§0.4 · Card deck
CWI flashcards
These CWI flashcards cover the A3.0 terms, A2.4 symbol rules and discontinuities that show up across Part A and Part B. Read the front, say the answer out loud, then tap to turn the card.
- Exam
- CWI
- Cards
- 30
0.4.1Terms, symbols and flaws
Card 01Arrow side
The weld symbol sits below the reference line. Which way the arrow points doesn't change that.
Card 02Other side
The weld symbol sits above the reference line, meaning the side of the joint away from the arrow.
Card 03Where the size goes
On the left side of the weld symbol. Length and pitch of the weld sit on its right.
Card 04Pitch
Center-to-center spacing of intermittent welds. Measuring the gap between them is the classic slip.
Card 05S(E) on a groove symbol
S is the depth of groove preparation; E, in parentheses, is the groove weld size. Bevel depth isn't the weld size.
Card 06Backing weld
Made on the root side before the groove weld is welded.
Card 07Back weld
Made on the root side after the groove weld is finished.
Card 08Melt-through
Complete joint penetration from one side that shows as visible reinforcement on the root side.
Card 09Field weld flag
Marks a weld made in the field. The direction the flag points means nothing.
Card 10Weld-all-around circle
The weld runs all the way around the joint, at the junction of arrow and reference line.
Card 11Flat vs flush contour
Since A2.4:2020, the flat contour symbol is for fillet welds only; groove, plug and slot welds use flush.
Card 12Tail of the welding symbol
Carries the process, specification or a note. Left off when there's nothing to reference.
Card 13Undercut
Base metal at the toe melted away and never filled back in, leaving a groove along the weld edge.
Card 14Underfill
The weld face or root surface sits below the adjacent base metal surface.
Card 15Overlap
Weld metal that rolls past the toe onto the base metal without fusing to it.
Card 16Incomplete fusion
Weld metal didn't fuse with the fusion face or with an adjoining bead.
Card 17Incomplete joint penetration
Weld metal didn't extend through the full thickness of the joint.
Card 18Defect
A discontinuity that the acceptance criteria reject. Every defect is a discontinuity; the reverse isn't true.
Card 19Lamination
A flat separation already in the base metal from the mill. UT is the usual way to find it.
Card 20Lamellar tearing
A stepped crack in the base metal, running roughly parallel to the plate surface, caused by welding strain pulling through the thickness. Typical at T- and corner joints.
Card 21Hot cracking
Cracking that forms while the weld metal is solidifying.
Card 22Cold cracking
Hydrogen, hardness and restraint together. It can show up hours after welding, so the timing of inspection matters.
Card 23Tungsten inclusion on a radiograph
Shows lighter than the weld. Porosity and slag show darker because there's less material in the beam path.
Card 24Magnetic particle testing
Ferromagnetic material only. Finds surface and slightly subsurface discontinuities.
Card 25Penetrant testing
Any nonporous material, any metal. Finds only discontinuities open to the surface.
Card 26Interpass temperature
The weld temperature between passes. Codes can set a minimum and often a maximum.
Card 27PQR
Procedure qualification record: the record of the test weld that backs a WPS. The WPS is the instruction sheet.
Card 28Prequalified WPS
Under D1.1 (2020 and 2025), a WPS that meets Clause 5 can be used without its own PQR test.
Card 29Heat input formula
Volts times amps times 60, divided by travel speed in inches per minute, gives joules per inch.
Card 30E7018
70 ksi minimum tensile strength, 1 for all positions, 8 for a low-hydrogen iron-powder coating.
0.4.2Getting the most out of the deck
Paired cards are paired on purpose. Arrow side and other side, backing weld and back weld, undercut and underfill, hot and cold cracking: look-alike pairs are where answer options sit closest together. Turn them back to back until you can tell them apart without thinking.
The terms come from A3.0. AWS published a 2025 edition while the seminar kit still ships A3.0:2020, so the cards stick to definitions that read the same in both. For the full set, open the terms and definitions clause; the symbol cards have drawings and drills behind them in the symbols clause.
Symbol rules changed in A2.4:2020, and the flat-versus-flush contour card is one of them. If your books are older, the groove weld symbols page flags what moved.
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