Weave Bead In Welding

The first step in each welder's career is making that first weld. The first weld bead is something we all remember, and for novices, it is the greatest challenge of their upcoming career. 

Creating a straightforward, straight weld bead is a breeze, but the real test comes when you're faced with larger gaps. In these situations, a straight approach won't cut it. You'll need to bring in some side-to-side finesse.

Moving in the side-to-side motion while welding produces weaving weld beads in welding, and in this article, we'll talk more about the challenges, applications, and types.

Welding Beads And Types of Welding Beads

A welding bead is a deposition of filler metal inside of the welding joint, also known as a weld. The arc welding processes, such as MIG welding, TIG welding, or Stick welding, use the heat of an arc to melt the electrode and base pieces. As you move with the torch or electrode, you melt and deposit the filler metal and create a welding bead or weld.

Now, the way you move the torch along the joint can have a different effect on the appearance and properties of the weld bead. As a result, we are seeing two primary types of welding beads:

• Stringer beads
• Weaving welding beads

Stringer beads are straightforward weld beads performed in a straight line. You can add some back-and-forth motion while welding to provide more penetration, but essentially, you are moving your torch in a straight line.

Weaving welding beads involves using a side-to-side motion throughout the joint. By moving in a zig-zag motion, you can adequately fill the larger joints, which are typical when welding thicker pieces or in multi-pass welding.

Since we already have an article dedicated to welding beads in common, further in the text, we will focus on the main subject of our article - weaving welding beads.

Weave Bead Properties, Types and Techniques

The weaving welding beads in welding fit their name perfectly. As you move your torch, you weave from one to the other side of the welding joint, making a weaving pattern in order to cover a larger area.

However, you don't have to weave just when filling the larger gaps. This technique can also be used to limit the heat input on delicate metals in multi-pass welding when layering two or more welds or when you want to get pretty welds.

Therefore, weaving is a pretty versatile welding technique widely used in industries such as pipeline or accumulator welding across the globe. But, this is a complex welding technique that presents unique challenges for beginners. Therefore, you'll need a lot of practice until you get proper penetration and tie-in.

Why Do You Use Weaving In Welding?

As a beginner, you are doing just fine in your home or DIY project with straightforward stringers or straight beads. So, you might be wondering, why would I use weaving?

Weaving in welding is used for the following reasons:

• It allows you to fill the larger gaps and joints - As the thickness of the metal increases, so should the gap between two pieces. Filling the wide welding joint with straight beads can yield improper fusion and tie-in, leading to weld failure. Therefore, most welders use weaving beads to distribute the filler metal across the joint evenly.

• In multi-pass welding applications - While welding mild steel up to 1/4" is a breeze, things can get tricky once the thickness goes over 1/2". Instead of using a power welder and thick electrodes, welders bevel the pieces and limit the gap, then use multiple passes to fill the entire joint. As a result, weaving is often used to weld a root pass and following passes in multi-pass applications.
• To limit the heat input - Besides filling the joints, weaving can also limit the heat input, which is crucial when welding delicate materials such as aluminum. Although aluminum requires some more heat, spending more time in one place, as you would do with stringers, can cause excessive heat build-up and burn-through. Weaving stops heat build-up and fills the weld properly.
• Due to weld aesthetics - Double weave or zig-zag weaving produces some of the most visually appealing welds. Besides being strong and uniform, your weaving beads are also aesthetic and beautiful to look at.

• When dealing with gravity - welding in vertical or overhead positions presents various challenges, the biggest one being gravity. Gravity pulls the molten weld metal out of the joint, and you can deal with this by weaving your torch. Weaving prevents the formation of larger globs of heavy molten metals that can get dragged out of the welding joint.

 

In the industrial applications, weaving motion is used in specific applications such as:

• Welding with a flux-cored wire
• Welding structural steel
• Seam Tracking, also known as Joint Tracking
• Welding aluminum and delicate pieces
• Welding metal pieces with uneven edges
• Position and out-of-position welding
• Specific lap joints and butt welds

Weave Welding Bead Patterns

Weaving can be performed in one out of the dozen patterns, and each has its ups and downs. For example, some are easier to perform. Still, they lack specific properties in given applications. While some weaving patterns can be exceptionally hard to master, they yield some of the best results.

The patterns got their name based on the motion you are doing with your torch, and some of the most common ones are:

• Zig-zag
• C-weave
• Circular weave
• Figure 8 weave
• Straight-stripped
• V weave
• Ladder weave
• Jagged weave

There are also some process-specific weaving motions, such as:

• Whip motion (Stick)
• J-weave (whip motion variant)
• Walking the cup (TIG Welding)

So, let's learn more about each weaving pattern.

Zig-zag Weaving

As the name states, zig-zag weaving includes weaving your torch in a straight, zig-zag motion from side to side. As you travel, you should spend less time in the middle and some more time on the sides to provide good tie-in and correct weld bead coverage.

MIG Welding with Zig-zag Weaving Technique
Photo by @weldingstudio (TikTok) 

The primary advantage of zig-zag weaving is the good penetration and tie-in on medium and thicker pieces. This pattern is suitable for vertical and flat welding positions. However, keep in mind that zig-zag is slower compared to other techniques, and high heat input is not ideal for thin materials.

C-weave Welding

The C-weave is often called a square weave motion. To perform it, you move the torch in a smooth, curved pattern to create connected C-shapes, ergo the name C-weave. This welding technique provides even heat distribution and works well with corners.

Source: https://www.wcwelding.com/welding-techniques.html

The advantages of C-weave welding also include pleasing weld aesthetics, fusion, and penetration, as well as the ability to weld in flat or vertical positions. However, this method requires more skill to master, and poor technique can cause overlapping issues.

Circular Weave

To make the circular weave pattern, you move the torch in a circular pattern. That way, you create overlapping circles along the joint, providing excellent fusion with high penetration. The ability to work in all positions makes circular weaves a common choice in pipeline welding.

Circular Weaves on Stick Welding
Photo by @kuyaken_tv (TikTok)

However, circular weaving is one of the most challenging weaving patterns to master. Although it has a lot of benefits, it requires some time spent practicing to perform right.

Figure-8 Weave Welding

Figure-8 weaving includes moving your torch in the figure-8 pattern across the welding joint. This results in smooth welds with a visually attractive appearance. Similar to C-weave, this technique requires going fast over the middle and then spending some more time on the side to produce a good tie-in.

Keep in mind that figure-8 weaving is recommended only for flat positions and is often used for a cover pass. Similar to circular weaves, this pattern can be hard to master and perform, but there is also the risk of a cold lap.

Triangular weaving

Triangular weave motion is quite useful when welding in a vertical-up position. It involves drawing a series of triangles that are facing in the direction of the weld. This motion prevents the molten metal from falling out of the joint, and it is pretty rewarding.

Straight-stepped weaving

The straight-stepped weave pattern is similar to a zig-zag as you move from side to side in a straight line. However, the entire torch movement is stepped, so there are slight differences.

This weaving technique is often used in multi-pass welding, but it can come short in root-pass welding. A steep angle can make you lose your puddle and burn through the root pass, so it is more suited for fill and cap passes.

Whip Motion (Stick welding)

Whip motion is a process-specific weave bead motion that is commonly used in Stick welding (Shielded Metal Arc Welding). This technique is used in root pass welding with fast-freezing E6010 electrodes.

To perform whipping in Stick welding, you form a puddle and pull the electrode entirely out of it using your wrist in a whipping motion toward the direction of travel. This lets the puddle freeze, and then you bring the electrode back to the leading edge of the puddle and start a new puddle. You repeat the motion until you finish your bead.

All of this happens pretty quickly, so whip motion is considered one of the most challenging to master. However, it yields solid and uniform welds, which make it a foundation for root pass welding.

J-weave Welding Pattern

Many consider the J-weave pattern a variant of whipping motion in Stick welding, but this time, it is used to weld a hot pass. The hot pass is the following pass right after the root pass, often used to ensure proper tie-in and deal with mistakes during a root pass.

Fundamentally, the J-weave motion is a combination of the crescent and whip strokes. Using a longer arc, you move your torch like whipping but with brief pauses on each side. After whipping ahead, you'll whip back to the next open area, and so on, until the end of the weld joint.

Source: https://nsarc.com/blog/choosing-welding-patterns/

Spending more time on the sides can correct the tie-in issues with the root pass. This makes it another helpful technique in Stick welding.

Walking The Cup (TIG Welding)

Walking the cup is one of the commonly used welding techniques in pipeline TIG Welding. This method is also used for welding a root pass, but now in the stainless steel or aluminum pipes, where TIG welding shines.

To walk the cup, you'll need a large enough TIG cup, which can rest on the sides of the beveled joint. The tungsten stickout should be enough to melt the wire, which is laid inside the joint, but not to touch the weld, causing contamination.

By laying the cup on the edges of the joint, you reduce hand fatigue and provide better precision. As you move across the joint, you wiggle or weave the cup across the joint, and the arc melts the wire inside, resulting in highly uniform and strong welds.

Due to better precision and less fatigue, walking the cup became the industry standard for anyone who needs to TIG weld root pass. However, there is an entire science behind this welding technique, from choosing the suitable consumables and settings to weaving the torch, so it can take time and practice to get everything right.

How To Choose The Right Weaving Pattern?

As you can denote, there are dozens of weaving welding patterns, so many beginners wonder, how do I choose the right one? There is no simple answer, but in many cases, the final choice can depend on personal preferences.

However, the advanced way of choosing the right weaving bead will depend on the type and thickness of the welded material, welding position, welding process, and joint configuration.

For example, thicker materials require wider weaves and more penetration, which is achieved by zig-zag motion. However, this motion can cause burn-through and distortion of thinner materials. The same rules apply to welded material. Most patterns will do just fine on mild steel, while you'll need to be careful when welding stainless steel or aluminum.

In addition, there are specific weaving patterns related to some processes. While you can use most patterns for all processes, walking the cup only works with TIG welding, while whipping is related to Stick welding. Some patterns, such as the figure-8 weave, are only suitable for flat positions; others are good for both flat and vertical, while circular weave works in all positions.

The final choice will once again come from personal preferences. Mastering and comfortably welding with one of the given patterns will produce better results than going for something that doesn't feel natural for you.

Things To Keep In Mind When Using Weave Bead In Welding

• Choose a simple pattern to start with: If you are beginning to learn how to weave in welding, choose a straightforward pattern that feels naturally comfortable and doesn't cause too much fatigue.

 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzgHTKmBiCs

• Consistency produces uniform beads: Consistent travel speed, travel angle, and arc length are a must-have for any welding procedure, including weaving. While some patterns will require more time spent on the sides, consistency is essential.
• Always weave ahead: As the slag solidifies, weaving over it can create a defect known as slag inclusions. So, if there is a slag, you drag and weave ahead of your weld joint.

Always weave ahead to avoid slag inclusions.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyweJfPrC6Y&t=286s

• Control the heat input: While weave welding evenly distributes the heat across the joint, weaving motion slows down the travel speed, which increases the overall heat input. High heat can reduce impact strength in carbon steels, affect corrosion resistance in different alloys, and alter the properties of heat-treated materials.
• Pay attention to corners and edges: Each weld is strong as long as the welding bead covers the entire joint and properly penetrates both pieces. To provide proper penetration and tie-in, you must be patient and give enough heat to the edges, corners, and end of the weld. This means you'll sometimes need to spend more time on the edges and wait until the bead fills the end of the joint.

Final Thoughts 

Weaving beads are versatile and helpful weapons in your welding arsenal that will help you battle the challenges of welding thick pieces. By using a side-to-side motion, you can adequately fill larger joints and ensure the weld bead penetrates the pieces rather than just sitting on top of the weld.

Weaving weld beads in welding comes with dozens of patterns, each with its ups and downs. Understanding how each works is crucial in making an informed choice for your next application. However, as a beginner, you should choose simple patterns that provide comfort and then work your way up to more complex shapes that offer the best result for your welding projects.

2. Where is weaving motion commonly used in industrial welding?

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