Oxidation damage and interfacial failure of dissimilar metal welds containing ferritic heat resistant steels

The ex-service steam tubes containing dissimilar metal weld(DMW)between high Cr ferritic steel T91 and austenitic stainless steel TP347H and the ex-service steam tubes containing DMW between low Cr ferritic steel G102 and austenitic stainless steel TP347H were obtained from coal-fired thermal power plants in China,and their microstructures at the nickel-based weld metal(WM)/ferritic steel interfaces and oxidation characteristics were investigated.After operating for 15,000 h at steam temperature of 541 C and steam pressure of 17.5 MPa,a G102/TP347H DMW failed along the WM/G102 steel interface,which was a dangerous premature failure mode without obvious plastic deformation.This interfacial failure was attributed to the interaction between oxidation and cracking along the interface,where fracture appeared to be related with the strain concentration at the interface.Oxide notch along the WM/G102 steel interface was the precursor of premature interfacial failure of DMW involving G102.For the DMW involving high Cr ferritic steel T91,ferritic steel side could form a Cr-rich passive film during service and thus would not be further oxidized after operating for 67,000 h at steam temperature of 541 C and steam pressure of 3.5 MPa.It was concluded that oxidation played a more important role in failure of these DMWs,and retarding the development of oxidation and avoiding the interfacial oxide notch would dramatically improve the service performance of steam tubes containing DMWs.

Oxidation Behaviors of Different Grades of Ferritic Heat Resistant Steels in High-Temperature Steam and Flue Gas Environments

For steam tubes used in thermal power plant,the inner and outer walls were operated in high-temperature steam and flue gas environments respectively.In this study,structure,microstructure and chemical composition of oxide films on inner and outer walls of exservice low Cr ferritic steel G102 tube and exservice high Cr ferritic steel T91 tube were analyzed.The oxide film was composed of outer oxide layer,inner oxide layer and internal oxidation zone.The outer oxide layer on the original surface of tube had a porous structure containing Fe oxides formed by diffusion and oxidation of Fe.More specially,the outer oxide layer formed in flue gas environment would mix with coal combustion products during the growth process.The inner oxide layer below the original surface of tube was made of Fe–Cr spinel.The internal oxidation zone was believed to be the precursor stage of inner oxide layer.The formation of internal oxidation zone was due to O diffusing along grain boundaries to form oxide.There were Fe–Cr–Si oxides discontinuously distributed along grain boundaries in the internal oxidation zone of G102,while there were Fe–Cr oxides continuously distributed along grain boundaries in that of T91.

Effect of Interface Form on Creep Failure and Life of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Nickel-Based Weld Metal and Ferritic Base Metal

For dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)involving nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel base metal(BM)in power plants,there must be an interface between WM and BM,and this interface suffers mechanical and microstructure mismatches and is often the rupture location of premature failure.In this study,a new form of WM/BM interface form,namely double Y-type interface was designed for the DMWs.Creep behaviors and life of DMWs containing double Y-type interface and conventional I-type interface were compared by finite element analysis and creep tests,and creep failure mechanisms were investigated by stress-strain analysis and microstructure characterization.By applying double Y-type interface instead of conventional I-type interface,failure location of DMW could be shifted from the WM/ferritic heat-affected zone(HAZ)interface into the ferritic HAZ or even the ferritic BM,and the failure mode change improved the creep life of DMW.The interface premature failure of I-type interface DMW was related to the coupling effect of microstructure degradation,stress and strain concentrations,and oxide notch on the WM/HAZ interface.The creep failure of double Y-type interface DMW was the result of Type IV fracture due to the creep voids and micro-cracks on fine-grain boundaries in HAZ,which was a result of the matrix softening of HAZ and lack of precipitate pinning at fine-grain boundaries.The double Y-type interface form separated the stress and strain concentrations in DMW from the WM/HAZ interface,preventing the trigger effect of oxide notch on interface failure and inhibiting the interfacial microstructure cracking.It is a novel scheme to prolong creep life and enhance reliability of DMW,by means of optimizing the interface form,decoupling the damage factors from WM/HAZ interface,and then changing the failure mechanism and shifting the failure location.