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3D Crack analysis in hydrogen charged lean duplex stainless steel with synchrotron refraction CT
(2016)
Hydrogen in metals can cause a degradation of the mechanical properties, the so-called hydrogen embrittlement. In combination with internal stresses, hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC) can occur. This phenomenon is not completely understood yet. To better characterise the cracking behaviour, it is important to gain information about the evolution of the 3D crack network. For this purpose samples of lean duplex stainless steel were loaded with hydrogen by means of electrochemical charging and investigated by means of synchrotron refraction CT and SEM fractography after uniaxial tensile loading. Synchrotron refraction CT is an analyser-based imaging (ABI) technique. It uses a Si (111) single crystal as analyser, which is placed into the beam path between sample and detector. According to Bragg’s law only incident x-rays within a narrow range around the Bragg-angle are diffracted from the analyser into the detector. Hence, the analyser acts as an angular filter for the transmitted beam. This filtering allows to turn the refraction and scattering of x-rays into image contrast. Refraction occurs at all interfaces, where the density of the material changes and is more sensitive to density changes than the attenuation. Therefore, it is possible to detect smaller cracks than with classical x-ray imaging techniques, like CT, with comparable spacial resolution. It also visualises the 3D structure of the cracks and gains quantitative information about their morphology and distribution. Since cracks introduced by HAC are usually very small and have a small opening displacement, synchrotron refraction CT is expected to be well suited for imaging this cracking mechanism and can be a valuable tool to characterise the formation and the evolution of a 3D crack network.
To better understand the mechanism of hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC), it is important to investigate the 3D structure of the cracks non-destructively. Since, cracks introduced by HAC are usually very small, conventional x-ray imaging methods often lack the required spatial resolution.
However, the detection of those cracks can be enhanced by taking advantage of refraction at interfaces within the sample.
To image this refractive deflection we employ analyser based imaging (ABI). In this work we aim at proving the enhanced crack detection of ABI by investigating an alluminum alloy weld.
This article provides an impression on potentials in applying nowadays welding simulation tools in construction design. This is carried out exemplary on plate girders from two structural steel grades. The calculated residual stresses are compared with measurements by sectioning method. It has been repeatedly stated that present Eurocode models fail to approximate the residual stresses. Especially for high strength steel (HSS) only limited information is available on realistic occurring residual stresses in typical I-girders. The investigations are aimed to give further guidance on these values. A few proposals on advanced models are discussed.
Alloy 36 (1.3912) is an alloy with 36% nickel and 64% iron and is generally classified as a difficult-to-cut material. Increasingly complex structures and the optimization of resource efficiency are making additive manufacturing (AM) more and more attractive for the manufacture or repair of components. Subsequent machining of AM components is unavoidable for its final contour. By using modern, hybrid machining processes, e.g., ultrasonic-assisted milling (US), it is possible to improve the cutting situation regarding the resulting surface integrity as well as the cutting force. Part I deals with the influence of the alloying elements Ti, Zr, and Hf on the microstructure and the hardness of the initial alloy 36. Part II focusses on the effect of the alloy modifications and the ultrasonic assistance on machinability as well as on the surface integrity after finish-milling. The results show a highly significant influence of the ultrasonic assistance. The cutting force during the US is reduced by over 50% and the roughness of approx. 50% compared to conventional milling (CM) for all materials investigated. Moreover, the US causes a defect-free surface and induces near-surface compressive residual stresses. CM leads to a near-surface stress state of approx. 0 MPa.
Alloy 36 (1.3912), also known as “Invar,” is an alloy with 36% nickel. The alloy has a remarkably low thermal expansion coefficient in certain temperature ranges. This peculiarity is called the invar effect, which was discovered in 1896 by the Swiss physicist Charles Édouard Guillaume. Therefore, it is used in applications in which dimensional stability is critical, such as molding tools for composite materials in aerospace, automotive applications, or liquified natural gas (LNG) cargo tanks. Moreover, increasingly complex structures and the optimization of resource efficiency also require additive manufacturing steps for the production or repair of components. Additively manufactured components have a heterogeneous microstructure and anisotropic mechanical properties. In addition, the manufactured components require subsequent machining surface finishing, like finish milling, to achieve their final contour. Nickel iron alloys are difficult to machine. Additionally, inhomogeneous microstructure may lead to unstable cutting forces and conditions. In part I of this investigation, the initial alloy 36 is modified with the elements Ti, Zr, and Hf up to a maximum of 0.33 wt.-%. The influence of the modification elements on the microstructure as well as on the hardness of the AM components is examined. Furthermore, one modification is applied to metal arc welding process and investigated. Part II focuses on the effect of the alloy modifications on machinability as well as on the surface integrity of plasma-transferred-arc-welded (PTA) and finish milled invar components.
Welded joints show large variation of the weld toe geometry along the weld seam, which is one important reason for the comparably large scatter in fatigue life. Therefore, it is crucial to take the local geometry at the weld toe into account, to reduce the conservatism in fatigue assessment of welded joints. This study is based on the IBESS procedure for the calculation of the fatigue strength, whereby the evaluation of local geometrical parameters is carried out by means of 3D surface scans. The approach is validated against 26 fatigue test series. The fatigue life is in general overpredicted, whereas good agreement is achieved for high stress ratio (R = 0.5). A sensitivity analysis conducted with IBESS shows that weld toe radii ρ < 2 mm and flank angle α < 30° have a significant influence on the calculated fatigue strength. In contrast to this, no strong correlation between ρ and the fatigue strength was determined experimentally in this study.
The roles of microalloying niobium, titanium and vanadium for controlling austenite grain growth, microstructure evolution and hardness were investigated at different simulated heat affected zones (HAZ) for high strength low alloy (HSLA) S690QL steel. High resolution FEG-SEM has been used to characterize fine bainitic ferrite, martensite and nanosized second phases at simulated coarse and fine grain HAZs. It was found that for Ti bearing steel (Ti/N ratio is 2) austenite grain had the slowest growth rate due to the presence of most stable TiN. The fine cuboidal particles promoted intragranular acicular ferrite (IGF) formation. Nb bearing steel exhibited relatively weaker grain growth retardation compared with titanium bearing steels and a mixed microstructure of bainite and martensite was present for all simulated HAZs. IGF existed at coarse grain HAZ of Ti+V bearing steel but it was totally replaced by bainite at fine grain HAZs. Hardness result was closely related to the morphology of bainitic ferrite, intragranular ferrite and second phases within ferrite. The microstructure and hardness results of different simulated HAZs were in good agreement with welded experimental results.
Novel martensitic filler materials with specially adjusted martensite start temperatures (Ms) can counteract the cooling specific shrinkage due to expansion effects of the weld metal associated with phase transformations. That can be exploited to create compressive residual stresses in the weld and adjacent areas, i.e. beneficial for increasing fatigue strength. The Ms temperature is shifted via the chemical composition, mainly by the alloying elements nickel and chromium, resulting as well in different retained austenite contents. Investigations were made using different Low Transformation Temperature (LTT) alloys with varying nickel content. The resulting phase transformation temperatures were – for the first time – detected using high energy synchrotron diffraction and Single Sensor Differential Thermal Analysis (SS-DTA). Compared to angle dispersive diffraction, energy dispersive diffraction offers the possibility to measure residual stresses of the martensite and austenite phase parallel fast in one experiment up to depths of 100 µm. The residual stresses show significant distributions dependent on Ms temperature. The effect on the cold cracking behaviour of these alloys was investigated using the Tekken test. Results show that cold cracking can be avoided when appropriate contents of retained austenite are existent.
As onshore installation capacity is limited, the increase in the number of offshore wind turbines (OWT) is a major goal. In that connection, the OWTs continuously increase in size and weight and demand adequate foundations concepts like monopiles or tripods. These components are typically manufactured from welded mild steel plates with thickness up to 200 mm. The predominant welding technique is submerged arc welding (SAW). In accordance with the standards, the occurrence of hydrogen-assisted cracking is anticipated by either a minimum waiting time (MWT, before non-destructive testing of the welded joint is allowed) at ambient or a hydrogen removal heat treatment (HRHT) at elevated temperatures. The effectiveness of both can be estimated by calculation of the diffusion time, i.e., diffusion coefficients. In this study, these coefficients are obtained for the first time for a thick-walled S420G2+M offshore steel grade and its multi-layer SAW joint. The electrochemical permeation technique at ambient temperature is used for the determination of diffusion coefficients for both the base material and the weld metal. The coefficients are within a range of 1025 to 1024 mm2/s (whereas the weld metal had the lowest) and are used for an analytical and numerical calculation of the hydrogen diffusion and the related MWT. The results showed that long MWT can occur, which would be necessary to significantly decrease the hydrogen concentration. Weld metal diffusion coefficients at elevated temperatures were calculated from hydrogen desorption experiments by carrier gas hot extraction. They are within a range of 1023 mm2/s and used for the characterization of a HRHT dwell-time. The analytical calculation shows the same tendency of long necessary times also at elevated temperatures. That means the necessary time is strongly influenced by the considered plate thickness and the estimation of any MWT/HRHT via diffusion coefficients should be critically discussed.
Residual stresses and distortions in welded I-girders for steel construction are relevant when evaluating the stability of steel beams and column members. The application of high strength steels allows smaller wall thicknesses compared to conventional steels. Therefore, the risk of buckling has to be considered carefully. Due to the lack of knowledge concerning the residual stresses present after welding in high strength steel components conservative assumptions of their level and distribution is typically applied. In this study I-girders made of steels showing strengths of 355 MPa and 690 MPa were welded with varying heat input. Due to the dimension of the I-girders and the complex geometry the accessibility for residual stress measurement using X-ray diffraction was limited. Therefore, saw cutting accompanied by strain gauge measurement has been used to produce smaller sections appropriate to apply X-ray diffraction. The stress relaxation measured by strain gauges has been added to residual stresses determined by X-ray diffraction to obtain the original stress level and distribution before sectioning. The combination of both techniques can produce robust residual stress values. From practical point of view afford for strain gauge application can be limited to a number of measuring positions solely to record the global amount of stress relaxation. X-ray diffraction can be applied after sectioning to determine the residual stresses with sufficient spatial resolution.
Offshore wind turbines continuously increase in size and weight and demand adequate offshore foundations concepts like monopiles, tripods, or jackets. These components are typically constructed using submerged arc welding (SAW) with high-strength thick steel plates like the S420ML. During welding, the occurrence of delayed hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) must be anticipated. HAC is a critical combination of the local hydrogen concentration within a susceptible microstructure under certain mechanical load, i.e., the occurring (welding) residual stresses. The welding sequence of the thick-walled plates complicates the residual stress distribution due to the necessary repeated thermal cycling, i.e., welding seam/layer deposition to fill the joint. For that purpose, SAW with two-wire-technique was used to weld a specially designed and prototype-like mock-up of a real component with a thickness of 50 mm, filled with over 20 passes and a seam length of 1000 mm. Additional welded stiffeners simulated the effect of a high restraint, to achieve critical HAC conditions. The necessity of a minimum waiting time (MWT) before the NDT can be conducted (to exclude HAC) was critically verified by the application of ultrasonic testing of the welded joint at different time-steps of the NDT of up to 48 h after the completion welding. The residual stresses were determined by a robot XRD goniometer. Tensile residual stresses up to the yield limit are found both in the weld metal and in the heat-affected zone. Numerical modeling allowed the qualitative estimation of the hydrogen diffusion in the weld. No noticeable HAC occurrence was identified and confirms the high cracking resistance of the investigated material. Finally, the applicability of the MWT concept should be critically discussed.
A commonly used way of minimizing the occurrence of hot cracks, especially solidification cracks during component welding, is mainly to analyse and vary process parameters such as welding speed and consequently the heat input. Metallurgy and component design are however hardly ever considered due to special production requirements and therefore, restricted flexibility in material selection and design. Such conditions, especially crack-critical welding positions are given by slot-welds or welds near pre-deformed areas, for instance bending edges. Hence, it follows that increased local and global residual component stress caused cracking on reaching a solidification crack critical level, which is characterised by solidification crack initiation.
The increasing application of supermartensitic steels for welded pipelines is an economical alternative to the hitherto used higher-alloyed materials in the North Sea oil and gas indus-try. Failure in such constructions must at any rate be excluded for economical and ecologi-cal reasons. The application of these steels for the transport of corrosive mixtures may, however, involve hydrogen pickup with subsequent hydrogen-assisted stress corrosion cracking. It is therefore necessary not only to assure the weldability, but particularly to have best possible knowledge of the service behaviour and of the failure risk. In order to ensure the transferability of test results to real joined components, innovative test methods are in-creasingly required to be incorporated into a closed test sequence. It will be demonstrated how it is possible to gain significant advantages from the direct comparison between ex-perimentally determined results from component weld tests on the one hand and material-specific data from small-scale tests on the other hand and numerical simulations. These data that have now been made available are of major importance for industrial applications and are considered to provide a sound basis for realistic lifetime assessments.
Determination of residual stress evolution during repair welding of high-strength steel components
(2022)
During the assembly of steel structures, unacceptable weld defects may be found. An economical solution is local thermal gouging of the affected areas and re-welding. Due to high shrinkage restraints of repair weld and sur- rounding structure, high global and local welding stresses superimpose, and may lead to cracking and component failure, especially in connection with the degraded microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength steels during the repair process. Component-related investigations of high-strength steels (FOSTA P1311/ IGF20162N) focus on welding residual stress evolution during local thermal gouging and rewelding. In this study, repair welding of S500MLO (EN 10225) is carried out using in-situ digital image correlation (DIC) and ex- situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) to analyse strains and stresses. Self-restrained slit specimen geometries were identified representing defined rigidity conditions of repair welds of real components, which were quantified using the restraint intensity concept. The specimens were rewelded with constant welding heat control and parameters. Weld specimens exhibited significantly increased transverse residual stresses with higher transverse restraint intensities, in the weld metal, and in the heat affected zone. Transverse stresses along the weld seam decrease at the weld seam ends leading to different stress state during gouging and welding. XRD analysis of the longitudinal and transverse local residual stresses after cooling to RT showed a good comparability with global DIC analyses.
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.
Ni alloys are generally classified as difficult-to-cut materials and cost intensive. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers economic advantages. However, machining of these AM components is mandatory to create the final contour or surface. The inhomogeneous and anisotropic microstructure and properties of AM components causes an unstable cutting process. Moreover, undesirable tensile residual stresses are generated due to subsequent machining. In this investigation, the initial alloy 36 is modified with Ti and Nb up to 1.6 wt.-% and build-up welded via gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and plasma-transferred-arc (PTA). Then, finish-milling tests are carried out to investigate the influence of the modification as well as the cutting parameters on the resulting cutting force and the surface integrity. In addition, the conventional milling process (CM) is compared with the ultrasonic-assisted milling process (US), which has a significant influence on the machinability as well as on the surface integrity.
Effect of cooling rate on microstructure and properties of microalloyed HSLA steel weld metals
(2015)
Two high strength Nb/Ti microalloyed S690QL steels were welded with identical filler material, varying welding parameters to obtain three cooling rates: slow, medium and fast cooling. As cooling rate increased, the predominantly acicular ferrite in Nb weld metal (WM) is substituted by bainite, with a consequence of obvious hardness increase, but in Ti WM, no great variation of acicular ferrite at all cooling rates contributed to little increment of hardness. The transition between bainite and acicular ferrite has been analysed from the point view of inclusions characteristics, chemical composition and cooling rate. Excellent Charpy toughness at 233 K was obtained with acicular ferrite as predominantly microstructure. Even with bainite weld of high hardness, the toughness was nearly enough to fulfill the minimal requirements. WM for Ti steel showed to be markedly less sensitive to the variations of cooling rate than that for Nb steel.
The steel grade 20MnMoNi5-5 (according to German DIN standard or 16MND5 according to French AFNOR standard) is widely applied in (weld) fabrication of reactor pressure vessel components. Thus, a wide range of welding technologies (like submerged arc welding (SAW) or tungsten inert gas (TIG)) is used resulting in different heat affected zone (HAZ) microstructures. During weld fabrication, the weld joints may take up hydrogen. Especially, the HAZ shows an increased susceptibility for a degradation of the mechanical properties in presence of hydrogen. In addition, the hydrogen-assisted degradation of mechanical properties is influenced by three main local factors: hydrogen concentration, microstructure, and load condition. Hence, the base material (BM) and two different simulated non-tempered as-quenched HAZ microstructures were examined using hydrogen-free and hydrogen-charged tensile specimens. The results indicate that the effect of hydrogen on the degradation is significantly increased in case of the HAZ compared to the BM. In addition, hydrogen has remarkable effect in terms of reduction of ductility. It was ascertained that the degradation of the mechanical properties increases in the order of BM, bainitic HAZ, and the martensitic HAZ. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigation showed a distinct change of the fracture topography depended on the microstructure with increasing hydrogen concentration in case of the as-quenched HAZ microstructures.
Present trends to lightweight design lead to an expanding relevance of high-strength fine-grained structural steels especially in mobile crane constructions. With growing material strength, the challenge for welding fabrication increases, since high loading capacities and safety requirements have to be accomplished. The utilisation of the high strength potential often requires complex constructions associated with high restraint conditions while welding. Increased residual stresses may occur due to superimposing reaction and restraint stresses, which have to be quantified and evaluated to ensure the safety and integrity of high-strength steel constructions. Particularly, the scope of residual stresses has to be taken into account for different effects in the HAZ, notches, weld and base metal. Commonly, conservative assumptions of residual stresses lead to distinct underestimations of the load bearing capacity particularly for welded high-strength steel constructions. This study concludes results of recent works of the researchers regarding the complex interaction among heat control, material and restraint intensity on the residual stress state in welded components. These analyses are extended by further experiments. Based on the obtained major effects, an approach for a welding residual stress assessment regarding component design according to prevailing standards for crane construction, an important application for high-strength steels, is presented.
Offshore wind turbines are an important goal in national energy strategies worldwide. Foundation structures are manufactured from submerged arc welded (SAW) plates with thicknesses up to 200 mm. In that connection, high-strength steels like the S420G2+M are more and more applied offering the possibility for increased stability and load-bearing capacity of the foundations. These offshore steel grades can show a susceptibility for delayed hydrogen assisted cold cracking of the weld joints. For that purpose, a minimum waiting time (MWT) of up to 48 h (dependent on applied standards) is recommended before non-destructive testing is allowed and conducted. But this concept is based on older steel grades that have been used for three or more decades. Nowadays, the metallurgical improvements (clean steels, proper rolling, and heat treatment) of base materials and well as welding consumables must be anticipated. Hence, the MWT concept should be critically discussed as it is assumed to be very conservative. For that reason, the focus of this study was to investigate the diffusion behavior in S420G2+M steel and its multi-layer SAW joint. Electrochemical permeation experiments were carried at room temperature. Boundary conditions were anticipated in terms of using different sample thicknesses. From the experimental data, hydrogen diffusion coefficients and absorbed diffusible hydrogen concentrations had been calculated. It was shown that hydrogen diffusion in the base material is increased compared to the weld metal. In addition, the sample thickness had a significant on the calculated diffusion coefficients. The minimum and maximum diffusion coefficients had been used for numerical modelling of the hydrogen diffusion in the welding joint. It became clear that a MWT must be always regarded together with a critical initial diffusible hydrogen concentration for the evaluation of a possible delayed cracking as diffusion times were mostly > 48 h due to the thick plates.
Today, an expanding application of high-strength steels in modern welded constructions can be observed. The economical use of these steel grades largely depends on the strength and reliability of the weldments. Therefore, the special microstructure and mechanical properties of these grades have to be taken into account by keener working ranges regarding the welding parameters.
However, performance and safety of welded components are strongly affected by the stresses occurring during and after welding fabrication locally in the weld seam and globally in the whole component, especially if the shrinkage and distortion due to welding are restrained. Some extensive studies describe the optimization of the welding stresses and the metallurgical effects regarding an adapted welding heat control. Lower working temperatures revealed to be particularly effective to reduce the local and global welding-induced residual stresses of the complete weld significantly. However, decreased interpass temperatures cause concurrently higher stresses during welding fabrication. This work shows strategies to reduce these in-process stresses.
With help of multi-axial welding stress analyses in component-related weld tests, using a special 2-MN-testing facility, differences in stress build-up are described in detail for root welds, filler layers and subsequent cooling to ambient temperature.
For the safety and cost efficiency of welded high-strength steel structures, precise knowledge of the level and distribution of welding- and cooling-specific stresses and residual stresses is essential, since they exert a decisive influence on strength, crack resistance, and finally on the bearable service load. This paper presents innovative filler materials, of which the phase transformation temperature was deliberately adjusted via the chemical composition. The transformation behaviour of these martensitic Low Transformation Temperature (LTT-) filler materials shows direct effects on the local residual stresses in the weld and the HAZ. These effects can purposefully be exploited to counteract the thermally induced shrinkage of the material and to produce significant compressive residual stresses in the weld. Comparative welding experiments were carried out on 690 MPa high-strength base materials using various LTT-filler materials. High energy synchrotron radiation was used for residual stress measurement. Particularly the use of high energy synchrotron radiation makes it possible to detect the residual stress condition fast without destruction of material. Thereby, residual stress depth gradients can be determined simultaneously without removing material. In steel, gradients of up to 150 µm can be resolved in such a way. Furthermore, the application of high energy radiation permits determination of residual stresses of any available residual austenite contents. Results show significant dependence of transformation temperatures on the resulting residual stress level and distribution.
Residual stresses are crucial when assessing the performance of welded components. The present work deals with the possibilities of transferring the real-life boundary conditions of welding, which influence the residual stress, into the laboratory. The possibilities of a test system specifically developed for this purpose with a maximum capacity of 2 MN are shown. Due to the structural design, global process, geometry and material-dependent stresses are induced, which can be simulated and quantified within the system. Additionally, X-ray diffraction can be applied to determine the resulting local residual stress distribution precisely with high spatial resolution. Two examples are presented how the conditions to be found during production are simulated in the laboratory. It is shown how welding residual stresses in high-strength steels are affected by the heat control. It was possible to clarify why elevated working temperatures significantly increase the bending stresses in the welded joint and therefore the tensile residual stresses in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The effect of a heat treatment applied under mechanical stress resulting from welding is demonstrated by the example of a creep resistant steel. Reheat cracking is significantly increased in this case compared to small scale laboratory based tests.
Three high-strength Nb-, Ti- and Ti + Vmicroalloyed S690QL steels were welded to investigate the formation of softened HAZ and its impact on tensile properties. The welding was performed with three levels of heat input to produce softened zones with different characteristics (softening width, minimum hardness and softening ratio), and then, further tensile tests were done to study their influence on weld performance. The results showed that Ti bearing steel exhibited the lowest resistance to softening with the presence of largest soften width and lowest hardness value, causing final tensile failure occurred at softened HAZ. The metallurgical reason for the lower hardness is the high fraction of coarse ferrite. Nb- and Ti + V-bearing steels suffered moderate softening, due to high hardenability with addition of Mo, Nb and V, but the softening effect did not remarkably influence the tensile properties of these two steels.
Commercial high-strength fller metals for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) are already available. However, widespread industrial use is currently limited due to a lack of quantitative knowledge and guidelines regarding welding stresses and component safety during manufacture and operation for WAAM structures. In a joint research project, the process- and material-related as well as design infuences associated with residual stress formation and the risk of cold cracking are being investigated. For this purpose, reference specimens are welded fully automated with defned dimensions and systematic variation of heat control using a special, high-strength WAAM fller metal (yield strength>790 MPa). Heat control is varied by means of heat input (200–650 kJ/m) and interlayer temperature (100–300 °C). The ∆t8/5 cooling times correspond with the recommendations of fller metal producers (approx. 5–20 s). For this purpose, additional thermo-physical forming simulations using a dilatometer allowed the complex heat cycles to be reproduced and the resulting ultimate tensile strength of the weld metal to be determined. Welding parameters and AM geometry are correlated with the resulting microstructure, hardness, and residual stress state. High heat input leads to a lower tensile stress in the component and may cause unfavorable microstructure and mechanical properties. However, a sufciently low interlayer temperature is likely to be suitable for obtaining adequate properties at a reduced tensile stress level when welding with high heat input. The component design afects heat dissipation conditions and the intensity of restraint during welding and has a signifcant infuence on the residual stress. These complex interactions are analyzed within this investigation. The aim is to provide easily applicable processing recommendations and standard specifcations for an economical, appropriate, and crack-safe WAAM of high-strength steels.
Spectacular failure cases of fossil power stations in the recent years exhibited severe cracking in T24 welds. The results show that hydrogen-assisted cracking up to 200 °C cannot be excluded. Hence, it is important to gain a basic understanding on how hydrogen might affect the basic material properties in the respective weld microstructures. The present study focuses on hydrogen degradation of the respective weld microstructures, i.e., the weld metal and the coarse grained heat affected zone, where actually cracking appeared in practice. Tensile tests were carried out for coarse grain heataffected zone (CGHAZ) and the weld metal in uncharged and electrochemically hydrogen-charged condition. It turned out that both microstructures show distinct tendency for gradual degradation of mechanical properties in the presence of increasing hydrogen concentration. Already for a hydrogen concentration about and above 2 ml/100 g Fe, a significant ductility reduction has been observed. SEM investigations revealed that the fracture topography changes from ductile topography in uncharged condition to intergranular topography for the CGHAZ and to ductile-brittle mix for the weld metal (WM) in hydrogen charged condition. Ti-rich inclusions were identified as central regions of quasi-cleavage fracture areas in the WM. An approximation procedure is applied to quantify the degradation intensity.
Carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE) is a commonly applied technique for determination of hydrogen in weld joints using a thermal conductivity detector (TCD) for hydrogen measurement. The CGHE is based on the accelerated hydrogen effusion due to thermal activation at elevated temperatures. The ISO 3690 standard suggests different specimen geometries as well as necessary minimum extraction time vs. temperature. They have the biggest influence on precise hydrogen determination. The present study summarizes the results and experience of numerous test runs with different specimen temperatures, geometries (ISO 3690 type B and small cylindrical samples), and factors that additionally influence hydrogen determination. They are namely specimen surface (polished/as-welded), limited TCD sensitivity vs. specimen volume, temperature measurement vs. effects of PI-furnace controller, as well as errors due to insufficient data assessment. Summarized, the temperature is the driving force of the CGHE. Two different methods are suggested to increase the heating rate up to the desired extraction temperature without changing the experimental equipment. Suggestions are made to improve the reliability of hydrogen determination depended on the hydrogen signal stability during extraction accompanied by Evaluation of the recorded data. Generally, independent temperature measurement with dummy specimens is useful for further data analysis, especially if this data is used for calculation of trapping kinetics by thermal desorption analysis (TDA).
High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steels with yield strength ≥ 690 MPa have increasing importance in steel construction and civil engineering. However, weld processing of those steels is a major challenge. The susceptibility for degradation of mechanical properties of weld joints significantly increases in presence of hydrogen and can result in hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC). Generally, risk for HAC increases with increasing yield strength of HSLA steels. To minimize the incidence of HAC, it is essential to gain knowledge about both the (1) absorbed hydrogen amount and its distribution in the weld seam and (2) options to lower
the amount of introduced hydrogen. Existing standards recommend heat treatment procedures (interpass temperature or post weld heat treatment) to reduce the diffusible hydrogen concentration in weldments. In this context, different weld seam geometries should be considered. For HSLA steel fabrication weld processing with seam opening angles of 45° to 60° is typical. Modern weld technologies allow welding with seam opening angles of 30° - reduced welding time and costs. In the present study, the hydrogen distribution in multi-layer welds of a 960 MPa HSLA steel was analysed. Influence of different seam opening angles as well as heat input, interpass temperature and post weld heat treatments were investigated. The welded samples were quenched in ice water immediately after welding and subsequently stored in liquid nitrogen. After defined warming up, small specimens were machined from the weld seam by water jet cutting. The diffusible hydrogen concentration was measured by carrier gas hot extraction with coupled mass spectrometer. The results showed, that low heat input and post weld heat treatment procedures can lower hydrogen concentrations in welds. Furthermore, a gradient of the hydrogen concentration was
identified with increasing weld pool depth. By varying the seam opening angles different hydrogen concentrations were
measured.
Hydrogen-assisted cracking is a critical combination of local microstructure, mechanical load and hydrogen concentration. Welded microstructures of low-alloyed creep-resistant Cr-Mo-V steels show different hydrogen trapping kinetics. This influences the adsorbed hydrogen concentration as well as the diffusion by moderate or strong trapping. A common approach to describe hydrogen traps is by their activation energy that is necessary to release hydrogen from the trap. In the present study, Cr-Mo-V steel T24 (7CrMoVTiB10-10) base material and TIG weld metal were investigated. Electrochemically hydrogen charged specimens
were analyzed by thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with different linear heating rates. The results show two different effects. At first, the microstructure effect on trapping is evident in terms of higher hydrogen concentrations in the weld metal and increased activation energy for hydrogen release. Secondly, it is necessary to monitor the real specimen temperature. A comparison between the adjusted heating rate and the real specimen temperature shows that the calculated activation energy varies by factor two. Thus, the trap character in case of the base material changes to irreversible at decreased temperature. Hence, the effect of the experimental procedure must be considered as well if evaluating TDA results. Finally, realistic temperature assessment is mandatory for calculation of activation energy via TDA.
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.
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.
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.
Compared to conventional welding consumables using low transformation temperature (LTT) filler materials is an innovative method to mitigate tensile residual stresses due to delayed martensite transformation of the weld. For the effective usage of LTT filler materials, a deeper understanding of the complex processes that lead to the final residual stress state during multipass welding is necessary. Transformation kinetics and the strain evolution of multi-pass welds during welding were investigated in situ at the beamline HEMS@PETRAIII, Germany. Compared to conventional welds, the total strain was reduced and compression strain was achieved when using LTT filler materials. For an optimal use of the LTT effect in the root of multi-pass welds, the alloying concept must be adapted taking care of dilution.
In situ chemical analysis of duplex stainless steel weld by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy
(2024)
The high corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties of duplex stainless steel (DSS) are due to its special chemical composition, which is a balanced phase ratio of ferrite (α) and austenite (γ). Many industrial applications require the integration of DSS components. For this, Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is an excellent choice, as it allows an automated operation with high reproducibility. However, when the weld pool solidifies, critical ratios of α- and γ- phases can occur, which lead to solidification cracking, increased susceptibility to corrosion, and a decrease in ductility and critical strength. Previous studies have shown that these defects can be caused by the accumulation of manganese and chromium in the heat affected zone (HAZ), requiring ongoing monitoring of this accumulation. A suitable method for such monitoring is laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which can be used in two operating modes: calibration using standard reference samples and calibration-free. Unlike conventional quantitative LIBS measurements, which require reference samples to generate a calibration curve, calibration-free LIBS (CF-LIBS) allows chemical compositions to be determined solely from the emission spectrum of the plasma. Numerous publications show that CF-LIBS is a fast and efficient analytical method for the quantitative analysis of metal samples. In this work, CF-LIBS is applied to spectra obtained during GTAW DSS welding and the result is compared with those obtained by PLS analysis. A good correlation was found between both types of analysis, demonstrating the suitability of the CF-LIBS method for this application. The CF-LIBS method has a significant advantage over conventional LIBS due to the rapid in situ measurement of concentrations of major alloying elements without calibration procedure. This, combined with fast feedback and appropriate adjustment of welding parameters, helps prevent welding defects.
In situ EDXRD study of MAG-welding using LTT weld filler materials under structural restraint
(2017)
Welding using low transformation temperature (LTT) filler materials is an innovative approach to mitigate detrimental welding residual stresses without cost-intensive post weldtreatments. Due to the local Generation of compressive residual stresses in the weld line by means of a delayed martensite transformation a significant enhancement of the cold cracking resistance of highly stressed welded components can be expected. For the effective usage of These materials a deeper understanding of the microstructural evolution inside the weld material is necessary to determine the complex processes that cause the residual stress formation during welding. Solid-state phase transformation kinetics and the evolution of strain in LTT weld filler materials are monitored in-situ at the instrument ID15A at the ESRF in Grenoble, France. The transferability to real components is implemented by using a realistic MAG welding process under consideration of structural restraint. During welding of multilayer joints, the phase Transformation and phase specific strain evolution of each individual layer is investigated in transmission geometry by means of energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction EDXRD using high energy synchrotron Radiation with a counting rate of 2.5 Hz. The measurement results of a 10% Cr / 10% Ni LTT weld filler are compared to data monitored for the conventional weld filler material G89. The in-situ data clearly indicate a strong effect on the local strain evolution and the formation of compressive strain. This results from the restraint volume expansion during the postponed austenite to martensite transformation of the LTT weld filler, which counteracts the thermal shrinkage. In contrast, for the conventional weld filler material the thermal contraction strains lead to tensile residual strain during welding. Furthermore, the results of in-situ observation during welding Show that the transformation kinetic is dependent on the welding sequence.
Many applications in industry require a material-to-material joining process of Duplex Stainless Steels (DSS). Therefore, it is essential to investigate the material’s properties during a welding process to control the weld quality. With the help of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), the chemical composition during the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process of DSS could be monitored in situ. The chemical composition could be quantitatively measured using pre-established calibration curves. Although the surface temperature and the welding plasma have a high influence on the spectral intensities, reliable composition measurements were possible. The concentration of alloying elements could be mapped during the TIG welding process.
A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was combined with a bead-on-plate Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process for the in situ measurement of chemical compositions in austenitic stainless steels during welding.Monitoring the weld pool's chemical composition allows governing the weld pool solidification behavior, and thus enables the reduction of susceptibility to weld defects. Conventional inspection methods for weld seams (e.g. ultrasonic inspection) cannot be performed during the welding process. The analysis system also allows in situ study of the correlation between the occurrence ofweld defects and changes in the chemical composition in theweld pool or in the two-phase regionwhere solid and liquid phase coexist. First experiments showed that both the shielding Ar gas and the welding arc plasma have a significant effect on the selected Cr II, Ni II and MnII characteristicemissions, namely an artificial increase of intensity values via unspecific emission in the spectra.
In situ investigations showed that this artificial intensity increase reached a maximum in presence of weld plume. Moreover, an explicit decay has been observedwith the termination of thewelding plumedue to infrared radiation during sample cooling. Furthermore, LIBS can be used after welding to map element distribution. For austenitic stainless steels,Mnaccumulations on both sides of theweld could be detected between the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the base material.
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.
Modifying the level of mostly detrimental welding residual stresses already during the welding process would be highly attractive as time- and cost-consuming post processing may be prevented. The nature of stress buildup during welding-associated cooling is highly affected by phase transformations. Up to now, it is not clear in which way this is applicable to real component welding exhibiting high shrinkage restraint and complex heat input. In this study, two different low transformation temperature (LTT) alloys have been investigated concerning the stress development in restrained multi-run butt welding in order to evaluate the potential of stress reduction. Pulsed gas metal arc welding (P-GMAW) welding was executed on a testing facility designed to simulate real lifelike restraint conditions of component weldments. The effect of reducedMS-temperatures and the heat control on the globally acting stresses was monitored by in-situ measurement of the reaction forces during welding fabrication. Additional local residual stress measurements allowed analyzing global as well as local loading of the welded construction. Although phase transformation has a significant influence on unloading the joint during each weld pass, the reaction stress upon cooling to room temperature seems to be determined mainly by the heat input. On the surface, low longitudinal residual stresses were observed in case of LTT whereas transverse residual stresses are less affected.
Residual stresses are crucial when assessing the performance of welded components. The present work deals with the possibilities of transferring the real-life boundary conditions of welding, which influence the residual stress, into the laboratory. The possibilities of a test system with a load capacity of 2 MN specifically developed for online monitoring of stress formation and cracking are shown. Due to the structural design, global process, geometry and material-dependent stresses are induced, which can be quantified in-situ during welding and post weld heat treatment. Examples are presented how the conditions to be found during production are simulated in the laboratory. It is shown how welding residual stresses in high-strength steels are affected by the heat control. Elevated working temperatures significantly increase the tensile residual stresses in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The effect of mechanical stresses resulting from welding on stress relief cracking is demonstrated by the example of a creep resistant steel. Reheat cracks were monitored online during post weld heat treatment.
Residual stresses are crucial when assessing the performance of welded components. The present work deals with the possibilities of transferring the real-life boundary conditions of welding, which influence the residual stress, into the laboratory. The possibilities of a test system with a load capacity of 2 MN specifically developed for online monitoring of stress formation and cracking are shown. Due to the structural design, global process, geometry and material-dependent stresses are induced, which can be quantified in-situ during welding and post weld heat treatment. Examples are presented how the conditions to be found during production are simulated in the laboratory. It is shown how welding residual stresses in high-strength steels are affected by the heat control. Elevated working temperatures significantly increase the tensile residual stresses in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The effect of mechanical stresses resulting from welding on stress relief cracking is demonstrated by the example of a creep resistant steel. Reheat cracks were monitored online during post weld heat treatment.
Cold cracking resistance is a relevant evaluation criterion for welded joints and affected by residual stresses which result from the welding procedure. Compressive residual stresses can thereby have a positive influence on preventing cracking. A unique possibility of generating compressive residual stresses already during the welding procedure is offered by the so-called Low Transformation Temperature (LTT) filler wires. Compared to conventional wires, these materials show decreased phase transformation temperatures which can work against the cooling-specific contraction. In consequence, distinct compressive residual stresses can be observed within the weld and adjacent areas. The strength of these fillers makes them potentially applicable to high-strength steel welding. Investigations were carried out to determine the phase transformation behaviour of different LTT-filler materials. Transformation temperatures were identified using Single Sensor Differential Thermal Analysis (SS-DTA). Additionally Synchrotron radiation was used to measure the transformation kinetics of all involved crystalline phases during heating and cooling of a simulated weld thermal cycle.
A long list of criteria determining the hot cracking susceptibility already exists. A main influence on solidification cracking can result from the design of the welded construction, i.e. from the influence of external loads. Using the Controlled Tensile Weldability (CTW) test, an external load hot cracking test, the influence of constant pre-load and different extension rates on the solidification cracking behavior of GTA (Gas Tungsten Arc) welds in an austenitic (AISI 309) and a ferritic (AISI 441) steel were investigated. Compared to specimens welded allowing free shrinkage and welded with an applied constant tensile pre-load, the specimens welded during the application of increasing tensile load show solidification cracks. In the weld seams, a characteristic angle α between the predominantly columnar grains and the fusion line can be observed. Specimens showing solidification cracks show a significantly larger angle α compared to the crack-free specimens. Based on these observations, the characteristic angle α is proposed as a new hot cracking criterion.
High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steels with yield strength ≥ 690 MPa are gaining popularity in civil engineering and construction of heavy vehicles. With increasing yield strength, the susceptibility for degradation of the mechanical properties in the presence of diffusible hydrogen, i.e., hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC), generally increases. HAC is a result of the critical interaction between local microstructure, mechanical load, and hydrogen concentration. In existing standards for welding of HSLA-steels, recommendations including working temperatures and dehydrogenation heat treatment (DHT) are given to Limit the amount of introduced hydrogen during welding. These recommendations are based on investigations into conventional arc welding processes. In the past decade, modern weld technologies were developed to enable welding of narrower weld seams with V-grooves of 30°, e.g., the modified spray arc process. In that connection, a reduced number of weld runs and weld volume are important technical and, economic benefits. In the present study, the hydrogen distribution in S960QL multi-layer welds with thickness of 20 mm was analyzed. The influence of different weld seam opening angles, heat input, working temperature and DHT were investigated. The results show that weldments with narrow grooves contained an increased amount of diffusible hydrogen. Hydrogen concentration has been reduced by decreasing both the heat input and working temperature. Hydrogen-free weldments were only achieved via subsequent DHT after welding. Furthermore, hydrogen distribution was experimentally determined across the weld seam thickness in HSLA gas metal arc welded multi-layer welds for the first time.
The current paper presents residual stress analyses of large scale LTT (Low Transformation Temperature) welds. LTT filler materials are specially designed for residual stress engineering by means of an adjusted martensite phase transformation. Controlling the level of mostly detrimental residual stresses already during the welding process would be highly attractive as time and cost consuming post processing may be prevented. In large scale welds the residual stress state is influenced by the heat control (e.g. interpass temperature) during welding. Therefore, welding residual stresses are studied here putting the focus on the influence of welding process parameters while joining heavy steel sections with a thickness of 25 mm. The residual stress state was determined at the top surface using X-ray diffraction as well as in the bulk by neutron diffraction. The results show that control of the interpass temperature is vital for the residual stresses present in the joints. This accounts for the top surface but is most pronounced for the bulk of the welds. While high interpass temperatures are appropriate to induce compressive residual stresses in the weld metal, low interpass temperatures favor unwanted tensile residual stresses instead.
Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) enables the efficient production of weight-optimized modern engineering structures. Further increases in efficiency can be achieved by using high-strength structural steels. Commercial welding consumables for WAAM are already available on the market. Lack of knowledge and guidelines regarding welding residual stress and component safety during production and operation leads to severely limited use for industry applications. The sensitive microstructure of high-strength steels carries a high risk of cold cracking; therefore, residual stresses play a crucial role. For this reason, the influences of the material, the WAAM process, and the design on the formation of residual stresses and the risk of cold cracking are being investigated. The material used has a yield strength of over 800 MPa. This strength is adjusted via solid solution strengthening and a martensitic phase transformation. The volume expansion associated with martensite formation has a significant influence on the residual stresses. The focus of the present investigation is on the additive welding parameters and component design on their influence on hardness and residual stresses, which are analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD). Reference specimens (hollow cuboids) are welded fully automated with a systematic variation of heat control and design. Welding parameters and AM geometry are correlated with the resulting microstructure, hardness, and residual stress state. Increased heat input leads to lower tensile residual stresses which causes unfavorable microstructure and mechanical properties. The component design affects heat dissipation conditions and the intensity of restraint during welding and has a significant influence on the residual stress.
Carbon arc-air gouging is a common technology when repairing defects in welded structures. Often this technique is applied in repeated cycles even on the same location of the joint. Due to the multiple heat input by gouging and subsequent re-welding, the residual stresses are strongly influenced. This can become crucial when microstructure and mechanical properties are adversely affected by multiple weld reparations. Knowledge about the relation of gouging and residual stresses is scarce but important when high strength steels, which are sensitive to residual stresses, are processed. The present study shows the effect of repair welding on a high strength steel structural element. The weld and the heat affected zone were subjected to multiple thermal cycles by gouging and subsequent repair welding. The residual stresses were determined by X-ray diffraction at different positions along the joint. The results showed that the residual stress level has increased by the repair cycles. This is most pronounced for the heat affected zone. Adapted welding procedures may prevent detrimental residual stress distributions.
In order to satisfy the growing requirements towards lightweight design and resource efficiency in modern steel constructions, e.g., mobile cranes and bridges, high-strength steels with typical yield strength ≥ 690 MPa are coming into use to an increasing extent. However, these steels require special treatment in welding. The susceptibility for degradation of the mechanical properties
in the presence of hydrogen increases significantly with increasing yield strength. In case of missing knowledge about how and the amount of hydrogen that is uptaken during welding, hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) can be a negative consequence.
Moreover, modern weld technology like the modified spray arc process enables welding of narrower weld seams. In this context,
a reduced number of weld beads, volume, and total heat input are technical and economical benefits. This work presents the influence of welding parameters on the diffusible hydrogen content in both (1) single-pass and (2) multi-layer welds. Different
hydrogen concentrations were detected by varied contact tube distance, wire feed speed, arc length, and varied arc type (transitional
arc and modified spray arc). The results show that all welding parameters have significant influence on the diffusible hydrogen concentration in the single-pass welds. By increasing the number of weld beads in case of multi-layer welding, the
hydrogen concentration has been reduced. Whereby, differences in hydrogen concentrations between both arc types are present.
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.