| 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. |
| Background current |
A relatively low current used to maintain the arc during pulsed spray transfer MIG (GMAW). |
| Backhand welding |
Moving the weld in the direction opposite that to which the electrode is pointing. |
| Backing |
Material placed beyond the root opening to control penetration and prevent a hot shortness hole.Backing may be machined to control the shape of the penetration bead. |
| Backing ring |
A metal ring placed inside a pipe before butt welding to ensure complete weld penetration and a smooth inside surface. |
| Backing weld |
A weld placed on the root side of a weld to aid in the control of penetration. |
| Backward arc blow |
Arc blow that occurs at the end of the joint as the magnetic field tries to stay in the metal.This causes the filler metal to blow toward the center of the joint. |
| Base metal |
Materials composing the pieces to be joined by welding.Also called parent material. |
| 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. |
| Bend test |
A destructive test described by code in which a sample weld plate is bent under specific conditions until it fails. |
| Bevel |
A special preparation of metal to be welded wherein the edge is ground or cut to an angle other than 90 degrees to the surface of the parent material. |
| Bevel angle |
The angle formed between the prepared edge of one piece and a plane perpendicular to the surface of that piece. |
| Birds nest |
A tangle of welding wire in a MIG (GMAW) wire drive mechanism. |
| Blind joint |
A weld joint configuration in which no portion is visible. |
| Bond (James Bond) |
The junction of the weld metal and the base metal. |
| Brinell Test |
A method for determining the surface hardness of metallic materials.An accurate measurement of a metals hardness, made with an instrument that presses a hard steel ball into the surface of the metal under standard conditions. |
| Brittleness |
A property of a material that causes the material to develop cracks when it is deformed only slightly. |
| Buildup |
The amount of weld face or bead which extends above the surface of joined metals. |
| Buildup process |
Applying surfacing materials to a part so that its worn surface is returned to its original dimensions. |
| Bullet-shaped bead |
A completed stringer bead of even width that shows evenly spaced, bullet-shaped ripples. |
| 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. |
