Effects of Filler Metal Composition on Inclusions and Inclusion Defects for ER NiCrFe-7 Weldments

The effects of filler metal （FM） composition on inclusions and inclusion defects for ER NiCrFe-7 weldments have been investigated and analyzed. Results show that as Al, Ti content in FM increases from 0.14 wt% Al, 0.30 wt% Ti to 0.42 wt% Al, 0.92 wt% Ti, the Al, Ti reduction will increase during welding. Inclusion defects （point-like defects named by welding workers） are prone to form in the high Al, Ti content weldments. Inclusion defects with Mg, Ca, Al, and Ti as major metallic elements have been found on the surface and interior of the weldments, as Al, Ti content in FM is over 0.29 wt% Al, 0.62 wt% Ti. Less -ri content in FM cannot prevent ductility-dip-cracking （DDC） through producing enough intragranular precipitates and lessening intergranular M23C6 precipitates. Nb can be used to replace Ti to reduce the sensitivity of the DDC in the NiCrFe-7 alloy weldments.

Effect of aging treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties evolution of 25Cr-20Ni austenitic stainless steel weldments with different Nb contents

The microstructure evolutions and the mechanical properties of the 25Cr-20Ni austenitic stainless steel weld metals with different Nb contents were investigated during the long term aging treatment at 700~?C.M_(23)C_6,Nb(C,N),α-Cr phase and Nb-nitride phase(Z phase)were observed in the microstructures of the aged weld metals.The results showed that theα-Cr phase precipitated in the interdendritic regions of the weld metals after being exposed to~ 700?C for 500 h and the element Nb accelerated the precipitation of theα-Cr phase significantly.The density of theα-Cr phase decreased with the increase of the distance away from the primary Nb(C,N).Additionally,theα-Cr phase showed a crystallographic relationship with the austenitic matrix,■.It was observed that the Z phase precipitated in the periphery of the Nb(C,N)and may replace the Nb(C,N)after long term exposure to high temperature.The transformation of the Nb(C,N)into Z phase suggested that the Z phase had a higher stability than the Nb(C,N)par^ticles at 700?C for long term aging.The tensile strength of the Nb-bearing weld metal showed a continuous decrease at the initial stage of the aging treatment and then went up slightly with the prolonged aging time.However,the elongations and the impact energies of the weld metals decreased monotonously with the increase of the aging time.

Microstructural evolution and stress relaxation cracking mechanism for Super304H austenitic stainless steel weld metal

The pre-compressed CT technique was used to quantitatively investigate the formation of stress relaxation cracks under different tensile residual stresses and aging time in Super304H austenitic stainless steel weld metal.The statistical results revealed that intergranular cracks could occur within 2000 h under 650℃ when the residual stress was applied with greater than 18 KN pre-compression force.Detailed grain interior and boundary analyses showed that the growth of intragranular Cu-rich particles could induce a strong grain interior,and the intergranular Nb(C,N)carbides were one of the causes to crack under short-term aging time.For long-term aging time conditions,the intergranular M_(23)C_(6)carbides were more susceptible to crack than intergranular Nb(C,N)carbides.Finally,the mechanism responsible for stress relaxation cracking formation was carefully illustrated for the weld metals after short-term aging and long-term aging,respectively.

Effects of Ti-bearing inclusions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of MAG multilayer weld metal

The metal active gas （MAG） multilayer weld metal consists of the columnar grain zone （CGZ） and the fine grain zone （FGZ）. Mechanical properties and microstructure of the CGZ and FGZ have been analyzed and evaluated. The inclusion with a size of 0.2-1.0 μm is typical log-normal distribution. The morphology of inclusions has been analyzed using transmission electron microscope （TEM）. With the microalloying element Ti addition, much MnTiO3 phase precipitates on the Mn-silicates matrix, which is beneficial for the nucleation of acicular ferrite （AF）. The probable mechanism for the nucleation of AF has been discussed.

Effects of Aging at 550℃ on α'-Martensitic Transformation of High Si-Bearing Metastable Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal

The high Si-bearing 15Cr-9Ni-Nb metastable austenitic stainless steel weld metal was prepared via gas tungsten arc welding and then processed by stabilized heat treatment(SHT)at 850℃ for 3 h.The effects of 550℃ aging on the α'-martensitic transformation of the as-welded and the SHT weld metals were investigated.The results showed that the weld metal had poor thermal stability of austenite.The precipitation of NbC during the 850℃ SHT made the thermal stability of the local matrix decrease and led to the formation of a large amount of C-depleted α'-martensite.The precipitation of coarse σ-phase at the δ-ferrite led to the Cr-depleted zone and the formation of Cr-depleted α'-martensite at the early stage of 550℃ aging.The homogenized diffusion of C and Cr in the matrix during 550℃ aging led to the restoration of austenitic thermal stability and the decrease of α'-martensite content.The C-depleted α'-martensite content in the SHT weld metal decreased rapidly at the early stage of aging due to the fast diffusion rate of the C atom in the matrix,while the Cr-depleted α'-martensite decreased at the later stage of aging due to the decreased diffusion rate of the Cr.

Effects of Boron on the Microstructure,Ductility-dip-cracking,and Tensile Properties for NiCrFe-7 Weld Metal

The distribution of boron and the microstructure of grain boundary（GB） precipitates（M23（C,B） 6 and M 2B）have been analyzed with their effects on the susceptibility of ductility-dip-cracking（DDC） and tensile properties for NiCrFe-7 weld metal,using optical microscopy（OM）,secondary ion mass spectroscopy（SIMS）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,and transmission electron microscopy（TEM）.The results show that boron segregates at GBs in NiCrFe-7 weld metal during the welding process.The segregation of boron at GBs promotes the formation of continuous M23（C,B） 6 carbide chains and M 2B borides along GBs.The addition of boron aggravates GB embrittlement and causes more DDC in the weld metal,by its segregation at GBs presenting as an impurity,and promoting the formation of larger and continuous M 23（C,B） 6 carbides,and M 2B borides along GBs.DDC in the weld metal deteriorates the ductility and tensile strength of the weld metal simultaneously.

Effect of Structural Parameters of Double Shielded TIG Torch on the Fusion Zone Profile for 0Cr13Ni5Mo Martensitic Stainless Steel

The effects of double shielded TIG （tungsten inert gas） torch＇s structural parameters, including the flow rate ratio between the inner and outer layers of gas and the extended length of the electrode （abbreviated as ELE in this work）, on the fusion zone profile have been investigated for OCrl3NiSMo martensitic stainless steel. Results show that the double shielded TIG process yields relatively high penetration of the weld pool in a broad range of the structural parameters. ELE over 3 mm is too large and causes adverse reactions on the protection of electrode. The outer gas with relatively high flow rate or the outer layer with high oxygen content is conducive to the oxygen dissolved into the arc, which results in the oxidation of the weld pool surface and the electrode tip. The double shielded TIG welded metal was tested and presented good impact property.

δ-ferrite transformation mechanism and its effect on mechanical properties of 316H weld metal

The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the 316 H stainless steel weld metals with different C contents were studied at the aging temperature of 550℃ for different aging holding time.The transformation behavior of δ-ferrite and precipitation mechanisms of M(23)C6 and σ phase in the as-aged weld metal were investigated.The results indicated that for the as-welded weld metal,with increasing C content,the yield and tensile strengths increased,while the elongation decreased owing to the increase of C solid solution strengthening effect.Moreover,both the high δ-ferrite content in low C weld metal and the precipitated M(23)C6 carbide in high C weld metal deteriorated the impact energy obviously.During the aging process,the rapid precipitation of M(23)C6 carbide occurred in σ-ferrite firstly owing to the high diffusion rate of C.Once the carbon is depleted by precipitation of M(23)C6,the slow formation of σ phase occurred through eutectoid transformation(δ→σ+γ) depending on the diffusion of Cr and Mo.Moreover,increasing C content promoted the formation of M(23)C6 carbides and inhibited the formation of σ phase.Therefore,increasing C content accelerated the transformation of σ ferrite in weld metal during aging process.Furthermore,after a long enough aging time,a transformation from M(23)C6 to σ occurred.The variations of mechanical properties with aging conditions depended to a large extent on the microstructures at different aging conditions.For the low C weld metal aged at 550℃,with the increase of the aging time,fine M(23)C6 first precipitated,then coarsened,after that σ phase formed,which caused that the yield and tensile strengths first increased,then decreased,and finally increased slightly again.For the medium C weld metal,as the aging time increased,first the depletion of the solid solution C as a result the M(23)C6 precipitation deteriorated the strength,and then the formation of σ phase improved the strength.For the high C weld metal,with the increase of the aging time,the depletion of the solid solution C and the coarsening of the M(23)C6 precipitates deteriorated the strength.Furthermore,with increasing aging time,both the precipitation and coarsening of M(23)C6 and increasing σ phase content deteriorated the elongation and impact ene rgy.

Principles Giving High Penetration under the Double Shielded TIG Process

A new welding method named double shielded tungsten inert gas （TIG） has been developed to improve the TIG weld penetration. The main principles to increase the weld depth have been discussed. Results show that the critical oxygen content in the weld pool is around 100 × 10 -6 as the temperature coefficient of surface tension changes from negative to positive. The tracer test using pure silver shows that the direction of Marangoni convection changes as the oxygen content increases in the weld pool. The effect of arc constriction on the weld depth has been evaluated on a water-cooled copper plate, and the result indicates that the torch of double shielded can give a more powerful arc. Heavy oxide on the pool surface has undesirable impacts on the increasing of weld depth as the oxygen excessively accumulates in weld pool. It is possible to form chromium oxide in the weld process, while the iron oxide may form as the weld surface exposes to the air after the shielded gas moving away.

Effect of Carbon Content on the Creep Rupture Properties and Microstructure of 316H Weld Metals

Two types of 316 butt welds with carbon contents of 0.016%and 0.062%have been produced using the gas tungsten arc welding process.Theδ-ferrite content decreased from 7.2 to 2.8%in volume as the carbon content increased.The creeprupture strength and creep ductility of the two types of weld metals have been measured at 550℃over the stress range of 290-316 MPa and at 600℃over 230-265 MPa.The microstructure change and precipitation behavior of the weld metals were observed and related to the creep rupture properties.The creep rupture strength of the C2(0.062%C)weld metal was higher than that of the Cl(0.016%C)weld metal at both 550℃and 600℃.At 550℃,as the decrease in the applied stress,the difference of the creep-rupture life between the two weld metals diminished due to the higher depletion rate of carbon by precipitation of M_(23)C_(6) in the C2 weld metal,while at 600℃,the difference enlarged due to the massive precipitation ofσphase and extensive crack formation and propagation alongσ/austenite boundaries in the C1 weld metal.For both the C1 and C2 weld metal,the decrease in ductility was adverse with the transformation percentage and related to products of theδ-ferrite transformation.

Weld Shape Variation and Electrode Oxidation Behavior under Ar-(Ar-CO_2) Double Shielded GTA Welding

Double shielded gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW, also known as tungsten inert gas （TIG） welding） of an SUS304 stainless steel with pure inert argon as the inner layer shielding and the At-CO2 or CO2 active gas as the out layer shielding was proposed in this study to investigate its effect on the tungsten electrode protection and the weld shape variation. The experimental results showed that the inner inert argon gas can successfully prevent the outer layer active gas from contacting and oxidizing the tungsten electrode during the welding process. Active gas, carbon dioxide, in the outer layer shielding is decomposed in the arc and dissolves in the liquid pool, which effectively adjusts the active element, oxygen, content in the weld metal. When the weld metal oxygen content is over 70×10-6, the surface-tension induced Marangoni convection changes from outward into inward, and the weld shape varies from a wide shallow one to a narrow deep one. The effect of the inner layer gas flow rate on the weld bead morphology and the weld shape was investigated systematically. The results show that when the flow rate of the inner argon shielding gas is too low, the weld bead is easily oxidized and the weld shape is wide and shallow. A heavy continuous oxide layer on the liquid pool is a barrier to the liquid pool movement.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Simulated Heat-affected Zones of EP-823 Steel for ADS/LFR

EP-823 steel is one of the candidate materials for accelerator-driven systems/lead-cooled fast reactors （ADS/LFR）. Its weldability was investigated by mechanical property tests and microstructure analysis on the enlarged heat-affected zones （HAZs） made by numerical and physical simulation. The finite element numerical simulation could simulate the welding thermal cycle of the characteristic regions in HAZs with extremely high accuracy, The physical simulation performed on a Gleeble simulator could enlarge the characteristic regions to easily investigate the relationship between the microstructure evolution and the mechanical properties of the HAZs. The results showed that the simulated partially normalized zone comprising tempered martensite, newly formed martensite and more tiny carbides has the highest impact energy. The fully normalized zone exhibits the highest hardness because of the quenched martensite and large carbides. The ductile property of the overheated zone is poor for the residual delta- ferrite phases and the quenched martensite.

Effects of Stabilization Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Si‑Bearing 15Cr–9Ni–Nb Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal

Two 15Cr–9Ni–Nb austenitic stainless steel weld metals with 2.5%Si and 3.5%Si(namely 2.5Si and 3.5Si samples,respectively)were designed and prepared through tungsten inert gas(TIG)welding and then hold at 800℃ or 900℃ for 3 h for stabilization.The microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated both for the as-welded and after-stabilization heat treatment(SHT)weld metals.There are 3.0–4.0%martensite and 2.5–3.5%δferrite in the 2.5Si as-welded weld metal and 6.0–7.0%δferrite in the 3.5Si as-welded weld metal.After SHT,a large amount of martensite formed in the 2.5Si weld metal,andδ→γtransition occurred during the SHT process both for the 2.5Si and 3.5Si weld metals.There were a large amount of coarse NbC and few nanoscale NbC in the as-welded weld metal.During the SHT,a large amount of nanoscale NbC formed in the matrix,while a large number of G phases formed at the austenite grain boundaries and theδ/γinterfaces.The decrease in solid solution C andδferrite content led to the decline of the yield strength of the weld metal after SHT.The martensite formed in 2.5Si weld metal after SHT had less effect on strength because of its low carbon content.The G phases formed during the SHT reduced the impact energy of the weld metal because it promoted the intergranular fracture,while theδ→γtransition reduced the amount of theδ/γinterfaces and avoided the intergranular fracture,which was beneficial for the impact toughness of the weld metals.

Phase Transformation During Intercritical Tempering with High Heating Rate in a Fe-13%Cr-4%Ni-Mo Stainless Steel

The phase transformation from martensite to austenite during intercritical tempering with high heating rate in a low carbon martensitic stainless steel Fe-13%Cr-4%Ni-Mo has been investigated to clarify the microstructure evolution in some regions of the weld joint heat affected zone （HAZ）. The experimental results indicate that the start and finish temperatures of the martensite to austenite transformation keep constant when the heating rate is higher than 10 K/s, and the transformation is much faster than nickel diffusion. The mechanism of the martensite to austenite transformation changes from diffusion to diffusionless during the intercritical tempering when the heating rate is higher than 10 K/s. The diffusionless transformation and higher As temperature render it difficult for any austenite to remain at room temperature during the intercritical tempering with high heating rate that occurs in the HAZ. Adding a proper intercritical tempering with low heating rate can induce some reversed austenite in the rapid heated sample.

Precipitation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of a 16Cr-25Ni Superaustenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal During Post-weld Heat Treatment

A 16Cr-25Ni superaustenitic stainless steel weld metal for austenitic stainless steel/ferrite heat-resistance steel dissimilar metal weld was designed and prepared through tungsten inert-gas welding.The precipitate evolution and its correlation with mechanical properties were investigated during post-weld heat treatment(PWHT)at 690℃ for up to 12 h.The primary precipitates in the as-welded weld metal were identified as Mo-rich M6C carbides in the interdendritic region and semicontinuous fine-sized M23C6 carbides along grain boundary.After PWHT,three types of precipitates coexisted in the interdendritic region:primary M6C carbides,newly precipitated Mo-rich M2X carbonitrides and some of the secondary M23C6 carbides.Additionally,mass secondary M23C6 carbides formed and coarsened along grain boundary.No undesirable intermetallic phases formed during the whole period.The M2X and interdendritic M23C6 improved the strength of the weld metal after PWHT,but the elongation and impact toughness degraded,which were mainly owing to the intergranular M23C6 carbides that changed the fracture mode from ductile transgranular mode to mixed mode of transgranular and intergranular fracture.Meanwhile,the coarsening of M2X carbonitrides may lead to the elongation loss during 8 h to 12 h.Evolution of impact toughness was also related to the M2X carbonitrides,which made the crack easier to propagate compared with austenitic matrix and contributed to the decline of impact toughness.However,due to the sluggish precipitation of M2X carbonitrides with longer holding time,the decreasing trend became slow from 4 to 12 h.The results showed that PWHT should be controlled within 8 h to obtain better combination of strength and ductility.

A Study of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties for the Autogenous Single-Pass Butt Weldment of a Ferritic/Martensitic Steel Using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

A 12%Cr ferritic/martensitic steel,HT-9,has been used as a primary core material for nuclear reactors.The microstructure and mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc butt welded joints of HT-9 in as-welded,and as-tempered conditions have been explored.In as-welded condition,the fusion zone(FZ)contained a fresh martensite matrix with delta(δ)-ferrite.Theδ-ferrite was rich in Cr and depleted in C compared with the matrix.The heat-aff ected zone(HAZ)could be divided into three areas as the distance from the fusion line increased:δ-ferrite/martensite duplex zone,fully recrystallized zone,and partly recrystallized zone.Prior austenitic grains did not coarsen in theδ-ferrite/martensite duplex zone due to the newly nucleatedδ-ferrite grains and incompletely ferritizing(δ-ferrite)during the welding thermal cycle.The weldment microhardness distributed heterogeneously with values above 600 HV_(1.0)in the HAZ and FZ and 250 HV_(1.0)in the base metal(BM).Solute C in the matrix,induced by the dissolution of carbide during the welding process,dominated the microhardness variation.Low toughness was observed in the FZ with a quasi-cleavage fracture tested from-80 to 20℃.The tensile fracture occurred in the relatively soft BM tested from 20 to 600℃.In as-tempered condition(760℃for 1 h),M_(23)C_6-type carbides precipitated within the martensitic laths,the lath boundaries,and theδ-ferrite/martensite interfaces.Moreover,V,Cr,Mo-rich nitrides with very small size also precipitated in theδ-ferrite/martensite interface.The tempering treatment improved the homogenous distribution of weldment hardness significantly.Tensile fracture still occurred in the BM of the weldment specimens tested from 20 to 600℃.The impact toughness improved significantly,but the ductile–brittle transaction temperature was-12℃which was higher than that of the normalized and tempered(N&T)BM.δ-ferrite was considered to be one of the major factors aggravating the impact toughness in the FZ.