Microstructures and mechanical properties of T92/Super304H dissimilar steel weld joints after high-temperature ageing

T92/Super304H dissimilar steel weld joints, fabricated through a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) technique using a Ni-based welding wire of ERNiCrMo-3, were aged at 650 °C for time up to 3000 h. Microstructures, fractographies and mechanical properties of the joints were then investigated. The results show that as the aging time increased, in the T92 side heat-affected zone (HAZ) and base metal (BM), the second-phase particles aggregate and coarsen along the austenite grain boundaries/in the austenite grains. In the Super304H side HAZ and BM, the growth of the austenite grains and that of the second-phase particles are slight. The fracture positions of the aged joints are always in the T92 BM. The tensile strengths and the hardness values of the joints drop firstly, then rise, and finally tend to be stable. The impact toughness values of the joints are monotonously decreases with the ageing time.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar materials joints between T92 martensitic and S304H austenitic steels

In this paper, T92 martensitic steel and S304H austenitic steel were welded by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. Microstructural features and mechanical properties of T92 and S304H dissimilar materials joints were investigated. The results showed that the part of the joints with relatively weak tensile strength was T92 coarse-grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ), while the part of the joints which revealed relatively weak toughness was weld metal. The decrease of tensile strength in T92 CGHAZ was due to its coarse tempered martensite structure. Weak toughness of the joints was resulted from the coarse dendritic austenite of the weld metal. However, the weld metal in transverse direction of the joints was provided higher tensile strength by the orientation distribution of grains compared with T92 CGHAZ.     

T92/Super304H异种钢焊接接头的性能研究

根据新型耐热钢T92和Super304H钢的焊接特点制定了适宜的焊接工艺,研究了焊制的T92/Su-per304H异种钢焊接接头的力学性能。结果表明,T92/Super304H异种钢接头的各项力学性均能满足使用要求。焊缝金属的韧性远低于T92钢侧热影响区,焊缝金属的结晶形态对焊缝韧性有很大的影响。焊接接头中焊缝金属的硬度值最高,而T92钢侧热影响区硬度最低,并且不同热影响区部位显微硬度变化较大,Super304H钢侧热影响区硬度变化不大。     

High-temperature tensile and creep deformation of cross-weld specimens of weld joint between T92 martensitic and Super304H austenitic steels

The high-temperature mechanical behavior of cross-weld specimens prepared from a dissimilar weld joint between T92 martensitic and Super304H austenitic heat-resistant steels incorporating Ni-based weld metal was evaluated at temperatures up to 650 °C. For both high temperature tensile and creep tests, failure took place in T92 due to its faster degradation with temperature increase. The heat-affected zone of T92 played a critical role during creep deformation, resulting in type IV failure under the long-term creep condition. For the creep specimens, the location of failure shifted from the base metal region to the fine-grained heat-affected zone as the creep duration time increased from the short-term to the long-term condition. The massive precipitation of Laves phase on the grain boundaries of the fine-grained heat-affected zone during creep deformation was observed and found to be responsible for the accelerated void formation in the area leading to the premature failure.     

Microstructure and property evolutions of a novel Super304H steel during high temperature creeping

High-temperature creep tests of a novel Super304H steel under 650 °C/195 MPa were conducted and the evolutions of microstructure and property with creep time of the material were investigated by using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, micro Vickers hardness tester and electrochemical workstation. The results show that M₂₃C₆ carbides precipitated along grain boundaries of austenite matrix in a chain distribution and then got coarsened with the increase of creep time. Creep cavities started to form near the surface when the steel was crept for 2500 h. Afterward creep cavities increased, developed, interconnected and finally formed micro cracks along grain boundaries till fracture at the time of 4578 h. The hardness of the steel increased dramatically at the early stage of creeping and reached a high level at 500 h, and then kept a stable state at the succedent stage till fracture. Intergranular corrosion susceptibility of the steel increased first and then declined gradually, indicating the occurrence of sensitization – desensitization process of the steel during creeping.     

Microstructural Evolution of P92 Steel During Long-Term Aging

The mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of P92 steel were investigated after aging up to 11,000 h at 923 K. Charpy impact and tensile tests were carried out to study the strength and ductility of aged P92 steel. In addition, microstructure evolution of the samples during long-term aging was investigated with X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Then, statistical quantitative image analysis based on SEM images was used to evaluate the precipitation during long-term aging. The mechanical properties were found to be associated with the evolution of precipitation, especially the coarsening of Laves-phase. Results show that the ductility and strength of P92 steel decrease with the growth of Laves-phase during short-term aging (shorter than 1000 h). However, as the aging time further increasing, the ductility and strength of P92 steel decrease slowly with the coarsening of Laves-phase.     

Effect of the Stir Rotation Speed on the Microstructure and Properties of Super304H/T92 Friction Weld Joints

Strength of Materials - The impact of the rotation speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Super304H/T92 friction weld joints was studied. The properties of weld joints are shown...     

Quantitative study of microstructure evolution and the effect on mechanical properties of Super304H during aging

In this paper, the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of Super304H during aging at 650 °C is investigated, and the effect between microstructure evolution and properties change are discussed. The results shows that the precipitated phases in the material during aging mainly include Cu-rich and MX particles with nano-size dispersed in matrix, M₂₃C₆ and σ particles with micron-size located at the grain boundary. These precipitates change significantly in quantity and size with the aging time, which affect the mechanical properties of the material. It helps to improve the tensile performance and hardness of the material, but it has an adverse effect on the impact energy. In addition, it is found that the degradation of impact energy is divided into two stages. Stage I witnesses the rapid drop in impact energy caused by Cr-depletion, which occurs between 0 to 1000 h during aging at 650°C. The content of Cr near the grain boundary rapidly drops from 21% to about 16% due to the precipitation of M₂₃C₆ particles on the grain boundary. Stage II is the stage of impact energy drop relatively smoothly, which occurs after aging for 1000 h. In this stage, although the Cr content increases from 16% to about 20% and remains stable due to intracrystalline diffusion, the impact energy decreased slowly, besides the M₂₃C₆ particles located at grain boundaries, the micron-sized brittle σ precipitated is another important reason.     

Martensite structure in TP304H austenitic stainless steel after long-term service and aging

The microstructure change of TP304H steel after long-term service and aging at high temperatures is investigated through XRD, OM, SEM, TEM, SAED and EDS. The results indicate that after long-term service, α’-martensite and ε-martensite are found in TP304H steel. α’-martensite distributes in stripes along grain boundaries; the substructure of α’-martensite is high-density tangling dislocations. ε-martensite distributes in parallel, a little further from grain boundaries than α’-martensite; the substructure is stacking fault. After long-term high-temperature aging, α’-martensite is found in TP304H steel. With the extension of aging time, the amount of α’-martensite increases and the lath morphology becomes clearer. The increase of martensitic transformation start temperature besides grain boundaries due to the decrease of Cr content in this area is the main reason for the formation of martensites in TP304H steel after long-term service and being aged at high temperature.     

Carbide precipitates and mechanical properties of medium Mn steel joint with metal inert gas welding

Medium Mn steel was metal inert gas(MIG)welded with NiCrMo-3 and 307Si filler wires.The effect of filler wires on the microstructure and mechanical properties of joint was investigated,and the carbide precipitates were contrastively discussed.The results revealed that the microstructure of weld metal,heat-affected zone and base metal are austenite.Obvious grain coarsening occurred in the heat-affected zone(HAZ),and the maximum grain size grew up to 160 pm.In HAZ,C and Cr segregated at grain boundaries,the carbides was identified as Cr7C3.The dispersive(Nb,Mo)C phase was also found in weld metal with NiCrMo-3 filler wire.All the welded joints failed in HAZ during tensile tests.The tensile strength of welded joint with NiCrMo-3 filler wire was 675 MPa,which is much higher than that with 307Si filler wire.In comparison to base metal,higher microhardness and lower impact toughness were obtained in HAZ for these two welded joints,which was attributed to the precipitation of Cr7C3 phase and grain coarsening.The impact toughness around the fusion line is the worst for these two welded joints.     

Mechanical and Structural Properties of Similar and Dissimilar Steel Joints

The mechanical properties of specimens from similar and dissimilar weld joints were examined. A ferritic steel (St37-2) and an austenitic stainless steel (AISI 304) were joined by the gas tungsten arc weld (GTAW) process using an austenitic filler metal. Mechanical and metallographic properties of the specimens were obtained by means of microhardness testing, tensile testing, bending fatigue testing, and light optical and scanning electron microscopy. The highest microhardness values were recorded on the ferritic–austenitic dissimilar weld joint, whereas the highest tensile strength and bending fatigue life were obtained with the austenitic–austenitic joints. Ferritic and pearlitic structures were observed in the microstructure of the ferritic–ferritic joint. The microstructures of austenitic–austenitic and austenitic–ferritic joints showed small recrystallization grains in addition to the typical austenitic and ferritic structures. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the fracture surfaces of the specimens and the origins of the fatigue cracks.     

Microstructures and high-temperature mechanical properties in 9Cr–0.5Mo–1.8W–VNb steel after aging at 650°C

A series of experiments, including post-aged tensile tests, charpy impact tests, Vickers hardness test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinations and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, were carried out to investigate the microstructure evolution and high-temperature mechanical properties of P92 steel. Experimental results show that martensitic lath structure gradually recovers during long-term aging; meanwhile, the content and size of spheroidal M₂₃C₆ together with Laves phase distributed mainly along prior austenite grain boundaries and subgrain boundaries increase with extending the aging time, but MX in grain interior seems to be stable. The strength parameters (σ_ys and σ_ult), the ductile parameters (δ and Φ_f) and high-temperature impact absorbed energy all show an initially slight increase followed by a decrease with the increase of the aging time up to 500?h. After aging for 2000?h at 650°C, this degradation behaviour becomes stable, although the Vickers hardness is not strongly affected by the aging time. Based on the microstructural observations and high-temperature mechanical properties, the strengthening mechanism of P92 steel was discussed.     

Microstructural features of dissimilar MMC/AISI 304 stainless steel friction joints

The microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar friction joints between aluminium-based MMC and AISI 304 stainless steel base materials were investigated. The microstructural features which occur in the stainless steel substrate comprise deformation twinning, formation of a fine-grained dislocation substructure in austenite, and plastic deformation. The stainless steel substrate was plastically deformed in the region close to the mid-radius of the dissimilar joint. In a similar manner, 5–10 m thick transition layers, comprising regions of locally plasticized MMC-base material, were formed close to the mid-radius location in dissimilar joints. The interlayer formed at the dissimilar joint interface comprised a mixture of oxide (Fe(Al,Cr)₂O₄ or FeO(Al,Cr)₂O₃) and FeAl₃ intermetallic phases. The notch tensile strength of dissimilar MMC/AISI 304 stainless steel joints increased when the rotational speed increased from 500 r.p.m. to 1000 r.p.m., and at higher rotation speeds, there was no effect on notch tensile strength properties.     

不同强度级别双相不锈钢激光焊接头的组织与力学性能

目的 为了合理制定不同强度等级DP钢同种和异种接头的激光焊接工艺,研究激光焊接工艺对接头组织性能的影响。方法 采用SEM、硬度试验、拉伸试验等手段,研究不同强度等级DP钢同种和异种激光焊接接头的微观组织和力学性能。结果 对于同种DP钢激光焊接,由于接头各个区域经历的热循环不同,因此其马氏体体积分数和形态、含碳量等存在明显差异。在焊缝熔合区,由于冷却速度较高,因此马氏体体积分数较高且为细条状,硬度高于母材硬度。在热影响区,由于马氏体发生了回火分解,因此其硬度值低于母材硬度,且软化的程度和范围大小与DP钢的强度级别相关。软化的热影响区成为接头的薄弱区域,降低了接头的拉伸性能。在异种DP钢激光焊接接头中,焊缝熔合区的硬度也明显高于母材硬度。靠近高强度级别母材侧的热影响区范围更大,软化程度更明显,接头硬度分布不再对称。接头的抗拉强度与低等级DP钢母材的抗拉强度基本一致。结论 激光焊接工艺对不同强度等级DP钢同种和异种接头组织性能的影响存在较大的差异,DP钢强度级别越高,接头或接头对应侧的热影响区软化程度越明显,这在制定焊接工艺以及焊后处理工艺过程中需要予以考虑。     

Effects of post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints of 2219-O aluminium alloy

Abstract

Post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) of 2219-O aluminium alloy friction stir welding joints was carried out at solution temperatures of 480, 500 and 540°C for 32 min followed by aging at 130°C for 9 h. The effects of PWHT on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated. Experimental results show that PWHT causes coarsening of the grains in the weld, and the coarsening degree increases with increasing solution temperature. The tensile strength of the heat treated joints increases with increasing solution temperature. The maximum tensile strength can reach 260% that of the base material at the solution temperature of 540°C. PWHT has a significant effect on the fracture locations of the joints. When the solution temperature is lower than 500°C, the joints fracture in the base material; when the temperature is higher than 500°C, the joints fracture in the weld. The change of the fracture locations of joints is attributed to the presence of precipitate free zones beside the grain boundaries and coarsening equiaxed grain structures in the weld.     

Effects of welding parameters and post-heat treatment on mechanical properties of friction stir welded AA2195-T8 Al-Li alloy

In this study, the effects of main welding parameters(rotation speed(ω) and welding speed(v)) on the microstructure, micro-hardness distribution and tensile properties of friction stir welded(FSW)2195-T8 Al-Li alloy were investigated. The effects of T6 post-treatments at different solution and aging conditions on the mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of the FSW joints were also investigated. The results show that with increasing and v, both strength and elongation of the joints increase first, and then decrease with further increase of and v. All the joints under varied welding parameters show significant strength loss, and the strength reaches only 65% of the base metal. The effect of T6 post-heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the joints depends on the solution and aging conditions. Two heat treatment processes(480℃× 0.5 h quenching + 180℃× 12 h,520℃× 0.5 h quenching + 180℃× 12 h aging) are found to increase the joint strength. Furthermore,low temperature quenching(480℃) is more beneficial to the joint strength. The joint strength can reach 85% of the base metal. Whereas both low temperature aging(140℃× 56 h) and stepped aging(100℃× 12 h + 180℃× 3 h) processes decrease the joint strength. After heat treatment all the joints show decreased ductility due to the obvious grain coarsening in the nugget zone(NZ) and thermo-mechanically affected zone(TMAZ).     

Softened zone formation and joint strength properties in dissimilar friction welds

The mechanical properties of dissimilar MMC/AISI 304 stainless steel friction welds with and without silver interlayers were examined. The notch tensile strengths of MMC/AISI 304 stainless steel and MMC/Ag/AISI 304 stainless steel friction welds increased when high friction pressures were applied during the joining operation. The higher notch tensile strengths of dissimilar MMC/AISI and MMC/Ag/AISI 304 stainless steel friction welds resulted from the formation of narrow softened zones in MMC material immediately adjacent to the bondline. The influence of softened zone width and hardness (yield strength) on the notch tensile strengths of dissimilar welds was analysed using finite element modelling (FEM). FEM in combination with the assumption of a ductile failure criterion was used to calculate the notch tensile strengths of dissimilar joints. The key assumption in this work is that dissimilar weld failure wholly depended on the characteristics (mechanical properties and dimensions) of the softened zone formed in MMC material immediately adjacent to the bondline. The modelling results produced based on this assumption closely correspond with the actual notch tensile strengths of dissimilar MMC/Ag/AISI 304 stainless steel and MMC/Ag/AISI 304 stainless steel friction welds.     

Fatigue behaviour of friction welded medium carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel dissimilar joints

This paper reports the fatigue behaviour of friction welded medium carbon steel–austenitic stainless steel (MCS–ASS) dissimilar joints. Commercial grade medium carbon steel rods of 12 mm diameter and AISI 304 grade austenitic stainless steel rods of 12 mm diameter were used to fabricate the joints. A constant speed, continuous drive friction welding machine was used to fabricate the joints. Fatigue life of the joints was evaluated conducting the experiments using rotary bending fatigue testing machine (R = −1). Applied stress vs. number of cycles to failure (S–N) curve was plotted for unnotched and notched specimens. Basquin constants, fatigue strength, fatigue notch factor and notch sensitivity factor were evaluated for the dissimilar joints. Fatigue strength of the joints is correlated with microstructure, microhardness and tensile properties of the joints.