Open Access

Hydrogen can cause weld cold cracking even days after fabrication. In this respect, higher strength steels present a challenge to established cold crack testing. In general, the tolerable hydrogen concentration for crack prevention decreases with increasing material strength. In addition, advanced welding processes require changes in weld geometry and heat input. This directly influences the formation of crack-critical microstructures, e.g. in hardened areas of the heat-affected zone. The limits of use and application of modern cold cracking tests are evaluated by (1) the externally loaded Implant-test and (2) the self-restraint Tekken-test. In particular, external mechanical stresses, which cause additional mechanical loads on the components during welding, must be considered due to the component-specific stiffness of high-strength steels. Accompanying test methods for determining hydrogen concentration and diffusion in welds are presented, such as carrier gas hot extraction for determining hydrogen concentration (ISO 3690) or temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients. These values are of great importance for a holistic approach to the evaluation of the cold cracking sensitivity of high strength steels.

The energy transition towards hydrogen utilisation has increased the demand for reliable testing methods to evaluate the susceptibility of metallic materials to hydrogen degradation. However, traditional electrochemical pre-charging techniques have limitations in represent-ing realistic gaseous hydrogen exposure conditions. This study presents three comparative analyses of tensile testing methodologies, focusing on the differences between electrochem-ical pre-charging, gaseous pre-charging, and in-situ testing using hollow specimens for aus-tenitic steels AISI 304L and 316L type austenitic steels. Based on the results obtained, the first comparison reveals that electrochemically pre-charged and gaseously pre-charged specimens exhibit different behaviours regarding the impact on the mechanical properties. This effect can be retraced to the varying distribution of hydrogen throughout the specimens. Although comparable embrittlement was observed for similar hydrogen concentrations, the relationship appears to be non-systematic. The second comparison evaluates the performance of pre-charged hollow specimens (300°C, 100 bar, 21 days) in comparison to hollow specimens tested in-situ under 200 bar hydrogen during slow strain rate tensile tests (SSRT). While pre-charged specimens show a slight de-crease in elongation at fracture and a noticeable decrease in reduction of area (RA), in-situ tested specimens exhibit significantly more pronounced embrittlement. This is in accord-ance with the results of Michler et. al. In the third comparison, geometry effects between pre-charged conventional and pre-charged hollow specimens are explored. In this case, the hydrogen effect appears to be of the same order of magnitude for both specimen types, although some differences are ob-served. The study's findings underscore the importance of considering differences between test methods when assessing materials’ compatibility with hydrogen. It specifically emphasises the need for in-situ testing with gaseous hydrogen to better represent real conditions in ap-plications within the hydrogen sector. Furthermore, the study provides an initial compari-son between conventional and hollow specimens, demonstrating their capability to reveal hydrogen effects. However, additional research is essential to enhance the comparability of results yielded by these testing methods.

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.

The development of multi‐principal‐element alloys (MPEAs) with unique characteristics such as high work hardening capacity similar to well‐known alloy systems like Hadfield steel X120Mn12 (ASTM A128) is a promising approach. Hence, by exploiting the core effects of MPEAs, the application range of conventional alloy systems can be extended. In the present study, work‐hardening MPEAs based on the equimolar composition CoFeNi are developed. Mn and C are alloyed in the same ratio as for X120Mn12. The production route consists of cast manufacturing by an electric arc furnace and surface functionalization via mechanical finishing using ultrasonic‐assisted milling (USAM) to initiate work hardening. The microstructure evolution, the hardness as well as the resulting oscillating wear resistance are detected. A pronounced lattice strain and grain refinement due to the plastic deformation during the USAM is recorded for the MPEA CoFeNi‐Mn12C1.2. Consequently, hardness increases by ≈380 HV0.025 in combination with a higher oscillating wear resistance compared to the X120Mn12. This shows the promising approach for developing work‐hardening alloys based on novel alloy concepts such as MPEAs.

Die Beschaffung und Verarbeitung von Werkstoffen für hochbelastete Komponenten sind meist kostenintensiv. Bestrebungen zur Kosten- und Ressourceneffizienz führen zu komplexeren Strukturen bzw. Konturen, sodass additive Fertigungsschritte zur Bauteilreparatur und -fertigung deutliche ökonomische Vorteile bieten. Hierfür sind additive und abtragende Fertigungsschritte komplementär und gezielt aufeinander abzustimmen, um beanspruchungsgerechte Funktionsflächen herzustellen. Hinsichtlich Inhomogenität und Anisotropie der Gefüge und Eigenschaften sowie fertigungsbedingter Beanspruchungen sind für den wirtschaftlichen Einsatz bei KMU, gerade für drahtbasierte Fertigungsverfahren und Wechselwirkungen nachfolgender Zerspanung dieser schwer spanbaren Werkstoffe noch viele Kenntnisse notwendig. Deshalb sind Untersuchungen zu diesen Einflüssen und Wechselwirkungen unter Nutzung innovativer Ansätze durchgeführt worden. Mit typischen kostenintensiven Ni- und Co-Cr-Legierungen wurden additive Bauteile, Auftrag- und Reparaturschweißungen hergestellt und Schweißzusätze für das PTA-Verfahren modifiziert, um die Erstarrungsmorphologie und das Eigenschaftsprofil zu optimieren. Die Übertragung auf MSG-Verfahren sicherte einen breiten industriellen Einsatz für hohe Auftragraten ab. Dies geschah mithilfe von modifizierten Fülldrähten sowie beschichteten Massivdrähten. Die wirtschaftliche spanende Bearbeitbarkeit wurde mit Zerspanbarkeitsanalysen für Schlichtfräsen und vergleichend für ultraschallunterstütze Fräsprozesse sichergestellt. Instrumentierte Experimente und Werkstoffanalytik hinsichtlich der Einflüsse auf Schmelzbad, Gefüge und Ausscheidungen sowie auf Randzoneneigenschaften und Eigenspannungen ermöglichten umfassende Erkenntnisse zur kombinierten additiven und abtragenden Fertigung. Dabei hat sich herausgestellt, dass eine Modifikation der Schweißzusatzwerkstoffe eine Homogenisierung der Mikrostruktur bedingt, welche wiederum den Zerspanprozess stabilisiert und letztendlich zu reduzierten Zerspankräften führt. Ferner wurde festgestellt, dass der ultraschallunterstützte Fräsprozess im Vergleich zum konventionellen Fräsprozess eine signifikante Reduzierung der Zerspankraft sowie eine höhere Oberflächenintegrität bedingt. Insbesondere die Induzierung oberflächennaher Druckeigenspannungen ist dabei hervorzuheben. Durch Bauteilversuche und -prüfungen, erfolgreiche Übertragbarkeitsstudien weiterer innovativer Werkstoffe verbunden mit Handlungsempfehlungen und der Zusammenarbeit mit den jeweiligen Normungsgremien, profitieren KMU von einer hochwirtschaftlichen Herstellung und Reparatur kostenintensiver Komponenten.