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The weldability of stainless steels is largely controlled by the chemical composition, and alloys with ferritic or ferritic-austenitic solidification show the highest resistance to hot cracking. As the resulting phase balance also
affects the final properties, it may be beneficial to both foresee and measure the weld metal ferrite content. The WRC ’92 constitution diagram is currently the most accurate prediction tool available, but it does not take the cooling rate into consideration and the precision may be less accurate for stainless steels with high ferrite numbers (FN). This study aims to validate the reliability of the WRC ’92 diagram for weld metals with FN > 50. The chemical composition was altered through gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) of UNS S32205 with ER347 filler wire that had been PVD-coated with either niobium (Nb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), carbon (C), or silicon (Si). The actual ferrite content was assessed using image analysis, FERITSCOPE® and X-ray diffraction (XRD). While the WRC ’92 diagram predictions were deemed accurate to acceptable for Ni, Si, and Mn, notable deviations were observed for Nb, Cu, and C. The FeriteScope exhibited a consistent trend with image analysis, though the values were higher, and scatter was wider, and the conversion factor is open for discussion. The lowest accuracy and largest spread were obtained using non-contact XRD, rendering it unsuitable for ferrite measurements of welds.
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes enable the efficient production of advanced constructions. New developments in topology optimization are leading to weight-optimized designs of increasing complexity. Direct energy deposition processes (DED) such as wire and arc-based additive manufacturing are an important method of additive manufacturing. The wire filler metals enable a wide range of materials, while the arc process provides a high deposition rate compared to laser and powder-based processes. Combined with the use of high-strength steels, the thickness of walls or components can be significantly reduced in the context of lightweight construction, which results in significant savings in energy, costs, time and resources. Suitable high-strength steel filler metals are commercially available for DED-arc AM processes. However, guidelines and quantitative knowledge about welding stresses and cold cracking issues during component production and service are lacking. This limits the industrial application considerably. In a joint project of BAM and Chemnitz University of Technology, the main influences and complex interactions of material, production process, design and processing steps on the residual stress level are investigated. The aim is to develop processing recommendations and a cold cracking test for economical processing and stress-related design of high-strength steels with DED-arc. This study focuses on residual stress analysis by neutron diffraction (ND) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) on defined test specimens. The ND analysis were performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute- Villigen, Switzerland (PSI) and the XRD analysis at BAM. The study shows a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the residual stress magnitudes and distribution between the component bulk (ND) and surface (XRD) analyses. The ND analysis reveals that in DED-arc AM walls the residual stresses dominate in the direction of welding and are negligibly small in each case transverse to the direction of welding. The topology of the analyzed residual stresses shows almost identical residual stress maps compared to XRD. In addition, the residual stresses are significantly influenced by the solid phase transformation of the material due to low cooling times and less post heat treatment cycles of following AM layers in the area of the top layer.
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes enable the efficient production of advanced constructions. New developments in topology optimization are leading to weight-optimized designs of increasing complexity. Direct energy deposition processes (DED) such as wire and arc-based additive manufacturing are an important method of additive manufacturing. The wire filler metals enable a wide range of materials, while the arc process provides a high deposition rate compared to laser and powder-based processes. Combined with the use of high-strength steels, the thickness of walls or components can be significantly reduced in the context of lightweight construction, which results in significant savings in energy, costs, time and resources. Suitable high-strength steel filler metals are commercially available for DED-arc AM processes. However, guidelines and quantitative knowledge about welding stresses and cold cracking issues during component production and service are lacking. This limits the industrial application considerably. In a joint project of BAM and Chemnitz University of Technology, the main influences and complex interactions of material, production process, design and processing steps on the residual stress level are investigated. The aim is to develop processing recommendations and a cold cracking test for economical processing and stress-related design of high-strength steels with DED-arc. This study focuses on residual stress analysis by neutron diffraction (ND) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) on defined test specimens. The ND analysis were performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute- Villigen, Switzerland (PSI) and the XRD analysis at BAM. The study shows a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the residual stress magnitudes and distribution between the component bulk (ND) and surface (XRD) analyses. The ND analysis reveals that in DED-arc AM walls the residual stresses dominate in the direction of welding and are negligibly small in each case transverse to the direction of welding. The topology of the analyzed residual stresses shows almost identical residual stress maps compared to XRD. In addition, the residual stresses are significantly influenced by the solid phase transformation of the material due to low cooling times and less post heat treatment cycles of following AM layers in the area of the top layer.
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes enable the efficient production of advanced constructions. New developments in topology optimization are leading to weight-optimized designs of increasing complexity. Direct energy deposition processes (DED) such as wire and arc-based additive manufacturing are an important method of additive manufacturing. The wire filler metals enable a wide range of materials, while the arc process provides a high deposition rate compared to laser and powder-based processes. Combined with the use of high-strength steels, the thickness of walls or components can be significantly reduced in the context of lightweight construction, which results in significant savings in energy, costs, time and resources. Suitable high-strength steel filler metals are commercially available for DED-arc AM processes. However, guidelines and quantitative knowledge about welding stresses and cold cracking issues during component production and service are lacking. This limits the industrial application considerably. In a joint project of BAM and Chemnitz University of Technology, the main influences and complex interactions of material, production process, design and processing steps on the residual stress level are investigated. The aim is to develop processing recommendations and a cold cracking test for economical processing and stress-related design of high-strength steels with DED-arc. This study focuses on residual stress analysis by neutron diffraction (ND) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) on defined test specimens. The ND analysis were performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute- Villigen, Switzerland (PSI) and the XRD analysis at BAM. The study shows a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the residual stress magnitudes and distribution between the component bulk (ND) and surface (XRD) analyses. The ND analysis reveals that in DED-arc AM walls the residual stresses dominate in the direction of welding and are negligibly small in each case transverse to the direction of welding. The topology of the analyzed residual stresses shows almost identical residual stress maps compared to XRD. In addition, the residual stresses are significantly influenced by the solid phase transformation of the material due to low cooling times and less post heat treatment cycles of following AM layers in the area of the top layer.
Stresses in repair welding of high-strength steels Part 2: Heat Control and Stress Optimization
(2023)
In welding of high-strength steels, e.g., for foundations and erection structures of wind energy plants, unacceptable defects can occasionally be found in the weld area, which should be removed by thermal gouging and subsequent re-welding. High shrinkage restraint of repair welds may lead to crack formation and component failure, particularly in interaction with degraded microstructures and mechanical properties due to repair cycles. This study aims for elaboration of recommendations for repair concepts appropriate to the stresses and materials involved to avoid cold cracking, damage and expensive reworking. In part 1 [1] of this study systematic investigations of influences of shrinkage restraint on residual stresses and cold cracking risk during repair welding of two high-strength steels S500MLO for offshore application and S960QL for mobile crane structures were focussed. In this part 2, the microstructure and residual stresses due to gouging and influences of heat control parameters in repair welding are analysed. A clear reduction in residual stress after gouging can be observed, especially for the specimens with restrained transverse shrinkage. Gouging to a depth of approx. 2/3 of the seam height does not lead to a complete relaxation of the observed reaction forces. Particularly for the higher strength steel S960QL, there are pronounced areas influenced by the gouging process in which a degradation of the microstructure and properties should be assumed. Overall, the repair welds show a significant increase in the width of the weld and HAZ compared to the original weld, especially in the case of S960QL/G89. The repair welds show higher welding-induced stresses than the original welds, especially in the areas of the HAZ and the base metal close to the weld seam. This behaviour can be attributed overall to increased restraint conditions due to the remaining root weld or shorter gouge grooves. In good agreement with earlier investigations, the residual stresses transverse to the weld can be significantly reduced by upwardly limited working or interpass temperatures and the reaction stresses resulting from high restraint conditions can be effectively counteracted. The influence of the heat input on the stress formation is low compared to the interpass temperature for both test materials.
The sustainable and resource-efficient production of wind energy plants requires the use of modern high-strength fine-grain structural steels. This applies to both foundation and erection structures, like mobile or ship cranes. During the assembly of steel structures, unacceptable defects can occasionally be found in the weld area. In most cases, the economical solution would be local thermal gouging of the affected areas and re-welding. Due to the high shrinkage restraint of the joint groove in the overall structure, the superposition of global and local welding-induced stresses may lead to crack formation and component failure, particularly in interaction with the degradation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength steels during the repair process. However, manufacturers hardly have any information about these issues and there is a lack of recommendations and guidelines to take these safety-relevant aspects into account in adequate repair concepts. The aim of this research is to derive recommendations for repair concepts appropriate to the stresses and materials involved providing a basis for standards and guidelines to avoid cold cracking, damage and expensive reworking especially for high-strength steels. Part 1 of this study involves systematic investigations of influences of shrinkage restraint during repair welding of two high-strength steels S500MLO for offshore application and S960QL for mobile crane structures. The quantification of the shrinkage restraint of repair weld joints was achieved by means of experimental and numerical restraint intensity analysis. In welding experiments with self-restrained slot specimens, restraint intensity and introduction of hydrogen via the welding arc using anti spatter spray were varied systematically to analyse the effect on welding result, residual stresses, and cold cracking. It could be shown that increasing restraint intensities result in significantly higher transverse residual stress levels. In the case of hydrogen introduction S500MLO showed no cold cracking independent of the restraint conditions. However, S960QL was found to be considerably cold cracking sensitive if hydrogen is introduced. With increasing restraint intensity length and number of cold cracks increases significantly. Part 2 [1] of this study is focussed on microstructure and residual stresses due to gouging and stress optimization via adequate heat control parameters in repair welding.
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes enable the efficient production of advanced constructions. New developments in topology optimization are leading to weight-optimized designs of increasing complexity. Direct energy deposition processes (DED) such as wire and arc-based additive manufacturing are an important method of additive manufacturing. The wire filler metals enable a wide range of materials, while the arc process provides a high deposition rate compared to laser and powder-based processes. Combined with the use of high-strength steels, the thickness of walls or components can be significantly reduced in the context of lightweight construction, which results in significant savings in energy, costs, time and resources. Suitable high-strength steel filler metals are commercially available for DED-arc AM processes. However, guidelines and quantitative knowledge about welding stresses and cold cracking issues during component production and service are lacking. This limits the industrial application considerably. In a joint project of BAM and Chemnitz University of Technology, the main influences and complex interactions of material, production process, design and processing steps on the residual stress level are investigated. The aim is to develop processing recommendations and a cold cracking test for economical processing and stress-related design of high-strength steels with DED-arc. This study focuses on residual stress analysis by neutron diffraction (ND) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) on defined test specimens. The ND analysis were performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute- Villigen, Switzerland (PSI) and the XRD analysis at BAM. The study shows a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the residual stress magnitudes and distribution between the component bulk (ND) and surface (XRD) analyses. The ND analysis reveals that in DED-arc AM walls the residual stresses dominate in the direction of welding and are negligibly small in each case transverse to the direction of welding. The topology of the analyzed residual stresses shows almost identical residual stress maps compared to XRD. In addition, the residual stresses are significantly influenced by the solid phase transformation of the material due to low cooling times and less post heat treatment cycles of following AM layers in the area of the top layer.
Residual stresses Analysis in Additively Manufactured alloys using neutron diffraction (L-PBF)
(2023)
An overview of recent progress at BAM of residual stress analysis in additively manufactured, in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion of metallics materials, using neutron diffraction will be presented. This will cover important topics of the stress-free reference, the diffraction elastic moduli and principal stress determination.
Reducing CO2 emissions to 62 percent up to 2030 and achieving greenhouse neutrality up to 2050 are the key goals of the EU's climate protection legislation. The expansion of technologies for climate-neutral energy generation is not the only important contribution to reducing greenhouse gases, the efficient use of material systems is also a key factor. In the area of plant engineering, steel components are provided with a wear-protection coating for efficient use to protect them against corrosive, tribological, thermal and mechanical stresses. The wear-protection coatings are primarily made of Co alloys, which are to be replaced by alternative materials, such as nickel alloys, because of the poor working conditions regarding the extraction of the cobalt and because of the health risks. In terms of corrosion behavior, many applications require a crack-free wear protection layer and additional machining. Machining by milling is not economical for wear materials, especially for SME because of the high tool wear, but it is essential to produce defined surfaces with high quality.
Alloy modifications of the filler metals for nickel-based plasma deposition welded wear protection coatings and the use of innovative ultrasonic-assisted milling processes are examined to determine how more favorable machinability can be achieved without reducing the wear protection potential. The focus is on the NiCrSiFeB alloy, which is intended to replace CoCr alloys in the area of screw machines. The modification of hard facing layers in terms of microstructure and precipitation morphology as well as suitability for machining is investigated and compared with the CoCr alloy. In this aspect, the alloy modifications are generated by a PTA process by systematically adjusting the preheating and interpass temperatures, a crack-free wear-resistant layer can be generated, which is subsequently machined by a milling process. In addition to the crack-free properties,
the microstructure, the bonding as well as the mixing between the NiCrFeB alloy and a 1.8550 as well as between the CoCr alloy and a 1.4828 are analyzed and compared in the joining areas. In addition, heating and cooling rates are determined and a chemical analysis of the weld metals is performed. This study provides important knowledge about the differences between NiCrFeB alloy and CoCr alloys in terms of microstructure morphology, bonding and mixing behavior in the joining zones to the basic material.
Alloy Modification and ultrasonic assisted milling of wear resistant alloys with defined surfaces
(2023)
The targets for reducing CO2 emissions are closely linked to the development of highly efficient and economical steel components in plant, process and power plant technology, which require wear protection coatings tailored to the application and steel material for high combined corrosive, tribological, thermal and mechanical stresses. There is a growing demand in industry for defined functional surfaces of high quality for these coatings. Milling is a standard process for finish machining. The desired properties of wear resistant alloys imply significant challenges for the milling process due to high tool wear and surface defects. Besides the hardness of the coating materials, especially due to the precipitations, inhomogeneous, anisotropic weld structures of the claddings lead to further deteriorations of milling processes due to unstable milling conditions and process forces.
A joint project of BAM and ISAF of TU Clausthal (Fosta P1550/IGF 21959 N) investigates the optimization of these challenging machining conditions by means of alloy modifications of the welding powder for plasma transferred arc cladding, without reducing the wear protection potential and using ultrasonic assisted milling process.
In this paper, the influence of the microstructure and precipitation morphology adjusted by means of alloy modification on machining for a NiCrMoSiFeB alloy (trade name: Colmonoy 56 PTA) is investigated. Through metallurgical investigations and in-situ measurement of cutting forces and temperatures at the cutting edge during the milling process as well as the subsequent investigation of tool wear and surface integrity, a detailed analysis and correlation between microstructural properties and machinability is feasible. The findings allow recommendations for standards and processing guidelines, enabling safe and economical production of highly stressed steel components with non-critical, cost-reduced materials.
Alloy Modification and ultrasonic assisted milling of wear resistant alloys with defined surfaces
(2023)
The targets for reducing CO2 emissions are closely linked to the development of highly efficient and economical steel components in plant, process and power plant technology, which require wear protection coatings tailored to the application and steel material for high combined corrosive, tribological, thermal and mechanical stresses. There is a growing demand in industry for defined functional surfaces of high quality for these coatings. Milling is a standard process for finish machining. The desired properties of wear resistant alloys imply significant challenges for the milling process due to high tool wear and surface defects. Besides the hardness of the coating materials, especially due to the precipitations, inhomogeneous, anisotropic weld structures of the claddings lead to further deteriorations of milling processes due to unstable milling conditions and process forces.
A joint project of BAM and ISAF of TU Clausthal (Fosta P1550/IGF 21959 N) investigates the optimization of these challenging machining conditions by means of alloy modifications of the welding powder for plasma transferred arc cladding, without reducing the wear protection potential and using ultrasonic assisted milling process.
In this paper, the influence of the microstructure and precipitation morphology adjusted by means of alloy modification on machining for a NiCrMoSiFeB alloy (trade name: Colmonoy 56 PTA) is investigated. Through metallurgical investigations and in-situ measurement of cutting forces and temperatures at the cutting edge during the milling process as well as the subsequent investigation of tool wear and surface integrity, a detailed analysis and correlation between microstructural properties and machinability is feasible. The findings allow recommendations for standards and processing guidelines, enabling safe and economical production of highly stressed steel components with non-critical, cost-reduced materials.
The process-structure-property-performance relationship is a fundamental paradigm in metal additive manufacturing (AM). The knowledge of how process parameters and post-process treatments influence the material properties and therefore the structural integrity of additively manufactured metallic components is of paramount importance. With respect to this, one of the unsolved problems related to the unique AM process is the reliability of witness samples for part qualification. Focusing on the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) process, the microstructure and therefore the mechanical performance of test coupons are not representative of parts of the same material in every case. This work summarizes part of the results of an ongoing cooperation between BAM and BASF, which aims at addressing this issue by designing dedicated specimens, representative of the fatigue properties of the real component. The considered case study consisted in the fabrication and characterization of the fatigue properties of a pressure vessel made of AISI 316L. The first phase of the project was devoted to the process monitoring to understand the relationship between process parameters and temperature distribution during the fabrication of the component. Finite element models were tuned on the experimental data from the process monitoring and simulations of the temperature field in the component were conducted. The numerical results were in good agreement with the temperature profiles measured during the fabrication of the component. The second phase dealt with the evaluation of the fatigue and fatigue crack propagation properties on specimens extracted from different regions of the pressure vessel. The experimental investigations showed significant differences in hoop and longitudinal direction. A clear dependence of the fatigue properties on heat accumulation (temperature distribution) and defect size was pointed out. The third phase encompassed the fabrication and testing of the representative specimens. Numerical simulations were used to design specimens displaying the same temperature profile as in the most critical region of the component. The fatigue testing of the representative specimens is subject of ongoing work.
Alloy modification and ultrasonic assisted milling of wear resistant alloys with defined surfaces
(2023)
The targets for reducing CO2 emissions are closely linked to the development of highly efficient and economical steel components in plant, process and power plant technology, which require wear protection coatings tailored to the application and steel material for high combined corrosive, tribological, thermal and mechanical stresses. In addition to increasing demands to replace conventional cobalt alloys with nickel alloys as a result of price and supply risks, there is a growing demand in industry for defined functional surfaces of high quality for these coatings. Milling is a standard process for finish machining. The desired properties of wear resistant alloys imply significant challenges for the milling process due to high tool wear and surface defects. Besides the hardness of the coating materials, especially due to the precipitations, inhomogeneous, anisotropic weld structures of the claddings lead to further deteriorations of milling processes due to unstable milling conditions and process forces.
A joint project of BAM and ISAF of TU Clausthal (Fosta P1550/IGF 21959 N) investigates the optimization of these challenging machining conditions by means of alloy modifications of the welding powder for plasma transferred arc cladding, without reducing the wear protection potential and using ultrasonic assisted milling process.
In this paper, the influence of the microstructure and precipitation morphology adjusted by means of alloy modification on machining is investigated. The alloy used is a NiCrMoSiFeB alloy (trade name: Colmonoy 56 PTA). Through metallurgical investigations and in-situ measurement of cutting forces and temperatures at the cutting edge during the milling process as well as the subsequent investigation of tool wear and surface integrity, a detailed analysis and correlation between microstructural properties and machinability is feasible. The findings allow recommendations for standards and processing guidelines, enabling safe and economical production of highly stressed steel components with non-critical, cost-reduced materials.
The Kitagawa-Takahashi (KT) diagram is a well-established tool in the fatigue community for the prediction of the fatigue limit of metallic materials in presence of defects. Nevertheless, its determination is associated with a large number of fatigue tests carried out on specimens with artificial defects (notches) to describe the fatigue limit-defect size relationship in the short crack regime. The preparation of the specimens and the execution of the tests is time expensive. Therefore, few phenomenological models have been introduced in the past to provide a first approximation of the KT diagram based solely on the fatigue limit for smooth specimen and the fatigue crack propagation threshold for long cracks. Despite the use of such models is widely spread, these suffer from problems related to the uncertainties of the material parameters. Furthermore, the mechanics of short cracks, which is the physical mechanism behind the concept of the fatigue limit, is not considered. This work discusses the advantages and drawbacks of using short fatigue crack propagation models for predicting the fatigue limit of flawed metallic materials. The KT diagrams for a EA4T railway axle steel in as-received and full-hardened condition are approximated by means of the cyclic R-curve method.
Structural alloys are largely employed in key industrial sectors and their demand is predicted to rise rapidly for the next decades. Most of these materials require a large amount of energy for extraction and manufacturing, which causes the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Therefore, strategies for improving the sustainability of structural metallic alloys are urgently needed.
Additive Manufacturing (AM), in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M), aims to be a sustainable manufacturing process, as it allows the build-up of complex geometry in near net-shape from 3D models, while minimizing material waste and the energy required for the process and post-process treatments.
Nevertheless, the application of additively manufactured parts in structural safety-relevant applications is still hindered by the poor fatigue performance. The cause of this has been mainly attributed to the presence of manufacturing defects and surface roughness. Therefore, a huge effort has been made to optimize the process parameters and to introduce post-process treatments to minimize the defect content. However, material flaws cannot be fully eliminated, but these can be considered in a damage tolerance framework for the prediction of the fatigue performance of additively manufactured metallic materials, which is essential for part design and qualification.
This work aims at presenting different modelling strategies for the prediction of the fatigue limit of AM metals. Simple empirical models and more complex models based on fatigue short crack propagation are proposed. The investigated material is an AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by PBF-LB/M and subjected to two different low-temperature heat-treatments (265°C for 1 h and 300°C for 2h). The results show that the models can provide good approximation of the fatigue limits and help in the interpretation of the scatter of fatigue data.
Fracture mechanics-based methods can be applied to the fatigue assessment of mechanical components containing defects or cracks subjected to cyclic loading. The knowledge of the crack growth behavior for short and long cracks enables the determination of both finite and infinite life regimes. Nevertheless, a first problem arises from the empirical determination of the fatigue data, which vary according to the test conditions, e.g., the test method, frequency and the stress ratio R. This is due to crack closure and further environmental phenomena affecting crack propagation behavior. A second issue regards the lack of standard experimental procedures for the determination of the fatigue crack propagation threshold ΔKth dependency on the crack size. This is problematic, since ΔKth increases with the build-up of the closure effects in the short crack regime and its inaccurate experimental determination leads to large deviations in the assessment and, even more critical, to non-conservative predictions. Aiming at providing more reliable and safer assessment procedures, the present work proposes a method based on effective crack growth data obtained at high stress ratios (R ≈ 0.8). A short-crack model based on the cyclic R-curve and CPLR data is employed for describing the development of the closure effects. The predictions are compared to established methods and validated by experimental tests.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. The majority of materials used to date are typically welded for component fabrication. In that context, steels are widely applied and can be prone to hydrogen embrittlement. This includes the classical delayed cold cracking during welding processing as well as embrittlement phenomena during operation. For the evaluation of any hydrogen effect on, for example, the mechanical properties of a welded metallic material, the hydrogen content must be precisely determined. In the case of welds, for example, according to ISO 3690, this is the isothermal carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE). CGHE is based on accelerated hydrogen degassing due to thermal activation of hydrogen at elevated temperatures. In addition to the pure quantification of hydrogen, thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with varied heating rates can be used to determine and evaluate the bonding state at microstructural defects in the material. For both techniques, experimental and measurement influences have to be considered, which have a great effect on the result. For CGHE, for example, ISO 3690 suggests different sample geometries as well as minimum extraction times. The present study summarizes results and experiences of numerous investigations with different sample temperatures and geometries (ISO 3690 type B and cylindrical TDA samples) regarding: the influence of the sample surface (polished/welded), measurement accuracies depending on the sample volume as well as the insufficient monitoring of the effect of the PI controller on the extraction temperature. In particular, a deviating extraction temperature to the set temperature, can significantly falsify the measurement results. Based on the results, methods are shown to quickly reach the desired extraction temperature without having to physically interfere with the measurement equipment. This serves to substantially improve the reliability of hydrogen measurement through increased signal stability and accelerated hydrogen desorption. In general, an independent temperature measurement with dummy samples for the selected heating procedure is advisable to exclude possible unwanted temperature influences already before the measurement. In addition (and way more important), the methods described can be transferred directly to industrial applications.
The study provides an overview of the aspects of joining and its importance in manufacturing of components for the more and more important field of hydrogen as key factor for the energy transition to a decarburized future. To this end, the fundamentals of the technology fields of hydrogen production, storage, transport, and application are presented and the state of the art of manufacturing of components for hydrogen technologies by joining is summarized. Based on representative examples from practice, research and development, the importance of joining technology in hydrogen technologies is clearly highlighted and perspectives for the future are derived. From a macroeconomic perspective, the focal points, or trends of joining technologies here include: the erection of new infrastructure for hydrogen storage and transport, and the safe conversion of existing natural gas infrastructure and its challenges for welded materials. In addition, we show the problems that are anticipated with in-service repair welding of hydrogen pipelines. In hydrogen applications, the efficient mass production of fuel cells and electrolysers is becoming increasingly important. For that reason, the importance of additive manufacturing is highlighted. Finally, the challenges for technical regulations and standardization by using hydrogen are shown.
Various industrial applications require the joining of DSS components. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding is particularly well-suited for this purpose due to the ability to achieve highly reproducible automated welds. However, during solidification of the weld pool, critical phase ratios of ferrite (α) and austenite (γ) may occur, leading to solidification cracking, increased corrosion susceptibility, lower ductility and critical strength values. Hence, in order to achieve the desired material characteristics, it is crucial to accurately predict the α/γ phase ratio within the weld. Conventionally, the WRC-1992 diagram is employed for this purpose. In our study, we used Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to track alterations in the chemical composition of the weld metal on the surface throughout the welding process. One significant benefit of this method is its capability to provide precise and real-time measurements of chemical compositions during welding, both temporally and spatially. In previous investigations, we could develop routines to quantify the measurement of chemical compositions within the weld metal and the Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ). The conducted research focuses on examining the alterations in chemical concentrations of specific alloying elements, namely Cu and Mn as γ-forming elements, and Nb and Cr as α-forming elements, during welding. These changes are measured in real-time using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). To achieve this, both the ferrite number, determined through magnetic-inductive techniques, and the weld microstructure are analyzed. Through image-analytical methods, a correlation is established between the microstructure and the LIBS data obtained.
In Neutron-Bragg-Edge Imaging (NBEI) experiments, we studied the phase transition during butt-welding of supermartensitic steel plates. Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) was used with a motorized torch allowing for automated weldments. The austenitization in the heat affected zone (HAZ) underneath the welding head could be clearly visualized at λ = 0.39 nm, a wavelength smaller than the Bragg edge wavelengths of both austenite and martensite. Also, the re-transformation into the martensitic phase upon cooling was detected. However, we observed an unexpected additional change in transmission at λ = 0.44 nm that is a wavelength larger than the wavelength of the Bragg edges of both the martensitic and austenitic phases. We attribute this change to the Deybe-Waller-Factor that describes the temperature dependence of coherent scattering at a crystal lattice. The observed two-dimensional attenuation map corresponds well with a temperature distribution modelling by software macros in ANSYS. Here, the absolute temperature values could be achieved by calibrating the modelled attenuation with help of a thermocouple placed at the steel plate. This allows in return for a direct two-dimensional temperature reading based on the Debye-Waller-relation between neutron attenuation and sample temperature.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. In that context, large diameter long-distance transmission pipelines for hydrogen will be the backbone in the European Union with service pressures from 70 to 90 bar (e.g., depending on national regulations). It is a major goal to rededicate the existing LNG infrastructure despite the necessity of new pipelines. From that point of view repairing of such transmissions pipelines via welding can be necessary. For the LNG infrastructure, it is state of the art that repair welding is conducted at pipelines under service, i.e., the LNG is still flowing as pressurized gas in the steel pipes. The reason is that a shut-down of large diameter pipelines is not so easy or sometimes impossible. In fact, as long no oxygen enters the pipeline, there would be any combustion or (in the worst case) explosion. At the moment, it is entirely open if current repair welding procedures for LNG pipelines can be transferred to pure hydrogen pipelines. In opposite to LNG, hydrogen can be way easier absorbed to the pipeline steels and diffuses through the material. If it accumulates in susceptible regions, i.e., in the welded joint, hydrogen assisted embrittlement could occur. The planned welding procedure requires a so-called preheating and maintenance of the weld joint of up to 300°C for several hours. This temperature is way higher compared to the typical service temperature of max. 40 to 50°C at operational pressures of 100 bar. In accordance to API 941, these low-alloyed pipeline steels are subjected to short-term service loads, which they are not designed for. For that reason, a collaborative project between BAM and DVGW (German Association for Gas and Water professions) was initiated in 2022 to answer the following questions by experiments and numerical simulation of: (1) How many hydrogen is additionally absorbed during the heating of the material to max. 300°C under remaining operational pressures? (2) Is the hydrogen concentration sufficient to reach a critical condition? (3) Which material and weld microstructure is the most susceptible? (4) Is there a significant difference in the repair welding behavior of LNG pipelines that had been already in use for long-term? (5) Which welding parameters and joint dimensions must be ensured for safe repair welding repair of typical pipelines? For that reason, the present study gives an overview on the current practice in repair welding of in-service pipelines, the industrial importance of this topic for the hydrogen-based energy transition and summarizes first results.
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, tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) 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 leads 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), and this accumulation can be detected using LIBS.
Unlike conventional LIBS analyses, which requires reference samples to generate a calibration curve, calibration-free LIBS (CF-LIBS) can determine the chemical composition solely from the emission spectrum of the plasma. Numerous publications show that CF-LIBS is a fast and efficient analytical method for quantitative analysis of metal samples.
We present the results of in situ CF-LIBS analysis during TIG DSS welding. Using a new approach, it is possible to quantitatively determine the chemical composition of the weld metal directly in the welding process. The results of the CF-LIBS analysis are compared with the results of the calibration-based PLS analysis and reasonable agreement is found. Thus, the CF-LIBS method offers the significant advantage of quickly measuring in situ the concentrations of the main alloying elements that prevent the formation of welding defects, without the tedious calibration procedure.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. The majority of materials used to date are typically welded for component fabrication. In that context, steels are widely applied and can be prone to hydrogen embrittlement. For the evaluation of any hydrogen effect on, for example, the mechanical properties of a welded metallic material, the hydrogen content must be precisely determined. According to ISO 3690, carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE) can be used. In addition to the pure quantification of hydrogen, thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with varied heating rates can be used to determine and evaluate the bonding state at microstructural defects in the material. For both techniques, experimental and measurement influences have to be considered, which have a great effect on the result. For CGHE, for example, ISO 3690 suggests different sample geometries as well as minimum extraction times. The present study summarizes results and experiences of numerous investigations with different sample temperatures and geometries (ISO 3690 type B and cylindrical TDA samples) regarding: the influence of the sample surface (polished/welded), measurement accuracies depending on the sample volume. In particular, a deviating extraction temperature to the set temperature, can significantly falsify the measurement results. Based on the results, methods are shown to quickly reach the desired extraction temperature without having to physically interfere with the measurement equipment. This serves to substantially improve the reliability of hydrogen measurement through increased signal stability and accelerated hydrogen desorption. In general, an independent temperature measurement with dummy samples for the selected heating procedure is advisable to exclude possible unwanted temperature influences already before the measurement. In addition (and way more important), the methods described can be transferred directly to industrial applications.
Dissimilar metal TIG weld joints of multiple principal element alloys (MPEA) to austenitic steel 304
(2023)
Multi-element alloys (MPEA - Multiple Principal Element Alloys) represent a new class of materials consisting of at least three alloying elements, each with 5 to 35 atomic %. This material class includes high-entropy alloys (HEA, with n ≥ 4 elements). The underlying alloying concept differs fundamentally from conventional materials such as the Fe-based steel. For this purpose, the alloying elements are specifically selected, and the microstructures are adjusted in a single-phase and, in some cases, multi-phase manner. The aim is to identify highly innovative MPEA with individually adjustable properties for industrial applications. In the last 20 years, however, the focus has been on pure material synthesis. With the increase in available material quantities, the focus is on processing issues such as joining and welding processes. In that connection, the weldability of MPEAs has received very little attention so far. Experience with dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) is completely lacking but is essential for the application of these materials if joint to conventional materials. This study presents selected experimental results on the weldability of MPEA-DMWs and the resulting microstructures. For this purpose, the equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi (HEA) was investigated in cold-rolled (CR) and heat-treated (HT) condition and joined by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding to an austenitic stainless steel 304. The DMWs showed defect-free conditions (no lack of fusion, cracks and so on), whereas the cold-rolling increases the microhardness. The global mechanical properties were obtained by instrumented tensile tests of cross-weld samples and showed sufficient yield and tensile strength comparable to that of the individual base materials (BM). The local strain conditions were determined by digital image correlation and showed the highest local strains to occur in the intermixed weld metal. Indeed, the preferred fracture location of the cross-weld tensile samples was in the weld metal. Finally, the experiments proofed the weldability of the MPEAs to conventional 304. This enables targeted further considerations for example as structural materials.
Microalloying elements, such as Nb and Ti, are essential for the targeted mechanical strength of quenched and tempered, high-strength fine-grained structural steels with a nominal yield strength ≥ 690 MPa. Current specifications for chemical composition only provide upper limits for manufacturers. But even small deviations in the alloying route can have a drastic effect on the mechanical properties. Thus, an adequate prediction of the weldability and the integrity of the welded joint becomes difficult or even impossible due to the varying composition and, hence, the microstructures. Undesirable side effects are the possible softening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) as well as the opposite effect of hardening. Against this background, different microalloying routes with varying Ti and Nb contents are systematically investigated for the first time on specially designed lab-cast alloys. The basis of each alloy route was the common S690QL in terms of both the chemical composition as well as the heat treatment. To investigate the weldability, three-layer welds were performed using metal active gas welding (MAG) and critical microstructural areas with high softening/hardening were identified. The scope was here on the identification of phase transformations during cooling and on the respective metallurgical precipitation behavior. Isothermal and non-isothermal phase calculations were performed using Thermo-Calc® and showed that the prediction of the non-equilibrium precipitation characteristics during welding is not trivial, especially for this relatively complex chemical composition. The mechanical properties of the welded joints were identified by both Charpy tests (toughness) and tensile tests (strain and strength). During the test, the local straining behavior of the welded joints, was identified using a digital image correlation (DIC) system, see Figure 1. Despite the generally good weldability of the materials, the results show a significant influence of the microalloying route as well as the welding heat input on the different precipitation kinetics.
The contribution describes a newly developed software tool for crack identification and selection in Modified Varestraint Transvarestraint (MVT) testing. From the digital crack information, in addition to the classical results, such as Total Crack Length (TCL) and Maximum Crack Length (MCL), advanced evaluations can be applied, taking into account the loading and welding parameters. A numerical parameter study is conducted to demonstrate how the isolated variation of individual welding and loading parameters, affects the crack lengths that can potentially be expected based on the machine specifics. An alternative crack criterion is presented that evaluates the crack formation in relation to the machine behavior. Some examples demonstrate the possibilities and limitations of the approach. The criterion can be used to compare and transfer the results of different varestraint test variants.
Large scale hydrogen assisted cracking test for thick walled SAW joints for offshore applications
(2023)
Offshore wind turbines continuously increase in size and weight and demand adequate offshore foundations concepts like monopiles, tripods or jackets. These components are typically submerged arc welded (SAW) 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 complicate 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 22 passes and a seam length of 1,000 mm. Additional welded stiffeners simu-lated the effect of a high restraint, to stimulate 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 48 h after 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 modelling allowed the qualitative estimation of the hydrogen diffusion in the weld. A remarkable HAC occurrence was not identified and proves both, a certain resistance of the weld joint to HAC and the (questionable) duration of the MWT.
Multiple principal element alloys (MPEA) encompass the well-known high entropy alloys (HEAs). MPEA/HEA represent a new class of materials consisting of at least three alloying elements, each containing 5 to 35 at.-%. This alloying concept thus differs fundamentally from conventional materials such as steel or nickel alloys. For this purpose, the alloying elements are specifically selected, and the microstructures are adjusted in a single-phase and, in some cases, multi-phase manner. In particular, conflicting goals, such as the trade-off between strength and ductility in conventional steels, are overcome. In the last 20 years, however, the focus has been on material synthesis. With the increase in available material quantities, the focus is now on pro-cessing issues such as joining and welding processes. The weldability of MPEA has received very little atten-tion so far. Experience with dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) is completely lacking but is essential for the appli-cation of these materials in combination with conventional materials. The present study presents, comprehen-sive experimental results on the weldability of MPEA-DMWs. For that purpose, a Co20Cr20Fe20Mn20Ni20 HEA in cold-rolled and heat-treated condition was joined by means of tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) with the austenitic Cr-Ni steel AISI 304. The DMWs resulted in interesting mechanical properties. They were obtained by instrumented tensile tests as well as the local deformation in the weld area by using digital image correlation (DIC) technique. A significant softening in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the MPEAs as well as a slightly reduced tensile strength with a significant decrease of the elongation at fracture were found. The experiments provided proof in principle of the weldability of the MPEAs for DMWs with conventional materials that ensure a corresponding capability for mechanical loading. This allows further considerations on the application of these innovative materials.
This contribution briefly summarizes the standardization activities in accordance with the "Nationale Roadmap Wasserstofftechnologien" and presents selected results on the activities in Germany with scope on hydrogen transport in pipelines. The talk was given during a panel discussion to set-up a steering committee for standardization for hydrogen pipelines and welding , coordinated by the International Institute of Welding.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. In that context, large diameter long-distance transmission pipelines for hydrogen will be the backbone in the European Union with service pressures from 70 to 90 bar (e.g., de-pending on national regulations). It is a major goal to repurposing the existing natural gas (NG) infrastructure despite the necessity of new pipelines. From that point of view repair welding or further welding of branch pipe etc. can be necessary during in-service, i.e., permanent flow of pressurized hydrogen. The reason is that a shut-down of large diameter pipelines is not easy or sometimes merely impossible. At the moment, it is entirely open if current repair welding procedures for NG pipe-lines can be transferred to pure hydrogen pipelines. For that reason, a collaborative project between BAM, DVGW (German Association for Gas and Water Professions) and a large number of gas grid operators, pipeline manufacturers and construction companies was initiated in 2023 to answer questions on: (1) How many hydrogen is additionally absorbed during the preheating and maintaining at interpass temperature under remaining operational pressures? (2) Is the hydrogen concentration sufficient to reach a critical condition? (3)Which material and weld microstructure are the most susceptible? (4) Is there a difference in the repair welding behavior of NG pipelines with materials in “used” condition? (5) Which welding parameters and joint dimensions must be ensured for safe repair welding? The final aim of this project is the publication of a recommended practice for repair welding of in-service hydrogen pipelines. For that reason, the present study gives an overview on: (A) current practice in repair welding of in-service pipelines and (b) plans for hydrogen pipelines and first results of international research projects.
The high cooling rates (~106 K/s) occurring during Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) of AlSi10Mg induce to the formation of a fine nanometric silicon network in the as-built condition. Such unprecedented microstructure enhances the mechanical strength when compared to equivalent as-cast materials. Nevertheless, PBF-LB/M also leads to high magnitude residual stress (RS) due to the extreme localized temperature gradients. The presence of RS can be detrimental to the fatigue life of engineering components, and great efforts are focused on understanding their generation and evolution after post-process heat treatments. Typically, T6 heat treatments are used to mitigate RS and improve mechanical performances by Mg2Si precipitation during ageing at 160-180°C. Nevertheless, the solutionizing at 500-540°C vanishes the fine silicon network, leading to the formation of micrometric (average of ~2-5 µm) polygonal Si particles, similar to those observed in T6 heat-treated Al-Si cast materials. Therefore, the aim of this work is to evaluate the ability of two so-called low temperature heat treatments (i.e., at 265°C and 300°C) to mitigate RS while retaining the fine as-built microstructure inherent to PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg. The fatigue behavior of the as-built material is subsequently compared to the two low temperature conditions.
Fraucture mechanics-based probablistic structural integrity assessment for aero-engine turbine disk
(2023)
Aero-engine turbine disks are safety-relevant components which are operated under high thermal and mechanical stress conditions. The aim of this work is to present part of a fracture mechanics-based probabilistic assessment procedure under development which aims at calculating the critical rotational speed of the turbine disk based on the numerical-analytical solutions and regulations for the failure probability. In particular, the rim-peeling failure mode is considered as case study. A semi-circular surface crack is modelled at the most stressed region at the diaphragm of a turbine disk. In order to design a lab representative specimen, beside the crack driving force, expressed in terms of J-integral, also the constraint to plastic deformation e.g., stress triaxiality, at the crack-tip must be similar for the same crack in the specimen and in the disk. The analytical solutions to calculate the crack driving force for the lab representative specimen are used for the Monte Carlo simulations, the result of which has been assessed in the form of a Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD). The results of the probabilistic structural integrity assessment show good agreement between Monte Carlo simulations and certification values for the disk in terms of expected failure mode and value of the critical speed.
The fatigue assessment of welded joints requires several input data, which can be subdivided into three categories: geometry, material and loading. The number of input data depends essentially on the complexity of the models employed and on the level of accuracy of the analysis. It is common practice to use safety factors in design to account for the scatter of the input parameters. Nevertheless, overly-conservative factors lead often to unrealistic estimations of fatigue life. This work presents a fracture mechanics-based model for the structural integrity assessment of welded joints under constant amplitude fatigue loading, in which the local geometry at the weld toe and the fatigue crack growth properties are considered statistically distributed. The approach is validated against a large number of experimental data.
High entropy alloys (HEA) are a new class of materials that have been investigated since the early 2000s and offer great potential to replace conventional alloys. However, since they sometimes have significant contents of expensive alloying elements such as Co or Ni, their use is only conceivable in highly stressed areas of components. For this purpose, the weldability with conventional alloys such as high-alloy austenitic steels must be investigated. In addition to the resulting microstructure, the mechanical properties are also fundamental for the usability of HEAs in DMWs. For this purpose, TIG welds of CoCrFeMnNi HEA (cold rolled and recrystallized state) with AISI 304 austenitic steel are investigated. These mechanical properties are analyzed in this work by means of tensile tests and local hardness measurement. The local strain behavior of the welded joints is also characterized by means of Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results of the local hardness measurement show a clear influence of the initial condition of the HEA on the HAZ. Thus, the HEA in the cold-rolled condition shows a clear softening because of recrystallization processes in the HAZ. On the other hand, there is no influence on the hardness of the weld metal, which is approx. 200 HV0.1 in both cases. The tensile tests show a consistent failure of the weld in the weld metal. However, regardless of the HEA condition, strengths in the range of the recrystallized HEA (RM ~ 550–600 MPa) are achieved, although with significantly reduced fracture elongations.
High-strength steels offer great potential in weight-optimised modern steel structures. Additive manufacturing processes, such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), enable near-net-shape manufacturing of complex structures and more efficient manufacturing, offering significant savings in costs, time, and resources. Suitable filler materials for WAAM are already commercially available. However, the lack of knowledge or technical guidelines regarding welding residual stresses during manufacturing and operation in connection with cold cracking risk limit their industrial application significantly. In a project of BAM and TU Chemnitz, the influences and complex interactions of material, manufacturing process, design and processing steps on residual stress evolution are investigated. By developing process recommendations and a special cold cracking test, economic manufacturing, and stress-appropriate design of high-strength steel WAAM components are main objectives.
The present study focuses on determining the influence of heat control (interpass temperature, heat input, cooling time) and the design aspects of the components on the hardness and residual stresses, which are analysed by X-ray diffraction. Defined reference specimens, i.e., hollow cuboids, are automatically welded with a special WAAM solid wire. The influences of wall length, wall thickness and wall height on the residual stresses are analysed. Geometric properties can be selectively adjusted by wire feed and welding speed but cannot be varied arbitrarily. This was addressed by adapted build-up strategies. The results indicate a significant influence of the heat control and the wall height on the residual stresses. The interpass temperature, wall thickness and wall length are not significant. These analyses allow recommendations for standards and manufacturing guidelines, enabling a safe and economic manufacturing of high-strength steel components.
It was found that there is a systematic dependence of the crack growth on the welding parameters as well as on the load. Decreasing welding speeds with simultaneously higher heat input promote crack formation with increasing strain rate.
Based on the results, a new crack criterion was finally selected which allows an extended assessment of the material behavior during the MVT-test. The threshold introduced can quantify the dependencies of the crack formation on the welding and testing parameters, which could not be comprehensively described with the conventional evaluation. In principle, the evaluation routine can also be transferred to other Varestraint or externally loaded hot cracking tests.
This presentation summarizes the latest research results of the influence of the post weld heat treatment (PWHT) rate and
the global mechanical stress conditions on the stress relief cracking (SRC) susceptibility of low-alloyed and creep-resistant CrMoV steel submerged arc weld joints. It was found that a certain effect of very low heating rates could be confirmed. In addition, the interlinking of SRC susceptibility increasing effects during the PWHT and the ex-post indentification in metallographic cross-section via microstructure characterization is very complex.
This presentation summarizes the latest results on the microalloying influence on the preciptitation behavior on the mechanical properties of welded high-strength steel with a design yield strength of 690 MPa and above. For that reason, Charpy tests were performed for the pure weld metal and different heat-affected zones. Thermodynamic phase field modeling showed the usefulness of calculations in Thermocalc to predict the preciptiation behavior and (finally) to conclude the mechanistic behavior of the welded joint.
High entropy alloys (HEA) are a new class of materials that have been investigated since the early 2000s and offer great potential to replace conventional alloys. However, since they sometimes have significant contents of expensive alloying elements such as Co or Ni, their use is only conceivable in highly stressed areas of components. For this purpose, the weldability with conventional alloys such as high-alloy austenitic steels must be investigated. In addition to the resulting microstructure, the mechanical properties are also fundamental for the usability of HEAs in DMWs. For this purpose, TIG welds of CoCrFeMnNi HEA (cold rolled and recrystallized state) with AISI 304 austenitic steel are investigated. These mechanical properties are analyzed in this work by means of tensile tests and local hardness measurement. The local strain behavior of the welded joints is also characterized by means of Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results of the local hardness measurement show a clear influence of the initial condition of the HEA on the HAZ. Thus, the HEA in the cold-rolled condition shows a clear softening because of recrystallization processes in the HAZ. On the other hand, there is no influence on the hardness of the weld metal, which is approx. 200 HV0.1 in both cases. The tensile tests show a consistent failure of the weld in the weld metal. However, regardless of the HEA condition, strengths in the range of the recrystallized HEA (RM ~ 550–600 MPa) are achieved, although with significantly reduced fracture elongations.
Large scale hydrogen assisted cracking test for thick walled SAW joints for offshore applications
(2023)
Offshore wind turbines continuously increase in size and weight and demand adequate offshore foundations concepts like monopiles, tripods or jackets. These components are typically submerged arc welded (SAW) 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 complicate 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 more than 20 passes and a seam length of 1,000 mm. Additional welded stiffeners simulated the effect of a high restraint, to stimulate 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 48 h after 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 modelling allowed the qualitative estimation of the hydrogen diffusion in the weld. A remarkable HAC occurrence was not identified and proves both, a certain resistance of the weld joint to HAC and the (questionable) duration of the MWT.
The combination of high corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties of duplex steels (DSS) is due to their chemical composition and the balanced phase ratio of ferrite (α) and austenite (γ).
Many industrial applications require a material joint of DSS. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is relatively easy to use, requires little space and allows automated welding, with very high reproducibility and is therefore excellent for welding DSS.
During solidification of these steels, critical phase ratios of α and γ can occur, leading to solidification cracking, susceptibility to corrosion, lower ductility, and critical strength values. Therefore, to obtain the desired material properties, the α/γ distribution must be reliably predicted. This is usually done using the WRC1992 diagram. However, the prediction accuracy of the ferrite content in this diagram is usually not accurate enough and must therefore be optimized. It is therefore necessary to monitor even the smallest changes in the chemical composition of the weld metal, ideally during welding. This is done in these experiments using Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). A major advantage of this technique is the highly accurate time- and spatially-resolved measurement of chemical composition during welding. Previous work has quantified the chemical composition in the weld metal and heat affected zone. In the presented study, the influence of individual elements, such as Nb and Cu, on the resulting weld microstructure is investigated.
Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) of metallic alloys is a layer wise additive manufacturing process which provides significant scope for more efficient designs of components, benefiting performance and weight, leading to efficiency improvements for various sectors of industry. However, to benefit from these design freedoms, knowledge of the high produced induced residual stress and mechanical property anisotropy associated with the unique microstructures is critical. X-ray and neutron diffraction are considered the benchmark for non-destructive characterization of surface and bulk internal residual stress. The latter, characterized by the high penetration power in most engineering alloys, allows for the use of diffraction angle close to 90° enabling a near cubic sampling volume to be specified. However, the complex microstructures of columnar growth with inherent crystallographic texture typically produced during PBF-LB/M of metallics present significant challenges to the assumptions typically required for time efficient determination of residual stress. These challenges include the selection of an appropriate set of diffraction elastic constants and a representative strain-free reference for the material of interest. In this presentation advancements in the field of diffraction-based residual stress analysis of L-PBF Inconel 718 will be presented. The choice of an appropriate set of diffraction-elastic constants depending on the underlying microstructure will be described.
High-strength fine-grained structural steels have great potential for modern weight optimized steel construc-tions. Efficient manufacturing and further weight savings are achievable due to Wire Arc Additive Manu-facturing (WAAM). First commercial high-strength welding consumables for WAAM are already available. However, the application is still severely limited due to a lack of knowledge and guidelines for the industry regarding welding residual stresses and component safety in manufacturing and operation. Residual stresses may be critical regarding the special microstructure of high-strength steels in context with the risk of cold cracking and component performance in service. Therefore, process- and material-related influences, as well as the design effects on residual stress formation and cold cracking, are being investi-gated in a research project (IGF 21162 BG) focusing a high-strength WAAM welding consumable with yield strength of over 800 MPa. Objectives are the establish-ment of special WAAM cold cracking tests and pro-cessing recommendations allowing economical, suita-ble, and crack-safe WAAM of high-strength steels. First studies on process-related influences showed transfor-mation residual stresses arising during cooling, which significantly influence stress evolution of the compo-nent during layer-wise build-up. This has not yet been investigated for WAAM of high-strength steels. Focus of this study is on the systematic investigation of interactions of the WAAM welding process and design with cooling time, hardness, and residual stresses.
Defined open hollow cuboids were welded and investi-gated under systematic variation (design of experi-ments, DoE) of the scale/dimensions (cf. Fig. 1a) and heat control (interlayer temperature Ti: 100–300 °C), heat input E: 200–650 kJ/m. The welding parameters were kept constant as possible to avoid any influence by the arc and the material transfer mode. The heat input adjusted primarily via the welding speed. The resulting different weald bead widths were considered by different build-up strategies (weld beads per layer) to ensure defined wall thicknesses. The hardness was determined on cross-sections taken from the manufac-tured hollow cuboids (Fig. 1c) and the analysis of the residual stress state was carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) at defined positions on the lateral wall (Fig. 1b).
The hardness is higher at the top compared to the lower weld beads, as shown in Fig. 1c exemplarily for central test parameters of the DoE = 425 kJ/mm, Ti = 200 °C). This may be attributed to the specific heat control of the top weld beads, i.e., quenching effects, which are not tempered by weld beads above as is the case for lower weld beads implying a higher hardness. It was observed that the hardness level decreases with increasing energy per unit length, while the in-terpass temperature has a rather low influence on the hardness
Residual stress analysis was performed on the lat-eral wall in the welding direction, cf. Fig. 1b, to deter-mine the influence of heat control and design. In the top area of the wall, maximum longitudinal residual stress-es of up to over 500 MPa exhibit, which corresponds to approx. 65% of the nominal yield strength of the mate-rial. The statistic evaluation of stress levels in welding direction of all test specimens show that adaption of heat input may reduce welding stresses up to 50%. In-terpass temperature has less pronounced effect on cool-ing times, microstructure, and on the residual level within parameter matrix. Overall, the results show a significant influence of heat input and component di-mensions on the residual stresses and minor effect of the interpass temperature. Hence, the properties of the specimens may be effectively adjusted via heat input. The working temperatures should be considered for global shrinkage behavior or restraints. Such investiga-tions of residual stress are necessary to further deter-mine local and global welding stresses regarding the consequences on the component safety during manu-facturing and service.
High-strength fine-grain structural steels have great potential for weight optimization of many modern engineering structures. Efficient manufacturing can be achieved here above all by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). First commercial high-strength welding consumables for WAAM are already available. However, due to a lack of knowledge and guidelines for the industry regarding welding residual stresses and component safety in manufacturing and operation, their application is still severely limited. Residual stresses play a crucial role here, as the sensitive microstructure of high-strength steels carries a high risk of cold cracking. For this reason, process- and material-related influences, as well as the design aspects on residual stress formation and the risk of cold cracking, are being investigated in a recent project (FOSTA-P1380/IGF21162BG). This high strength of the WAAM welding consumables is adjusted via a martensitic phase transformation. The volume expansion associated with martensite formation has a significant influence on residual stress evolution. However, this has not yet been investigated in relation to the processing of high-strength steels by WAAM. The aim of this work is to establish a WAAM cold crack test and easy-to-apply processing recommendations that will allow economical, expedient, and crack-resistant fabrication of high-strength steels, especially for SME. This paper focuses on the analysis of the effects of welding heat control and design of WAAM components on cooling conditions, microstructure, mechanical-technological properties and residual stresses. For this purpose, geometrically defined specimens (hollow cuboids) are welded fully automatically with a special, high-strength WAAM solid wire (yield strength >790 MPa). The heat control and specimen dimensions are varied within a statistical experimental design. The weld heat control is adjusted in such a way that the t8/5 cooling times are ensured within the recommended processing range (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. The WAAM welding of complex geometries with varying welding heat control and geometric factors or wall thicknesses not only has an effect on the cooling conditions, cooling times and microstructure, but also has a significant influence on the structural restraint conditions during welding. Hence, the welding experiments show significant effects of specimen scaling and heat input on the welding residual stresses, which may be detrimental regarding component properties and crack-critical tensile residual stresses. These complex interactions are analyzed within this investigation
High-strength fine-grain structural steels have great potential for weight optimization of many modern engineering structures. Efficient manufacturing can be achieved here above all by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). First commercial high-strength welding consumables for WAAM are already available. However, due to a lack of knowledge and guidelines for the industry regarding welding residual stresses and component safety in manufacturing and operation, their application is still severely limited. Residual stresses play a crucial role here, as the sensitive microstructure of high-strength steels carries a high risk of cold cracking. For this reason, process- and material-related influences, as well as the design aspects on residual stress formation and the risk of cold cracking, are being investigated in a recent project (FOSTA-P1380/IGF21162BG). This high strength of the WAAM welding consumables is adjusted via a martensitic phase transformation. The volume expansion associated with martensite formation has a significant influence on residual stress evolution. However, this has not yet been investigated in relation to the processing of high-strength steels by WAAM. The aim of this work is to establish a WAAM cold crack test and easy-to-apply processing recommendations that will allow economical, expedient, and crack-resistant fabrication of high-strength steels, especially for SME. This paper focuses on the analysis of the effects of welding heat control and design of WAAM components on cooling conditions, microstructure, mechanical-technological properties and residual stresses. For this purpose, geometrically defined specimens (hollow cuboids) are welded fully automatically with a special, high-strength WAAM solid wire (yield strength >790 MPa). The heat control and specimen dimensions are varied within a statistical experimental design. The weld heat control is adjusted in such a way that the t8/5 cooling times are ensured within the recommended processing range (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. The WAAM welding of complex geometries with varying welding heat control and geometric factors or wall thicknesses not only has an effect on the cooling conditions, cooling times and microstructure, but also has a significant influence on the structural restraint conditions during welding. Hence, the welding experiments show significant effects of specimen scaling and heat input on the welding residual stresses, which may be detrimental regarding component properties and crack-critical tensile residual stresses. These complex interactions are analyzed within this investigation.
Influence of the WAAM process on residual stresses in high-strength steels (IIW-Doc. II-A-408-2022)
(2022)
High-strength fine-grain structeural steels have great potential for weight optimization of many modern engineering structures. Efficient manufacturing can be achieved here above all by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). First commercial high-strength welding consumables for WAAM are already available. However, due to a lack of knowledge and guidelines for the industry regarding welding residual stresses and component safety in manufacturing and operation, their application is still severely limited. Residual stresses play a crucial role here, as the sensitive microstructure of high-strength steels carries a high risk of cold cracking. For this reason, process- and material-related influences, as well as the design aspects on residual stress formation and the risk of cold cracking, are being investigated in a recent project (FOSTA-P1380/IGF21162BG). This high strength of the WAAM welding consumables is adjusted via a martensitic phase transformation. The volume expansion associated with martensite formation has a significant influence on residual stress evolution. However, this has not yet been investigated in relation to the processing of high-strength steels by WAAM. The aim of this work is to establish a WAAM cold crack test and easy-to-apply processing recommendations that will allow economical, expedient, and crack-resistant fabrication of high-strength steels, especially for SME. This paper focuses on the analysis of the effects of welding heat control and design of WAAM components on cooling conditions, microstructure, mechanical-technological properties and residual stresses. For this purpose, geometrically defined specimens (hollow cuboids) are welded fully automatically with a special, high-strength WAAM solid wire (yield strength >790 MPa). The heat control and specimen dimensions are varied within a statistical experimental design. The weld heat control is adjusted in such a way that the t8/5 cooling times are ensured within the recommended processing range (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. The WAAM welding of complex geometries with varying welding heat control and geometric factors or wall thicknesses not only has an effect on the cooling conditions, cooling times and microstructure, but also has a significant influence on the structural restraint conditions during welding. Hence, the welding experiments show significant effects of specimen scaling and heat input on the welding residual stresses, which may be detrimental regarding component properties and crack-critical tensile residual stresses. These complex interactions are analyzed within this investigation.
Commercial high-strength filler 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 (FOSTA-P1380/IGF21162BG), the process- and material-related as well as design influences associated with residual stress formation and the risk of cold cracking are being investigated. For this purpose, reference specimens are welded fully automated with defined dimensions and systematic variation of heat control using a special, high-strength WAAM filler 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 steel producers (approx. 5–20 s). 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 sufficiently 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 affects heat dissipation conditions and the intensity of restraint during welding and has a significant influence on the residual stress. These complex interactions are analyzed within this investigation. The aim is to provide easily applicable processing recommendations and standard specifications for an economical, appropriate and crack-safe WAAM of high-strength steels.
High-strength steels have great potential for weight optimization due to reduced wall thicknesses in many modern steel constructions. Further advances in efficiency can be achieved through the application of additive manufacturing processes, such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). These technologies enable the sustainable and resource-efficient manufacturing of high-strength steels into near-net-shape, efficient structures. During the production of steel structures, unacceptable defects may occur in the weld area or in the WAAM component, e.g., due to unstable process conditions. The economical solution for most of the cases is local gouging or machining of the affected areas and repair welding. With respect to the limited ductility of high-strength steels, it is necessary to clarify the effects of machining steps on the multiaxial stress state and the high design-induced shrinkage restraint. In this context, the component-related investigations in two research projects are concerned with the residual stress evolution during welding and slot milling of welds and WAAM structures made of high-strength steels with yield strengths ≥790 MPa. In-situ digital image correlation (DIC) and ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyse the stresses and strains induced on specimens during and after milling. The systematic analyses revealed a significant interaction of the stiffness and relaxation of the specimens with the initial residual stresses induced by welding.
Determination of residual stress evolution during repair welding of high-strength steel components
(2021)
The sustainable and resource-efficient production of wind energy plants requires the use of modern high-strength fine-grain structural steels. This applies to both foundation and erection structures. During the assembly of steel structures, unacceptable defects can occasionally be found in the weld area. In most cases, the economical solution would be local thermal gouging of the affected areas and re-welding. Due to the high shrinkage restraint of the joint groove in the overall structure, the superposition of design and welding-induced residual stress can lead to crack formation and ultimately to component failure, particularly in interaction with the degradation of the microstructure and mechanical properties high-strength steels during the repair process.
In this context, component-related investigations of S500MLO and S960QL (FOSTA-P1311/IGF-Nr. 20162 N) focusing on welding residual stress evolution during local thermal gouging and rewelding. In this study, repair welding of S500MLO is carried out using in-situ digital image correlation (DIC) and ex-situ X-ray diffraction methods (XRD) to analyse strains and stresses. Therefore, self-restrained specimens were systematically gouged and rewelded with defined welding heat control (heat input, working temperature) and parameters. By means of structural mechanics calculations, geometries of self-restrained specimens were identified, that represent defined rigidity conditions of repair welds of real components. It could be shown that with increasing restraint intensity significantly higher residual stresses occur in the weld metal and heat affected zone. Furthermore, it revealed that the 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 local residual stresses after cooling to RT longitudinal and transverse to the weld direction showed a good comparability with global DIC analyses.
The new alloying concept of multi-element systems with defined entropy (HEA - High Entropy Alloy or MEA - Medium Entropy Alloy) is gaining increasing importance in materials research. Significantly improved properties or combinations of properties are shown by some HEA/MEA-systems, which have the potential to substitute conventional alloys such steels and are therefore promising for a wide range of applications, e.g., overcome of the trade-off between high strength and ductility. Thus, primarily the production and resulting microstructures of HEA as well as properties have been investigated so far. Furthermore, processing is a main issue to transfer HEA systems from the laboratory to real components, e.g., for highly stressed components. Since welding is the most important joining process for metals, it is crucial to investigate the influence of welding processing on these material properties to guarantee component integrity. Welding leads to residual stresses, which significantly affect the component integrity. Only a very few studies on the effect of welding on residual stresses in HEA and MEA weld joints are available so far. Hence, the focus of this study is the residual stress formation and distribution in a CoCrFeMnNi HEA and ternary CoCrNi MEA using two different welding processes: Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding and soldi-state Friction Stir Welding (FSW). As a pathway for application of HEA in this investigation for the first time residual stress analyses in realistic near-component specimens were performed. The residual stresses were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) on the surfaces of top and root weld side. The results were correlated with the local welding microstructures. The results show that both FSW and TIG generate significant tensile residual stresses on the weld surfaces in and transverse to the welding direction. In the case of FSW of the CoCrFeMnNi HEA, the longitudinal residual stresses are in the range of the yield strength of approx. 300 MPa in the weld zone.