TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Dissimilar metal TIG weld joints of multiple principal element alloys (MPEA) to austenitic steel 304 N2 - Multi-element alloys (MPEA - Multiple Principal Element Alloys) represent a new class of materials consisting of at least three alloying elements, each with 5 to 35 atomic %. This material class includes high-entropy alloys (HEA, with n ≥ 4 elements). The underlying alloying concept differs fundamentally from conventional materials such as the Fe-based steel. For this purpose, the alloying elements are specifically selected, and the microstructures are adjusted in a single-phase and, in some cases, multi-phase manner. The aim is to identify highly innovative MPEA with individually adjustable properties for industrial applications. In the last 20 years, however, the focus has been on pure material synthesis. With the increase in available material quantities, the focus is on processing issues such as joining and welding processes. In that connection, the weldability of MPEAs has received very little attention so far. Experience with dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) is completely lacking but is essential for the application of these materials if joint to conventional materials. This study presents selected experimental results on the weldability of MPEA-DMWs and the resulting microstructures. For this purpose, the equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi (HEA) was investigated in cold-rolled (CR) and heat-treated (HT) condition and joined by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding to an austenitic stainless steel 304. The DMWs showed defect-free conditions (no lack of fusion, cracks and so on), whereas the cold-rolling increases the microhardness. The global mechanical properties were obtained by instrumented tensile tests of cross-weld samples and showed sufficient yield and tensile strength comparable to that of the individual base materials (BM). The local strain conditions were determined by digital image correlation and showed the highest local strains to occur in the intermixed weld metal. Indeed, the preferred fracture location of the cross-weld tensile samples was in the weld metal. Finally, the experiments proofed the weldability of the MPEAs to conventional 304. This enables targeted further considerations for example as structural materials. T2 - FEMS EUROMAT 2023 CY - Frankfurt a. M., Germany DA - 04.09.2023 KW - Multi-principal element alloys KW - TIG welding KW - Dissimilar metal weld (DMW) joint KW - Microstructure KW - Mechanical properties KW - Digital Image Correlation (DIC) PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58222 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Weld heat input effect on microstructure and hydrogen diffusion in thick-walled S690 submerged arc welded joints N2 - High-strength, low-alloy (HLSA) steels such as S690 are an attractive option for heavy industries such as offshore wind turbines and peripheral equipment due to their combination of excellent mechanical properties and weldability. The construction of these thick-walled structures requires highly efficient welding processes such as submerged arc welding (SAW). However, SAW faces challenges related to delayed hydrogen assisted cold cracking (HACC). Despite its importance, the effect of different diffusion coefficients on the cold cracking susceptibility of different microstructures within SAW-welded S690 steels is not fully understood. For this reason, the present study focuses on comparing the cold cracking susceptibility of thermomechanically rolled (TM) or quenched and tempered (QL) variants of S690 steel. Submerged arc welding was performed on both steel grades at different welding heat inputs. From these thick-walled welds, metallic membranes were extracted from the weld metal, the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the two base metals. The specimens were subjected to electrochemical hydrogen permeation tests (according to ISO 17081) to determine the microstructure-specific hydrogen diffusion coefficients. In general, increased welding heat input and thickness decreased the hydrogen diffusion coefficients, i.e., the time required for hydrogen diffusion increased. In addition, the results showed that the TM grade exhibited slightly accelerated hydrogen diffusion coefficients compared to the QL grade, which is beneficial for hydrogen reduction and increases the HACC resistance. As a result, the microstructure-specific assessment of hydrogen diffusion in the BM, HAZ or WM of the SAW joint was less important for a given set of welding parameters compared to other welding processes such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW). The reason is that in multilayer SAW, the relatively large welding heat input and multiple annealing resulted in similar microstructures, resulting in very close hydrogen diffusion coefficients. From this point of view, it is sufficient to characterize the hydrogen diffusion coefficients of both the weld metal and the base material. T2 - 78th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference CY - Genoa, Italy DA - 26.06.2025 KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Submerged arc welding KW - Diffusion KW - Electrochemical permeation KW - Microstructure PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63543 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schröpfer, Dirk A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Local mechanical properties of TIG dissimilar metal welded CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy to austenitic steel AISI 304 N2 - Multiple principal element alloys (MPEA) encompass the well-known high entropy alloys (HEAs). MPEA/HEA represent a new class of materials consisting of at least three alloying elements, each containing 5 to 35 at.-%. This alloying concept thus differs fundamentally from conventional materials such as steel or nickel alloys. For this purpose, the alloying elements are specifically selected, and the microstructures are adjusted in a single-phase and, in some cases, multi-phase manner. In particular, conflicting goals, such as the trade-off between strength and ductility in conventional steels, are overcome. In the last 20 years, however, the focus has been on material synthesis. With the increase in available material quantities, the focus is now on pro-cessing issues such as joining and welding processes. The weldability of MPEA has received very little atten-tion so far. Experience with dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) is completely lacking but is essential for the appli-cation of these materials in combination with conventional materials. The present study presents, comprehen-sive experimental results on the weldability of MPEA-DMWs. For that purpose, a Co20Cr20Fe20Mn20Ni20 HEA in cold-rolled and heat-treated condition was joined by means of tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) with the austenitic Cr-Ni steel AISI 304. The DMWs resulted in interesting mechanical properties. They were obtained by instrumented tensile tests as well as the local deformation in the weld area by using digital image correlation (DIC) technique. A significant softening in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the MPEAs as well as a slightly reduced tensile strength with a significant decrease of the elongation at fracture were found. The experiments provided proof in principle of the weldability of the MPEAs for DMWs with conventional materials that ensure a corresponding capability for mechanical loading. This allows further considerations on the application of these innovative materials. T2 - IIW Annual Assembly, Meeting of Commission C-II CY - Singapore DA - 18.07.2023 KW - High-entropy alloy KW - Welding KW - Microstructure KW - Mechanical properties KW - Dissimilar metal weld PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57978 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Ti and Nb influence on the HAZ microstructures of weld-simulated high-strength structural steel S690QL 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, 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. In this context, the underlying standards (such as EN 10025-6) only specify maximum values, resulting in different manufacturer customized microalloy concepts. Furthermore, even small deviations can have a drastic effect expressed by an excessive hardening or softening despite identical welding conditions and filler metal. The reason is the different thermal stability of the Ti and Nb-related precipitates (typically carbides or carbon nitrides). As a result, it is difficult (or even impossible) to adequately predict the weldability. Against this background, different microalloying routes with varying Ti and Nb contents for a S690QL reference grade were systematically investigated in terms of lab-cast alloys close to realistic chemical compositions. To investigate the influence of the welding heat input on the HAZ microstructure formation, physical simulations were carried with specified peak temperatures and cooling times (by a dilatometry). The focus was the identification of the occurring phase transformations during cooling and the final HAZ microstructure. In this context, a double welding cycle was simulated to further identify the behavior of the so-called intercritical HAZ (where softening is likely to occur) in case of the common multi-layer welding for thick plates. The results showed: (1) microalloying has significant influence on the formation of the individual HAZ dependent on (2) the thermal stability of the Ti or Nb-precipitates and (3) synergistic effects of further elements such as Mo and their effect on phase transformations in the HAZ. The results represent a microstructure-based validation of welding processing of such HSLA-steels e.g. in terms of preferred microalloy and weld heat input combinations. T2 - 49th MPA Conference CY - Stuttgart, Germany DA - 06.10.2025 KW - High-strength steel KW - Microalloy elements KW - Welding KW - Weld simulation KW - Microstructure PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64319 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -