Which of the following is a consequence of slow travel speed?

• A. Melt through
• B. Reduced heating
• C. Reduced undercut
• D. Narrower bead

Answer: (A)

Travel speed controls how much heat is put into the work per unit length. When you move slowly, more heat enters the metal for each length welded, which raises the chance of burning through a thin plate. In practice, slow travel can cause the weld to melt all the way through to the backside, producing burn-through or melt-through.

The other options don’t fit this scenario: slower speed doesn’t reduce heating—it increases it. It also tends to make the bead wider, not narrower, and undercut is commonly associated with too much heat at the toe or too high travel speed, so slow travel isn’t the typical cause of reduced undercut.