Manual metal arc weld modelling: Part 2 Treatment of multipass weld

Abstract

The premature failure of parts designed to operate at high temperatures often occurs in low-ductility microstructures in a weld or its heat-affected zone (HAZ). Clearly, a knowledge of how the welding process variables determine these microstructures is essential to the designer of welding procedures. In an accompanying paper relationships are established which describe how the dimensions of single manual metal arc weld beads and their associated HAZs are related to the welding process parameters. Here it is shown how these relationships can be used to optimize the metallurgical properties of multipass welds by controlling the process parameters. The factors given particular attention are dilution of the weld metal by the parent material, refinement of the HAZ using controlled deposition, and refinement of the structure of the weld metal. Data for BOC Murex Suprex B welding electrodes and a mild steel substrate are used throughout for illustration, but the methods presented are applicable to other combinations of materials provided the correct material constants are used. The present work was prompted by a need to improve metal deposition rates during manual metal arc repair of foundry defects in large Cr–Mo–V castings. The practical implementation of the results is also considered.

MST/193b     

Pulsed MIG welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy

Abstract

Pulsed metal inert gas welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy is carried out, and continuous butt joints of high quality are obtained at optimised parameters. The effects of parameters on weld formation and welding stability are studied. The microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture of weld beads with different filler wires are investigated. The results show that it is a stable drop transition process with optimised parameters, which belongs to globular transfer. The precipitates in fusion zone and heat affected zone (HAZ) are uniform, dispersive and almost granular. The grain size in fusion zone is fine, and the grain size does not grow too large in HAZ compared with the base metal. The ultimate tensile strength of weld beads can be 94% of base metal, and the average elongation is 11%. Dimples and coarse tearing ridges can be observed on the fracture of the weld bead.     

Hot cracking in tungsten inert gas welding of magnesium alloy AZ91D

Abstract

Plates of 3–5 mm in thickness were extracted from an AZ91D ingot and then butt joints of the plates were produced using tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding method. The TIG arc was also used to deposit welding beads on some of the thin plates. No cracking was found in the butt joints. However, hot cracking was always observed to propagate from the heat affected zone (HAZ) under the welding bead into the weld metal right after a welding bead was deposited on the thin plate. Metallographic and fractographic evidence was obtained to show that the hot cracking is 'liquation cracking' in the partially melted HAZ under the high thermal stresses. In the butt joints, the weld metal has the finest grains, highest strength and best ductility, and the HAZ was found to be the 'weakest link'.     

Effect of Welding Parameters on the Size of Heat Affected Zone of Submerged Arc Welding

This paper discusses the effect of welding parameters on the size of the heat affected zone (HAZ) and its relative size as compared to the weld bead of submerged arc welding. It is discovered that the welding parameters influences the size of weld bead and HAZ differently which can be relate to the effect of welding parameters on the various melting efficiencies. This difference in behavior of HAZ and weld bead can be explored to minimize the harmful effect of HAZ in future welds.     

Laser arc hybrid weld microstructure in nickel based IN738 superalloy

Abstract

A study of the microstructural characteristics of laser arc hybrid welded nickel based IN738 superalloy was performed. Laser arc hybrid welding produced a desirable weld profile in the alloy, similar to what is usually obtained during laser beam welding, and no cracking occurred exclusively in the fusion zone. Elemental partitioning pattern in the fusion zone was studied by electron probe microanalysis and calculating the volume fraction of the weld metal that resulted from the consumption of the filler wire. The result showed that Ti, Ta, Nb, Mo, Al and Zr partitioned into the interdendritic regions of the fusion zone. SEM and TEM examination of the fusion zone showed the presence of secondary solidification reaction constituents, which consists of MC type carbides. The study further revealed that non-equilibrium liquation of various second phases that were present in the alloy prior to welding contributed to intergranular liquation in the heat affected zone (HAZ), which consequently resulted in extensive HAZ intergranular cracking during welding. Although laser arc hybrid welding appears promising for improving the weldability of nickel based IN738 superalloy, a suitable weldability improvement procedure is required in order to minimise HAZ intergranular cracking and thereby enhance the applicability of this technology to the joining of the superalloy.     

Process parameter selection for optimising weld bead geometry in stainless steel cladding using Taguchi's approach

Abstract

In the present study, the Taguchi method, a tool to design optimisation for quality, is used to find the optimal welding process parameters for cladding of austenitic stainless steel. An orthogonal array, the signal to noise (S/N) ratio, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to investigate the effect of process parameters on weld bead characteristics. The present study was conducted by depositing AISI 317L onto an IS : 2062 structural steel substrate by the flux cored arc welding (FCAW) process under the shield of 95%Ar and 5%CO₂ gas mixture. The weld bead parameters are optimised individually (single objective) as well as collectively (multiobjective) to get the desired quality characteristics. The results show that these techniques can be used effectively to control the process parameters in cladding with certain limitations.     

Study on welding process and prosperities of AA5754 Al-alloy welded by double pulsed gas metal arc welding

In this paper, the effect of double pulsed gas metal arc welding (DP-GMAW) on metal droplet transfer, weld pool profile, weld bead geometry and weld joint mechanical properties of Al alloy AA5754 are presented. A high speed camera was utilized to reveal the metal transfer behavior and weld pool profile. A self-developed electrical signal acquire system was adopted to record the current waveform during welding process. The results indicated that the metal transfer, weld pool profile and weld bead geometry in DP-GMAW significantly differ with P-GMAW. The microstructure showed that grain size of the weld bead decreased with increasing of thermal pulse frequency, and the eutectic precipitates Mg₂Si were homogeneously distributed at fusion zone. The mechanical properties of welded joints were improved.     

Weldability and properties of martensitic/austenitic stainless steel joints

Abstract

A series of studies has been carried out to examine the weldability and properties of dissimilar steel joints using martensitic and austenitic stainless steels F6NM (OCr13Ni4Mo) and AISI 347, respectively. This type of joint requires good mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and a stable magnetic permeability in addition to a good weldability. Weldability tests include weld thermal simulation of the martensitic steel to investigate the influence of weld thermal cycles and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the heat affected zone (HAZ); implant testing to examine the tendency for cold cracking of martensitic steel; and rigid restraint testing to determine hot crack susceptibility of the multipass dissimilar steel joints. The simulation results indicated that the toughness of the martensitic steel HAZ did not change significantly after the weld thermal cycles. The implant test results indicated that welds produced using nickel based filler show no tendency for cold cracking, whereas welds produced using martensitic or ferritic filler show such a tendency. Based on the weldability tests, a welding procedure (tungsten inert gas welding for root passes with HNiCrMo-2B wire followed by manual metal arc welding using ENiCrFe-3B coated electrode) was developed and a PWHT at 600°C for 2 h was recommended. Joints produced using the developed welding procedure are not susceptible to hot and cold cracking. After PWHT the joints exhibit both satisfactory mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking resistance.

MST/1955     

Manual metal arc weld modelling: Part 3 Implementation of two-layer heat-affected zone refinement technique under shop floor conditions

Abstract

The two-layer technique for refining the heat-affected zone was developed to prevent the occurrence of the coarse–grained bainitic microstructure in the HAZs of Cr–Mo–V steels. This microstructure, because of its poor creep ductility, can lead to circumferential cracking during stress relief, as well as longer–term in–service cracking. In this paper the results of an analysis of multipass manual metal arc welding (presented in an accompanying paper), in which the conditions for achieving successful two–layer refinement were defined in terms of the heat input ratio of the two layers, are incorporated into a practical welding procedure designed to produce complete refinement of the HAZ. The procedure is presented in nomographic form for use by welders and welding engineers. The scheme has been used with success in welding trials under shop floor conditions.

MST/193c     

Zone-wise investigation of creep behaviour 9Cr–1Mo steel weld joints

Distinct regions such as weld metal, heat-affected zone (HAZ) and base metal of P9 steel weld joints fabricated by various welding processes were investigated using impression creep testing. Smaller prior austenitic grain size, lower density of precipitates and dislocations resulted in faster recovery and higher creep rate of HAZ in comparison to the weld and base metal. Compared to base metal, shielded metal arc weld (SMAW) and activated tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) weld of the P9 steel weld joints exhibited better resistance to creep and displayed higher activation energy due to their coarser prior austenite grain size. A-TIG HAZ exhibited superior creep properties compared to the SMAW and TIG HAZ due to the presence of higher number density of precipitates.     

Experimental investigation on the effects of process parameters of GMAW and transient thermal analysis of AISI321 steel

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) develops an arc by controlling the metal from the wire rod and the input process parameters. The deposited metal forms a weld bead and themechanical properties depend upon the quality of the weld bead. Proper control of the process parameters which affect the bead geometry, the microstructures of the weldments and the mechanical properties like hardness, is necessary. This experimental study aims at developing mathematical models for bead height (HB), bead width (WB) and bead penetration (PB) and investigating the effects of four process parameters
viz: welding voltage, welding speed, wire feed rate and gas flow rate on bead geometry, hardness and microstructure of AISI321 steel with 10 mm thickness. The transient thermal analysis shows temperature and residual stress distributions at different conduction and convection conditions.     

Pitting corrosion resistance of as welded and thermally aged nitrogen containing type 316 stainless steel weld metal

Abstract

Type 316 stainless steel weld metal with 0·07%N, prepared using nitrogen bearing 316 stainless steel filler wire by the manual metal arc (MMA) welding process, was evaluated for the microstructural changes and pitting corrosion resistance in as welded and aged (at both 1023 and 1123 K for 0·5, 1, 10, and 100 h) conditions. The initial delta ferrite content was about 5·5 ferrite number, which transformed from 70 to 100% as secondary precipitates depending on the aging conditions. Electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation studies did not show any reactivation peak indicating the absence of Cr depleted zones. Pitting corrosion studies in a medium of 0·5M NaCl + 0·5M H₂ SO₄ (acidic chloride) by the potentiodynamic anodic polarisation method showed a significant variation in the pitting resistance which depended on the aging conditions. The pitting corrosion resistance has been correlated to the precipitation kinetics of the secondary phases such as sigma, carbide, and Cr₂ N in the weld metal.     

Microstructural characterization of shielded metal arc weldments of a copper-bearing HSLA stee

Abstract

A systematic microstructural characterization in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of two ASTM A710 grade A steel weldments (one preheated and the other pre–cooled), employing identical shielded metal arc welding conditions, has been performed. The microstructure in both the HAZ and the weld metal of both welds has been characterized by optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with microhardness traverses. No difference in microstructure was observed in the HAZ on comparing the preheated and non-preheated weldments. The only significant difference observed in the two weldments was the width of the HAZ, which is about 1 mm wider for a preheated weldment. Examination by transmission electron microscopy revealed the following microconstituents in the HAZ of both the weldments: polygonal ferrite, acicular ferrite, ferrite–carbide aggregates, ε-copper and fine cementite precipitates, martensite, tempered martensite, retained austenite, and transformation-twinned martensite. The microhardness traverse revealed almost identical hardness gradients in the two welds. The microstructural and microhardness data are discussed with regard to the preheating requirements for this alloy.

MST/118     

Effects of activating flux on the welded joint characteristics in gas metal arc welding

This paper presents the effect of each welding parameter on the weld bead geometry, and then sets out to determine the optimal process parameters using the Taguchi method to determine the parameters. Three kinds of oxides, Fe₂O₃, SiO₂, and MgCO₃, were used to investigate the effect of activating flux aided gas metal arc welding (GMAW) on weld bead geometry, angular distortion and mechanical properties in AISI 1020 carbon steel. During welding, a charge coupled device (CCD) camera system was used to observe and record images of the welding arc and analyze the relationship between penetration increase and arc profile. The experimental results showed that activating flux aided GMAW increased the weld area and penetration and tended to reduce the angular distortion of the weldment. The MgCO₃ flux produced the most noticeable effect. Furthermore, the welded joint presented better tensile strength and hardness.     

Single Pass Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding of Maraging Steel Thick Sections

Maraging steel 250 grade plates of 10 mm thickness were welded in single pass using a laser-arc hybrid welding (LHW) setup comprising 3.5 kW CO₂ laser and synergic pulse metal inert gas (MIG) welding power source at a welding speed of 1 m/min. The influence of single-pass welding on the bead characteristics, microstructure, and mechanical properties was investigated. The size and volume fraction of reverted austenite was effectively reduced in the fusion zone. Moreover, the width of the heat-affected zones (HAZ) was reduced and the microhardness results did not show significant softening in the HAZ after post weld aging. Tensile testing of the welds in transverse direction showed 97.3% weld efficiency. The fusion zone exhibited K_Ic fracture toughness of 77.4 MPa√m which was affected by the distribution pattern of reverted austenite. The study vividly brings out the process advantages of LHW for accomplishing thick section welds of maraging steel in single pass with narrow groove and lesser filler wire consumption.     

Nickel based hardfacing alloys for high temperature applications

Abstract

Conventional nickel based hardfacing alloys deposited by arc welding usually have a nominally single phase microstructure and derive their hot strength primarily from solid solution strengthening. The present work is an attempt at designing improved alloys containing large volume fractions of ordered precipitates or intermetallic compounds. The alloy design has been carried out using a computer model capable of estimating microstructure and strength as a function of many variables. The results are tested experimentally against cast samples which simulate welding conditions during manual metal arc welding.

MST/1035     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of 316H weld metal during aging

ABSTRACT

A standard 316H welding wire was used to obtain 6% δ-ferrite in the weld metal by the automatic tungsten inert gas welding. The effect of aging time at 750°C on microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld metal were analysed. The results showed that as the aging time increased, the δ-ferrite fraction decreased, and finally, δ-ferrite was no longer seen, the M₂₃C₆ fraction first increased and then decreased, and the σ phase fraction increased. Finally, the fractions of M₂₃C₆ and σ phase kept stable, but the size increased. Accordingly, as the aging time increased, the yield and tensile strengths first decreased significantly, then increased obviously and finally decreased slightly again, while the elongation and impact energy decreased all the time.     

Nanoindentation creep behavior of RPV’s weld joint at room temperature

SA508 Gr.3 steel has been widely used in nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPV). Nuclear components are generally combined through arc welding processes, which always produces heterogeneous mechanical properties in heat affected zone (HAZ) of weld joint. In order to study mechanical heterogeneity of weld joint, HAZ was been divided into five small regions (HAZ1 to HAZ5) based on the distance from the weld center line. The elastic modulus, hardness, and creep deformations of five regions in HAZ were measured through nanoindentation, as well as base and weld metals. According to the experimental results, the HAZ2 region (belonging to the fine-grained HAZ) exhibited a significantly lower hardness and creep behavior. Strain rate sensitivities (SRS) in different regions were then estimated from the steady-state creep, and the HAZ2 region showed a relatively higher value. The influence of grain boundary fraction on the creep behavior of weld joints was discussed later. Furthermore, the results of SRS also indicated that the creep mechanism of tested regions could be dominated by dislocation activities.

     

Influence of Co,Cu and W on microstructure of 9%Cr steel weld metals

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in the use of the 9-12%Cr grades of ferritic steel containing Mo, V, Nb, N and W with further possible Co additions, for high temperature applications. There is a parallel need for weld metal development to match these materials. A series of weld metals, based on 9CrMoV but with Cu and Co additions and W replacement of the Mo, have been examined and the effects on delta ferrite distributions and contents identified. The results show that the compositional differences have a direct effect on the delta ferrite content. The delta ferrite form and content are different for the last weld bead, or the as deposited structure, and the centre of the weld pad, where the structure has been reheated by subsequent weld beads. In general, a blocky form of ferrite is associated with the as deposited weld bead and an intergranular form for the reheated weld metal positions but these are not exclusive. A simplified mechanism is proposed for explaining the ferrite distribution. Finally, the measured ferrite contents are considered with respect to the existing empirical relationships from the literature, based on equivalent Cr and Ni levels, for estimation of the ferrite levels.     

Experimental and numerical assessment of mechanical properties of welded tubes for hydroforming

The identification of welded tubes properties considering the weld bead and Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) is important for reliable and accurate finite element simulation of tubular plastic forming processes such as tube hydroforming and rotary draw bending processes. Therefore, a simplified method is proposed to extract the weld bead and HAZ properties. Full size standard tensile specimens cut from the welded tube and comprising the weld parallel to the load direction are extended to failure. Mechanical properties obtained from uniaxial tensile test are correlated with the microhardness data measured across the welded specimen and by using the rule of mixtures; the constitutive model parameters of weld bead and HAZ regions are identified. Accuracy of the proposed method is assessed by comparing finite element simulation predictions to experimental measurements obtained from two mechanical tests: the first one is the uniaxial tensile test performed on specimens comprising the weld line perpendicular to the loading direction and the second test is the free bulge hydroforming test achieved on seamed tubular samples. This investigation has shown that the presented method is practical in use and sufficiently accurate to extract the weld metal properties of seamed tubes.