The Analysis of Low Temperature Toughness on X80 Pipeline Steel Welded Joint

Aiming at the security problems of pipeline steel application, the different positions of the welded joints of circumferentially welding pipeline of X80 steel were investigated by microstructure observation, the hardness, Charpy impact toughness and crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) test at low temperature. The Vickers hardness test results show that there are local softened regions in heat-affected zone (HAZ). Charpy impact test indicate that the ductile–brittle transition temperature of weld is below ??60 °C, the ductile–brittle transition temperature of HAZ is around ??38 °C. CTOD test reveal that the fracture toughness of HAZ shows a large fluctuation since it is in the ductile–brittle transition temperature regime.     

2209双相不锈钢焊缝的析出及对冲击性能的影响

 对2209双相不锈钢焊缝在690℃进行不同时间时效处理,采用了透射(TEM)、相分析、冲击测试等手段,研究了析出相的形貌、分布及其类型和含量以及析出相对冲击功的影响。结果表明,析出相为M23C6和σ相,主要在铁素体和奥氏体晶界和铁素体内析出。随着时效时间的延长,析出相逐渐长大并增多,冲击功逐渐降低。在扫描电镜下观察冲击断口形貌为韧窝和准解理,断裂类型由韧性到脆性断裂。     

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel with UNS S32205 Duplex Stainless Steel

In the present work, dissimilar welding between UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) and 316L austenitic stainless steel (ASS) was performed by using gas tungsten arc welding and ER2209 filler at two different heat inputs (0.52 and 0.98 kJ/mm). Microstructures were characterized using reflected light optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. Micro-hardness and tensile properties were measured across the weld for both the heat inputs. The microstructure of the welded region was primarily austenitic (for both heat inputs) with Widmanstätten morphology. The grain size of the heat affected zone on DSS side was very large (~200 µm) for the high heat input sample with the presence of partially transformed austenite and acicular austenite. The precipitation of intermetallic phases and carbides was not observed for both the heat inputs. The proportion of ferrite in the weld metal (as measured by feritscope) was higher for the high heat input sample than the low heat input sample. During the tensile test, fracture occurred in 316L ASS base metal (because of its lower strength) in ductile manner. For high heat input welds, the impact tested sample showed the presence of fine spherical precipitates rich in Cr, Mn and Fe in the fracture surface of weld metal.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TWIP Steel Joints

As a new type of high manganese steel, the twinning induced plasticity （TWIP） steels have attracted a growing interest in the automotive industry due to their good performance. Thin plates of TWIP steel were welded by laser beam welding （LBW） and gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW）. The microstructure result shows that GTAW joint has obvious heat-affected zone （HAZ）, while the HAZ of LBW joint is almost invisible. The X-ray diffraction result shows that the phase compositions of both joints are austenitic and no phase transition occurs. Energy disper- sive spectrometry result shows that there is violent evaporation of Mn element in LBW joint, while the proportion of Mn element in GTAW joint is almost unchanged. Tensile tests and micro-hardness measurements were performed to take into account the mechanical properties of joints manufactured by the two different processes. The micro-hard- ness profiles of both joints present a typical saddle distribution, and the hardness of GTAW seam is lower than that of LBW seam. The failure positions of LBW joints are all located in base metal while the GTAW joints are all at the weld toe due to the softening of HAZ. By means of scanning electron microscopy, a typical ductile fracture is observed in LBW joint, while a brittle fracture with quasi-cleavage fracture characteristic is observed in GTAW joint.     

Microstructural damage and residual mechanical properties in helium-bearing gas metal Arc weldments

The influence of entrapped helium on microstructural damage and residual mechanical properties subsequent to applying low-penetration gas metal arc (GMA) weld overlays was examined for an AISI Type 304 stainless steel. Two helium levels were examined: 22.5 and 85.0 atomic parts per million (appm) He. Detailed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of intergranular cracks in the weld heat-affected zone (HAZ). The crack surfaces exhibited a dimple structure that was characteristic of a gas bubble embrittled material. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the size and spacing of the grain boundary helium gas bubbles remained virtually unchanged (relative to that established by the charging and aging procedure) at distances greater than 1 mm from the fusion line. Within this first millimeter, the diameter of the bubbles increased rapidly, and the bubble spacing increased to the characteristic spacing of the dimples that decorated weld-induced cracks. Mechanical testing revealed a loss in strain-to-fracture and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) at the higher helium level. While the majority of the fracture occurred in a transgranular, ductile manner, some deformation-induced intergranular cracking was observed. This cracking occurred over a very narrow region localized to the HAZ of the weldment. At the lower helium level, ductility and strength were unaffected compared to helium-free specimens.     

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.     

Fracture toughness behavior of ex-service 2-1/4Cr-1Mo steels from a 22-year-old fossil power plant

Elevated-temperature fracture toughness properties were developed on ex-service 2-l/4Cr-1Mo steel weldments. Fracture toughness was measured on both base and heat-affected zone (HAZ) metals. A composite specimen consisting of base, HAZ, and weld metals was used to develop fracture toughness properties in the HAZ area. It was observed that the J-R curve of the HAZ was significantly lower than that of the base metal. Increasing crack extension increased the difference between theJ-R curves of the base metal and the HAZ. Dimpled fracture was the prime fracture mode in the base metal specimen, and a mixed-mode (ductile and “granular”) fracture was found in the HAZ specimens. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) examination revealed significant intergranular carbide precipitation and agglomeration within the HAZ. The lower fracture toughness of the HAZ, as compared to the base metal, was attributed to the large accumulation of carbides in the grain boundaries of the HAZ, which weakened the grain boundaries and caused “granular” fracture.     

Investigation of the Microstructural,Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Grade A Ship Steel-Duplex Stainless Steel Composites Produced <Emphasis Type="Italic">via</Emphasis> Explosive Welding

Grade A ship-building steel-AISI 2304 duplex stainless steel composite plates were manufactured via explosive welding. The AISI 2304 plates were used to clad the Grade A plates. Optical microscopy studies were conducted on the joining interface for characterization of the manufactured composite plates. Notch impact, tensile-shear, microhardness, bending and twisting tests were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the composites. In addition, the surfaces of fractured samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and neutral salt spray (NSS) and potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed to examine corrosion behavior. Near the explosion zone, the interface was completely flat, but became wavy as the distance from the explosion zone increased. The notch impact tests indicated that the impact strength of the composites decreased with increasing distance from the explosion zone. The SEM studies detected brittle behavior below the impact transition temperature and ductile behavior above this temperature. Microhardness tests revealed that the hardness values increased with increasing distance from the explosion zone and mechanical tests showed that no visible cracking or separation had occurred on the joining interface. The NSS and potentiodynamic polarization tests determined that the AISI 2304 exhibited higher corrosion resistance than the Grade A steel.     

Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding of X90 Pipeline Steel: Effect of Laser Power on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

In this work, hybrid laser-arc welding process was applied to X90 pipeline steel which has wide potential applications in the future pipeline project. The effect of different laser power (1.0, 1.5 and 2.5 kW) on microstructure and mechanical properties of weld joints was investigated. It has been found that a macroscopic morphology of “wine cup like” is observed in the weld joint with increasing laser power, where fusion zone (FZ) and heat-affected zone (HAZ) can be clearly identified. The FZ microstructure mainly includes massive ferrite, acicular ferrite (AF), and increased laser power resulting in a decrease in AF content. The HAZ consists of coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ), fine-grained HAZ (FGHAZ) and mixed-grained HAZ (MGHAZ). The hardness ranging from the weld center to base metal decreases and then increases, and the effect of laser power on hardness is not significant. The increased laser power leads to an evident decrease in the ultimate tensile strength and impact toughness of weld joint. The highest ultimate tensile strength and impact energy are 815 MPa, 239.1 J respectively at a laser power of 1.0 kW. A number of inclusions are observed at the bottom of dimples, which may be the (Ti,Mn)₂O₃ particles.     

Influence of Mode of Metal Transfer on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Gas Metal Arc-Welded Modified Ferritic Stainless Steel

This article describes in detail the effect of the modes of metal transfer on the microstructure and mechanical properties of gas metal arc-welded modified ferritic stainless steel (SSP 409M) sheets (as received) of 4 mm thickness. The welded joints were prepared under three modes of metal transfer, i.e., short-circuit (SC), spray (S), transfer, and mix (M) mode transfer using two different austenitic filler wires (308L and 316L) and shielding gas composition of Ar + 5 pct CO₂. The welded joints were evaluated by means of microstructural, hardness, notched tensile strength, Charpy impact toughness, and high cycle fatigue. The dependence of weld metal microstructure on modes of metal transfer and filler wires has been determined by dilution calculation, WRC-1992 diagram, Cr_eq/Ni_eq ratio, stacking fault energy (SFE), optical microscopy (OM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was observed that the microstructure as well as the tensile, Charpy impact, and high cycle fatigue of weld metal is significantly affected by the mode of metal transfer and filler wire used. However, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) is affected only by the modes of metal transfer. The results have been correlated with the microstructures of weld and HAZ developed under different modes of metal transfer.     

Effects of Heat-Affected Zone Microstructure on Fracture Toughness of Two X70 Pipe Girth Welds

In the previous study, unstable brittle crack extensions were observed during ductile tearing from all the single-edge notched bend [SE(B)] specimens with an initial crack placed in heat-affected zone (HAZ), machined from one of the two studied X70 pipe girth welds, performed at 258 K (?15 °C). Thus their microstructures and properties have been investigated using optical microscopy, microhardness measurement, and advanced scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy so as to (1) characterize their metallographic properties including crystallographic texture and (2) correlate them with the unstable brittle crack occurrence and propagation. The results suggest that HAZ softening—strength loss—is a major factor responsible for the cleavage occurrence in the given HAZ specimens as it could induce a large local strain concentration by limiting plasticity in base metal when a ductile crack crosses from the HAZ to the base metal. The HAZ softening seems to be associated with the disappearance of pearlite packets in the HAZ region, which presumably occurred during welding, for the given material. High angle grain boundaries in the fine-grained HAZ appear to affect the direction of cleavage propagation at the point of cleavage initiation (i.e., pop-in).     

Characterization of Microstructures across the Heat-Affected Zone of the Modified 9Cr-1Mo Weld Joint to Understand Its Role in Promoting Type IV Cracking

In the postweld heat-treated (PWHT) fusion welded modified 9Cr-1Mo steel joint, a soft zone was identified at the outer edge of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the base metal adjacent to the deposited weld metal. Hardness and tensile tests were performed on the base metal subjected to soaking for 5 minutes at temperatures below Ac₁ to above Ac₃ and tempering at the PWHT condition. These tests indicated that the soft zone in the weld joint corresponds to the intercritical region of HAZ. Creep tests were conducted on the base metal and cross weld joint. At relatively lower stresses and higher test temperatures, the weld joint possessed lower creep rupture life than the base metal, and the difference in creep rupture life increased with the decrease in stress and increase in temperature. Preferential accumulation of creep deformation coupled with extensive creep cavitation in the intercritical region of HAZ led to the premature failure of the weld joint in the intercritical region of the HAZ, commonly known as type IV cracking. The microstructures across the HAZ of the weld joint have been characterized to understand the role of microstructure in promoting type IV cracking. Strength reduction in the intercritical HAZ of the joint resulted from the combined effects of coarsening of dislocation substructures and precipitates. Constrained deformation of the soft intercritical HAZ sandwich between relatively stronger constitutes of the joint induced creep cavitation in the soft zone resulting in premature failure.     

Characterization of Structure–Property Relationship of Incoloy 825 and SAF 2507 Dissimilar Welds

This study was carried out to investigate the evaluation of dissimilar welding between Incoloy 825 Ni-based alloy and SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel. Welding was conducted by pulsed current (PC) and continuous current (CC) gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) methods using ERNiCrMo-3 filler wire. The microstructure of weld zones and base metal/weld interfaces as well as mechanical properties of weldments were characterized. The results detailed the formation of Nb, and Mo-rich phases in the inter-dendritic regions of weld metals leading to a decrease in impact resistance of weld zones in comparison to parent metals. Presence of more secondary phases at the CCGTA weld metal resulted in higher hardness and lower toughness than that of the PCGTAW sample. During tensile tests, fracture occurred at the Incoloy 825 base metal, and both weldments also underwent ductile mode of fracture. The research addressed the microstructure–property relationship for dissimilar weld joints.     

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.     

Hydrogen Embrittlement in a Plasma Tungsten Inert Gas-Welded Austenitic CrMnNi Stainless Steel

The study evaluates the effect of electrochemical hydrogen charging on the tensile properties and fracture behavior of the plasma tungsten inert gas weld of the high-alloy austenitic steel X3CrMnNiMoN17-8-4 in comparison to the pure base metal (BM). The weld metal exhibits a higher susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement than the BM, which is mainly expressed by a loss in ductility. Based on the performed electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction examinations, this is attributed to the higher amount of δ-ferrite and the higher dislocation density in the weld zone. Furthermore, fractographic analyses reveal a change in the manner of fracture mode from ductile to brittle fracture starting from the edge in the hydrogen charged samples. The wider area of brittle fracture in the weld seam in relation to the BM indicates that hydrogen penetrates deeper into the material. Consequently, the diffusivity of hydrogen in the weld seam is determined to be significantly higher than in the BM.     

Weldability Evaluation and Microstructure Analysis of Resistance‐Spot‐Welded High‐Mn Steel in Automotive Application

In this paper, resistance spot weldability of high‐Mn steels were investigated in order to get high reliability in welded joints of automotive components. Microstructural characterizations, cross‐tensile test (CTT), microhardness tests of spot welded parts were conducted. The effects of weld current on the microstructural characteristics, mechanical properties, and fracture modes were investigated using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hardness in the weld nugget was observed to be lower than that in the base metal (BM). In CTT, the failure initiation was observed to occur at the boundary of the weld nugget. Also welding imperfections of welded parts were investigated. Liquation cracking in heat affected zone (HAZ), porosity, and shrinkage cavity were found most common welding defects in welded parts. Furthermore, the effects of welding imperfections on weld quality and failure criteria were identified and discussed.     

热输入对DP600激光焊组织和力学性能的影响

摘要：为了研究DP600钢的焊接性能,采用5种不同的激光焊接工艺进行焊接试验。结果表明,焊接接头表面成形质量良好,随着热输入的增加,上下熔宽逐渐增大;熔融区均为板条状马氏体组织,当热输入高于33J/mm时热影响区组织为马氏体、铁素体和少量的回火马氏体;当热输入低于33J/mm时,热影响区组织为马氏体和铁素体。在低热输入条件下,回火时间很短,马氏体未发生分解;在高的热输入条件下,回火时间较长,马氏体分解显著,热影响区中出现M3C型碳化物,碳化物形貌以球状和片状为主。从熔融区到母材,显微硬度值逐渐降低;焊接接头静态拉伸失效位置均在母材,拉伸断口为韧性断口,DP600钢激光焊接接头不存在软化现象。     

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。     

Cavity microstructure and kinetics during gas tungsten arc welding of helium-containing stainless steel

Helium was implanted in type 316 stainless steel, through tritium decay, to levels of 0. 18, 2. 5, 27, 105, and 256 atomic parts per million (appm). Bead-on-sheet welds were then made using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) process. Intergranular cracking occurred in the heat-affected zones (HAZs) of specimens with helium concentrations equal to or greater than 2.5 appm. No such cracking was observed in helium-free control specimens or in specimens containing the lowest helium concentration. In addition to the HAZ cracking, brittle, centerline cracking occurred in the fusion zone of specimens containing 105 and 256 appm helium. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy results indicated that both the HAZ cracking and centerline cracking in the fusion zone resulted from the stress-induced growth and coalescence of cavities initiated at helium bubbles on interfaces. For the HAZ case, the cavity growth rate is modeled and shown to predict the experimentally measured 1-second time lag between peak weld temperature and the onset of cracking.     

Correlation of microstructure and fracture properties in weld heat- affected zones of thermomechanically controlled processed steels

This article presents a correlation study between the microstructural parameters and fracture properties in the weld heat-affected zones (HAZs) of high-strength low alloy (HSLA) steels,i.e., a normalized steel and four thermomechanically controlled processed (TMCP) steels. The influence of the local brittle zone (LBZ) on toughness was investigated by means of simulated HAZ tests as well as welded joint tests. The intercritically reheated coarse-grained HAZ ex-hibited the lowest impact energy over the testing temperature range, indicating that this region was the LBZ. By comparing the volume fraction of martensite islands with impact energy val-ues, this LBZ was attributed mainly to the significant increase in the amount of martensite. Niobium was also found to have a deleterious effect on the HAZ fracture toughness because of martensite hardening. This suggests that the formation of martensite islands must be controlled by proper design of chemical compositions to reduce the carbon equivalent and by using the proper welding conditions to limit cooling rates in order to optimize the fracture toughness of welded joints of TMCP steels.