Effects of post-weld heat treatments on the residual stress and mechanical properties of electron beam welded sae 4130 steel plates

The distribution of the residual stresses of electron beam welded SAE 4130 and the effect of stress relief after various post- weld heat treatments (PWHT) were measured using X- ray diffraction. The mechanical properties and microstructure were also examined. Experimental results show that the tensile residual stress increased with the heat input of the electron beam. Most of the residual stresses were relieved by the PWHT at 530 °C for 2 h followed by furnace cooling to 50 °C. The strength of the welds decreased slightly, and the elongation of the welds increased after PWHT.