TY - JOUR A1 - Schröder, Nina A1 - Uhlig, Marvin A1 - Kromm, Arne A1 - Schröpfer, Dirk A1 - Höfer, Kevin A1 - Hensel, Jonas A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas T1 - Challenges in the evaluation of the weldability of old mild steels for future use N2 - For reasons of sustainability and cost efficiency, there is an increasing trend in the steel-processing industry to retrofit existing structures, avoiding costly shutdowns or dismantling. Although welding is a cost-effective joining method, it is rarely applied to old steels, whereas riveted or bolted connections are often uneconomical. Repair and refurbishment frequently require the replacement of damaged material or the creation of dissimilar old–new steel joints. Due to the varied manufacturing processes of historical steels, not all twentieth-century steels are inherently weldable, making an initial assessment of weldability essential. In this study, a historical non-deoxidized mild steel (produced by Siemens–Martin processing) originating from the construction of the Berlin Radio Tower (erected in 1926) was investigated using dilatometry to analyze its welding behavior. A database of welding CCT diagrams and HAZ simulations was established to support practice-oriented welding experiments, providing key insights into their weld-metallurgical behavior and weldability. Furthermore, initial welding trials were conducted, and the local residual stress states in dissimilar old–new steel joints were determined. These foundational investigations are critical for the development of innovative, load-adapted welding concepts for the repair and refurbishment of existing old-steel infrastructure in Germany. KW - Old mild steels KW - Repair welding KW - Weldability KW - Thermo-physical simulation KW - CCT diagrams PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654784 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-026-02366-6 SN - 1878-6669 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer nature AN - OPUS4-65478 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schröder, Nina A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas A1 - Kromm, Arne A1 - Kadoke, Daniel A1 - Kruse, Julius T1 - Effect of Ti microalloying on the local strain behavior of cross-weld tensile samples determined by digital image correlation N2 - High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steels with yield strength / proof stress ≥ 600 MPa are the basis of modern light-weight steel constructions. Indeed, the economic and ecological benefits strongly depend on their processability in terms of welding. In this context, the use of highly productive welding processes and suitable welding consumables is of vital interest and requires a fundamental understanding of the microstructural changes in the HSLA steel and especially the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the welded joint. Microalloying elements, such as Ti or Nb, are essential to achieve the desired mechanical properties. To analyse the weldability, three-layer welds were performed using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and critical microstructures, such as areas of the HAZ that exhibit significant softening or hardening, were identified. The effect of the softened HAZ region on failure was evaluated using cross-weld tensile specimens. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used for in-situ monitoring of the development and accumulation of the local strains in different HAZ regions during tensile testing. Using a specially designed mirror system, the local strains of the microstructure zones on the top and bottom of the weld were recorded simultaneously. In addition, the analysis of the local deformation helps to understand the effects of the softened HAZ on the global strain, the reduction in area, the fracture position, and the overall fracture behavior. KW - High-strength structural steel KW - Microalloying influences KW - HAZ-softening KW - Digital Image Correlation KW - Constraint effect KW - Thermodynamic simulation PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-643558 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-02185-1 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-64355 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schaupp, Thomas A1 - Schröder, Nina A1 - Schröpfer, Dirk A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas T1 - Hydrogen-Assisted Cracking in GMA Welding of High-Strength Structural Steel—A New Look into This Issue at Narrow Groove N2 - Modern arc processes, such as the modified spray arc (Mod. SA), have been developed for gas metal arc welding of high-strength structural steels with which even narrow weld seams can be welded. High-strength joints are subjected to increasingly stringent requirements in terms of welding processing and the resulting component performance. In the present work, this challenge is to be met by clarifying the influences on hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) in a high-strength structural steel S960QL. Adapted samples analogous to the self-restraint TEKKEN test are used and analyzed with respect to crack formation, microstructure, diffusible hydrogen concentration and residual stresses. The variation of the seam opening angle of the test seams is between 30° and 60°. To prevent HAC, the effectiveness of a dehydrogenation heat treatment (DHT) from the welding heat is investigated. As a result, the weld metals produced at reduced weld opening angle show slightly higher hydrogen concentrations on average. In addition, increased micro- as well as macro-crack formation can be observed on these weld metal samples. On all samples without DHT, cracks in the root notch occur due to HAC, which can be prevented by DHT immediately after welding. KW - High-strength structural steel KW - Gas metal arc welding KW - Diffusible hydrogen KW - Hydrogen-assisted cracking KW - TEKKEN KW - Residual stresses KW - Weld metal cracking PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-527260 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/met11060904 VL - 11 IS - 6 SP - 904 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-52726 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schröder, Nina A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas T1 - Influence of microalloying on precipitation behavior and notch impact toughness of welded high‑strength structural steels N2 - Microalloying elements such as Nb and Ti are essential to increase the strength of quenched and tempered high-strength low alloy (HSLA) structural steels with nominal yield strength ≥ 690 MPa and their welded joints. Standards such as EN 10025–6 only specify limits or ranges for chemical composition, which leads to variations in specific compositions between steel manufacturers. These standards do not address the mechanical properties of the material, and even small variations in alloy content can significantly affect these properties. This makes it difficult to predict the weldability and integrity of welded joints, with potential problems such as softening or excessive hardening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). To understand these metallurgical effects, previous studies have investigated different microalloying routes with varying Ti and Nb contents using test alloys. The high-strength quenched and tempered fine-grained structural steel S690QL is the basic grade regarding chemical composition and heat treatment. To evaluate weldability, three-layer welds were made using high-performance MAG welding. HAZ formation was investigated, and critical microstructural areas were identified, focusing on phase transformations during cooling and metallurgical precipitation behavior. Isothermal thermodynamic calculations for different precipitations were also carried out. Mechanical properties, especially Charpy notch impact toughness, were evaluated to understand the influence of different microalloys on the microstructure of the HAZ and mechanical properties. KW - High-strength structural steel KW - Gas metal arc welding KW - HAZ-softening KW - Notch impact toughness KW - Microalloying influences KW - Thermodynamic simulation PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-608548 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-024-01827-0 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-60854 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schröder, Nina A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas T1 - Thermodynamic prediction of precipitations behaviour in HAZ of a gas metal arc welded S690QL with varying Ti and Nb content N2 - For a significant increase in the strength of high-strength fine-grained structural steels with a nominal yield strength ≥690 MPa, the addition of microalloying elements such as Nb and Ti is required. The standard specifications for the chemical composition of these steels (e.g., in EN 10025-6) often only give the manufacturer limit contents to achieve the defined properties. The effect of the alloying elements in the heat affected zone (HAZ) is sometimes completely contrary. This makes it difficult to adequately predict the batch dependency regarding weldability and the load-bearing behaviour of the welded joint. Three different micro-alloyed steels of the grade S690QL were produced on a laboratory scale, focusing on different Nb and Ti contents. To investigate the tempering effect, these were gas metal arc welded in three layers. In addition to metallographic investigations of individual HAZ areas, thermodynamic phase calculations were carried out using Thermo-Calc, following variations in the chemical composition. This provides an understanding of phase transformation, precipitation growth, and dissolution during welding as a function of temperature and cooling conditions. The results show a divergent metallurgical behaviour in the HAZ of the three different micro-alloyed steels. Thereby, the Ti micro-alloyed grade showed a strong softening of the HAZ in contrast to the Nb micro-alloyed grade. This can be attributed to a contrary precipitation behaviour during welding. KW - High-strength structural steel KW - Gas metal arc welding KW - HAZ-softening KW - Microalloying influences KW - Thermodynamic simulation PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-579988 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-023-01550-2 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-57998 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -