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One of the main factors affecting the use of lasers in the industry for welding thick structures is the process accompanying solidification cracks. These cracks mostly occurring along the welding direction in the welding center, and strongly affect the safety of the welded components. In the present study, to obtain a better understanding of the relation between the weld pool geometry, the stress distribution and the solidification cracking, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was combined with a thermo-mechanical model. The CFD model was employed to analyze the flow of the molten metal in the weld pool during the laser beam welding process. The weld pool geometry estimated from the CFD model was used as a heat source in the thermal model to calculate the temperature field and the stress development and distributions. The CFD results showed a bulging region in the middle depth of the weld and two narrowing areas separating the bulging region from the top and bottom surface. The thermo-mechanical simulations showed a concentration of tension stresses, transversally and vertically, directly after the solidification during cooling in the region of the solidification cracking.
The performance and safety of welded high-strength low-alloyed steel (HSLA) components are substantially affected by the stresses occurring during and after welding fabrication, especially if welding shrinkage and distortion are severely restrained. The surrounding structure of the whole component affects loads in the far-field superimposing with welding stresses in the near-field of the weld. In this study a unique testing facility was used to restrain shrinkage and bending while analyse multiaxial far-field loads (max. 2 MN) during assembly of thick-walled component. A novel approach for the assessment of the in-situ-measured far-field data in combination with the actual weld geometry was elaborated. For the first time, analyses of the global bending moments of restrained welds based on the neutral axis of the actual weld load bearing section were achieved. Hence, far-field measurements offered the possibility to determine critical near-field stresses of the weld crosssections for the entire joining process. This work presents the approach for far-to-near field in-situ determination of stresses in detail for the 2-MN-testing system based on an extensive experimental work on HSLA steel welds, which demonstrates sources and consequences of these high local welding stresses. Thus, it was clarified, why the first weld beads are crucial regarding welding stresses and cold cracking, which is well known, but has never been measured so far. Accompanying analyses using X-ray diffraction (XRD) after welding show effects on local residual stress distributions. These analyses indicated viable prospects for stress reduction during assembly of thick-walled HSLA steel components.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) through the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) route offers ample scope for producing geometrically complex parts compared to the conventional subtractive manufacturing strategies. Nevertheless, the residual stresses which develop during the fabrication can limit application of the SLM components by reducing the load bearing capacity and by inducing unwanted distortion, depending on the boundary conditions specified during manufacturing. The present study aims at characterizing the residual stress states in the SLM parts using different diffraction methods. The material used is the nickel based superalloy Inconel 718. Microstructure as well as the surface and bulk residual stresses were characterized. For the residual stress analysis, X-ray, synchrotron and neutron diffraction methods were used. The measurements were performed at BAM, at the EDDI beamline of -BESSY II synchrotronand the E3 line -BER II neutron reactor- of the Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie (HZB) Berlin. The results reveal significant differences in the residual stress states for the different characterization techniques employed, which indicates the dependence of the residual state on the penetration depth in the sample. For the surface residual stresses, longitudinal and transverse stress components from X-ray and synchrotron agree well and the obtained values were around the yield strength of the material. Furthermore, synchrotron mapping disclosed gradients along the width and length of the sample for the longitudinal and transverse stress components. On the other hand, lower residual stresses were found in the bulk of the material measured using neutron diffraction. The longitudinal component was tensile and decreased towards the boundary of the sample. In contrast, the normal component was nearly constant and compressive in nature. The transversal component was almost negligible. The results indicate that a stress re-distribution takes place during the deposition of the consecutive layers. Further investigations are planned to study the phenomenon in detail.
Submerged arc welded (SAW) components of creep-resistant low-alloyed Cr-Mo-V steels are used for thick-walled heavy petrochemical reactors (wall-thickness up to 475 mm) as well as employed in construction of modern high-efficient fossil fired power plants. These large components are accompanied by significant restraints during welding fabrication, especially at positions of different thicknesses like welding of nozzles. As a result, residual stresses occur, playing a domi-nant role concerning so-called stress relief cracking (SRC) typically during post weld heat treat-ment (PWHT). Besides specific metallurgical factors (like secondary hardening due to re-precipitation), high tensile residual stresses are a considerable influence factor on SRC. For the assessment of SRC susceptibility of certain materials mostly mechanical tests are applied which are isolated from the welding process. Conclusions regarding the influence of mechanical factors are rare so far. The present research follows an approach to reproduce loads, which occur during welding of real thick-walled components scaled to laboratory conditions by using tests designed on different measures. A large-scale slit specimen giving a high restraint in 3 dimensions by high stiffness was compared to a medium-scale multi-pass welding U-profile specimen showing a high degree of restraint in longitudinal direction and a small-scale TIG-re-melted specimen. The small-scale specimens were additionally subjected to mechanical bending to induce loads that are found during fabrication on the real-scale in heavy components. Results show for all three cases compa-rable high tensile residual stresses up to yield strength with high gradients in the weld metal and the heat affected zone. Those high tensile stresses can be significant for cracking during further PWHT.
Due to the increasing global demand for pure silver, native wire silver aggregates in very high purities are gaining more industrial attention. Up to the present, no substantial metallurgical Investigation of natural wire silver exists in the accessible literature. To convey urgently needed cross-disciplinary fundamental knowledge for geoscientists and metallurgical engineers, twenty natural wire silver specimens from eight different ore deposits have been investigated in detail for the first time by EBSD (Electron Back Scattering Diffraction), supported by light microscopy and micro-probe analyses. The improved understanding of the natural silver wire microstructure provides additional Information regarding the growth of natural silver aggregates in comparison to undesired artificial growth on electronic devices. Clear evidence is provided that natural silver curls and hairs exhibit a polycrystalline face-centered cubic microstructure associated with significant twinning. Although the investigated natural wire silver samples have relatively high purity (Ag > 99.7 wt.-%), they contain a variety of trace elements such as, S, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, Co and Bi, As and Sb. Additionally, Vickers micro-hardness measurements are provided for the first time which revealed that natural silver wires and curls are softer than it might be expected from conversion of the general Mohs hardness of 2.7.
Commercial grade-1 titanium samples (Ti, 99.6%) were treated using three alternative methods, (i) femtosecond laser processing, (ii) thermal heat treatment, and (iii) electrochemical anodization, respectively, resulting in the formation of differently conditioned superficial titanium oxide layers. The laser processing (i) was carried out by a Ti:sapphire laser (pulse duration 30 fs, central wavelength 790 nm, pulse repetition rate 1 kHz) in a regime of generating laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS). The experimental conditions (laser fluence, spatial spot overlap) were optimized in a sample-scanning setup for the processing of several square-millimeters large surface areas covered homogeneously by these nanostructures. The differently oxidized titanium surfaces were characterized by optical microscopy, micro Raman spectroscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and instrumented indentation testing. The tribological performance was characterized in the regime of mixed friction by reciprocating sliding tests against a sphere of hardened steel in fully formulated engine oil as lubricant. The specific tribological performance of the differently treated surfaces is discussed with respect to possible physical and chemical mechanisms.
Among the various welding technologies, resistance spot welding (RSW) and laser beam welding (LBW) play a significant role as joining methods for the automobile industry. The application of RSW and LBW for the automotive body alters the microstructure in the welded areas. It is necessary to identify the mechanical properties of the welded material to be able to make a reliable statement about the material behavior and the strength of welded components. This study develops a method by which to determine the mechanical properties for the weldment of RSW and LBW for two dual phase (DP) steels, DP600 and DP1000, which are commonly used for the automotive bodies. The mechanical properties of the resistance spot weldment were obtained by performing tensile tests on the notched tensile specimen to cause an elongation of the notched and welded area in order to investigate its properties. In order to determine the mechanical properties of the laser beam weldment, indentation tests were performed on the welded material to calculate its force-penetration depth-curve. Inverse numerical simulation was used to simulate the indentation tests to determine and verify the parameters of a nonlinear isotropic material model for the weldment of LBW. Furthermore, using this method, the parameters for the material model of RSW were verified. The material parameters and microstructure of the weldment of RSW and LBW are compared and discussed. The results show that the novel method introduced in this work is a valid approach to determine the mechanical properties of welded high-strength steel structures. In addition, it can be seen that LBW and RSW lead to a reduction in ductility and an increase in the amount of yield and tensile strength of both DP600 and DP1000.
Hybrid laser-arc welding offers many advantages, such as deep penetration, good gap bridge-ability, and low distortion due to reduced heat input. The filler wire which is supplied to the process is used to influence the microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld seam.
A typical problem in deep penetration high-power laser beam welding with filler wire and hybrid laser-arc welding is an insufficient mixing of filler material in the weld pool, leading to a non-uniform element distribution in the seam. In this study, oscillating magnetic fields were used to form a non-conservative component of the Lorentz force in the weld pool to improve the element Distribution over the entire thickness of the material. Full penetration hybrid laser-arc welds were performed on 20-mm-thick S355J2 steel plates with a nickel-based wire for different arrangements of the oscillating magnetic field. The Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data for the distribution of two tracing elements (Ni and Cr) were used to analyze the homogeneity of dilution of the filler wire.
With a 30° turn of the magnetic field to the welding direction, a radical improvement in the filler material distribution was demonstrated. This would lead to an improvement of the mechanical properties with the use of a suitable filler wire.
The advantage of selective laser melting (SLM) is its high accuracy and geometrical flexibility.
Because the maximum size of the components is limited by the process chamber, possibilities must be found to combine several parts manufactured by SLM. An application where this is necessary, is, for example, the components of gas turbines, such as burners or oil return pipes, and inserts, which can be joined by circumferential welds. However, only a few investigations to date have been carried out for the welding of components produced by SLM. The object of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the feasibility of laser beam welding for joining SLM tube connections made of nickel-based alloys.
For this purpose, SLM-manufactured Inconel 625 and Inconel 718 tubes were welded with a Yb:YAG disk laser and subsequently examined for residual stresses and defects. The results showed that the welds had no significant influence on the residual stresses. A good weld quality could be achieved in the seam circumference. However, pores and pore nests were found in the final overlap area, which meant that no continuous good welding quality could be accomplished. Pore formation was presumably caused by capillary instabilities when the laser power was ramped out.
Ferritic spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI) materials have a remarkable technical poten-tial and economic impact in modern industry. These features are closely related to the question of how the cast materials can be produced without structural defects and graphite degenerations such as for example chunky graphite. Although the chunky graphite degeneration superficially seems to be well known, its metallurgical background is still controversially discussed, appropriate field-tested non-destructive tools for its quantification in castings are lacking and the knowledge on its impact on material properties is fairly limited. Addressing this status, the article is providing a current overview on the subject. Existing theories on formation and growth mechanisms of chunky graphite are briefly reviewed. Furthermore, from a metallurgical point of view, causes for the appearance of chunky graphite as well as preventive measures are concisely summarized. Particular attention is paid to the morphology of chunky graphite and how it can be characterized by destructive and non-destructive techniques. Special emphasis was laid on providing a comprehensive overview on the impact of chunky graphite on strength, ductility, fatigue limit, fatigue crack growth rate as well as fracture tough-ness of ferritic SGI materials based on experimental data. Moreover, conclusions for the assessment of castings affected by chunky graphite are drawn.
In the present work it was shown that the tribologcal profiles of special model oxides under dry unidirectional sliding have shown, that sub-oxides have a contribution to the tribological behavior of carbides and cermets, when they are tribo-oxidatively formed, because their tribological profiles as monolithic materials are homologous in part or totally, or compete with hardmetals or cermets, depending from the operating conditions regarded.
The damaging impact of hydrogen on the austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 L was analysed.
To this aim, samples were charged electrochemically with the hydrogen isotope deuterium (2H, D) and examined with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The fusion of the obtained chemical and structural information revealed local enrichment of deuterium in austenite, transformation into martensite, crack formation and severe roughening of the specimen surface. The results indicated that martensite was not only formed during charging but also during Desorption and ToF-SIMS examinations. Furthermore, cross-sections of deuterium-charged samples revealed that in preferred deformation bands a g/ε/a 0 evolution is taking place.
By means of microscopic analyses and carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE), it was found that the use of NaAsO2 as recombination poison decreased the uptake of hydrogen significantly and resulted in severe precipitation on the specimen surfaces. This is in contrast to the popular presumption that NaAsO2 enhances the uptake of hydrogen (and
deuterium) during electrochemical charging by hampering its recombination from Atoms to molecules.
As humanity contemplates manned missions to Mars, strategies need to be developed for the design and operation of hospitable environments to safely work in space for years. The supply of spare parts for repair and replacement of lost equipment will be one key need, but in-space manufacturing remains the only option for a timely supply. With high flexibility in design and the ability to manufacture ready-to-use components directly from a computeraided model, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies appear extremely attractive. For the manufacturing of metal parts, laser-beam melting is the most widely used AM process. However, the handling of metal powders in the absence of gravity is one prerequisite for its successful application in space. A gas flow throughout the powder bed is successfully applied to compensate for missing gravitational forces in microgravity experiments. This so-called gas-flow-assisted powder deposition is based on a porous Building platform acting as a filter for the fixation of metal particles in a gas flow driven by a pressure difference maintained by a vacuum pump.
In additive manufacturing (AM) directed energy deposition (DED), parts are built by welding layers of powder or wire feedstock onto a substrate with applications for steel powders in the fields of forging tools, spare parts, and structural components for various industries. For large and bulky parts, the choice of toolpaths influences the build rate, the mechanical performance, and the distortions in a highly geometry-dependent manner. With weld-path lengths in the range of hundreds of meters, a reliable, automated tool-path generation is essential for the usability of DED processes. This contribution presents automated tool-path generation approaches and discusses the results for arbitrary geometries. Socalled “zig-zag” and “contour-parallel” processing strategies are investigated and the tool-paths are automatically formatted into machine-readable g-code for experimental validation to build sample geometries. The results are discussed in regard to volume-fill, microstructure, and porosity in dependence of the path planning according to photographs and metallographic cross-sections.
High-strength steels with yield strength of 960 MPa are susceptible to hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) during welding processing. In the present paper, the implant test is used to study HAC in a quenched and tempered steel S960QL and a high-strength steel produced by thermo-mechanical controlled process S960MC. Welding is performed using the gas metal arc welding process. Furthermore, diffusible hydrogen concentration (HD) in arc weld metal is determined. Based on the implant test results, lower critical stress (LCS) for complete fracture, critical implant stress for crack initiation, and embrittlement index (EI) are determined. At HD of 1.66 ml/100 g, LCS is 605 MPa and 817 MPa for S960QL and S960MC, respectively. EI is 0.30 and 0.46 for S960QL and S960MC, respectively. Fracture surfaces of S960QL show higher degradation with reduced deformation. Both, higher EI of S960MC and fractography show better resistance to HAC in the HAZ of S960MC compared to S960QL.
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 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.
In this contribution, chemical, structural, and mechanical alterations in various types of femtosecond laser-generated surface structures, i.e., laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS, ripples), Grooves, and Spikes on titanium alloy, are characterized by various surface analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction and glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy. The formation of oxide layers of the different laser-based structures inherently influences the friction and wear performance as demonstrated in oil-lubricated reciprocating sliding tribological tests (RSTTs) along with subsequent elemental mapping by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. It is revealed that the fs-laser scan processing (790 nm, 30 fs, 1 kHz) of near-wavelength-sized LIPSS leads to the formation of a graded oxide layer extending a few hundreds of nanometers into depth, consisting mainly of amorphous oxides. Other superficial fs-laser-generated structures such as periodic Grooves and irregular Spikes produced at higher fluences and effective number of pulses per unit area present even thicker graded oxide layers that are also suitable for friction reduction and wear resistance. Ultimately, these femtosecond laser-induced nanostructured surface layers efficiently prevent a direct metal-to-metal contact in the RSTT and may act as an anchor layer for specific wear-reducing additives contained in the used engine oil.
This paper demonstrates that the instrumented indentation test (IIT), together with a trained artificial neural network (ANN), has the capability to characterize the mechanical properties of the local parts of a welded steel structure such as a weld nugget or heat affected zone.
Aside from force-indentation depth curves generated from the IIT, the profile of the indented surface deformed after the indentation test also has a strong correlation with the materials’ plastic behavior. The profile of the indented surface was used as the training dataset to design an ANN to determine the material parameters of the welded zones. The deformation of the indented surface in three dimensions shown in images were analyzed with the computer vision algorithms and the obtained data were employed to train the ANN for the characterization of the mechanical properties. Moreover, this method was applied to the images taken with a simple light microscope from the surface of a specimen. Therefore, it is possible to quantify the mechanical properties of the automotive steels with the four independent methods: (1) force-indentation depth curve; (2) profile of the indented surface; (3) analyzing of the 3D-measurement image; and (4) evaluation of the images taken by a simple light microscope. The results show that there is a very good Agreement between the material parameters obtained from the trained ANN and the experimental uniaxial tensile test. The results present that the mechanical properties of an unknown steel can be determined by only analyzing the images taken from its surface after pushing a simple indenter into its surface.
The development within the offshore wind sector towards more powerful turbines combined with increasing water depth for new wind parks is challenging both the designer as well as the manufacturer of bottom fixed support structures. Besides XL-monopiles, the market developed an innovative and economic jacket support structure which is based on automatically manufactured tubular joints combined with standardized pipes. Besides the improvements for a serial manufacturing process the automatically welded tubular joints show a great potential in terms of fatigue resistance e.g. due to a smooth weld geometry without sharp notches. However, these benefits are not considered yet within the fatigue design process of automatically manufactured jacket substructures according to current standards due to the lack of suitable S-N curves. Therefore, 32 axial fatigue tests on single and double-sided automatically welded tubular X-joints have been performed to determine a new hot spot stress related S-N curve. Based on these constant amplitude fatigue tests a new S-N curve equal to a FAT 126 curve was computed which implicitly includes the benefits of the automatically welding procedure.
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.
Currently, corrosion rates (CR) and/or corrosion products (CP) obtained for methanogen-induced microbiologically influenced corrosion (Mi-MIC) on carbon steel are mainly analyzed from static-incubations. By using a multiport-flow-column, much higher CRs (0.72 mm/yr) were observed, indicating static-incubations are not suitable for determining the corrosive potential of Mi-MIC. With the combination of various analytical methods (ToF-SIMS/SEM-EDS/SEM-FIB) and contrary to previously published data, we observed that CPs contained phosphorus, oxygen, magnesium, calcium and iron but lacked carbon-related species (e.g. siderite). Overall, siderite nucleation is disrupted by methanogens, as they convert aqueous bicarbonate into carbon dioxide for methanogenesis resulting in increased localized corrosion.
Contact-resonance AFM (CR-AFM) has been used in recent years for the measurement of mechanical properties. Compared with other techniques, CR-AFM has a much shorter acquisition time, compensating the incomplete theoretical understanding of the underlying physical phenomena. In the present paper, we propose a procedure, which allows to determine the elastic modulus of the sample as a parameter of the fit of the CR frequency as a function of the load. It is concluded that CR measurements are not appropriate for polymer samples. Major drawbacks are the bad resolution for moduli lower than ca. 10 GPa and the lack of a comprehensive physical model.
High-strength structural steels are used in machine, steel, and crane construction with yield strength up to 960 MPa. However, welding of these steels requires profound knowledge of three factors in terms of avoidance of hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC): the interaction of microstructure, local stress/strain, and local hydrogen concentration. In addition to the three main factors, the used arc process is also important for the performance of the welded joint. In the past, the conventional transitional arc process (Conv. A) was mainly used for welding of high-strength steel grades. In the past decade, the so-called modified spray arc process (Mod. SA) has been increasingly used for welding production. This modified process enables reduced seam opening angles with increased deposition rates compared with the Conv. A. Economic benefits of using this arc type are a reduction of necessary weld beads and required filler material. In the present study, the susceptibility to HAC in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the high-strength structural steel S960QL was investigated with the externally loaded implant test. For that purpose, both Conv. A and Mod. SA were used with same heat input at different deposition rates. Both conducted test series showed same embrittlement index “EI” of 0.21 at diffusible hydrogen concentrations of 1.3 to 1.6 ml/100 g of arc weld metal. The fracture occurred in the HAZ or in the weld metal (WM). However, the test series withMod. SA showed a significant extension of the time to failure of several hours compared with tests carried out with Conv. A.
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.
Hydrocarbons fuel our economy. Furthermore, intermediate goods and consumer products are often hydrocarbon-based. Beside all the progress they made possible, hydrogen-containing substances can have severe detrimental effects on materials exposed to them. Hydrogen-assisted failure of iron alloys has been recognised more than a century ago. The present study aims to providing further insight into the degradation of the austenitic stainless steel AISI 304L (EN 1.4307) exposed to hydrogen. To this end, samples were electrochemically charged with the hydrogen isotope deuterium (2H, D) and analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). It was found that deuterium caused a phase transformation from the original γ austenite into ε- and α’-martensite. Despite their low solubility for hydrogen, viz. deuterium, the newly formed phases showed high deuterium concentration which was attributed to the increased density of traps. Information about the behaviour of deuterium in the material subjected to external mechanical load was gathered. A four-point-bending device was developed for this purpose. This allowed to analyse in-situ pre-charged samples in the ToF-SIMS during the application of external mechanical load. The results indicate a movement of deuterium towards the regions of highest stress.
Additive manufacturing offers a range of novel applications. However, the manufacturing process is complex and the production of almost defect-free parts with high reliability and durability is still a challenge. Thermography is a valuable tool for process surveillance, especially in metal additive manufacturing processes. The high process temperatures allow one to use cameras usually operating in the visible spectral range. Here, we compare the results of measurements during the manufacturing process of a commercial laser metal deposition setup using a mid wavelength infrared camera with those from a short wavelength infrared camera and those from a visual spectrum high-speed camera with band pass filter in the near infrared range.
Optimized planning and evaluation of dental implant fatigue testing: A specific software application
(2020)
Mechanical complications in implant-supported fixed dental prostheses are often related to implant and prosthetic design. Although the current ISO 14801 provides a framework for the evaluation of dental implant mechanical reliability, strict adherence to it may be difficult to achieve due to the large number of test specimens which it requires as well as the fact that it does not offer any probabilistic reference for determining the endurance limit. In order to address these issues, a new software program called ProFatigue is presented as a potentially powerful tool to optimize fatigue testing of implant-supported prostheses. The present work provides a brief description of some concepts such as load, fatigue and stress-number of cycles to failure curves (S-N curves), before subsequently describing the current regulatory situation. After analyzing the two most recent versions of the ISO recommendation (from 2008 and 2016), some limitations inherent to the experimental methods which they propose are highlighted. Finally, the main advantages and instructions for the correct implementation of the ProFatigue free software are given. This software will contribute to improving the performance of fatigue testing in a more accurate and optimized way, helping researchers to gain a better understanding of the behavior of dental implants in this type of mechanical test.
Among additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is one of the most important technologies to produce metallic components. The layer-wise build-up of components and the complex process conditions increase the probability of the occurrence of defects. However, due to the iterative nature of its manufacturing process and in contrast to conventional manufacturing technologies such as casting, L-PBF offers unique opportunities for in-situ monitoring. In this study, two cameras were successfully tested simultaneously as a machine manufacturer independent process monitoring setup: a high-frequency infrared camera and a camera for long time exposure, working in the visible and infrared spectrum and equipped with a near infrared filter. An AISI 316L stainless steel specimen with integrated artificial defects has been monitored during the build. The acquired camera data was compared to data obtained by computed tomography. A promising and easy to use examination method for data analysis was developed and correlations between measured signals and defects were identified. Moreover, sources of possible data misinterpretation were specified. Lastly, attempts for automatic data analysis by data Integration are presented.
Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is the most prominent additive manufacturing (AM) technology for metal part production. Among the high number of factors influencing part quality and mechanical properties, the inter layer time (ILT) between iterative melting of volume elements in subsequent layers is almost completely unappreciated in the relevant literature on L-PBF. This study investigates the effect of ILT with respect to build height and under distinct levels of volumetric energy density (VED) using the example of 316L stainless steel. In-situ thermography is used to gather information on cooling conditions during the process, which is followed by an extensive metallographic analysis. Significant effects of ILT and build height on heat accumulation, sub-grain sizes, melt pool geometries and hardness are presented. Furthermore, the rise of defect densities can be attributed to a mutual interplay of build height and ILT. Hence, ILT has been identified as a crucial factor for L-PBF of real part components especially for those with small cross sections.
Recording the temperature distribution of the layer under construction during laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is of utmost interest for a deep process understanding as well as for quality assurance and in situ monitoring means. While having a notable number of thermal monitoring approaches in additive manufacturing (AM), attempts at temperature calibration and emissivity determination are relatively rare. This study aims for the experimental temperature adjustment of an off-axis infrared (IR) thermography setup used for in situ thermal data acquisition in L-PBF processes. The temperature adjustment was conducted by means of the so-called contact method using thermocouples at two different surface conditions and two different materials: AISI 316L L-PBF bulk surface, AISI 316L powder surface, and IN718 powder surface. The apparent emissivity values for the particular setup were determined. For the first time, also corrected, closer to real emissivity values of the bulk or powder surface condition are published. In the temperature region from approximately 150 °C to 580 °C, the corrected emissivity was determined in a range from 0.2 to 0.25 for a 316L L-PBF bulk surface, in a range from 0.37 to 0.45 for 316L powder layer, and in a range from 0.37 to 0.4 for IN718 powder layer.
Rapid cooling rates and steep temperature gradients are characteristic of additively manufactured parts and important factors for the residual stress formation. This study examined the influence of heat accumulation on the distribution of residual stress in two prisms produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) of austenitic stainless steel 316L. The layers of the prisms were exposed using two different border fill scan strategies: one scanned from the centre to the perimeter and the other from the perimeter to the centre. The goal was to reveal the effect of different heat inputs on samples featuring the same solidification shrinkage. Residual stress was characterised in one plane perpendicular to the building direction at the mid height using Neutron and Lab X-ray diffraction. Thermography data obtained during the build process were analysed in order to correlate the cooling rates and apparent surface temperatures with the residual stress results. Optical microscopy and micro computed tomography were used to correlate defect populations with the residual stress distribution. The two scanning strategies led to residual stress distributions that were typical for additively manufactured components: compressive stresses in the bulk and tensile stresses at the surface. However, due to the different heat accumulation, the maximum residual stress levels differed. We concluded that solidification shrinkage plays a major role in determining the shape of the residual stress distribution, while the temperature gradient mechanism appears to determine the magnitude of peak residual stresses.
In order to reduce CO2 emissions, an increasing interest in lightweight construction exists in the automotive industry, especially the multi-material-design approach. The main construction materials here are steels and aluminium alloys. Due to their different physical material properties and limited mutual solubility, these two materials cannot be joined thermally without difficulty. This paper presents a new joining approach for dissimilar materials. It uses electromagnetic displacement of a laser-generated melt pool to produce overlap joints between 1 mm steel (1.0330) and 2 mm aluminium alloy (EN AW 5754). Contactless induced Lorentz forces are generated by an alternating current (AC) magnet system. The controlled displacement of the aluminium alloy melt into the hole of the overlying steel sheet is investigated through numerical and experimental studies. The numerical results are compared with cross sections and thermocouple measurements. For the first time, it is possible to achieve a reproducible controlled melt pool displacement on thin sheets to produce overlap joints between dissimilar materials.
Resistance spot welding is an established joining process for the production of safetyrelevant components in the automotive industry. Therefore, consecutive process monitoring is essential to meet the high quality requirements. Artificial neural networks can be used to evaluate the process parameters and signals, to ensure individual spot weld quality. The predictive accuracy of such algorithms depends on the provided training data set, and the prediction of untrained data is challenging. The aim of this paper was to investigate the extrapolation capability of a multi-layer perceptron model. That means, the predictive performance of the model was tested with data that clearly differed from the training data in terms of material and coating composition. Therefore, three multi-layer perceptron regression models were implemented to predict the nugget diameter from process data. The three models were able to predict the training datasets very well. The models, which were provided with features from the dynamic resistance curve predicted the new dataset better than the model with only process parameters. This study shows the beneficial influence of process signals on the predictive accuracy and robustness of artificial neural network algorithms.
Especially, when predicting a data set from outside of the training space.
Polychromatic and wavelength-selective neutron transmission radiography were applied during bead-on-plate welding on 5 mm thick sheets on the face side of martensitic low transformation temperature (LTT) steel plates using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). The in situ visualization of austenitization upon welding and subsequent α’-martensite formation during cooling could be achieved with a temporal resolution of 2 s for monochromatic imaging using a single neutron wavelength and of 0.5 s for polychromatic imaging using the full spectrum of the beam (white beam). The spatial resolution achieved in the experiments was approximately 200 µm. The transmitted monochromatic neutron beam intensity at a wavelength of λ = 0.395 nm was significantly reduced during cooling below the martensitic start temperature Ms since the emerging martensitic phase has a ~10% higher attenuation coefficient than the austenitic phase. Neutron imaging was significantly influenced by coherent neutron scattering caused by the thermal motion of the crystal lattice (Debye–Waller factor), resulting in a reduction in the neutron transmission by approx. 15% for monochromatic and by approx. 4% for polychromatic imaging.
Laser-based additive manufacturing methods allow the production of complex metal structures within a single manufacturing step. However, the localized heat input and the layer-wise manufacturing manner give rise to large thermal gradients. Therefore, large internal stress (IS) during the process (and consequently residual stress (RS) at the end of production) is generated within the parts. This IS or RS can either lead to distortion or cracking during fabrication or in-service part failure, respectively. With this in view, the knowledge on the magnitude and spatial distribution of RS is important to develop strategies for its mitigation. Specifically, diffraction-based methods allow the spatial resolved determination of RS in a non-destructive fashion. In this review, common diffraction-based methods to determine RS in laser-based additive manufactured parts are presented. In fact, the unique microstructures and textures associated to laser-based additive manufacturing processes pose metrological challenges. Based on the literature review, it is recommended to (a) use mechanically relaxed samples measured in several orientations as appropriate strain-free lattice spacing, instead of powder, (b) consider that an appropriate grain-interaction model to calculate diffraction-elastic constants is both material- and texture-dependent and may differ from the conventionally manufactured variant. Further metrological challenges are critically reviewed and future demands in this research field are discussed.
The Tsumeb Mine in Namibia represents one of the best-preserved mining sites in the world and is rapidly gaining cross-disciplinary interest among cultural and engineering scientists. Most of the open pit and the shaft mining equipment are still in place, including the ore processing units and the local power plant. The mining area thus deserves recognition as an industrial world heritage site, especially due to the rarity of such locations on the African continent. The Shaft #1 headgear, built in 1924, represents one of the oldest known riveted steel headgears of the Promnitz design worldwide. In contrast to similar steel structures located in the northern hemisphere, it has been exposed to a different rural semi-arid climate since it is located in the Otavi Mountain Land, characterized by semi-annual change of rainy and dry seasons. Parts of the Shaft #1 headgear have remained largely untouched for more than 70 years. Besides its outstanding heritage value, it thus also represents an interesting object for studying the composition of corrosion layers formed on mild steel surfaces when exposed to continental and industrial mining atmospheres. To find a suitable transparent corrosion prevention coating, various on-site coating samples were evaluated after 11 months of outdoor exposure, including Owatrol Oil®, which is based on natural oil and alkyd resin with strong wicking potential. The substance is frequently applied for the conservation of single components but is not yet widely used on large steel structures in the field of industrial heritage conservation. However, it represented the most stable anti-corrosion coating under the local atmospheric conditions in the on-site tests. Thus, the suitability of Owatrol Oil® as a transparent coating for corrosion protection of riveted mild steel structures in such climates was further investigated as a more recent approach for the conservation of large steel structures. Since the protective coatings are exposed to strong UV radiation in the local climate, the addition of a specific UV stabilizer mixture was also tested. For such laboratory tests, two mild steel samples were taken. The first one originated from a diagonal strut of the 1920s and the second one from a handrail mounted in the early 1960s. Using corresponding high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) it was found that the corrosion layers are predominantly composed of lepidocrocite and goethite. A weathering program simulating the specific environmental conditions at Tsumeb in a UV climate chamber was developed and the corrosion resistance of the mild steel surface was subsequently evaluated by potentiodynamic measurements. Such tests proved to be a fast and reliable procedure for ranking the corrosion resistance of the old mild steels. It was found that the long-term corrosion layers already provide significant protection against further corrosion in the simulated environment. However, the study also showed that this can be further improved by the application of the Owatrol Oil® as a protective coating that also seals crevices. The addition of the UV stabilizers, however, led to a significant deterioration in corrosion protection, even in comparison to that of the uncoated long-term corrosion layers on the surface. Regular overcoating seems more advisable for the long-term preservation of the Shaft #1 headgear than modifying the Owatrol Oil® Coating with the tested UV-stabilizing additives.
Martensitic 9% Cr steels like P91 and P92 show susceptibility to delayed hydrogen assisted cracking depending on their microstructure. In that connection, effective hydrogen diffusion coefficients are used to assess the possible time-delay. Limited data on room temperature diffusion coefficients reported in literature vary widely by several orders of magnitude (mostly attributed to variation in microstructure). Especially P91 weld metal diffusion coefficients are rare so far. For that reason, electrochemical permeation experiments had been conducted using P92 base metal and P91 weld metal (in as-welded and heat-treated condition) with different thicknesses. From the results obtained, diffusion coefficients were calculated using to different methods, time-lag, and inflection point. Results show that, despite microstructural effects, the sample thickness must be considered as it influences the calculated diffusion coefficients. Finally, the comparison of calculated and measured hydrogen concentrations (determined by carrier gas hot extraction) enables the identification of realistic diffusion coefficients.
The present work deals with the recently confirmed widening of the weld pool interface, known as a bulging effect, and its relevance in high power laser beam welding. A combined experimental and numerical approach is utilized to study the influence of the bulge on the hot cracking formation and the transport of alloying elements in the molten pool. A technique using a quartz glass, a direct-diode laser illumination, a high-speed camera, and an infrared camera is applied to visualize the weld pool geometry in the longitudinal section. The study examines the relevance of the bulging effect on both, partial and complete penetration, as well as for different sheet thicknesses ranging from 8 mm to 25 mm. The numerical analysis shows that the formation of a bulge region is highly dependent on the penetration depth and occurs more frequently during partial penetration above 6 mm and complete penetration above 8 mm penetration depth, respectively. The location of the bulge correlates strongly with the cracking location. The obtained experimental and numerical results reveal that the bulging effect increases the hot cracking susceptibility and limits the transfer of alloying elements from the top of the weld pool to the weld root.
The study deals with the determination of the influence of an externally applied oscillating magnetic field on the melt pool dynamics in high power laser beam and hybrid laser arc welding processes. An AC magnet was positioned under the workpiece which is generating an upward directed electromagnetic force to counteract the formation of the droplets. To visualise the melt flow characteristics, several experiments were carried out using a special technique with mild steel from S355J2 with a plate thickness of up to 20 mm and a quartz glass in butt configuration. The profile of the keyhole and the melt flow were recorded with a highspeed camera from the glass side. Additionally, the influence of the magnetic field orientation to the welding direction on the filler material dilution on laser hybrid welding was studied with variating oscillation frequency. The element distribution over the whole seam thickness was measured with X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The oscillation frequency demonstrated a great influence on the melt pool dynamics and the mixing of the elements of the filler wire. The highspeed recordings showed, under the influence of the magnetic field, that the melt is affected under strong vortex at the weld root, which also avoids the formation of droplets.
Wire arc additive manufacturing enables the production of near-net shape large-volume metallic components leveraging an established industrial base of welding and cladding technology and adapting it for layer-wise material deposition. However, the complex relationship between the process parameters and resulting mechanical properties of the components still remains challenging. In case of high-strength Al-Mg-Si aluminum alloys, no commercial filler wires are yet available due the high susceptibility of solidification cracking as well as the necessary efforts to obtain acceptable mechanical properties. To address this need, we evaluated a novel filler wire based on AlMg0.7Si doped with a Ti5B1 master alloy to foster fine equiaxed grains within the deposited metal. The correlation between the process parameters and component quality was examined by analyzing the size and distribution of pores as well as the grain morphology. Furthermore, we evaluated the influence of different post-weld heat treatment strategies to achieve mechanical properties corresponding to the reference wrought material. We demonstrated that fine equiaxed grains in the weld metal reduced the susceptibility of solidification cracking significantly. The novel AlMg0.7Si-TiB (S Al 6063-TiB) filler wire facilitated wire arc additive manufacturing of high-strength aluminum components with mechanical properties that were almost as superior as the corresponding wrought base material.
The application of magnesium (Mg) inevitably involves dissimilar welding with steel. A novel solid state spot welding method, refill friction stir spot welding (refill FSSW), was utilized to weld AZ31 Mg alloy to galvanized DP600 steel. Although Mg/Fe is an immiscible alloy system, defect-free welds with high strength were successfully obtained in a wide parameter window. The results of microstructure, interfacial reactions, and mechanical properties are reported to reveal the underlying joining mechanism. Due to the melting of Zn coating and subsequent Mg-Zn reactions, Mg-Zn eutectic and intermetallic compounds were detected within welds. Heterogeneous interfacial reactions occur along Mg/steel interface, and the relationship between interfacial structure and fracture behavior was investigated. The joining mechanism is associated with Zn coating and Fe-Al layer: 1) the presence of Zn coating is beneficial for achieving high-quality welding between Mg and steel, it protects the interface from oxidation and contributes to brazing of the weld; 2) the Al present in Mg alloy reacts with Fe, resulting in the growth of Fe-Al layer, which contributes to the diffusion bonding in the interface. The overall results clearly show that Refill FSSW is a competitive welding method for joining Mg and galvanized steel.
Cast magnesium alloys welds produced by refill friction stir spot welding (refill FSSW) show low lap shear strength (LSS) and constantly fail in stirred zone (SZ) shear mode. The cause is most probably related to the heavily textured microstructure. Here, to re-engineer the resulting microstructure, we pro- pose a novel process variant, the differential rotation refill FSSW (DR-refill FSSW). DR-refill FSSW stim- ulates discontinuous dynamic recrystallization and produces a bimodal microstructure with weakened texture. Therefore, the deformation incompatibility between SZ and thermal-mechanically affected zone is avoided. The welds have 50% higher LSS than that of standard refill FSSW welds, and fail in a different failure mode, i.e., SZ pull-out mode. DR-refill FSSW provides a new and effective strategy for improving the performance of spot welds based on microstructural engineering.
the joints throughout the structure. The flat units are constituted by butt welded flat plates, on which longitudinal T-welded reinforcements are placed to rigidize the structure. Among the different welding technologies, Hybrid Laser Arc Welding (HLAW) is becoming a mature process, profitable and highly productive. In addition, more innovative welding equipment are being developed nowadays, offering greater work flexibility, and raising expectations of achieving better quality, and economic viability. Another key point of HLAW to keep in mind is that structural distortions are reduced, resulting in decreasing the cost and time of straightening work.
In the present contribution, the influence of HLAW parameters on the quality of fillet joints of naval steel has been analysed. Experimental HLAW tests were performed with a high power disk laser to join EH36 naval steel plates, with a T configuration. The influence of different processing parameters has been analysed, as the laser power, welding speed, wire feed rate and the configuration of the HLAW processes (including head angle and laser/arc leading process). In addition, FEM simulations were carried out in order to estimate residual stresses and distortion of welded part. The distortion values provided by FEM presented excellent agreement with the measured experimental results. To evaluate the welds, non destructive tests including X-ray tests, metallographic analysis of cross sections, and microhardness mapping tests were performed.
Full penetration 8 mm T welds were obtained for the first time at an industrially applicable 2F position with a reasonable HLAW head angle, in one single step without sealing root, and using zero gap square groove Edge preparation. The present contribution presents welding rates up to 2.2 m/min for 2F T-joints of this steel thickness, a much higher processing velocity than previously reported for industrial applications.
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.