Effect of heat input on microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar joints of AISI 316L steel and API X70 high-strength low-alloy steel

The microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar joints of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel and API X70 high-strength low-alloy steel were investigated.For this purpose,gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW)was used in three different heat inputs,including 0.73,0.84,and 0.97 kJ/mm.The microstructural investigations of different zones including base metals,weld metal,heat-affected zones and interfaces were performed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.The mechanical properties were measured by microhardness,tensile and impact tests.It was found that with increasing heat input,the dendrite size and inter-dendritic spacing in the weld metal increased.Also,the amount of delta ferrite in the weld metal was reduced.Therefore,tensile strength and hardness were reduced and impact test energy was increased.The investigation of the interface between AISI 316L base metal and ER316L filler metal showed that increasing the heat input increases the size of austenite grains in the fusion boundary.A transition region was formed at the interface between API X70 steel and filler metals.     

Effect of Heat Input on Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Duplex Stainless Steel Shielded Metal Arc Welds

In the present work, UNS S32750 super duplex stainless steel sheets were welded by shielded metal arc welding process with E2595 electrode using two different heat inputs, 0.54 and 1.10 kJ/mm. Microstructural investigations (optical and scanning electron microscopy) showed very small differences in the heat affected zone for both the heat inputs. The weld metals showed presence of three different morphologies of austenite—Widmanstatten, intra-granular and grain boundary austenite along with ferrite. Ferrite content in the weld region was also nearly same and did not change significantly with the increase in heat input. Both the weldments showed similar mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength, impact strength and hardness) and failed in a ductile manner. Electrochemical studies in 3.5% NaCl solution showed the degree of sensitization to less than 1% and nearly same pitting potential for both heat inputs. Since the effect of heat input on the weld behavior was negligible, low heat input may be preffered for welding UNS S32750 super duplex stainless steel.     

Effect of Arc Welding Processes on the Weld Attributes of Type 316LN Stainless Steel Weld joint

The present study aims at understanding the effect of various arc welding processes on the evolution of microstructure, mechanical properties, residual stresses and distortion in 9 mm thick type 316LN austenitic stainless steel weld joints. Weld joints of type 316LN stainless steel were fabricated by three different arc welding processes which were commonly employed in the nuclear industry. All the weld joints passed radiographic examination. Microstructural characterization was done using optical and scanning electron microscope. Volume fraction of δ-ferrite was lowest in the A-TIG weld joint. The A-TIG welded joint exhibited adequate strength and maximum impact toughness values in comparison to that of weld joints made by SMAW and FCAW processes. The A-TIG weld joint was found to exhibit lowest residual stresses and distortion compared to that of other welding processes. This was attributed to lower weld metal volume and hence reduced shrinkage in the A-TIG weld joint compared to that of weld joints made by FCAW and SMAW processes which involved v-groove with filler metal addition. Therefore, type 316LN stainless steel A-TIG weld joint consisting of lower δ-ferrite, adequate strength, high impact toughness, lower residual stresses and distortion was suited better for elevated temperature service compared to that of SMAW and FCAW weld joints.     

Effect of welding consumables and processes on dynamic fracture toughness (J 1d) of armour grade Q&T steel joints

Abstract

Austenitic stainless steel (ASS) welding consumables are being used for welding armour grade Q&T steels, as they have higher solubility for hydrogen in the austenitic phase, to avoid hydrogen induced cracking (HIC). Even with austenitic stainless steel consumables under high dilution, the risk of HIC prevailed. In recent years, the developments of low hydrogen ferritic steel (LHF) consumables that contain no hygroscopic compounds are utilised for welding Q&T steels. The use of ASS fillers for welding armour grade Q&T steels creates a duplex microstructure (austenite and δ ferrite) in the welds, which drastically reduces the joint efficiency (ratio of ultimate tensile strength of the joint and the base metal). On the other hand, the weld made using LHF fillers exhibited superior joint efficiency due to the preferential ferrite microstructure in the welds. The use of ASS and LHF consumables for armour grade Q&T steels will lead to formation of distinct microstructures in their respective welds. This microstructural heterogeneity will have a drastic influence on the dynamic fracture toughness of the armour grade Q&T steel welds. Hence, in this investigation an attempt has been made to study the influence on the welding consumables and processes on the dynamic fracture toughness properties of armour grade Q&T steel joints. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and flux cored arc welding (FCAW) processes were used for fabrication of the joints using ASS and LHF welding consumables. The joints fabricated by SMAW process using ASS consumables exhibited superior dynamic fracture toughness values compared to all other joints.     

Dendrite Morphological Analysis on SMA,GMA, and PGMA Welding of Dissimilar 304LN Austenitic Stainless Steel and Micro-alloyed Steel

Dissimilar metal welding between the austenitic stainless steel and micro-alloyed steel was widely used in high-temperature applications in power stations and petrochemical plants. In the current research, the dissimilar metals between austenitic stainless steel and micro-alloyed steel have been joined by shielded metal arc welding (SMA), gas metal arc welding (GMA), and pulse gas metal arc welding (PGMA) processes. Welded samples of the aforementioned processes were subjected to comparative studies pertaining to the dendrite morphological characteristics. The study reveals that the process parameters affect the growth of dendrite arm because of the variation in the coefficient of thermal conductivity, expansion, and metallurgical incompatibility of the metals. In the PGMA welding process, the dendrite length decreases, while its width increases in all the locations of the weld by varying dimensionless factors ϕ (0.05, 0.15, and 0.25) and keeping its heat input as constant (Ω—11.2 kJ/cm). Among the welded joints, the PGMA weld joint comparatively exhibit shorter length (20 µm) and width (4 µm) of dendrite arm than the welded joints of the GMA and SMA processes. The change in the dendrite dimension is observed to be due to the variation in the dimensionless factor ϕ and the quantity of heat transfer to the weld (QT). The studies have been systematically planned in order to gain advanced scientific knowledge to establish superior technique for multi-pass PGMA welding of thick section of austenitic stainless steel to micro-alloy steel with respect to that used with conventional welding process.     

Optimization of Welding Parameters,Influence of Activating Flux and Investigation on the Mechanical and Metallurgical Properties of Activated TIG Weldments of AISI 316 L Stainless Steel

This research investigation articulates the joining of AISI 316 L austenitic stainless steel plates of thickness 5 mm by activated tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding. Prior to the welding, the optimization of process parameters and the selection of suitable flux have been carried out to join the plates in a single pass welding. The experimental results show that the complete weld penetration can be achieved by using activating flux. The microscopic study divulges the presence of delta ferrite, sigma phase and various forms of austenite in the weld zone. Fischer Feritscope result indicates that the delta ferrite content in the weld is higher (7.8 FN) than the base metal (1.3 FN) which results in superior mechanical properties of the weld. Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) fractography reveals that the failure of weldments occurs in ductile mode. 180° bend test study reveals the good ductility of the joint.     

Investigations on Dissimilar Weld of UNS S32205 DSS and ASTM A517 Steel

In the present research, microstructure and mechanical properties of 2205 duplex stainless steel/A517 quench and tempered low alloy steel dissimilar joint were investigated. For this purpose, gas tungsten arc welding was used with ER2209 filler metal. Characterizations were conducted by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Mechanical properties were evaluated in micro-hardness, tensile and impact tests. Microstructure in the weld zone included an austenitic continuous network in the matrix of primary ferrite. No brittle phases were formed in the weld metal and stainless steel heat affected zone (HAZ). The weld metal/A517 interface showed higher hardness than other regions. Tensile tests indicated that the values of the yield and tensile strength were 663 and 796 MPa, respectively. Impact tests indicated that the weld zone had almost the same impact energy as base metals. The minimum impact energy of 12 J was related to A517 HAZ. The results of scanning electron microscopy for fracture surfaces indicated that weld zone, 2205 HAZ and A517 HAZ had ductile, ductile–brittle and brittle fracture mode, respectively.     

Properties of Laser Welded SAF 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Sheet

High rate welding methods for sheet material can offer significant cost reduction for mass production application in comparison with more conventional arc processes. Therefore, in this research, laser welds in SAF 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) sheets welded using different welding speeds were investigated. Metallography, texture measurements and mechanical testing were carried out on the weld joints. The corrosion properties were not evaluated. The base material was characterised by a bamboo‐like morphology and a ferrite volume fraction of 53 %. For all welding speeds, the ferrite level in the weld zone was higher than 85 % and the austenite showed an acicular morphology. Whereas in the base material a clear element partitioning existed between ferrite and austenite, no partitioning was observed in the welded zone. This is due to the very high cooling rates, which limit the amount of diffusion that can take place. Electron backscattering diffraction revealed that the texture of the cold rolled material was destroyed by the welding process. While the hardness of the base material was about 265 HV, the maximal hardness in the fusion zone exceeded 310 HV and increased with an increase of the welding speed. Yield and tensile stength were however not dramatically influenced. On the other hand, the formability properties were deteriorated by an increase of the welding speed. This behaviour can also be observed on the fracture surfaces of tensile specimens. The tensile tests on the welded sheet resulted in ductile fracture surfaces, but an easier void formation was observed in the laser welds. However, it has to be pointed out that formability of the laser welded DSS sheets is acceptable when a lower welding speed is used. This is also confirmed by the crack propagation observed during the Erichsen test. Therefore, the laser welding can be used as a joining operation for DSS sheet materials providing the corrosion requirements are fulfilled.     

Effect of Welding Processes and Consumables on Tensile and Impact Properties of High Strength Quenched and Tempered Steel Joints

Quenched and tempered steels are prone to hydrogen induced cracking in the heat affected zone after welding. The use of austenitic stainless steel consumables to weld the above steel was the only available remedy because of higher solubility for hydrogen in austenitic phase. In this investigation, an attempt was made to determine a suitable consumable to replace expensive austenitic consumables. Two different consumables, namely, austenitie stain less steel and low hydrogen ferritic steel, were used to fabricate the joints by shielded metal are welding （SMAW） and flux cored arc welding （FCAW） processes. The joints fabricated by using low hydrogen ferritic steel consumables showed superior transverse tensile properties, whereas joints fabricated by using austenitic stainless steel consumables exhibited better impact toughness, irrespective of the welding process used. The SMAW joints exhibited superior mechanical and impact properties, irrespective of the consumables used, than their FCAW counterparts.     

Evaluating the Properties of Dissimilar Metal Welding Between Inconel 625 and 316L Stainless Steel by Applying Different Welding Methods and Consumables

The current work was carried out to characterize welding of Inconel 625 superalloy and 316L stainless steel. In the present study, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) with two types of filler metals (ERNiCrMo-3 and ERSS316L) and an electrode (ENiCrMo-3) were utilized. This paper describes the selection of the proper welding method and welding consumables in dissimilar metal joining. During solidification of ERNiCrMo-3 filler metal, Nb and Mo leave dendritic cores and are rejected to inter-dendritic regions. However, ERSS316L filler metal has small amounts of elements with a high tendency for segregation. So, occurrence of constitutional super-cooling for changing the solidification mode from cellular to dendritic or equiaxed is less probable. Using GTAW with lower heat input results in higher cooling rate and finer microstructure and less Nb segregation. The interface between weld metal and base metal and also unmixed zones was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Microhardness measurements, tensile test, and Charpy impact test were performed to see the effect of these parameters on mechanical properties of the joints.     

Effect of Heat Input on Fume Generation and Joint Properties of Gas Metal Arc Welded Austenitic Stainless Steel

 The effect of heat input on fume and their compositions during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of AISI 316 stainless steel plates are investigated. Fume generation rate (FGR) and fume percentage were determined by ANSI/AWS F12 methods. Particle characterization was performed with SEM-XEDS and XRF analysis to reveal the particle morphology and chemical composition of the fume particles. The SEM analysis reveals the morphology of particles having three distinct shapes namely spherical, irregular, and agglomerated. Spherical particles were the most abundant type of individual particle. All the fume particle size falls in the range of less than 100 nm. Mechanical properties (strength, hardness and toughness) and microstructural analysis of the weld deposits were evaluated. It is found that heat input of 115 kJ/mm is beneficial to weld stainless steel by GMAW process due to lower level of welding fume emissions and superior mechanical properties of the joints.     

Effect of Heat Input on Macro,Micro and Tensile Properties of Flux Cored Arc Welded Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

This paper discusses the influence of Flux Cored Arc Welding Process parameters such as welding current, travel speed, voltage on bead profile, metallurgical and mechanical properties of welds of 2 mm thick 409M ferritic stainless steel sheets. The study reveals that, grain coarsening, volume fraction of martensite, hardness of heat affected zone and % of delta ferrite in ER 309 weld metal increases with increase in heat input. However, the results show that variation of heat input does not make any significant effect on tensile strength of the joint. Hence, welding parameters that provide uniform bead profile for the weld are recommended for fabrication.     

40CrNiMoA钢同质焊条焊接接头组织和性能研究

分析了焊接电流70A、80A、90A对40CrNiMoA钢焊缝接头组织和力学性能的影响。随着焊接电流的增大,焊缝外观质量较好。随着焊接电流的增大,熔池区温度升高,奥氏体晶粒尺寸增大,导致马氏体组织粗大。焊缝的显微组织为马氏体及少量残余奥氏体。焊缝的硬度远高于母材的硬度,且波动较大。热影响区的硬度从母材向沿焊缝方向逐渐升高。焊接接头纵向应力在焊缝中心为压应力,向外压应力减小。焊接颜色区边界处纵向应力为拉应力,且该点拉应力最大。焊接接头横向应力在焊缝中心为拉应力,向外逐渐增大,焊接颜色区边界处变横向拉应力达到最大。焊接电流和热输入增大,降低了材料的韧性,组织中铁素体增多及焊接残余应力是诱发脆性断裂的原因。焊接电流80A是40CrNiMoA同质焊条平板对接焊接工艺的最佳的焊接电流。     

ITER TF导体铠甲316LN不锈钢管的力学性能

 以ITER TF316LN奥氏体不锈钢无缝管为研究对象,研究了焊接、8%冷变形和650℃、200h的老化处理对316LN不锈钢管性能的影响。分别取母材、焊接接头、经过冷变形和老化处理的焊接接头进行了室温和液氦温度42K下的拉伸和冲击性能的研究,并利用扫描电镜对拉伸和冲击断口的微观形貌进行了观察。结果表明,母材、焊接接头和经过冷变形和老化处理的焊接接头在42K的断后伸长率和冲击韧性依次降低,经过冷变形和老化处理的焊接接头相比母材和未经过任何处理的焊接接头的抗拉强度和屈服强度均高出50~60MPa。42K下,母材的断后伸长率由室温下的48%下降到44%,相反的,焊接接头和经过变形和老化处理的焊接接头的断后伸长率却分别由37%和23%上升到了41%和38%;3种样品在42K下的抗拉强度和屈服强度均是室温下的2~3倍。     

Characteristics of Mechanical Properties and Microstructure for 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel

 A comparative study on mechanical properties and microstructure of 316L austenitic stainless steel between solution treated specimen and hot rolled specimen was conducted. After a specimen was subjected to solution treatment at 1050 ℃ for 6 min, its mechanical properties were determined through tensile and hardness tests. Based on the true stress vs true strain and engineering stress vs engineering strain flow curves, the work hardening rate has been explored. The results show that the solution treated specimen has an excellent combination of strength and elongation, and that this steel is easy to work-hardening during deformation. Optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction examinations were conducted, these reveal that twins in 316L austenitic stainless steel can be divided into suspended twin and transgranular twin which have different formation mechanisms in growth, and that the deformation induced martensite nucleated and grown in the shear band intersections can be observed, and that the fracture surfaces are mainly composed of dimples and exhibit a tough fracture character.     

Effect of Welding Current and Time on the Microstructure,Mechanical Characterizations,and Fracture Studies of Resistance Spot Welding Joints of AISI 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel

This article aims at investigating the effect of welding parameters, namely, welding current and welding time, on resistance spot welding (RSW) of the AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel sheets. The influence of welding current and welding time on the weld properties including the weld nugget diameter or fusion zone, tensile-shear load-bearing capacity of welded materials, failure modes, energy absorption, and microstructure of welded nuggets was precisely considered. Microstructural studies and mechanical properties showed that the region between interfacial to pullout mode transition and expulsion limit is defined as the optimum welding condition. Electron microscopic studies indicated different types of delta ferrite in welded nuggets including skeletal, acicular, and lathy delta ferrite morphologies as a result of nonequilibrium phases, which can be attributed to a fast cooling rate in the RSW process. These morphologies were explained based on Shaeffler, WRC-1992, and pseudo-binary phase diagrams. The optimum microstructure and mechanical properties were achieved with 8-kA welding current and 4-cycle welding time in which maximum tensile-shear load-bearing capacity or peak load of the welded materials was obtained at 8070 N, and the failure mode took place as button pullout with tearing from the base metal. Finally, fracture surface studies indicated that elongated dimples appeared on the surface as a result of ductile fracture in the sample welded in the optimum welding condition.     

Fatigue crack propagation in austenitic stainless steel weldments

The fatigue crack propagation rate (FCPR) in 316L austenitic stainless steel (ASS) and its weldments was investigated, at two loading amplitudes, 7 and 8.5 kN, under tension-tension mode. Two welding techniques, submerged arc welding (SAW) and manual arc welding (MAW), have been used. Magnetic δ-ferrite, depending upon Ni and Cr content in the metal, in the weld zone upon solidification was considered. The ferrite number (FN) of δ-ferrite formed in the SAW zone was much higher (maximum 9.6) compared to the corresponding value (maximum 0.75) in the MAW zone. A fatigue starter notch was positioned at different positions and directions with respect to the weld zone, in addition to the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Regions of high and low FCPRs as the fatigue crack propagated through and across the weld zone have been noticed. This is related to the direction of the tensile residual stresses present in weld zone, resulting from solidification of the weld metal. The FCPR was higher along through the HAZ and weld zone because of the microstructural change and direction and distribution of tensile residual stresses. The FCPR was much lower when crack propagated perpendicular to the weld zone, particularly in the case of SAW in which higher δ-ferrite volume fraction was noticed. A lower FCPR found across the weld zone, in both SAW and MAW, was accompanied by rubbed areas in their fractures.     

Finite Element Simulation of Laser Welding of 904L Super Austenitic Stainless Steel

Experiments on Laser butt welding of 904L super austenitic stainless steel was conducted using diffusion cooled 3.5 kW slab CO₂ laser welding system. The weld geometries such as bead width and depth of penetration were measured. The laser welding process has also been simulated using ANSYS a Finite Element Analysis tool. The effect of laser power, welding speed and focal point position on the bead geometry was investigated. The experimental plan was developed based on the Taguchi technique. The comparison of the results of the simulation indicates that Finite Element Method (FEM) can predict the responses adequately within the limits of welding parameters being used. It is suggested that FEM can be used as a tool for predicting the bead geometry at low values of heat input on laser welding.     

On Characterizing a Composite Microstructure in 316LN Stainless Steel Weld Metal and a New Damage Micromechanism During Creep

The austenitic stainless steel weld metal fabricated by multipass welding exhibits a composite microstructure. Microstructural characterization of the weld metal revealed that there are two distinct regions on either side of the weld-pass interface. The variations in dislocation substructure and delta ferrite morphology are the two microstructural attributes which delineate these regions. The generation of subsequent thermal cycles during the fabrication of multipass weld joint is the paramount factor influencing the formation of the composite microstructure. During creep exposure, the extent of creep cavitation and propagation varies substantially in these two regions due to differences in their microstructures. This results in preferential damage during creep exposure of austenitic stainless steel weld metal.