§2.2 · Making the weld
Welding application and control on the CWI
On the job, a weld gets made or ruined between the dial and the hand: current, voltage and travel speed, electrode angles, position and progression, sequence, and what an inspector watches while the arc is lit. That's what the CWI's welding application and control area covers. Whether the welder is qualified to run the job is a separate area, covered under welder and procedure qualification.
- Exam
- CWI
- Clause
- §2.2
- Tags here
- 15
- Part A minimum
- at least 9%
2.2.1Push one setting, watch the bead
| Change | What the bead does | What it invites |
|---|---|---|
| Current too high | Big, fluid pool that's hard to hold | Undercut at the toes, burn-through on thin stock |
| Current too low | Bead sits on top of the joint | Incomplete fusion, overlap |
| Arc too long | Wandering arc, more spatter | Porosity as the shielding thins |
| Travel too fast | Narrow, peaked bead | Undercut, incomplete fusion |
| Travel too slow | Wide, heavy bead | Overlap, and more heat input per inch |
| Angle off the joint | Arc favors one side | Incomplete fusion on the starved side, trapped slag |
These are tendencies only. The code decides acceptance. What extra heat does to the steel is covered on heat control and metallurgy.
2.2.2The WPS sets the window, the hand does the rest
A WPS gives ranges: current, voltage, travel speed, position, progression, preheat and interpass temperature. Inside those ranges the welder still makes choices every inch, and those choices decide whether the weld comes out sound. This area tests whether you can tie a setting or a hand movement to what it does to the bead. The machines and polarities behind the settings are on joining and cutting processes.
Angles and direction
Two angles describe the electrode. One is measured across the joint, the other along the line of travel. Both are defined on terms and definitions. Pointing the electrode ahead of the pool is forehand, or push. Pointing it back at the finished weld is backhand, or drag. Each process and position has a habit that works, and the exam expects you to know why.
Positions and progression
Every test plate and pipe carries a position designation, a number for the position and G or F for groove or fillet. Progression, uphill or downhill, is its own variable and is written into the WPS, because it changes heat input and penetration. Which production positions a welder may weld depends on the test they passed. That's a qualification question, and D1.1 even retitled the governing table in its 2025 edition.
Arc blow
On DC, magnetic forces in the work can push the arc off line, worst at the ends of joints and in corners. You see it as an arc that wanders and a bead that favors one side, and the starved side is where fusion goes missing.
Sequence and distortion
Weld metal shrinks as it cools, and the shrinkage pulls the part out of shape. Sequence is the control an inspector can actually see: a planned weld order for the joint and for the assembly. The WPS or the shop's fabrication plan may spell it out. During welding, your job is to see that the plan is followed.
Clean metal first
Mill scale, rust, oil, moisture and coatings in the joint feed porosity and fusion problems that no setting can fix. In D1.1 the surface preparation rules sit in Clause 7, Fabrication, and the clause number didn't move in 2025. Low-hydrogen filler has storage rules of its own, and checking filler handling is part of every inspector level in B5.1:2025.
2.2.3What to check while the arc is lit
The right WPS at the station
The welder is working to the WPS the job calls for, and that WPS is backed by a PQR or prequalified. See WPS vs PQR.
The machine against the ranges
Current, voltage, wire feed and polarity sit inside the WPS ranges. Check what the machine is actually running, not just the dial.
Temperature before the first pass
Preheat reached and measured where the WPS or code says. The difference from interpass is on preheat vs interpass temperature.
The root and each pass after it
Look at the root pass before it gets buried, and at each pass for cleanliness and tie-in, with interpass temperature in range.
Weld order
Check that the planned weld sequence is the one actually being run, joint by joint.
2.2.4Technique on the job
Settings, angles, sequence and the habits between passes. Think about what the welder's hand is doing, then answer.
0 of 15 tagged · 0 accepted
Tag 01
What action should be taken if arc blow occurs during welding?
Remarks on every option
- A More voltage means a longer arc, which makes arc blow worse, not better.
- B Correct: Moving the work connection changes the magnetic field around the arc. Switching to AC or shortening the arc also helps.
- C A different DC electrode doesn't change the magnetic field that deflects the arc.
- D Travel speed doesn't change the magnetic forces that push the arc around.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 02
What is the correct preparation for welding painted surfaces?
Remarks on every option
- A Correct: Paint in the weld area has to come off completely. Left on, it causes porosity and contamination.
- B Light grinding can leave paint in pits and corners. The weld area needs clean metal.
- C Paint burns into the weld pool and leaves porosity. Surfaces to be welded must be clean.
- D A wire brush polishes over paint more than it removes it. The joint needs bare metal.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 03
How should a welder adjust technique when welding thin material to prevent burn-through?
Remarks on every option
- A Higher heat and slower travel pour more heat into thin metal. That's how you burn through.
- B A long arc and slow travel let the heat soak in. Thin stock needs the opposite.
- C Correct: Less heat per inch, from lower current and faster travel, keeps the pool from melting through thin stock.
- D Normal settings are for normal thickness, and a bigger electrode usually means more current and more heat.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 04
How should weld starts and stops be performed?
Remarks on every option
- A Extra current at a stop leaves a bigger, deeper crater, which raises the risk of crater cracks.
- B Rushing the stop leaves an unfilled crater, the classic spot for crater cracks.
- C Running fast at a stop leaves the crater unfilled, and fast starts tend to lack fusion.
- D Correct: Fill the crater at the stop and tie in starts carefully. An unfilled crater shrinks and cracks.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 05
Which technique is most effective for controlling distortion in thin plate welding?
Remarks on every option
- A One continuous run builds up heat and shrinkage in one direction. That's what drives distortion in thin plate.
- B Push vs drag affects the bead and penetration, not overall distortion of the part.
- C Stringer beads limit heat per pass but don't balance shrinkage along the joint.
- D Correct: Back-step welding lays short segments against the general direction of travel, which balances shrinkage and cuts distortion.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 06
What is the recommended technique adjustment when welding overhead to prevent molten metal from falling?
Remarks on every option
- A More amperage gives a bigger, more fluid pool. That's harder to hold overhead.
- B Cutting wire feed alone drops current but doesn't give you the short arc and travel speed you need for control.
- C A long arc and slow travel make a big, hot pool, and gravity pulls it down.
- D Correct: A short arc and slightly faster travel keep the pool small enough to freeze in place overhead.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 07
In welding, a sequence of operations must be followed for various passes to ensure the integrity of the joint. Which of the following sequences is correct for applying the root, filler, and cover passes?
Remarks on every option
- A The cover pass is the last pass, on the face. It can't go first.
- B Reverse order. The root has to go in first so the joint has something to build on.
- C Correct: Root pass first, then the filler passes, then the cover (cap) pass.
- D The root pass closes the joint root. It can't come after the filler and cover.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 08
Which welding parameter has the greatest effect on penetration depth?
Remarks on every option
- A Gas flow affects shielding, not how deep the arc digs.
- B Correct: Current has the biggest effect on penetration. More amperage, deeper penetration.
- C Travel speed matters, but its effect on penetration is smaller than current's.
- D Arc length (voltage) mainly changes bead width and profile, not depth.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 09
In a scenario where temperature control is critical during a welding process, the progression of welding affects the procedure's effectiveness. In which welding position must progression, such as uphill or downhill technique, be taken into account to ensure structural integrity?
Remarks on every option
- A Horizontal welds run sideways. Uphill or downhill only matters when the weld axis is vertical or inclined.
- B Overhead welds aren't made uphill or downhill. Progression is a vertical-position variable.
- C Flat welds have no up or down, so progression doesn't apply.
- D Correct: In the vertical position the weld goes uphill or downhill. Progression changes heat input and penetration, so WPSs specify it.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 10
In SMAW, which travel angle keeps the slag trailing behind the weld pool instead of running ahead of it?
Remarks on every option
- A Push points the rod ahead of the pool, so slag can roll in front of the arc and get trapped.
- B Correct: SMAW runs with a drag angle, rod tipped back toward the finished weld, so the arc force holds the slag behind the pool.
- C Straight up gives the slag no push either way, so it can still run ahead. A slight drag is the standard for slag processes.
- D Switching to push on fill passes invites slag ahead of the arc on every pass after the root. Slag processes stay on drag.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 11
Which factor most affects the appearance of the weld bead?
Remarks on every option
- A Joint design fixes the shape of the groove, not the ripple and width of a given bead.
- B Thickness affects heat sink and cooling, but it doesn't set how the bead looks.
- C Correct: Travel speed sets bead width, height and ripple spacing more than anything else on this list.
- D Electrode diameter sets the current range, but bead appearance shifts most with travel speed.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 12
Which process parameter most affects bead width in GMAW?
Remarks on every option
- A Correct: In GMAW, arc voltage sets arc length. Higher voltage gives a wider, flatter bead.
- B Wire feed speed sets current and deposition rate, which mainly drive penetration and bead size.
- C Travel speed changes width too, but in GMAW the main width control is voltage.
- D Gas flow is for shielding. It doesn't control bead width.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 13
In a welding procedure requiring full penetration welds on a thick steel plate, which technique is most suitable for achieving a wide bead with effective heat distribution?
Remarks on every option
- A Correct: A weave moves the electrode side to side, laying a wider bead and spreading heat across the joint.
- B Whipping moves the electrode forward and back to control a fluid pool. It doesn't widen the bead.
- C Pulsing alternates current levels to manage heat. It isn't a motion for a wide bead.
- D Stitch welding lays short intermittent welds, not a full-length wide bead.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 14
What technique adjustment is needed when welding with E6010 versus E7018 electrodes?
Remarks on every option
- A Backwards. E6010's fast-freezing, digging arc suits a whip; low-hydrogen E7018 gets dragged with a short arc.
- B Whipping or a long arc with E7018 lets air into the arc and invites porosity. Low-hydrogen rods run a tight arc.
- C Correct: E6010 is usually run with a whip to control the pool; E7018 is dragged with a short, steady arc.
- D The rods behave differently. E6010 is a deep-digging cellulosic rod, E7018 a low-hydrogen rod. One technique doesn't fit both.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 15
When performing a multi-pass weld, what is the correct sequence for cleaning between passes?
Remarks on every option
- A Looking without removing slag cleans nothing. Slag left under the next pass becomes a slag inclusion.
- B A brush alone won't lift solid slag, and whatever stays gets trapped under the next pass.
- C Chemical cleaning isn't the normal between-pass step on carbon steel. Slag has to come off mechanically.
- D Correct: Chip the slag, brush the bead, then look it over before the next pass. That's how you prevent slag inclusions.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
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