SAW Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the SAW exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 SAW Exam Format at a Glance
📚 SAW Topics to Study (63)
✍️ Sample SAW Questions & Answers
1. A weld made on HY-80 steel using SAW fails a Charpy impact test at the required temperature. The WPS-specified flux and wire were used correctly. What metallurgical factor should be investigated?
Excessively high interpass temperatures coarsen the heat-affected zone and weld metal microstructure, significantly reducing Charpy impact toughness in quenched-and-tempered steels.
2. Which non-destructive test is commonly used to detect internal weld defects?
Radiographic testing (RT), which uses X-rays or gamma rays, is a widely used non-destructive test method for detecting internal weld defects. It can reveal subsurface discontinuities such as porosity, slag inclusions, lack of fusion, and cracks by producing an image of the weld's internal structure on film or a digital detector. This allows for thorough inspection without damaging the part.
3. What is the primary reason for using a metal-cored (composite) SAW wire electrode instead of a solid wire?
Metal-cored wires contain metallic powder fills that increase melt-off rate and allow alloying additions (Ni, Cr, Mo) that cannot be economically drawn into solid wire form, enabling precise weld metal chemistry control.
4. When performing SAW near combustible materials, the minimum safe clearance distance required is:
ANSI/AWS Z49.1 requires a minimum 25-foot (7.6 m) clearance from combustibles, or appropriate fire-resistant shields must be used.
5. When setting up a SAW machine for a new joint configuration, which parameter should typically be adjusted FIRST?
Wire feed speed controls amperage and is the primary variable that determines heat input, so it is set first before fine-tuning voltage and travel speed.
6. When performing SAW on a large ring gear, the use of run-off tabs at weld end locations primarily prevents:
Run-off tabs allow the crater to form and solidify outside the structural weld, preventing the shrinkage cracking and porosity common at weld stops.