Fatigue life prediction using two stage model for AISI 304L cruciform joints,with different fillet geometry,failing at toe

Abstract

Reports in the literature indicate that the fillet geometry affects the fatigue properties of cruciform welded joints in structural steels. In an attempt to study the above effect with respect to stainless steel sheet metal welded joints, load carrying transverse fillet welded cruciform joints having a two fillet geometry were fabricated from AISI 304L stainless steel using gas tungsten arc welding and gas metal arc welding with 308L electrodes. The objective of the present work is to predict the fatigue life of AISI 304L cruciform joints failing at the weld toe using a two stage model. The local stress life method was applied to calculate the fatigue crack initiation life, whereas the fatigue crack propagation life was estimated using fracture mechanics concepts. Constant amplitude fatigue tests with stress ratio R ~ 0 were carried out using a 100 kN servohydraulic Dartec universal testing machine at a frequency of 30 Hz. An automatic crack monitoring system based on crack propagation gauges was used to obtain the propagation data during the fatigue process. The predicted lives were compared with the experimental values.     

A corrosion study of nickel–copper and nickel–copper–palladium welding filler metals

In an effort to reduce the release of fumes containing carcinogenic Cr⁶⁺ during arc welding of stainless steel, Cr‐free filler metals for welding of SS304 have been developed. Corrosion studies were carried out on 304L stainless steel samples welded with these Cr‐free consumables. The corrosion properties of gas tungsten arc (GTA) and shielded metal arc (SMA) welds fabricated with Ni? Cu and Ni? Cu? Pd consumables were found to be comparable to those of welds fabricated with SS308L, the standard filler metal used with SS304. Although the breakdown potentials of the welds made using both welding processes were lower than that of the SS308L GTA weld, the repassivation potentials of these welds were much higher. Generally, the repassivation potential is a more conservative measure of susceptibility to localized corrosion. Accordingly, the Ni? Cu and Ni? Cu? Pd welds were more resistant to crevice corrosion than SS308L welds. The addition of a small amount of Pd improved the corrosion resistance relative to Ni? Cu welds, which is consistent with previous studies from specially‐prepared button samples and bead‐on‐plate samples. Other corrosion studies such as creviced and uncreviced long time immersion, atmospheric exposure, and slow strain rate testing suggest that Ni? Cu? Pd filler metal can be a potential replacement for the conventional SS308L filler metal for joining SS304.     

Mechanical properties of 422 stainless steel repaired via wire feed laser welding

Abstract

Laser welding with filler wire additions could be used in restoration of components that are of high cost or sometimes difficult to procure, such as steam turbine blades in fossil fuel power plants. In the present work, machined V groove specimens were employed to simulate laser repair of Carpenter 636 stainless steel (SS), which has a similar composition to a blade material, type 422 SS. Before repair welding, a heat treatment procedure including solution and temper treatments of the specimens was carried out according to the mechanical and microstructural analyses of a used blade after 20 years service at about 540° C. Tensile, impact, and fatigue crack growth tests of weld repairs using 410 SS filler wire were conducted. The weld repairs exhibited an impact toughness similar to that of the base metal and a lower fatigue crack growth rate than the base metal. However, the lower hardness associated with 410 SS filler metal led to tensile fracture in the weld metal of repaired specimens. Accordingly, the use of 410 SS filler metal for repair welding type 422 SS components should be limited to regions under low stress.     

Influence of local stress on initiation behavior of stress corrosion cracking for sensitized 304 stainless steel

To investigate the influence of local stress on initiation behavior of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) for sensitized Type 304 stainless steel, cracking process during constant load SCC test was monitored and recorded with an in situ crack observation system. The changes in number of cracks, sum of crack length and cracked area on the specimen surface with test time were identified from the cracking images analyzed by image processing. In the SCC tests, many cracks were initiated and coalesced on the surface, and the coalescence of cracks played an important role to primary crack growth. The influence of applied stress on crack initiation was different from that on crack growth. In addition, there was a difference between influences of stress on incubation period to crack initiation and crack initiation rate. Due to these differences, a stress of 0.8S_y was thought to cause relatively many cracks compared with 0.5S_y and 1.3S_y (S_y = 200 MPa). Through quantitative estimation of distribution in local stress around a crack by finite element analysis method, it was deduced that the crack initiation is influenced not only by bulk stress applied at the end of the body, but also by local stress formed around pre-existing cracks. According to pre-existing cracks, stress enhancement accelerates the crack growth, while the stress relaxation causes the suppression of new crack initiation. Based on the experiment and analysis results, three types of growth process were suggested, which are caused by propagation itself, by new crack initiation at vicinity of the crack tip, and by coalescence of approaching cracks. Then, it was concluded that, in order to predict/simulate the cracking behavior of this SCC system, the influence of local stress on the crack initiation should be taken into account.     

Fatigue strength improvement of stainless steel using weld toes dressing with low transformation temperature welding wire

In the present study, low transformation temperature welding wire (LTTW), which can induce residual compressive stress around 304L welded joints, has been developed to improve the fatigue performance of welded joints. Procedure of design and chemical composition of weld metal and deposited metal of LTTW are introduced. The microstructure of weld metal of LTTW is composed of low carbon martensite and residual austenite. The residual stress distribution of a single welding bead of LTTW was measured and the result shows that compressive residual stress is generated. In addition, fatigue test was also carried out on no-load cruciform welded joints of 304L stainless steel under three conditions: as welded, 308L dressing and LTTW dressing. The result shows that the fatigue life of LTTW dressing joints (2×10⁶ cycles) is improved by 14–23 times and 3–6 times compared with that of as welded joints and 308L dressing joints.     

Development of high strength stainless steel brazed joints using rapidly solidified filler alloys

Abstract

Two types of rapidly solidified filler alloys of nominal composition Cu–40Mn–10Ni (C50) and Ni–7Cr–3·2B–4·5Si–3Fe (N82) were used for stainless steel (SS304) brazing joints. The C50 foil is crystalline in nature, whereas N82 foil shows amorphous structure. The SS304/C50/SS304 joint shows solid solution phases at interfacial area, with maximum bond strength of 500 MPa, which qualifies to 80% of base metal strength. Conversely, the SS304/N82/SS304 joint develops brittle Cr_xB_y intermetallic phases, which lowers bond strength to 330 MPa.     

Microstructural and Electrochemical Evaluation of Fusion Welded Low-Nickel and 304 SS at Different Heat Input

The present research study investigates the effect of heat input using E 308 electrode (controlled by welding current, i.e., 70, 85 and 100 A) on microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of low-nickel and 304 stainless steel (SS) weldments produced by shielded metal arc welding technique. SEM investigation shows that with the higher heat input, δ-ferrite content was reduced. Dendrite and inter-dendritic length is also reduced by lowering the heat input. For all the heat inputs, it is observed that δ-ferrite content was higher in 304 stainless steel (SS) as compared to that of low-nickel austenitic stainless steel (Cr-Mn SS). Considering the heat input for Cr-Mn SS, coarse grains were observed in the heat-affected zone region. For low heat input (LHI), tensile fracture surface has exhibited river-like pattern with dimple appearance. Corrosion studies show better pitting resistance for low heat input (LHI) samples due to higher δ-ferrite present in the weld region. Similarly, higher interphase corrosion resistance is observed in both the SS grades causing more dissolution in the LHI samples.     

Microstructure,hardness and residual stress distribution in maraging steel gas tungsten arc weldments

Abstract

The distribution of residual stresses due to welding has been studied in maraging steel welds. Gas tungsten arc welding process was used and the effect of filler metal composition on the nature of residual stress distribution has been investigated using X-ray diffraction technique with Cr K_α radiation. Three types of filler materials were used, they include: maraging filler, austenitic stainless steel and medium alloy medium carbon steel filler metal. In the case of maraging steel weld, medium alloy medium carbon filler, the residual stress at the centre of the weld zone was more compressive while, less compressive stresses have been identified in the heat affected zone of the parent metal adjacent to the weld metal. But, in the case of austenitic stainless steel filler the residual stresses at the centre of the weld and heat affected zone were tensile. Post-weld aging treatment reduced the magnitude of stresses. The observed residual stress distribution across the weldments has been correlated with microstructure and hardness distribution across the weld.     

Study on residual stress in socket weld by numerical simulation and experiment

In this paper, welding residual stress in socket weld of 304L stainless steel pipe was investigated using numerical simulation and validated by X-ray stress measurement. From the simulation results, the maximum tensile residual stresses were located at weld root and weld toe on both sides of the weld along pipe, which led to the fatigue failure. Pre-bevelling and low transformation temperature (LTT) dressing could decrease tensile residual stress both in hoop and axial direction at weld root and weld toe. After LTT dressing, compressive residual stress was generated throughout weld toe. Compressive stress can delay fatigue crack initiation and propagation. Therefore, pre-bevelling and LTT dressing can improve the fatigue life of socket weld.     

喷丸强化残余应力对AISI304不锈钢疲劳裂纹扩展行为的影响

目的 探究喷丸强化残余压应力对AISI 304不锈钢疲劳裂纹扩展行为的影响规律.方法 建立并联合紧凑拉伸(CT)试样三维有限元模型和对称胞元喷丸有限元模型,发展一套多步骤数值模拟方法.首先,建立AISI 304不锈钢CT试样的三维有限元模型,模拟不同外加交变载荷工况下的疲劳裂纹扩展过程.基于线弹性断裂力学理论,利用裂纹闭合技术,计算不同裂纹长度对应的应力强度因子范围,采用修正的Paris公式计算疲劳裂纹扩展速率,并通过试验数据对计算结果进行考核.其次,建立多弹丸分层逐次冲击靶面的对称胞元喷丸有限元模型,模拟100％和200％喷丸覆盖率下的残余应力场,并通过试验数据对该对称胞元喷丸有限元模型的有效性进行验证.最后,将喷丸强化诱导的残余应力场以读写外部文件的方式导入CT试样三维有限元模型,模拟在内部残余应力场和外部交变载荷共同作用下的疲劳裂纹扩展行为.结果 对于相同的喷丸工况,保持外加载荷比不变而减小最大外加载荷,或者保持最大外加载荷不变而减小外加载荷比,喷丸强化诱导的残余压应力对疲劳裂纹扩展的抑制作用愈加显著.对于相同的外加载荷工况,200％喷丸覆盖率工况比100％喷丸覆盖率工况更能有效降低AISI 304不锈钢的疲劳裂纹扩展速率.结论 喷丸强化诱导的残余压应力场能够有效抑制AISI 304不锈钢的疲劳裂纹扩展.     

Corrosion resistance of welds in type 304L stainless steel made with a nickel-copper-ruthenium welding consumable

Ni-Cu-Pd welding consumables have been recently developed for 300-series austenitic stainless steels such as Type 304L (SS304L) to reduce the amount of Cr(VI) in the welding fumes. In this study, a modified filler metal that replaces Pd with Ru was evaluated. Initial tests conducted on button-melted samples and bead-on-plate welds indicated that Ni-Cu-Ru exhibited good corrosion properties. Actual Ni-Cu-Ru arc welds made on SS304L were successfully produced and the corrosion performance was comparable to or better than that of Ni-Cu-Pd welds. These welds are a suitable replacement for welds made with standard 300-series welding consumables, such as SS308L.     

Fatigue crack growth behavior of laser-processed 304 stainless steel in air and gaseous hydrogen

Fatigue crack growth test was performed to evaluate fatigue behavior of 304 stainless steel specimens with or without laser processing (welding and surface treatment) in air and gaseous hydrogen. As the crack propagation normal to the laser welding or scan direction, the laser-processed specimens exhibited a higher resistance to crack growth in the low stress intensity factor range (ΔK) than the as-received steel plates regardless of testing environments. However, the marked retardation of crack growth behavior vanished for welded specimens subjected to a 850 °C/h stress relief treatment or with a shorter distance from notch tip to the weld centerline in the test.Fatigue-fractured appearance of the steel plate tested in air was composed of mainly transgranular fatigue fracture and some flat facets, along with a small amount of intergranular fracture. While quasi-cleavage fracture and few twin boundary separations were observed for the same specimen in hydrogen. On the other hand, the lower crack growth rate of laser-processed specimens in both air and hydrogen was accompanied with rubbed areas on the fracture surfaces. It was found that the extent of quasi-cleavage fracture was related to the formation of strain-induced martensite, which would contribute to an increased fatigue crack growth rate of all specimens in gaseous hydrogen.     

Effect of nitrogen addition to shielding gas on residual stress of stainless steel weldments

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of nitrogen additions to the shielding gas on the ferrite content and residual stress in austenitic stainless steels. Autogenous gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding was applied on austenitic stainless steels 304 and 310 to produce a bead on plate weld. The delta ferrite content of the weld metals was measured using a Ferritscope. The residual stress in the weldments was determined using the hole drilling strain gauge method. The present results indicated that the retained delta ferrite content in type 304 stainless steel weld metals decreased rapidly as nitrogen addition to the argon shielding gas was increased. The welding residual stress increased with increasing quantity of added nitrogen in the shielding gas. It was also found that the tensile residual stress zone in austenitic stainless steel weldments was extended as the quantity of added nitrogen gas in the argon shielding gas was increased.     

Effect of surface machining on intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in sensitised type 304 austenitic stainless steel

The effect of surface finish, applied stress and test duration on the developed populations of short crack nuclei has been studied for a thermally sensitised type 304 austenitic stainless steel, exposed to acidified potassium tetrathionate (K₂S₄O₆) solution. The crack populations can be quantified using extreme value statistics (Gumbel distribution) to obtain a characteristic crack length. The surface finish has a significant impact on crack development; a roughly machined surface, obtained with a greater depth of cut, is most susceptible to intergranular failure. The characteristic crack length of the crack population increases with tensile stress and test duration. Residual stress can cause cracking in the absence of an applied stress.     

ASTM A240 304H不锈钢SMAW焊接性

针对ASTM A240 304H不锈钢含碳量高的特点,采用E308L焊接304H不锈钢并进行焊接性分析,通过分析得出焊缝FN=8,Creq/Nieq=1.7,焊缝具有良好的抗热裂纹能力,铁素体的存在有利于晶间腐蚀。但是碳含量过高,需要通过限制焊接热输入、层间温度来缩短敏化区停留时间,同时提出了焊接补充措施。     

Study of the influence of welding parameters on the stress corrosion resistance of AISI 304 steel

Austenitic stainless steel has been welded to coat pressure vessels in petrochemical plants. The material is highly susceptible to stress corrosion in chloride environments, which can damage the weld and lead to the rupture of the component. In this work we did the evaluation of the influence of welding parameters on the stress corrosion resistance of AISI 304 steel exposed to a magnesium chloride solution. AISI 304 sheets were manually welded using three different coated electrodes (AWS E309-16, E308L-16, E316L-16) and two heat inputs (5.0 and 9.0 kJ/cm). The welded samples were analysed by tensile strength tests, optical microscopy and corrosion tests carried out according to ASTM G36-73 guidelines. The results showed that the AWS E309-16 electrodes produced the best results due to the microstructure of the resulting weld metal. The presence of a network of ferrite particles in an austenitic matrix acts as a barrier to crack propagation, thus enhancing the resistance to stress corrosion of the material. This effect is associated to the morphology and distribution of the phase rather than its contents. Welding in a direction parallel to the stress axis using a relatively high heat input improved the stress corrosion of the material even further. The HAZ (Heat Affected Zone) of AISI 304 steel was highly susceptible to stress corrosion in chloride solution. The presence of carbide precipitates in the austenite grain boundary deteriorated the corrosion resistance of the steel, as they promoted anodic dissolution and the development of stress corrosion cracks.     

Phase transition and mechanical properties of ZrNxOy thin films on AISI 304 stainless steel

ZrN_xO_y thin films were deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel (304SS) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering. The specimens were produced by sputtering a Zr target at 500 °C and the reactive gasses were N₂ and O₂ at various flow rates (ranging from 0 to 2 sccm). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oxygen flow rate on the phase transition and accompanying mechanical properties of the ZrN_xO_y thin films. The oxygen contents of the thin films increased significantly with increasing oxygen flow rate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the characteristics of the films can be divided into three zones according to the major phase with increasing oxygen content: Zone I (ZrN), Zone II (Zr₂ON₂) and Zone III (m-ZrO₂). The hardness of the ZrN_xO_y films decreased with increasing oxygen content due to the formation of the soft oxide phase. Modified XRD sin²ψ method was used to respectively measure the residual stresses of ZrN, Zr₂ON₂ and m-ZrO₂ phases. The results showed that the residual stress in ZrN was relieved as the oxygen content increased, and Zr₂ON₂ and m-ZrO₂ were the phases with lower residual stress. Compositional depth profiles indicated that there was a ZrO₂ interlayer near the film/substrates interface for all samples except the mononitride ZrN specimen. Contact angle was used as an index to assess the wettability of the film on substrate. The contact angles of ZrN, Zr₂ON₂ and m-ZrO₂ on stainless steel were indirectly measured using Owens-Wendt method. The results showed that ZrO₂ possessed the lowest wettability on 304SS among the three ZrN_xO_y phases, indicating that the ZrO₂ interlayer may account for the spallation of the ZrN_xO_y films after salt spray tests.     

Selection of filler wire for and effect of auto tempering on the mechanical properties of dissimilar metal joint between 403 and 304L(N) stainless steels

Weldability of the dissimilar weld joint between austenitic 304L(N) stainless steel (SS) and martensitic 403 SS made by gas tungsten arc welding process using ERNiCr-3 filler metal has been studied. For this study, 12 mm thick plates of these two materials were joined using a K-type weld groove joint, with the straight edge on the 403 SS side buttered using ERNiCr-3 filler wire. Two types of weld joints were prepared—one using as-buttered 403 SS and the other one with buttered and post-weld heat-treated 403 SS plate. The joint made with the as-buttered 403 SS plate exhibits good bend ductility and toughness on the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the 403 SS side and it is comparable with that of the buttered and post-weld heat-treated 403SS weld joint properties. Thus, buttering of the 403 SS plate enabled dissimilar welding with the 304L(N) SS plate without any post-weld heat treatment because of auto tempering of the martensite present in the 403 SS HAZ formed due to weld thermal cycle.     

焊丝对工业纯铜和304不锈钢钨极氩弧焊接的影响(英文)

采用不同焊丝对工业纯铜和304不锈钢进行钨极氩弧焊接。结果表明,采用铜做焊丝时,焊缝无任何缺陷生成,而采用304不锈钢和Ni-Cu-Fe合金为焊丝材料时,焊缝中有凝固裂纹和未熔化区存在。在最优条件下,焊缝的抗拉强度能达到铜材的96%。焊缝在弯曲到180°下也没有分离、撕裂和断裂等现象发生。这表明铜是一种较好的工业纯铜与304不锈钢GTA焊的焊丝材料。     

Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Gas Metal Arc Welded AISI 409 Grade Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

The effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, and duplex stainless steel on fatigue crack growth behavior of the gas metal arc welded ferritic stainless steel joints was investigated. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single ‘V’ butt welded joints. Center cracked tensile specimens were prepared to evaluate fatigue crack growth behavior. Servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine with a capacity of 100 kN was used to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behavior of the welded joints. From this investigation, it was found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed superior fatigue crack growth resistance compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Higher yield strength and relatively higher toughness may be the reasons for superior fatigue performance of the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal.