FCAW NC II key terms

The set of wearable items such as welding helmet, flame-resistant clothing, leather gloves, safety glasses, and respirator that shield the welder from arc radiation, spatter, fumes, and burns.

Local exhaust ventilation, such as a fume gun or movable hood, that captures smoke and metal oxide particles at the arc before they reach the welder's breathing zone.

The hazard created when welding stainless steel or chromium-bearing consumables releases Cr(VI) particles, which are carcinogenic and require monitored exposure controls and respiratory protection.

A supplier document listing a consumable's or gas's hazards, composition, exposure limits, and handling precautions, used to plan safe storage, ventilation, and emergency response.

The practice of securing cylinders upright, keeping caps on when idle, separating fuel and oxygen, and keeping cylinders away from heat and sparks to prevent rupture or flash fire.

A written authorization confirming that fire watches, combustible clearance, and extinguishers are in place before any welding or cutting that produces sparks or heat is started.

Skin or eye injury caused by intense ultraviolet and infrared radiation from the arc, prevented by helmet filters, protective screens, and flame-resistant clothing.

An energy-isolation procedure in which power sources are shut off, locked, and tagged so welding equipment cannot be re-energized while someone is servicing or adjusting it.

The machine that converts line power into controlled welding current and voltage, selected by output characteristic such as constant voltage for gas-shielded FCAW.

A power source characteristic where voltage stays nearly fixed and current varies with arc length, which is the standard mode for gas-shielded flux-cored arc welding.

The drive assembly with rollers and a motor that pushes the tubular electrode from the spool through the conduit and gun at a set speed.

The pressure applied by the feed rollers on the electrode; too little causes slipping and stubbing, too much crushes the tubular wire and deforms its flux fill.

The flexible tube inside the gun cable that guides the electrode to the contact tip; it must match wire diameter and be clean to prevent feeding hesitation.

The replaceable copper or copper-alloy nozzle that transfers welding current to the electrode as it passes; its bore size and wear directly affect arc stability.

The device that completes the welding circuit by connecting the work lead to the workpiece or table at a clean, tight contact point near the joint.

The percentage of a ten-minute period a power source can operate at a rated output without overheating, used to match machine capacity to production demand.

The shorthand notation on a drawing showing weld type, size, length, spacing, location, and contour, read together with its reference and tail lines.

The horizontal line of a welding symbol to which the arrow line, tail, and weld symbols attach; the arrow side and other side determine weld placement.

The convention that a weld symbol below the reference line means the arrow side of the joint, while one above the line means the opposite side.

The drawing mark showing a weld made in a prepared groove, such as V, bevel, U, or J, with size and groove depth given by the symbol's dimensions.

A qualified document that states the ranges of current, voltage, travel speed, consumable, preheat, and technique a welder must follow for a given joint.

The test record documenting the actual variables and destructive test results used to prove that a welding procedure specification produces sound welds.

A welding parameter, such as filler classification, current type, or preheat, that cannot be changed beyond the qualified range without requalifying the procedure.

Shaping the parts before welding by cutting, beveling, and cleaning to produce the specified root gap, groove angle, and land for full penetration.

The alignment and spacing of parts in a joint before welding, controlling root gap, mismatch, and root face so the weld can be made as designed.

The deliberate space left between the joint faces at the root to allow penetration and to accommodate thermal contraction during welding.

A short temporary weld used to hold parts in alignment until the main weld is completed, later consumed by or blended into the finished joint.

Techniques such as balanced welding sequence, backstep, preset, and restraint that limit shrinkage-induced movement and residual stress in a welded assembly.

The rate at which the electrode is pushed into the arc, expressed in millimeters or inches per minute, which primarily sets deposition rate and amperage.

The arc length control on a constant voltage machine; raising it lengthens the arc, widens the bead, and reduces spatter coarseness.

The length of electrode extending beyond the contact tip; too long reduces current and shielding, too short causes tip wear and spatter buildup.

The volume of gas delivered per unit time, set high enough to exclude air but low enough to avoid turbulence that draws in atmosphere.

The condition in which the arc burns steadily with consistent transfer and sound, allowing uniform bead shape and minimal spatter.

A flux-cored process in which the flux ingredients generate the shielding gas, so no external gas cylinder is used, suited to field and windy conditions.

A flux-cored process that uses an external shielding gas, usually carbon dioxide or a mixed gas, giving smoother arcs and better notch toughness.

Cavities in a weld caused by trapped gas, often from moisture, oil, drafts, or low shielding, visible as rounded dark holes on a fracture or radiograph.

Nonmetallic flux residue trapped between passes or at the root, prevented by cleaning each bead and maintaining proper travel angle and speed.

A discontinuity where weld metal fails to bond to the base metal or previous pass, usually from low heat input, wrong angle, or uncleaned surfaces.

A groove melted into the base metal along the weld toe that is left unfilled, reducing thickness and acting as a stress concentrator.

The temperature of the joint measured before the next pass is deposited, kept within the procedure's limits to control toughness and cracking.

The rate the arc moves along the joint, which governs bead size, penetration, and heat input; too fast risks undercut and lack of fusion.

Energy delivered per unit length of weld, calculated from current, voltage, and travel speed, which influences cooling rate, hardness, and distortion.

The first examination of a completed weld for surface defects such as undercut, spatter, crater cracks, and incorrect profile, done before other testing.

Examination methods such as dye penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonic, and radiographic that reveal internal or surface discontinuities without damaging the weld.

The shape of the finished bead surface, including face height, toe angle, and root concavity, which must meet the drawing's contour requirements.

Post-weld removal of spatter, slag, and excess reinforcement with a grinder or wire brush to achieve the specified surface and prepare for coating.

The record linking each completed weld to its welder, procedure, consumable lot, and date so quality can be verified and rework traced.

A document that records a weld or process that failed to meet specification, its cause, disposition such as repair or reject, and the corrective action taken.

A structured investigation, such as the five-why method or a fishbone diagram, that finds why a defect recurred so the process, not just the weld, is corrected.

The ongoing effort to reduce defects and waste by measuring weld reject rates, standardizing parameters, and updating work instructions based on results.