Effect of post weld heat treatment on properties of variable polarity TIG welded AA2219 aluminium alloy joints

AA2219 aluminium alloy joints were fabricated by variable polarity tungsten inert gas （VPTIG） welding process and the effects of post weld heat treatment （PWHT） on the tensile properties, microstructure and fatigue behaviour of the welded joints were investigated. The VPTIG welding process was adopted because it could meet the need of cathode cleaning and meanwhile it could reduce the deterioration of tungsten electrode furthest. The welded samples were divided into as-welded （AW） sample and PWHT sample. The PWHT method used on the samples was solution treatment （535 ℃, 30 rain）, water quenching and artificial aging （175 ℃, 12 h）. The experimental results show that, compared with the AW samples, the microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of the AA2219 joints after PWHT were significantly improved. The improvement of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fatigue strength are 42.6%, 43.1% and 18.4%, respectively.

Microstructure,mechanical and corrosion behavior of high strength AA7075aluminium alloy friction stir welds-Effect of post weld heat treatment

High strength aluminium alloy AA7075(Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) is a precipitate hardenable alloy widely used in the aerospace,defense,marine and automobile industries.Use of the heat treatable aluminium alloys in all these sectors is ever-increasing owing to their excellent strength-toweight ratio and reasonably good corrosion resistance.The shortage in corrosion resistance,however,usually poses negative concern about their reliability and lifetime when they service in the variable marine environments.These alloys also exhibit low weldability due to poor solidification microstructure,porosity in fusion zone and lose their mechanical properties when they are welded by fusion welding techniques.Friction stir welding(FSW) is a reliable technique to retain the properties of the alloy as the joining takes place in the solid state.The welds are susceptible to corrosion due to the microstructural changes in the weld nugget during FSW.In this work,the effect of post weld treatments,viz.,peak aging(T6) and retrogression & reaging(RRA),on the microstructure,mechanical properties and pitting corrosion has been studied.Friction stir welding of 8 mm-thick AA7075 alloy was carried out.The microstructural changes of base metal and nugget zone of friction stir welds were studied using optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Tensile and hardness test of base metal and welds has been carried out.Pitting corrosion resistance was determined through dynamic polarization test.It was observed that the hardness and strength of weld were observed to be comparatively high in peak aged(T6) condition but the welds showed poor corrosion resistance.The resistance to pitting corrosion was improved and the mechanical properties were maintained by RRA treatment.The resistance to pitting corrosion was improved in RRA condition with the minimum loss of weld strength.

Effect of post weld heat treatment on tensile properties and microstructure characteristics of friction stir welded armour grade AA7075-T651aluminium alloy

This paper reports the effects of post weld heat treatments, namely artificial ageing and solution treatment followed by artificial ageing, on microstructure and mechanical properties of 12 mm thick friction stir welded joints of precipitation hardenable high strength armour grade AA7075-T651 aluminium alloy. The tensile properties, such as yield strength, tensile strength, elongation and notch tensile strength, are evaluated and correlated with the microhardness and microstructural features. The scanning electron microscope is used to characterie the fracture surfaces. The solution treatment followed by ageing heat treatment cycle is found to be marginally beneficial in improving the tensile properties of friction stir welds of AA7075-T651 aluminium alloy.

Microstructure and pitting corrosion of armor grade AA7075 aluminum alloy friction stir weld nugget zone-Effect of post weld heat treatment and addition of boron carbide

Friction stir welding(FSW) of high strength aluminum alloys has been emerged as an alternative joining technique to avoid the problems during fusion welding.In recent times FSW is being used for armor grade AA7075 aluminum alloy in defense,aerospace and marine applications where it has to serve in non uniform loading and corrosive environments.Even though friction stir welds of AA7075 alloy possess better mechanical properties but suffer from poor corrosion resistance.The present work involves use of retrogression and reaging(RRA) post weld heat treatment to improve the corrosion resistance of welded joints of aluminum alloys.An attempt also has been made to change the chemical composition of the weld nugget by adding B4C nano particles with the aid of the FSW on a specially prepared base metal plate in butt position.The effects of peak aged condition(T6),RRA and addition of B4C nano particles on microstructure,hardness and pitting corrosion of nugget zone of the friction stir welds of AA7075 alloy have been studied.Even though RRA improved the pitting corrosion resistance,its hardness was slightly lost.Significant improvement in pitting corrosion resistance was achieved with addition of boron carbide powder and post weld heat treatment of RRA.

Effect of Post-weld Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded SSM7075 Aluminium Alloy

7XXX series aluminium alloys generally present low weldability by fusion welding methods because of the sensitivity to weld solidification cracking, vaporization of strengthening alloys and other defects in the fusion zone. Friction stir welding（FSW） can be deployed successfully with aluminium alloys. We presented the effect of post-weld heat treatment（PWHT） on the microstructure and mechanical properties of SSM7075 joints. Semi solid plates were butt-welded by FSW at a rotation speed of 1110 r/min, welding speeds of 70 and 110 mm/min. Solution treatment, artificial aging, and T6（solution treatment and artificial aging combined） were applied to the welded joints, each with three samples. It was found that the T6 joints at the speed of 70 mm/min yielded the highest tensile strength of 459.23 MPa. This condition best enhanced the mechanical properties of FSW SSM7075 aluminium alloy joints.

Temperature field analysis of main steam pipe under local post weld heat treatment

In local post weld heat treatment, the temperature difference is the criterion of the process. The temperature field in the main stream pipe under local post weld heat treatment is simulated by finite element method. A close-loop control program is designed to simulate the temperature field of two different pipes. Both the skin effect of induction heating and electro-thermal coupled effect are considered in the heating model. The local heat treatment temperature difference at the inner and outer side of the pipe is analyzed and the different convection conditions are also considered. The simulation results show that in appropriate induction heating process, the temperature difference in the pipe can be controlled within 30 ℃.

Microstructure characterization of electron beam welded joints of Ti_3Al after post-weld heat treatment

The effect of post-weld heat treatment on the microstructure characterization of electron beam welded(EBW) joints of Ti3Al-Nb was investigated.The results show that the microstructure of the weld is predominantly metastable,the columnar crystal metastructure of B2 phase.The microstructure morphology of the weld is significantly influenced by the method of the heat treatment.The microstructure of the weld is laminar structure(Widmanstaten structure) consisted of interphase α2 and B2 after post-weld heat treatment of 1000 ℃/2 h.The mechanism of the post-weld heat treatment makes the hardness distribution of joints homogeneous,but makes the whole joint somehow softened.

Effect of post weld heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc welded AA6061-T6 alloy

Double-V butt TIG welding process was performed on two plates of AA6061-T6 using ER5356 filler. The microstructure,mechanical and nanomechanical properties of the joint were evaluated in as-welded and after post weld heat treatment (PWHT) usingXRD, FESEM, EBSD, nanoindentation and tensile tests. The results show that PWHT led to microstructural recovery of the heataffected zone (HAZ) in addition to the appearance of β-phase (Al3Mg2) at the grain boundaries of weld zone. The hardness (Hnano) inall zones increased after PWHT while the elastic modulus (Enano) was improved from 69.93 GPa to 81 GPa in weld area. All resultsindicate that PWHT has created a homogenous microstructure in the weld zone in addition to outstanding improvement inmechanical properties for the weld zone which surpass the base metal.

Experimental investigation on tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures

In order to investigate the laws of variation on tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures, the wide plate tension tests for butt welded joint were conducted after cooling down from different high temperatures. The tests indicate that specimens appear ductile fracture at the steel plate during the tension tests after cooling down. The maximum temperatures undergone and the cooling pattern are major factors influencing tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures. The tensile strength mostly reduces by 8% within 900℃. Based on the experimental results, the paper proposes the calculation formulas of tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures. The conclusions of the paper supply references for evaluation damage and reinforcement of steel structure post fire.

Experimental study on the shear strength of side fillet weld of Q235B steel post high temperatures

In order to learn the variation laws of shear strength of side fillet weld post high temperatures, the tension tests were conducted after the double-strapped side fillet welded joints which were cooled down from different high temperatures with different cooling patterns. The tests indicate that specimens appear brittle fracture at the side fillet weld during the tension tests after cooling down. The fracture su（face is located in the welding throat. The maximum temperatures undergone and the cooling pattern are major factors influencing shear strength of side fillet welded joint post high temperatures. The shear strength reduces by 24% at most within 900 ~C. Based on the experimental results, the calculation formulas of shear strength of side fillet weld post high temperatures were proposed. Conclusions supply references for evaluation damage and reinforcement of steel structure post fire.

Effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Fracture Toughness of Friction Welded Joint

The effect of post weld heat treatment on the microstructure and fracture toughness of friction welded joints of Ti-6.5Al-1Mo-1V-2Zr alloy was studied. The experimental results show that equiaxial grains were formed at the center of the weld metal while highly deformed grains were observed in the thermomechanically affected zone. The fracture toughness of the weld metal was lower than that of the thermomechanically affected zone under as-weld and post weld heat treatment conditions. With increasing temperature of post weld heat treatment, the fracture toughness of weld center and thermomechanically affected zone increased. The fractographic observation revealed that the friction welded joints fractured in a ductile mode.

Development of an automatic post-weld inspection system based on laser vision

In order to overcome the limitations of manual post-weld visual inspection approach, an automated inspection system is developed which uses three-dimensioual laser vision system based on the principle of optical triangulation. The system hardware consists of a modular development kit （MDK）, a computer, an actuating mechanism and so on. In image processing algorithms, extraction accuracy of centric line of laser stripe is the critical factor that determines the system performance. So according to the features of laser stripe image, a novel algorithm is developed to detect the central line of laser stripe fast and accurately. Experiments have demonstrated that this system can be used in various weld features inspection of both butt and fillet types of weld. Compared with traditional manual inspection method, this method has obvious dominance. The three-dimensional reconstruction result shows that this system has high accuracy and reliability.

Effect of Post-weld Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Fracture Toughness of 30CrMnSiNi2A Steel Welded Joints

The electron beam local post-weld heat treatment (EBLPWHT) is a rather new method that provides the advantages of high precision, flexibility and efficiency, energy saving and higher productivity. This paper studies the effect of two post-weld heat treatment processes on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture toughness of an electron beam welded joints in 30CrMnSiNi2A steel. EBLPWHT, in a vacuum chamber, immediately after welding and a traditional furnace whole post-weld heat treatment (FWPWHT) were compared. The experimental results show that, after EBLPWHT treatment, the main microstructure of weld was changed from coarse acicular martensite into lath martensite, HAZ was changed from lath martensite, bainite into lower bainite, and base metal was changed from ferrite and pearlite into upper bainite and residual austenite. The microstructures of different zones of joints in FWPWHT condition were tempered sorbite. The properties of welded joints can be improved by the EBLPWHT in some extent, and especially largely for the fracture toughness of welded joints. However the value of fracture toughness of base metal is comparatively low, so appropriate heat treatment parameters should be explored in the future.

A new post-weld heat treatment to improve toughness of 9Cr-1Mo steel weld metals

9Cr-1Mo ferritic steels have been used in the conventional power generation plants due to their excellent creep resistance. However, one of the main obstacles in welding 9Cr-1Mo steels is the formation of undesirable coarse columnar grains in weld metal whieh ean severely compromise the toughness. A new post-weld heat treatment （PWHT） is developed in the present work. Unlike the conventional processes in which the post-weld heat treatment is carried out below Ac1 , the use of temperatures above the Ac1 of 9Cr-1Mo alloy is considered. The new PWHT at a temperature above Ac1 improves the toughness of 9Cr-1Mo weld metals effectively. The improvement in toughness is mainly due to refinement and homogenization of mierostruetures. Key words

Influence of post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and properties in heat-affected zone of KMN steel joint

The influence of temperature during post-weld heat treatment on the microstructure and properties of KMN steel joints was investigated. The results reveal that after heat treatment, the martensite transformed to tempered sorbite, causing the softening of the resultant joints. XRD test shows that the residual austenite content decreased obviously when the joint was heattreated at 550 ℃ and 580 ℃, which degraded the impact toughness of heat-affected zone （ HAZ）. When the heat treatment temperature increased further, the dispersion strengthening from the precipitation of alloying elements improved the impact toughness of HAZ. The aggregation and coarsening of carbide also contributed to the improvement of impact toughness of HAZ.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF RESIDUAL STRESSES IN TITANIUM ALLOY DURING ELECTRON BEAM LOCAL POST-WELD HEAT TREATMENT

The distributions of temperature and residual stresses in thin plates of BT20titanium alloy are numerically analyzed by three-dimensional finite element software duringelectron beam welding and electron beam local post-weld heat treatment (EBLPWHT). Combined withnumerical calculating results, the effects of different EBLPWHT mode and parameters, including heattreating position, heating width and heating time, on the distribution of welding residual stressesare analyzed. The results show that, the residual tensile stresses in weld center can be largelydecreased when the weld is heat treated at back preface of the plate. The numerical results alsoindicated that the magnitude of the residual longitudinal stresses of the weld and the zone vicinityof the weld is decreased, and the range of the residual longitudinal stresses is increased alongwith the increase of heating width and heating time.

Analysis on mechanical properties of nickel-iron steel after post-weld heat treatment

X-ray diffraction was utilized to measure the residual stress of 45 mm UNS N08810 plates after post-weld heat treatment at temperatures of 680℃ and 900℃, which showed reductions of 86.9% and 71.6% in the residual stress, respectively. This indicates that post-weld heat treatment can play a significant role in reducing residual stress, while no significant effects on tensile stress and micro-hardness of the welding joint were observed after treatment.

Correlation between Process Variables in Shielded Metal-Arc Welding (SMAW) Process and Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) on Some Mechanical Properties of Low Carbon Steel Welds

This investigation was conducted to correlate process variables in shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW) and post weld heat treatment on some mechanical properties of low carbon steel weld. Three hundred and sixty pieces of weld samples were prepared. The samples were welded together using AWS E6013 electrodes with DC arc welding process. Varying welding currents of 100 A, 120 A, 140 A were used with a terminal voltage of 80 V. The weld samples were prepared for hardness, tensile and impact test. The prepared samples were then subjected to normalising heat treatment operation at temperatures of 590°C, 600°C, 620°C, 640°C, 660°C, 680°C, and 700°C. It was observed that increase in welding current led to an increase in hardness and ultimate tensile strength values of as-weld samples while impact strength de-creases. After post heat treatment operation the hardness and ultimate tensile strengths decreases while impact strength increases. From this outcome we conclude that there is correlation between the welding current and mechanical proper-ties of weld metal on one hand and normalising temperatures and mechanical properties on the other hand. As the cur-rent increases the hardness and strength increases but impact strength reduces, while hardness and strength continuously reduces but impact strength increases as normalising temperatures increases.

起重船用高强钢大厚板焊接残余应力的试验研究

以某型起重船结构为研究对象,采用焊接后热作为焊接残余应力消除措施,研究结构的残余应力情况及消除措施的有效性。首先采用焊态和经过焊接后热的两组试板进行焊接残余应力检测并对比,结果表明焊态的试板焊接纵向残余应力最高达552.5 MPa,接近材料的屈服强度;经后热的试板纵向残余应力最大为385.3MPa,与焊态相比降低了167.2 MPa,下降约30%;同时获取了残余应力分布情况。进一步对起重船导向基座结构的焊缝进行后热并进行应力检测,其纵向焊接残余应力最大值为310.8 MPa,远低于母材屈服强度。本文研究表明:起重船高强钢大厚板在焊态时焊接残余应力较大,需采取措施消除残余应力;采用焊接后热可以大幅降低高强钢大厚板的焊接残余应力水平,焊接后热具有较好的经济性和操作便捷性,在起重船建造过程中建议考虑对大厚板焊缝进行后热以消除焊接残余应力消除。

考虑残余应力影响的桥式起重机多轴疲劳寿命评估

桥式起重机桥架结构是典型的焊接结构,在日常服役时主梁焊缝区域经常出现疲劳裂纹。为保证起重机的服役安全,基于多尺度有限元分析方法建立危险裂纹区域的多级子模型;在二级子模型上建立热-结构耦合焊接有限元模型并模拟分析了焊接的全过程,通过模拟焊后热处理分析对残余应力的影响;结合多轴临界面法构建了以应变幅值作为多轴损伤参量的疲劳分析方法,评估了危险裂纹区域的疲劳性能。结果表明:所提方法将结构整体疲劳问题转化成局部焊接位置的疲劳问题,不仅增加了计算效率,还能考虑疲劳细节处更多的影响因素,为起重机焊缝部位的疲劳寿命评估和延寿提供了一定的参考。