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- Welding (4)
- Residual stress (3)
- Creep-resistant steel (2)
- Hot cracking (2)
- LTT weld filler materials (2)
- Post weld heat treatment (2)
- Stress relief cracking (2)
- Varestraint testing (2)
- μCT-analysis (2)
- AISI D2 (1)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
The use of low transformation temperature (LTT) filler materials represents a smart approach for increasing the fatigue strength of welded high strength steel structures apart from the usual procedures of post weld treatment. The main mechanism is based on the effect of the low start temperature of martensite formation on the stress already present during welding. Thus, compressive residual stress formed due to constrained volume expansion in connection with phase transformation become highly effective. Furthermore, the weld metal has a high hardness that can delay the formation of fatigue cracks but also leads to low toughness. Fundamental investigations on the weldability of an LTT filler material are presented in this work, including the characterization of the weld microstructure, its hardness, phase transformation temperature and mechanical properties. Special attention was applied to avoid imperfections in order to ensure a high weld quality for subsequent fatigue testing. Fatigue tests were conducted on the welded joints of the base materials S355J2 and S960QL using conventional filler materials as a comparison to the LTT filler. Butt joints were used with a variation in the weld type (DY-weld and V-weld). In addition, a component-like specimen (longitudinal stiffener) was investigated where the LTT filler material was applied as an additional layer. The joints were characterized with respect to residual stress, its stability during cyclic loading and microstructure. The results show that the application of LTT consumables leads to a significant increase in fatigue strength when basic design guidelines are followed. This enables a benefit from the lightweight design potential of high-strength steel grades.
Solidification Cracking Assessment of LTT Filler Materials by Means of Varestraint Testing and μCT
(2020)
Investigations of the weldability of metals often deal with hot cracking, as one of the most dreaded imperfections during weld fabrication. The hot cracking investigations presented in this paper were carried out as part of a study on the development of low transformation temperature (LTT) weld filler materials. These alloys allow to mitigate tensile residual stresses that usually arise during welding using conventional weld filler materials. By this means, higher fatigue strength and higher lifetimes of the weld can be achieved. However, LTT weld filler materials are for example, high-alloyed Cr/Ni steels that are susceptible to the formation of hot cracks. To assess hot cracking, we applied the standardized modified varestraint transvarestraint hot cracking test (MVT), which is well appropriate to evaluate different base or filler materials with regard to their hot cracking susceptibility. In order to consider the complete material volume for the assessment of hot cracking, we additionally applied microfocus X-ray computer tomography (μCT). It is shown that by a suitable selection of welding and MVT parameter the analysis of the complete 3D hot crack network can provide additional information with regard to the hot cracking model following Prokhorov. It is now possible to determine easy accessible substitute values (e.g., maximum crack depth) for the extent of the Brittleness Temperature Range (BTR) and the minimum critical strain Pmin.
The control of friction and wear is a major concern in many industrial applications. A promising method for tailored surface modification is the so-called laser implantation technique. This method combines surface texturing and material optimization in one processing step by a localized dispersing of hard ceramic particles using pulsed laser radiation. Wear resistant, protruding micrometric features (implants) with defined geometry can be created in a deterministic pattern where needed on highly stressed surfaces, i.e., on forming or cutting tools.
However, in order to maintain the implants over the tool’s lifetime, a suitable selection of hard ceramic particles is a prerequisite. They must provide a defect-free metal matrix composite with a high share of homogeneously distributed particles and, especially, high implant hardness. In this study, TiN, TiC, and TiB2 hard particles were compared as implant materials for the first time. By a systematic variation of pulse power and pulse duration, their dispersing behavior and influence on the material properties of AISI D2 tool steel were investigated.
Although all powder materials had grain sizes smaller than 10 μm, it was possible to disperse them by pulsed laser radiation and to obtain defect-free protruding implants. The highest share of dispersed particles (∼64%) was observed for TiB2. By scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, it was also shown that a significant share of the preplaced particles was dissolved by the laser beam and precipitated as nanometer sized particles within the matrix during solidification. These in situ formed particles have a decisive influence on the material properties. While the TiN and TiC implants have shown maximum hardness values of 750 and 850 HV1, the TiB2 implants have shown the highest hardness values with more than 1600 HV1. By x-ray diffraction, it was possible to ascribe the lower hardness values of TiC and TiN implants to high amounts of retained austenite in the metal matrix. By implanting TiB2, the formation of retained austenite was successfully suppressed due to the in situ formation of TiC particles, which was proven by electron backscatter diffraction.
In conclusion, all the implant materials are basically suitable for laser implantation on AISI D2 tool steel. However, TiB2 has shown
the most promising results.
The subject of this study is how, and to what extent, Varestraint/Transvarestraint test results are influenced by both testing parameters and characteristics of evaluation methods. Several different high-alloyed martensitic LTT (low Transformation temperature) filler materials, CrNi and CrMn type, were selected for examination due to their rather distinctive solidification cracking behaviour, which aroused interest after previous studies. First, the effects of different process parameter sets on the solidification cracking response were measured using standard approaches. Subsequently, microfocus X-ray computer tomography (μCT) scans were performed on the specimens. The results consistently show sub-surface cracking to significant yet varying extents. Different primary solidification types were found using wavelength dispersive X-ray (WDX) analysis conducted on filler metals with varying Cr/Ni equivalent ratios. This aspect is regarded as the main difference between the CrNiand CrMn-type materials in matters of cracking characteristics. Results show that when it comes to testing of modern highperformance alloys, one set of standard Varestraint testing parameters might not be equally suitable for all materials. Also, to properly accommodate different solidification types, sub-surface cracking has to be taken into account.
The avoidance of failures during the fabrication or operation of petrochemical reactors made of creep-resistant, low-alloy steels as 13CrMoV9-10 requires still research despite over 60 years of international investigations in the field of stress relief cracking. The quality of modern base materials and filler metals leads to the fact that previously known crack causes, such as impurities of S or P, recede into the background. Rather, the causes are increasingly to be found in the fabrication process. Investigations on the influence of heat control on the stresses in welded components and thus on the stress relief cracking sensitivity under realistic manufacturing conditions are not yet available. This work is subdivided in two parts. Part 1 of this study focused on the effect of heat control during submerged arc welding on the stresses. For this purpose, a testing facility was applied, which allows to observe the forces and moments accumulating during welding or heat treatment in a component-like specimen under shrinkage restraint. The stress acting in the specimen increases with higher preheat/interpass temperatures and higher heat input. During the heat treatment, the stresses are relieved. Nevertheless, cracks are formed already during heating. The total crack length correlates with the heat input.
Welding of 13CrMoV9-10 vanadium steel requires care due to an increased susceptibility to stress relief cracking during post weld heat treatment. Previous research into the crack formation in creep-resistant steels has focused on thermal and metallurgical factors; however, little knowledge has been gathered regarding the crack formation during post weld heat treatment considering real-life restraint conditions. This work is subdivided in two parts. Part I showed that an increasing heat input during submerged arc welding under restraint led to an increasing stress level in the joint prior to the post weld heat treatment. The magnitude of stress relief cracking observed in the heat-affected zone after the post weld heat treatment is affected by the heat input. In Part II of this work, the cracks and the associated microstructure which occurred under restraint were studied. The application of a Special acoustic emission analysis indicated that the cracks formed in a temperature range between 300 and 500 °C during the post weld heat treatment. The toughness in the heat-affected zone of the restrained welds was affected by the welding heat input.
Microstructural analyses of all specimens revealed accelerated aging due to precipitation of carbides during post weld heat treatment under restraint.
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of Ni-based superalloys shows great potential for high temperature applications, for example, as a burner repair application for gas turbines where the thin-walled structure is important. It motivates this work to investigate the evolution of microstructure and the anisotropic mechanical behavior when plate-like specimens are built with a thickness from 4 mm down to 1 mm. By performing texture analysis using neutron diffraction, a clear transition in fiber texture from <011> to <001> is indicated when the specimen becomes thinner. The residual stress shows no thickness dependence, and at the subsurface the residual stress reaches the same level as the yield strength. Due to the rough as-built surface, a roughness compensation method for mechanical properties of thin-walled structures is outlined and demonstrated. Tensile tests from room temperature up to 700 ◦C have been carried out. Anisotropic mechanical behavior is found at all temperatures, which is strongly related to the anisotropic texture evolution. Stronger texture evolution and grain rotations are discovered when the tensile loading is applied along the building direction. The mechanical behavior has been compared to a wrought material, where the high dislocation density and the subgrain structure of the LPBF material result in a higher yield strength. Combining the statistical texture analysis by neutron diffraction with mechanical testing, EBSD grain orientation mapping and the investigation of dislocation structures using transmission electron microscopy, this work illustrates the significance of texture for the thin-wall effect and anisotropic mechanical behavior of LPBF materials.
Investigations on weldability often deal with hot cracking, as one of the most popular failure during weld fabrication. The modified varestraint transvarestraint hot cracking test (MVT) is well known for the assessment of the hot cracking susceptibility of materials. The shortcoming of this approach is that the information is only from the very near surface region, which inhibits access to the characteristic of the hot crack network in the bulk. Here, we report about a new approach, illustrated in the example of low transformation temperature (LTT) weld filler materials, to monitor the entire 3D hot crack network after welding by means of microfocus X-ray computer tomography (μCT).
The relationship between residual stresses and microstructure associated with a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) IN718 alloy has been investigated on specimens produced with three different scanning strategies (unidirectional Y-scan, 90° XY-scan, and 67° Rot-scan). Synchrotron X-ray energy-dispersive diffraction (EDXRD) combined with optical profilometry was used to study residual stress (RS) distribution and distortion upon removal of the specimens from the baseplate. The microstructural characterization of both the bulk and the nearsurface regions was conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). On the top surfaces of the specimens, the highest RS values are observed in the Y-scan specimen and the lowest in the Rot-scan specimen, while the tendency is inversed on the side lateral surfaces. A considerable amount of RS remains in the specimens after their removal from the baseplate, especially in the Y- and Z-direction (short specimen Dimension and building direction (BD), respectively). The distortion measured on the top surface following baseplate thinning and subsequent removal is mainly attributed to the amount of RS released in the build direction. Importantly, it is observed that the additive manufacturing microstructures challenge the use of classic theoretical models for the calculation of diffraction elastic constants (DEC) required for diffraction-based RS analysis. It is found that when the Reuß model is used for the calculation of RS for different crystal planes, as opposed to the conventionally used Kröner model, the results exhibit lower scatter. This is discussed in context of experimental measurements of DEC available in the literature for conventional and additively manufactured Ni-base alloys.
The effect of two types of scanning strategies on the grain structure and build-up of Residual Stress (RS) has been investigated in an as-built IN718 alloy produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The RS state has been investigated by X-ray diffraction techniques. The microstructural characterization was performed principally by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), where the application of a post-measurement refinement technique enables small misorientations (< 2°) to be resolved. Kernel average misorientation (KAM) distributions indicate that preferably oriented columnar grains contain higher levels of misorientation, when compared to elongated grains with lower texture. The KAM distributions combined with X-ray diffraction stress maps infer that the increased misorientation is induced via plastic deformation driven by the thermal stresses, acting to self-relieve stress. The possibility of obtaining lower RS states in the build direction as a consequence of the influence of the microstructure should be considered when envisaging scanning strategies aimed at the mitigation of RS.