TY - CONF A1 - Steppan, Enrico T1 - Influence of microalloy design on HAZ toughness of S690QL steel N2 - Three high strength Nb-, Ti- and Ti+V- bearing S690QL steels were welded to investigate and compare the effects of microalloy addition on HAZ toughness. Charpy V notch impact tests from three microalloyed welds under different cooling rates have been performed. Fractographic examination shows that several factors including large-sized grain, upper bainite or hard second phase, interact to determine the brittle fracture mode and impaired toughness of Nb bearing weld at high heat input. In contrast to this reduced toughness, Ti bearing welds exhibits satisfied toughness regardless of at a fast or slow cooling rate as a result of limited austenite grain and refined favourable intragranular acicular ferrite structure. Moreover, in the case of such refined structure as matrix, TiN particles are found to be irrelevant to the fracture process and crystallographic misorientation results also confirms that high angle boundaries between fine ferrites plates provide much effective barrier for crack propagation and contribute to improved toughness. T2 - 69th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference CY - Melbourne, Australia DA - 10.07.2016 KW - Cooling rate KW - High strength steel KW - Microalloy elements KW - HAZ toughness KW - Microstructure PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-39458 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Influence of various microalloying strategies on the mechanical properties of weld seams in S690QL steel N2 - Microalloying elements such as niobium (Nb) and titanium (Ti) play a crucial role in achieving the desired mechanical properties of quenched and tempered high-strength fine-grained structural steels with a nominal yield strength of ≥ 690 MPa. Current specifications for the chemical composition only define upper limits for these elements, providing manufacturers with some flexibility. However, even minor deviations in alloying concepts can significantly influence the resulting mechanical properties. Consequently, accurately predicting weldability and the integrity of welded joints becomes challenging or even unfeasible due to variations in composition and the associated microstructural changes. Potential adverse effects include the softening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) or, conversely, localized hardening phenomena. To address these challenges, various microalloying strategies with different Ti and Nb contents are being systematically investigated for the first time using specially designed laboratory-cast alloys. Each alloying approach is based on the commonly used S690QL steel grade while maintaining consistent chemical composition and heat treatment parameters. To evaluate the weldability, three-layer welds were produced using gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and critical microstructural regions, particularly those within the heat-affected zone (HAZ) exhibiting significant softening or hardening, were identified. The influence of the softened HAZ region on failure behavior was assessed through transverse tensile testing. Digital image correlation (DIC) was employed for in situ analysis of local strain distributions across different HAZ regions. In addition, Charpy tests were carried out on BM, WM and HAZ to determine the Charpy impact toughness. This was supported by metallographic analyses and thermodynamic simulation using ThermoCalc. T2 - IIW Intermediate Meeting, Com. II-A CY - Trollhättan, Sweden DA - 10.03.2025 KW - Welding KW - Microalloy elements KW - High strength steels KW - Mechanical properties PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62691 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 -