms a very clean flame. It does not, however, pro- duce very much heat.

I

Icicles An undesirable condition where excess weld metal protrudes beyond the root of the weld.
Incomplete fusion Fusion that is less than complete.
Inclusion A gas bubble or nonmetallic particle entrapped in the weld metal as a result of improper torch flame or filler material manipulation.
Inert gas A gas that does not normally combine chemically with the base metal or filler metal.
Infrared rays Heat rays that come from both arc and the welding flame.
Inside corner weld Two metals fused together; one metal is held 90 degrees to the other. The fusion is performed inside the vertex of the angle.
Intermittent weld Joining two pieces and leaving unwedded sections in the joint.

J

Joint The place where two pieces meet to form a larger structure.
Joint design The joint geometry together with the required dimensions of the welded joint.
Joint penetration The minimum depth of a groove or flange weld extends from its face into a joint, exclusive of reinforcement.

K

Kerf The space from which metal has been removed by a cutting process.
Keyhole The term applied to the enlarged root opening that is carried along ahead of the puddle in the process of making an arc weld or other type of welded joint.
Knee The lower arm-supporting structure in a resistance-welding machine.

L

Land The portion of the prepared edge of a part to be joined by a groove weld, which has not been beveled or grooved. Sometimes called root face.
Lap joint A welded joint in which two overlapping parts are connected, usually by means of fillet welds.
Layer A certain weld metal thickness made of one or more passes.
Lens A specially treated glass through which a welder can look at an intense flame without being injured by the harmful rays or glare radiating from the flame.
Liquidation The separation of a low melting constituent of an alloy from the remaining constituents, usually apparent in alloys having a wide melting range.
Liquidus The lowest temperature at which a metal or an alloy is completely liquid.
Low-temperature brazing That group of the brazing processes wherein the brazing alloys employed melt in the range of about 1175 -1300 degrees Fahrenheit and a shear (lap) joint is used.

M

Malleable castings Cast forms of metal that have been heat-treated to reduce their brittleness.
Manifold A multiple header for connecting individual gas cylinders or torch supply lines.
Manual welding Welding wherein the entire welding operation is per~ formed and controlled by hand.
Mapp A stabilized methyl acetylene-propadiene fuel gas often used in place of acetylene.
Melting range The temperature range between solidus and liquidus.
MIG A term used to describe gas metal arc welding (metal-shielding gas).
Mixing chamber That part of the welding blowpipe where the welding gases are intimately mixed prior to release and combustion.
Multilayer welding In oxyacetylene welding, a technique in which a weld-on thick metal-is made in two or more passes.

N

Neutral flame A flame resulting from combustion of perfect proportions of oxygen and the welding gas. The most commonly used flame for oxygen/fuel gas welding.
Non corrosive flux A soldering flux that in itself, and as a residue, does not chemically attack the base metal. It is usually composed of rosin or resin base materials.
Nonferrous Metals containing no substantial amounts of ferrite or iron such as copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, or lead.
Nozzle See tip.

O

Orifice Opening through which gases flow. It is usually the final opening or any opening controlled by a valve.
Outside corner weld Fusing two pieces of metal together, with the fusion taking place on the under part of the seam.
Overhead position A weld made on the underside of the joint with the face of the weld in a horizontal plane.
Overlap Extension of the weld face metal beyond the toe of the weld.
Oxidation The process in which oxygen combines with elements to form oxides.
Oxide A chemical compound resulting from the combination of oxygen and other elements. .
Oxidizing flame A flame produced by an excess of oxygen in the blow- pipe mixture, leaving some free oxygen that tends to bum the molten metal.
Oxygen When this gas very actively supports combustion, is said to be burning; when it slowly combines with a substance, the process is called oxidation, and the result is called rust.
Oxygen-acetylene cutting Cutting metal by use of the oxygen jet, which is added to an oxygen-acetylene preheating flame.
Oxygen-acetylene welding A method of welding that uses for fuel a combination of two gases: oxygen and acetylene.
Oxygen cylinder A specially built container used to store and/or trans- port oxygen.
Oxygen-hydrogen flame The chemical combining of oxygen with the fuel gas hydrogen.
Oxygen hose See hose.
Oxygen regulator An automatic valve used to reduce cylinder pressures to torch pressures and to keep the working pressures constant. They are never to be used as acetylene regulators, and in fact the connections are different.

P

Parent metal See base metal.
Pass Weld metal created by one progression along a weld.
Peening The mechanical working of metal by means of repeated hammer blows.
Penetration The penetration of a weld is the distance from the original surface of the base metal to that point at which fusion ceases.
Plug weld Weld that holds two pieces of metal together. It is made by making a hole in one piece of metal, which is then lapped over the other piece.
Porosity Presence of gas pockets or voids in the metal or weld bead.
Post heating Temperature to which a metal is heated after an operation has been performed on the metal such as welding, cutting, forming, and so forth.
Preheating Temperature to which a metal is heated before an operation such as welding, cutting, or forming can be done on the metal.
PSI Abbreviation for pounds per square inch.
Puddle Portion of a weld that is molten at the place the heat is applied.

Q

Quench To cool hot metal quickly by dunking in a liquid such as water or oil.

R

Reducing flame An oxygen-fuel gas flame with a slight excess of the fuel gas.
Regulator A mechanical device for accurately controlling the pressure and flow of gases employed in welding, cutting, braze welding, and other processes.
Reinforcement weld Weld metal on the face of the weld in excess of that required for the size of the weld. Its purpose is to add strength.
Resistance welding A process using the resistance of the metals being welded to the flow of electricity as the source of the heat.
Reversed polarity An electrode positive-anode. Referring to DC and causing electrons to flow from the base metal to the electrode.
Rod Metal that welders use as a glue to help join two pieces of metal and that melts at a lower temperature than the metals being joined.
Root of weld That part of a weld farthest from the application of weld heat and/or ruler metal side.

S

Safety disc A mechanical safety device designed for release at a predetermined pressure.
Skull The un-melted residue from a liquated filler metal.
Slag inclusions Non-fused, nonmetallic substances in the weld metal.
Slugging The act of adding a separate piece or pieces of material in a joint before or during welding, resulting in a welded joint that does not comply with the original design, drawing, or specification requirements.
Soldering A means of fastening metals together by adhering another metal to the two pieces of these metals. Only the joining metal is melted during the operation. The joining metal melts below 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
Solidus The highest temperature at which a metal or alloy is completely solid.
Spatter In arc and gas welding, the metal particles expelled during the welding that do not form a part of the weld.
Spelter A term applied to powdered brass used in making a typical brazed joint (lap joint).
Spot weld A weld made between or upon overlapping members wherein fusion might start or occur on the faying surfaces or might have proceeded from the surface of one member. The weld cross section is approximately circular.
Straight polarity An electrode negative cathode. Connecting dc to cause electrons to flow from the electrode to the base metal.
Strain The reaction of an object to stress.
Stress The load imposed on an object.
Stress relieving Even heating of a structure to a temperature below the critical temperature, followed by a slow, even cooling.
Surfacing The deposition of a filler metal on a metal surface to obtain desired properties or dimensions.
Sweat soldering A soldering method in which two or more parts that have been pre-coated with solder are reheated and assembled into a joint without the use of additional solder.

T

Tack-weld A small weld used to temporarily hold together components of an assembly until they can be welded.
Tank See cylinder.
T-joint A joint formed by placing one metal against another at an angle of 90 degrees. The edge of one metal contacts the surface of the other metal.
Tensile strength Maximum pull stress in PSI that a specimen is capable of developing.
Throat of fillet weld Distance from weld face to weld root.
TIG Tungsten inert gas welding.
Tinning In soldering, a coating of the soldering metal given to the metals to be soldered.
Tip Part of the torch at the end where the gas exits and burns, producing the temperature flame. In resistance welding, the electrode ends are sometimes referred to as the tip.
Toe of weld Junction of the face of the weld and the base metal.
Torch The mechanism that the operator holds during gas welding and cutting. At the end of this .tool the gases are burned to perform the various gas welding and cutting operations. Often called .the blow-pipe.

U

Ultraviolet rays Energy waves that emanate from the electrodes and the welding flames. The frequency of these rays places them in the ultra- violet ray light spectrum.
Undercut A depression at the toe of the weld, which is below the surface of the base metal.
Under-fill A depression on the face of .the weld or root surface extending below the surface of the adjacent base metal.

V

Vee groove See butt joint.
Vertical position A type of weld in which the welding is done on a vertical seam and surface.
Voltage regulator An automatic electrical control device for maintaining a constant voltage supply to the welding transformer.

W

Welding The art of fastening metals together by means of interfusing the metals.
Weld metal Fused portion of base metal or fused portion of both the base metal and the filler metal.
Weldment An assembly whose component parts are joined by the welding process.
Weld pool The small body of molten metal created by the flame of the torch.
Welding rod Wire that is melted into the weld metal.
Welding sequence Order in which the parts of a structure are welded.
Work hardening The increase in strength and hardness produced by working certain metals such as iron, copper, aluminum, and nickel. It is most pronounced in cold welding.

Y

Yield strength The stress measured in PSI at which the specimen assumes a specified, limiting permanent set.

This glossary of terms was collected from 'the Welder's Bible', 2nd Edition written by Mr. Don Geary Published by Tab Books a division of McGraw-Hill, Inc 1993