Causes of Slag Inclusion Defects

During the welding process, welding electrodes and steel plates generate certain amounts of slag, which cannot be completely removed. Some of this slag remains in the weld seam, ultimately forming slag inclusion defects in the weld. Slag inclusion defects are also one of the more common defects in the welding process. There are various classification standards for slag inclusions, each elucidating the causes from different perspectives. During welding, the use of alkaline welding electrodes tends to produce oxides under high-temperature conditions. Especially under the influence of welding current, oxides in the welding electrode and oxides in the steel plate are rapidly generated and enter the weld gap with the welding pool. During the cooling process of the metal, slag inclusion defects are prone to form.