The Cracking Induced by Oxidation-Hydriding in Welding Joints of Zircaloy-4 Plates

The welding joints of Zircaloy 4 plates obtained by diffusion welding at 800°C under pressure in vacuum were cracked during autoclave tests at 400°C superheated steam after exposure longer than 150 days. The section of specimens was examined by optical microscopy and the composition at the tips of cracking was analyzed by electron microprobe. The result shows that the combination of oxidation and hydriding induced cracking is responsible for this failure of the welding joints.

Effects of laser heat treatment on salt spray corrosion of 1Cr5Mo heat resistant steel welding joints

The surface of 1Cr5 Mo heat-resistant steel welding joint was processed with CO2 laser, and the corrosion behaviors before and after laser heat treatment(LHT) were investigated in the salt spray corrosion environments. The microstructures, phases, residual stresses and retained austenite content of 1Cr5 Mo steel welding joint before and after LHT were analyzed with optical microscope and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The cracking morphologies and chemical compositions of corrosion products after salt spray corrosion were analyzed with field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) and energy disperse spectroscopy(EDS), respectively, the polarization curves were measured on a PS-268 A type electrochemical workstation, and the mechanism of corrosion resistance by LHT was investigated as well. The results show that the passive film of original sample is destroyed owing to the corrosive media penetrating into the subsurface, resulting in the redox reaction. The content of residual austenite in the surface and the self-corrosion potential are increased by LHT, which is contributed to improving the capability of salt spray corrosion resistance.

Mechanism of corrosion fatigue fracture of friction stir welding joints of 7075 aluminium alloy in 3.5% NaCl solution

The corrosion fatigue fracture mechanism of friction stir welding(FSW) joints of 7075 aluminium alloy in3.5% NaCl solution is investigated. The corrosion fatigue crack source originates from the junction of nugget zone(NZ)and thermo-mechanical affected zone(TMAZ). Multiple crack sources are developed at the same time, and they merge into large cracks along the boundary line of NZ and TMAZ during the propagation stage. Furthermore, a mutual reinforcement coupling always exists between corrosion and cyclic loading during the initiation and propagation of corrosion fatigue crack. It is necessary to consider the effect of welding residual stress for understanding the mechanism of corrosion fatigue fracture of FSW joints.

New Developed Welding Electrode for Improving the Fatigue Strength of Welded Joints

A new welding electrode, low transformation temperature electrode (LTTE), was introduced in this paper. It was described in design principle, mechanics, chemical compositions of their deposited metal and manufacturing methods. It was proved that the best transformation starting temperature from austenite to martensite of the deposited metal of LTTE was at about 191℃ and it was obtained by adding alloying elements such as Cr, Ni, Mn and Mo. The microstructure of the weld metal of the LTTE was low carbon martensite and residual austenite. The compressive residual stress was induced around the weld of the LTTE and the -145 MPa in compression could be obtained in middle of weld metal. The fatigue tests showed that the fatigue strength of the longitudinal welded joints welded with the LTTE at 2×106 cycles was improved by 59% compared with that of the same type of welded joints welded with conventional E5015 and the fatigue life was increased by 47 times at 162 MPa. It is a very valuable method to improve the fatigue performance of welded joints.

Bending Properties and Fracture Behavior of Ti-23Al-17Nb Alloy Laser Beam Welding Joints

Ti-23Al-17Nb alloy is an important high temperature structural material used in the space and aerospace fields. Welding of this alloy is an indispensable processing method, so the microstructures and mechanical properties of these welded joints must be studied to improve the welds. Longitudinal three-point bending tests were conducted to measure the bending ductility of laser beam welded joints. The crack distribution and fracture surface were investigated to further analyze the fracture behavior. The results indicate that the bending ductility decreases as the heat input by the laser beam welding increases. The crack inducing strain reaches 4.24%, while the fracturing strain exceeds 5% when the heat input is below 316 J/cm. If the columnar crystal grain of the weld metal exhibits a uniform orientation, the bending ductility is worse. The fractography analysis shows that the cracking propagates transgranularly and the fracture surface has a cleavage mode.

Comparison of FSW and TIG welded joints in Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy plates

In order to study the welding process,microstructure and properties of Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy,comparative methods of friction stir welding（FSW） and tungsten inert gas（TIG） were applied to the two conditions of this alloy,namely hot rolled plate and cold rolled-annealed plate.The relationships between microstructures and properties of the welded joints were investigated by means of optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Compared with the base metal,the strength of FSW and TIG welded joints decreased,and the FSW welding coefficients were higher than the TIG welding coefficients.The loss of substructure strengthening and a very little loss of precipitation strengthening of Al3（Sc,Zr） cause the decreased strength of FSW welded joint.But for the TIG welded joint,the disappearance of both the strain hardening and most precipitation strengthening effect of Al3（Sc,Zr） particles contributed to its softening.At the same time,the grains in weld nugget zone of FSW welded joints were finer than those in the molten zone of TIG welded joints.

Determination of local constitutive behavior and simulation on tensile test of 2219-T87 aluminum alloy GTAW joints

The local and global mechanical responses of gas tungsten arc welds（GTAW） of a 2219-T87 aluminum alloy were investigated with experiment and numerical simulation.Digital image correlation（DIC） was used to access the local strain fields in transversely loaded welds and to determine the local stress-strain curves of various regions in the joint.The results show that the DIC method is efficient to acquire the local stress-strain curves but the curves of harder regions are incomplete because the stress and strain ranges are limited by the weakest region.With appropriate extrapolation,the complete local stress-strain curves were acquired and proved to be effective to predict the tensile behavior of the welded joint.During the tensile process,the fracture initiates from the weld toes owing to their plastic strain concentrations and then propagates along the fusion line,finally propagates into the partially melted zone（PMZ）.

Corrosion behavior of the friction-stir-welded joints of 2A14-T6 aluminum alloy

The corrosion behavior of friction-stir-welded 2A14-T6 aluminum alloy was investigated by immersion testing in immersion exfoliation corrosion（EXCO） solution. Electrochemical measurements（open circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy）, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy were employed for analyzing the corrosion mechanism. The results show that, compared to the base material, the corrosion resistance of the friction-stir welds is greatly improved, and the weld nugget has the highest corrosion resistance. The pitting susceptibility originates from the edge of Al-Cu-Fe-Mn-Si phase particles as the cathode compared to the matrix due to their high self-corrosion potential. No corrosion activity is observed around the θ phase（Al2Cu） after 2 h of immersion in EXCO solution.

CO_(2) corrosion of X80 steel welded joints under micro-turbulence induced by welding reinforcement height

Corrosion failure accidents owing to flow erosion and pipeline corrosion frequently occur during transportation.The welding reinforcement height(WRH)can induce locally micro-turbulent flow field,which aggravates local corrosion of welded joints.A high wall shear stress(WsS)experimental setup was established to conduct the online electrochemical corrosion test.The influence of WRH sizes on local corrosion of welded joints was studied at different flow rates.The electrochemical signals of the local corrosion of X80 welded joints at different flow rates were monitored in real time using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and wire beam microelectrode.In addition,the corrosion products composition and properties were analyzed.The results show that the micro-turbulent flow fields induced by the WRHs can enhance ion mass transfer near the welded joints.The corrosion products on the WRH surface also present different microscopic morphologies at different flow rates.In strong flow fields,the locally enhanced wsS can peel off the dense corrosion product partially,leading to the electrochemical distribution of large cathode and small anode,which accelerates the occurrence and development processes of the local corrosion of welded joints.The scientific guidelines for the corrosion protection of long-distance oil and gas pipelines can be potentially provided.

Effect of Ni content on the weldability of middle-chromium hyperpure ferritic stainless steels 00Cr21Ti

Excellent weldability substantially contributes to the intrinsic quality of steels,while appropriate chemical composition plays a primary role in the essential weldability of steels.The poor weldability of ferritic stainless steels could be improved through modification with minor alloy elements while minimally increasing the cost.Therefore,studying the effect of minor alloy elements on the weldability of steels is of considerable importance.In this study,several steels of middle-chromium hyperpure ferritic stainless 00Cr21Ti with different Ni content(0.3%,0.5%,0.8%,and 1.0%)were developed,and their weldabilities of butt joint samples welded using the metal inert gas welding process,including the influence of welded joints on the microstructure,tensile performance,corrosion resistance,and fatigue property,were investigated.Results show that the steels with w(Ni)≥0.8%exhibit excellent mechanical properties compared with those with low-Ni content steels,further,their impact toughness at normal atmospheric temperature meets the industrial application standard and the fatigue property is similar to that of 304 austenitic stainless steel.Moreover,results show that the corrosion resistance of all the samples is almost at the same level.The results acquired in this study are supposed to be useful for the optimization of the chemical composition of stainless steels aiming to improve weldability.

Comparison study on measurement of rail weld joint between inertial reference method and multi-point chord reference method

Purpose – Straightness measurement of rail weld joint is of essential importance to railway maintenance. Dueto the lack of efficient measurement equipment, there has been limited in-depth research on rail weld joint with a5-m wavelength range, leaving a significant knowledge gap in this field.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the authors used the well-established inertial referencemethod (IR-method), and the state-of-the-art multi-point chord reference method (MCR-method). Two methodshave been applied in different types of rail straightness measurement trollies, respectively. These instrumentswere tested in a high-speed rail section within a certain region of China. The test results were ultimatelyvalidated through using traditional straightedge and feeler gauge methods as reference data to evaluate the railweld joint straightness within the 5-m wavelength range.Findings – The research reveals that IR-method and MCR-method produce reasonably similar measurementresults for wavelengths below 1 m. However, MCR-method outperforms IR-method in terms of accuracy forwavelengths exceeding 3 m. Furthermore, it was observed that IR-method, while operating at a slower speed,carries the risk of derailing and is incapable of detecting rail weld joints and low joints within the track.Originality/value – The research compare two methods’ measurement effects in a longer wavelength rangeand demonstrate the superiority of MCR-method.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON J-DOMINANCE IN HETEROGENEOUS WELDED JOINTS BY MOIRE INTERFEROMETRY

Moire interferometry method is introduced to study the feasibilities of J integral as a plastic singularity parameter at the tip of the notch in the welded joints. The results show that J dominance in most studied cases is not validated in v and u displacement fields. Therefore, it can be concluded that J-integral as controlling parameter used to estimate the safety of welded structures is not always valid.

Corrosion fatigue crack growth mechanisms in welded joints of marine steel structures

This paper presents a model of fatigue crack growth in a welded joint and a two-dimensional model of anodic dissolution based on Donahue model and anodic dissolution mechanism,respectively.In addition,a model for predicting the corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in welded joints of steel marine structures is established and crack growth mechanisms are analyzed.The results show that during early stages of crack growth,corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in welded joints is mainly controlled by corrosion action,whereas cyclic loading becomes more influential during the later stage of crack propagation.Loading frequency and effective stress ratio can affect rupture period of protective film at the corrosion fatigue crack tip and the length of corrosion crack increment,respectively,which changes the influence of corrosion action on crack growth rate.However,the impact of stress amplitude on crack growth rate is only significant when crack propagation is caused by cyclic loading.Welding residual stress not only improves the effective stress ratio of cyclic loading,but also promotes crack closure and increases corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in welded joints.Compared to corrosion action,welding residual stress has a more significant influence on crack growth caused by cyclic loading.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study on the corrosion of the weld zone of 3Cr steel welded joints in CO_2 environments

The welded joints of 3Cr pipeline steel were fabricated with commercial welding wire using the gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW） technique. Potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance （LPR）, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）, scan- ning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy-dispersive spectrometry （EDS） were used to investigate the corrosion resistance and the growth of a corrosion film on the weld zone （WZ）. The changes in electrochemical characteristics of the film were obtained through fitting of the EIS data. The results showed that the average corrosion rate of the WZ in CO2 environments first increased, then fluctuated, and finally de- creased gradually. The formation of the film on the WZ was divided into three stages： dynamic adsorption, incomplete-coverage layer forma- tion, and integral layer formation.

Improving the fatigue property of welded joints for AZ31 magnesium alloy by ultrasonic peening treatment

The fatigue property of AZ31 magnesium alloy and its TIG welded joints were investigated. The ultrasonic peening treatment （UPT） was used to improve the fatigue property of the TIG welded joints, which was treated at the weld toe by the UPT process. The test results show that the fatigue strength of the base metal of AZ31 magnesium alloys is 57.8 MPa, and those of the fillet joint and the transverse cross joint are respectively 20. 0 MPa and 17.2 MPa at 2 × 10^6 cycles. The fatigue strengths of two kinds of welded joints treated by the UPT are respectively 30. 3 MPa and 24. 7 MPa, which have been improved by 51.5% and 43.6%, respectively. The fatigue life of the fillet joint specimens is prolonged by about 2. 74 times and the fatigue life of the transverse cross joint specimens is prolonged by about 1.05 times when the stress range is at 40. 0 MPa.

EFFECT OF MEAN STRESS ON FATIGUE PERFORMANCE OF WELDED JOINTS TREATED BY UPT

The fatigue contrast tests of unload longitudinal direction comer joints asoriginal welded and treated by ultrasonic peening of Q235B in various stress ratio are directed. Theimprovements of fatigue performance of unload longitudinal direction corner joints resulted byultrasonic peening are studied. The effect pattern of stress ratio on fatigue performance of weldedjoints that are treated by ultrasonic peening is studied. As tests results indicate that: ① In thecondition of stress ratio .R=-l, the fatigue strength 'of specimen treated by ultrasonic peening isincreased by 165 percent of that of the original welded specimen. And the fatigue life of specimentreated by ultrasonic peening is as much as 75 approx 210 times of that of the latter. When R=0.1,the fatigue strength is increased by 87 percent and the fatigue life is extended by 21 approx 29times. When R=-0.5, the fatigue strength is increased by 123 percent and the fatigue life isextended by 42 approx 59 times. When R=0.45, the fatigue strength is increased by 51 percent and thefatigue life is extended by 3 approx 14 times. ② If the welded joints are treated by ultrasonicpeening, the fatigue strength is no longer independent on the applied mean stress. The more thestress ratio R, the less the fatigue stress range which can be sustained by the joints is. ③Whether the high value residual stress is in the joints or not, the dead load portion of the appliedload must be considered in the design of the joints which should be treated by ultrasonic peening.

Effects of laser heat treatment on the fracture morphologies of X80 pipeline steel welded joints by stress corrosion

The surfaces of X80 pipeline steel welded joints were processed with a CO2 laser, and the effects of laser heat treatment （LHT） on H2S stress corrosion in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers （NACE） solution were analyzed by a slow strain rate test. The fracture morphologies and chemical components of corrosive products before and after LHT were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively, and the mechanism of LHT on stress corrosion cracking was discussed. Results showed that the fracture for welded joints was brittle in its original state, while it was transformed to a ductile fracture after LHT. The tendencies of hydrogen-induced corrosion were reduced, and the stress corrosion sensitivity index decreased from 35.2% to 25.3%, indicating that the stress corrosion resistance of X80 pipeline steel welded joints has been improved by LHT.

Improving the Fatigue Performance of the Welded Joints of Ultra-Fine Grain Steel by Ultrasonic Peening

Contrast tests were carried out to study the fatigue performance of the butt joints treated by ultrasonic peening, aiming at the improvement of ultrasonic peening treatment(UPT) on welded joints of a new material. The material is a new generation of fine grain and high purity SS400 steel that has the same ingredients as the traditional low carbon steel. The specimens are in two different states:welded and ultrasonic peening conditions. The corresponding fatigue testing data were analyzed according to the regulation of the statistical method for fatigue life of the welded joints established by International Institute of Welding(IIW). Welding residual stress was considered in two different ways: the constant stress ratio R=0.5 and the Ohta method. The nominal stress-number (σ-N)curves were corrected because of the different plate thickness compared to the standard and because there was no mismatch or angular deformation. The results indicated that: 1) Compared with the welded specimens, when the stress range was 200 MPa, the fatigue life of the SS400 steel specimens treated by ultrasonic peening is prolonged by over 58 times, and the fatigue strength FAT corresponding to 106 cycles is increased by about 66%; 2) As for the SS400 butt joint (single side welding double sides molding), after being treated by UPT, the nominal S-N curve (m=10) of FAT 100 MPa(R=0.5) should be used for fatigue design. The standard S-N curves of FAT 100 MPa(R=0.5, m=10) could be used for fatigue design of the SS400 steel butt joints treated by ultrasonic peening.

Microstructures of 2219 twin wire welded joints

With thick plates of 2219 high-strength alloy, the microstructures of welded joints with twin wire MIG welding were analyzed. Experimental results show that no hot crack was found in the weld due to discontinuous distribution of cocrystallization with low melting temperature, but porosity is serious in the first weld seam that is mainly composed of equiaxial grains with uneven sizes. As the poor position of the whole welded joint, fusion zone has big and coarse grains, uneven microstructures ; In quenching zone, there exist a lot of soaked microstructures that cocrystallizntion with low melting temperature solute into matrix, thus strengthening the metal in this zone; In excessive aging zone, much more phases that distribute evenly will be separated from the matrix; Ontside this zone, properties and microstructures of the metal are basically similar to matrix due to the relatively low temperature or unaffected heat in the zone during welding.

Changing Rule of Carbon-Enriched Zone and Diffusion Behavior of Carbon in Aging 0Cr6Mn13Ni10MoTi/1Cr5Mo Dissimilar Welded Joints

The microstructures, the changing rule of carbon-enriched zone, the diffusion behaviors of elements C and Cr, and thecarbide type of 0Cr6Mn13Ni10MoTi/1Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints after aging at 500℃ for various times and afterlong-term service in technical practice were investigated by using the optical microscopy electron probe microanalysis,scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that in aging0Cr6Mn13Ni10MoTi/1Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints, the main carbides are M_3C and a few carbides are M_7C_3 andM_(23)C_6. The M_3C carbide decomposition and dissolution with increasing aging time or aging temperature and theanti-diffusion of C and Cr cause the decrease and disappearance of the carbon-enriched zone. The results are differentfrom those of the A302/1Cr5Mo dissimilar welded joints in previous studies.