Weld Toe Cracking

A mode of crack initiation and growth that originates at the junction (toe) between a weld reinforcement or face and the adjacent base material, produced primarily by cyclic tensile stress concentration, adverse weld geometry (sharp toe, undercut), residual tensile stresses, or metallurgical weaknesses; the crack is surface‑initiated and may propagate into the heat‑affected zone, base metal, or we