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.

Failure Analysis of Dissimilar Metal Welds between Ferritic Heat Resistant Steels and Austenitic Stainless Steels in Power Plant

This study analysed the failure of dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)between ferritic heat resistant steels and austenitic stainless steels and investigated its influencing factors by means of numerical simulation,microstructure characterization and mechanical property test.Under the long-term high-temperature service condition in practical power plant,the DMW failure mode was along the interface between nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel,and the failure mechanism was stress/strain concentration,microstructure degradation and oxidation coupling acting on the interface.The numerical simulation results show that interface stress/strain concentration was due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion and creep strength,and the degree of stress/strain concentration was related to service time.The ferrite band formed at the WM/ferritic steel interface was prone to cracking,attracting the fracture along the interface.The interface crack allowed oxidation to develop along the WM/ferritic steel interface.During long-term service,the interface stress/strain concentration,microstructure and oxidation all evolved,which synergistically promoted interface failure of DMW.However,only under the long-term service of low stress conditions could trigger the interface failure of DMW.Meanwhile,long-term service would reduce the mechanical strength and plasticity of DMW.

Research on the creep damage and interfacial failure of dissimilar metal welded joint between 10Cr9Mo1VNbN and 12Cr1MoV steel

The mechanical properties, creep damage, creep rupture strength and features of interfacial failures of welded joints between martensite (SA213T91) and pearlite steel (12Cr1MoV) have been investigated by means of argon tungsten pulsed arc welding, high temperature accelerated simulation, creep rupture, mechanical property tests and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The research results indicate that the mechanical properties of overmatched and medium matched joint deteriorate obviously, and they are susceptible to creep damage and failure after accelerated simulation operation 500 h, in the condition of preheat 250℃, and post welding heat treatment 750℃×1 h. However, the mechanical properties of undermatched joint are the best, the interfacial failure tendency of undermatched welded joint is less than those of medium and overmatched welded joint. Therefore, it is reasonable that low alloy material TR31 is used as the filler metal of weld between SA213T91and 12Cr1MoV steel.

Numerical Simulation on Interfacial Creep Failure of Dissimilar Metal Welded Joint between HR3C and T91 Heat-Resistant Steel

The maximum principal stress, von Mises equivalent stress, equivalent creep strain, stress triaxiality in dissimilar metal welded joints between austenitic（HR3C） and martensitic heat-resistant steel（T91） are simulated by FEM at 873 K and under inner pressure of 42.26 MPa. The results show that the maximum principal stress and von Mises equivalent stress are quite high in the vicinity of weld/T91 interface, creep cavities are easy to form and expand in the weld/T91 interface. There are two peaks of equivalent creep strains in welded joint, and the maximum equivalent creep strain is in the place 27-32 mm away from the weld/T91 interface, and there exists creep constrain region in the vicinity of weld/T91 interface. The high stress triaxiality peak is located exactly at the weld/T91 interface. Accordingly, the weld/T91 interface is the weakest site of welded joint. Therefore, using stress triaxiality to describe creep cavity nucleation and expansion and crack development is reasonable for the dissimilar metal welded joint between austenitic and martensitic steel.

Research on microstructure and properties of boron/Q235 steel laser welded dissimilar joints under synchronous thermal field

The mechanical mismatch effect frequently occurs in the dissimilar materials welded joints, thus leading to plastic gradient at the interface between the weld and heat-affected zone(HAZ). In this work, the boron steel and Q235 steel were selected for laser tailor welding,which obtained boron/Q235 steel tailor-welded blanks(TWBs). The method of welding with synchronous thermal field(WSTF) was utilized to eliminate the mismatch effects in TWBs. The WSTF was employed to adjust cooling rates of welded joints, thereby intervening in the solidification behaviors and phase transition of the molten pool. Boron/Q235 steel was welded by laser under conventional and WSTF(300-600 ℃) conditions, respectively. The results show that the microstructure of weld and HAZ(boron) was adequately transitioned to ferrites and pearlites instead of abundant martensite by WSTF. Meanwhile, the discrepancy of microhardness and yield strength between various regions of welded joints was greatly reduced, and the overall plasticity of welded joints was enhanced by WSTF. It is indicated that WSTF can effectively contribute to reducing plastic gradient and achieving mechanical congruity in welded joints by restraining the generation of hardbrittle phase, which could significantly improve the formability of TWBs in subsequent hot stamping.

Microstructure and intergranular stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of a SA508-52M-316L dissimilar metal weld joint in primary water

Correlation of microstructure and intergranular stress corrosion cracking （IGSCC） susceptibility for the SA508-52M-316L dissimilar metal weld joint in primary water was investigated by the interrupted slow strain rate tension test following a microstructure characterization. The susceptibility to IGSCC in var- ious regions of the dissimilar metal weld joint was observed to follow the order of Alloy 52 Mb〉 the heat affected zone of 316L〉 the dilution zone of Alloy 52 Mw〉 Alloy 52 Mw weld metal. The chromium- depletion at the grain boundary is the dominant factor causing the high IGSCC susceptibility of Alloy 52 Mh. However, IGSCC initiation in the heat affected zone of 316L is attributed to the increase of resid- ual strain adjacent to the grain boundary. In addition, the decrease of chromium content and increase of residual strain adjacent to the grain boundary increase the IGSCC susceptibility of the dilution zone of Alloy 52 Mw.

Multi-scale study of ductility-dip cracking in nickel-based alloy dissimilar metal weld

A ductility-dip-cracking(DDC)-concentrated zone(DCZ) in a width of about 3 mm was observed adjacent to the AISI 316 L/52 Mw fusion boundary(FB) in 52 Mw. The morphology, microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties and corrosion behavior in simulated primary water of DDC/DCZ were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), 3 D X-ray tomography(XRT), 3 D atom probe(3 DAP), slow strain rate tensile(SSRT) testing and thermal dilatometry. The results indicate that DDCs are random-shaped and disc-like cavities with corrugated structure of inner surface and are parallel in groups along straight high-angle boundaries of columnar grains, ranging from micrometers to millimeters in size. Large-size M_(23)C_6 carbides dominate on the grain boundaries rather than MC(M=Nb, Ti), and thus the bonding effect of carbides is absent for the straight grain boundaries.The impurity segregation of O is confirmed for the inner surfaces of DDC. The oxide film formed on the inner surface of DDC(about 50 nm) is approximately twice as thick as that on the matrix(about 25 nm)in simulated primary water. The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation to fracture of 52 MwDCZ(400 MPa, 450 MPa and 20 %, respectively) are lower than those of 52 Mw-MZ(460 MPa, 550 MPa and 28 %, respectively). The intrinsic high-restraint weld structure, the additional stress/strain caused by the thermal expansion difference between AISI 316 L and 52 Mw as well as the detrimental carbide precipitation and the resulting grain boundary structure all add up to cause the occurrence of DCZ in the dissimilar metal weld.

Ultrasonic vibration assisted tungsten inert gas welding of dissimilar metals 316L and L415

Ultrasonic vibration assisted tungsten inert gas welding was applied to joining stainless steel 316 L and low alloy high strength steel L415.The effect of ultrasonic vibration on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a dissimilar metal welded joint of 316 L and L415 was systematically investigated.The microstructures of both heat affected zones of L415 and weld metal were substantially refined,and the clusters ofδferrite in traditional tungsten inert gas(TIG)weld were changed to a dispersive distribution via the ultrasonic vibration.The ultrasonic vibration promoted the uniform distribution of elements and decreased the micro-segregation tendency in the weld.With the application of ultrasonic vibration,the average tensile strength and elongation of the joint was improved from 613 to 650 MPa and from 16.15%to31.54%,respectively.The content ofΣ3 grain boundaries around the fusion line zone is higher and the distribution is more uniform in the ultrasonic vibration assisted welded joint compared with the traditional one,indicating an excellent weld metal crack resistance.

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.

Numerical Investigation on Residual Stresses of the Safe-End/Nozzle Dissimilar Metal Welded Joint in CAP1400 Nuclear Power Plants

The residual stress evolution in a safe-end/nozzle dissimilar metal welded joint of CAP1400 nuclear power plants was investigated in the manufacturing process by finite element simulation. A finite element model, including cladding,buttering, post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) and dissimilar metal multi-pass welding, is developed based on SYSWELD software to investigate the evolution of residual stress in the aforementioned manufacturing process. The results reveal a large tensile axial residual stress, which exists at the weld zone on the inner surface, leads to a high sensitivity to stress corrosion cracking (SCC). PWHT process before dissimilar metal multi-pass welding process has a great in?uence on the magnitude and distribution of final axial residual stress. The risk of SCC on the inner surface of the pipe will increase if PWHT process is not taken into account. Therefore, such crucial thermal manufacturing process such as cladding, buttering and post-weld heat treatment, besides the multi-pass welding process, should be considered in the numerical model in order to accurately predict the distribution and the magnitude of the residual stress.

Microstructure and stress corrosion cracking of a SA508-309L/308L-316L dissimilar metal weld joint in primary pressurized water reactor environment

Stress corrosion cracking(SCC) of an SA508-309 L/308 L–316 L dissimilar metal weld joint in primary pressurized water reactor environment was investigated by the interrupted slow strain rate tension tests following a microstructure characterization. The 308 L weld metal shows a higher content of δ ferrite than the 309 L weld metal. In addition, no obvious Cr-depletion but carbides precipitation at δ phase boundaries was observed in both 308 L and 309 L weld metals. The slow strain rate tension tests showed that the SCC susceptibility of the base and weld metals of the dissimilar metal weld joint follows the order of SA508 < 308 L weld metal < the heat affected zone of 316 L base metal < 309 L weld metal.The higher SCC susceptibility of 309 L weld metal than that of 308 L weld metal is likely due to the lower content of δ ferrite. In addition, a preferential SCC initiation in the 309 L weld metal adjacent to 308 L weld metal is attributed to few carbides in this region.

Microstructures and properties analysis of dissimilar metal joint in the friction stir welded copper to aluminum alloy

This paper mainly concentrated on the feasibility of friction stir welding of dissimilar metal of aluminum alloy to copper （I2） and a preliminary analysis of welding parameters influencing on the microstructures and properties of joint was carried out. The results indicated that the thickness of workpiece played an important role in the welding parameters which could succeed in the friction stir welding of dissimilar metal of copper to aluminum alloy, and the parameters were proved to be a narrow choice. The interfacial region between copper and aluminum in the dissimilar joint was not uniformly mixed, constituted with part of incomplete mixing zone, complete mixing zone, dispersion zone and the most region＇ s boundary was obvious. Meantime a kind banded structure with inhomogeneous width was formed. The intermetallic compounds generated during friction stir welding in the interfacial region were mainly CugAl4, Al2Cu etc, and their hardness was higher than oihers.

Microstructure in the Weld Metal of Austenitic-Pearlitic Dissimilar Steels and Diffusion of Element in the Fusion Zone

Microstructure and alloy element distribution in the welded joint between austenitic stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti) and pearlitic heat-resistant steel (1Cr5Mo) were researched by means of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Microstructure, divisions of the fusion zone and elemental diffusion distributions in the welded joints were investigated. Furthermore, solidification microstructure and S-ferrite distribution in the weld metal of these steels are also discussed.

New methods of predicting dissimilar steel weld metal microstructures by Schaeffler Diagram

On the base of a number of analyses and researches, some new methods of predicting and expressing the microstructure kinds, of the dissimilar steel welded joint of austenite/pearlite(ferrite) have been presented Those new methods can ascertain the microstructure kind not only in the different characteristic zones of weld metal but also in the different morphologies in the heterogeneous mixture zone of weld metal. Those new methods. enrich and develop the traditional methods of predicting the microstructure of weld metal by Schaeffler Diagram, and are more concise and practical.

New methods of predicting dissimilar steel weld metal microstructures by Schaeffler Diagram(Part 2)

On the base of the methods of predicting weld metal microstructures of pearlitic dissimilar steel welded joints using austenitic type filler materials by Schaeffler Diagram[1], the other new methods of predicting and expressing weld metal microstnictiires of two kinds of dissimilar steel welded joints (pearlite/pearlite and austenite/pearlite) using austenitic filler materials by Schaeffler Diagram are suggested. Those new methods resolve some difficult problems which the microstructure kinds in two heterogeneous mixture zones of weld metal neighbouring two kinds of welded base metals are difficult to be accurately ascertained and the fluctuations of weld metal microstnictiires across fusion line are difficult to be conveniently expressed according to the traditional predicting method. The new predicting methods are more concise and practical.

Analysis of Laser Micro Welding of Copper-Aluminum Dissimilar Metals and Its Mechanism

Micro welding of dissimilar metals can meet many performance requirements for modern engineering structures. In this experiment, laser micro welding of copper-aluminum dissimilar metals was conducted with an HWLW-300A energy negative feedback Nd:YAG pulse laser. By using the overlap welding method with copper on aluminum, with the laser energy being distributed unevenly, good weld joints were obtained. In this paper, the welding mechanism was analyzed from aspects such as welding temperature and the specific heat capacity of the solid metal. Existing defects were identified, and a feasible improvement scheme was proposed.

Influence of Creep Strength of Weld on Interfacial Creep Damage of Dissimilar Welded Joint between Martensitic and Bainitic Heat-Resistant Steel

The mechanical properties, creep rupture strength, creep damage and failure characteristics of dissimilar metal welded joint （DMWJ） between martensitic （SA213T91） and bainitic heat-resistant steel （12Cr2MoWVTiB（G102）） have been investigated by means of pulsed argon arc welding, high temperature accelerated simulation, mechanical and creep rupture test, and scanning electronic microscope （SEM）. The results show that there is a marked drop of mechanical properties of undermatching joint, and low ductility cracking along weld/G102 interface is induced due to creep damage. Creep rupture strength of overmatching joint is the least. The mechanical properties of medium matching joint are superior to those of overmatching and undermatching joint, and creep damage and failure tendency along the interface of weld/G102 are lower than those of overmatching and undermatching joint after accelerated simulation for 500 h, 1 000 h, 1 500 h, and the creep rupture strength of medium matching joint is the same as that of undermatching joint. Therefore, it is reasonable that the medium matching material is used for dissimilar welded joint between martensitic and bainitic steel.

Effect of heat treatment temperature on dissimilar welded joint

The dissimilar metals 1Crl8Ni9 and 16MnR are welded by shielded metal arc welding process using electrode A312. The corrosion experiments are carried out on welded joint samples, which is as-welded and post-weld heat treatment at 650 ℃, 750 ℃ and 850 ℃, for 2 h in 70% sodium hydroxide solution. EDS and X-ray diffraction analysis are carried out on the samples after corrosion. Average corrosion rate calculation and microhardness measurement are conducted on both as- welded and post-weld heat treatment samples. The results indicate that average corrosion rate of as-welded joint metal is smaller than that of post-weld heat treatment joint metal. Compared with that of post-weld heat treatment at 750 ℃ and 850 ℃ for 2 h, the average corrosion rate of welded joint after post-weld heat treatment at 650 ℃ for 2 h increases greatly.

Characterization of Dissimilar Welding between 304 Stainless Steel and Gray Iron Using Nickel Coated Electrode

This paper presents the study carried out to study the microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI 304 stainless steel and gray iron, in order to recognize the effect of welding parameters on the joint. The shielded metal arc welding technique was applied with a 3.2 mm diameter nickel coated electrode under preheating and post heat conditions at 350&deg;C. Vickers hardness test and metallographic analysis were carried out at the heat affected zone and at the interface to determine the effect on mechanical and metallurgical characteristics. Vickers hardness differences among joint areas were directly related to microstructural changes. There are no significant differences in AISI 304 hardness, but the hardness increased at the heat affected zone and decreased at the filler metal. Grey iron hardness at the heat affected zone was even lower and more slightly superior than grey iron hardness.

Effect of welding process on the microstructure and properties of dissimilar weld joints between low alloy steel and duplex stainless steel

To obtain high-quality dissimilar weld joints, the processes of metal inert gas （MIG） welding and tungsten inert gas （TIG） welding for duplex stainless steel （DSS） and low alloy steel were compared in this paper. The microstructure and corrosion morphology of dissimilar weld joints were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）; the chemical compositions in different zones were detected by en- ergy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）; the mechanical properties were measured by microhardness test, tensile test, and impact test; the corro- sion behavior was evaluated by polarization curves. Obvious concentration gradients of Ni and Cr exist between the fusion boundary and the type II boundary, where the hardness is much higher. The impact toughness of weld metal by MIG welding is higher than that by TIG weld- ing. The corrosion current density of TIG weld metal is higher than that of MIG weld metal in a 3.5wt% NaC1 solution. Galvanic corrosion happens between low alloy steel and weld metal, revealing the weakness of low alloy steel in industrial service. The quality of joints pro- duced by MIG welding is better than that by TIG welding in mechanical performance and corrosion resistance. MIG welding with the filler metal ER2009 is the suitable welding process for dissimilar metals jointing between UNS $31803 duplex stainless steel and low alloy steel in practical application.