Numerical Investigation on Fracture Initiation Properties of Interface Crack in Dissimilar Steel Welded Joints

Fracture toughness property is of significant importance when evaluating structural safety.The current research of fracture toughness mainly focused on crack in homogeneous material and experimental results.When the crack is located in a welded joint with high-gradient microstructure and mechanical property distribution,it becomes difficult to evaluate the fracture toughness behavior since the stress distribution may be affected by various factors.In recent years,numerical method has become an ideal approach to reveal the essence and mechanism of fracture toughness behavior.This study focuses on the crack initiation behavior and driving force at different interfaces in dissimilar steel welded joints.The stress and strain fields around the crack tip lying at the interfaces of ductile-ductile,ductile-brittle and brittle-brittle materials are analyzed by the numerical simulation.For the interface of ductile-ductile materials,the strain concentration on the softer material side is responsible for ductile fracture initiation.For the ductile-brittle interface,the shielding effect of the ductile material plays an important role in decreasing the fracture driving force on the brittle material side.In the case of brittle-brittle interface,a careful matching is required,because the strength mismatch decreases the fracture driving force in one side,whereas the driving force in another side is increased.The results are deemed to offer support for the safety assessment of welded structures.

Interfacial microstructure evolution of 12Cr1MoV/TP347H dissimilar steel welded joints during aging

The interfacial microstructure evolution of 12Cr1MoV/TP347H dissimilar steel welded joints with a nickel-based filler metal during aging was studied in detail to elucidate the mechanism of premature failures of this kind of joints.The results showed that not only a band of granular Cr_(23)C_(6)carbides were formed along the fusion boundary in the ferritic steel during aging,but also a large number of granular or plate-like Cr_(23)C_(6)carbides,which have a cube-cube orientation relationship with the matrix,were also precipitated on the weld metal side of the fu-sion boundary,making this zone be etched more easily than the other zone and become a dark etched band.Stacking faults were found in some Cr_(23)C_(6)carbides.In the as-welded state,deformation twins were observed in the weld metal with a fully austenitic structure.The peak micro-hardness was shifted from the ferritic steel side to the weld metal side of the fusion boundary after aging and the peak value increased signific-antly.Based on the experimental results,a mechanism of premature failures of the joints was proposed.

Calculation of AF transformation kinetics in HSLA steel weld

It is of great importance for obtaining the perfect welding properties to control the acicular ferrite (AF) transformation behavior reasonably in steel weld. AF continuous transformation kinetics in the HSLA steel weld was calculated and modeled based on the direct growth on the inclusions inert interface. The simulation results are coincident with the experimental value well.

Study on an Explosion Treated Steel Weld Metal with Prepared Crack

A softening zone with recrystallized grain around the prepared crack tip in the shock waves treated C-Mn steel weld metal was observed. It is suggested that a dynamic recovery occurred around the prepared crack tip even at a low explosion pressure (5 GPa) because of the stress and strain concentration at the crack tip when shock waves pass through. This result supports the previous work on the improved mechanical properties of a shock treated welded joint with residual crack from the viewpoint of microstructure.

Simulation of acoustic fields emitted by ultrasonic phased array in austenitic steel weld

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic steel weld is a great challenge due to skewed and distorted beam in such a highly anisotropic and inhomogeneous material. To improve the ultrasonic measurement in this situation, it is essential to have an in-depth understanding of ultrasound characteristics in austenitic steel weld. To meet such a need, in the present study we propose a method which combines the weld model, Dijkstra’s path-finding algorithm and Gaussian beam equivalent point source model to calculate the acoustic fields from ultrasonic phased array in such a weld. With this method, the acoustic field in a steel-austenitic weld-steel three-layered structure for a linear phase array transducer is calculated and the propagation characteristics of ultrasound in weld are studied. The research results show that the method proposed here is capable of calculating the acoustic field in austenitic weld. Additionally, beam steering and focusing can be still realized in the austenitic steel weld and the beam distortion is more severe in the middle of weld than at other positions.

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.

Prediction of Ac1 temperature in P92 steel weld metal

The effects of major alloying elements on the Ac, temperature in P92 steel weld metal were evaluated by Thermo- Calc, and a formula relating Ac1 to the content of major alloying elements was developed using multiple regression method. Results show that both C and N reduce Ac, temperature in weld metal, the effect of N on Ac, is greater than that of C, but their influence on Act is not so significant when they individually vary in the specified chemical composition ranges. Si, Cr, Mo and W increase the Acl temperature, and the descending order of their effects is determined as Si, Mo, W, Cr. Mn and Ni decrease the AcI in weld metal, the decreasing effect is especially remarkable when the （ Mn ＋ Ni） ≥ 1%. The effect of Co is moderate and is much smaller compared to Ni. The variations of Acl for the ranges of micro-alloying elements Nb and V are also evaluated, the effect of V is greater compared to Nb and the effect of Nb could be ignored in the specified chemical composition range. A prediction formula for Ac, temperature in P92 steel weld metal within the specified chemical composition ranges was developed based on the comprehensive consideration of the calculated Ac, temperatures and the experimentally measured results.

IMPROVEMENT OF TYPE IV CRACKING RESISTANCE OF 9Cr HEAT RESISTING STEEL WELDMENT BY BORON ADDITION

Creep lives of high Cr ferritic heat resisting steel weldments decrease due to Type Ⅳ fracture, which occurs as a result of formation and growth of creep voids and cracks on grain boundaries in fine-grained heat affected zone (HAZ). Because boron is considered to suppress the coarsening of grain boundary precipitates and growth of creep voids, we have investigated the effect of boron addition on the creep properties of 9Cr steel weldments. Four kinds of 9Cr3WSCoVNb steels with boron content varying from 4.7×10-5 to 1.8×10-4 and with nitrogen as low as 2.0×10-5 were prepared. The steel plates were welded by gas tungsten arc welding and crept at 923K. It was found that the microstructures of HAZ were quite different from those of conventional high Cr steels such as P91 and P92, namely the fine-grained HAZ did not exist in the present steel weldments. Boron addition also has the effect to suppress coarsening of grain boundary carbides in HAZ during creep. As a result of these phenomena, the welded joints of present steels showed no Type Ⅳ fractures and much better creep lives than those of conventional steels.

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.

Optimization of process parameters of the activated tungsten inert gas welding for aspect ratio of UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel welds

The activated TIG(ATIG) welding process mainly focuses on increasing the depth of penetration and the reduction in the width of weld bead has not been paid much attention.The shape of a weld in terms of its width-to-depth ratio known as aspect ratio has a marked influence on its solidification cracking tendency.The major influencing ATIG welding parameters,such as electrode gap,travel speed,current and voltage,that aid in controlling the aspect ratio of DSS joints,must be optimized to obtain desirable aspect ratio for DSS joints.Hence in this study,the above parameters of ATIG welding for aspect ratio of ASTM/UNS S32205 DSS welds are optimized by using Taguchi orthogonal array(OA)experimental design and other statistical tools such as Analysis of Variance(ANOVA) and Pooled ANOVA techniques.The optimum process parameters are found to be 1 mm electrode gap,130 mm/min travel speed,140 A current and 12 V voltage.The aspect ratio and the ferrite content for the DSS joints fabricated using the optimized ATIG parameters are found to be well within the acceptable range and there is no macroscopically evident solidification cracking.

Microstructures and Plane Energy Spectra of X80 Pipeline Steel Welded Joints by Submerged Arc Automatic Welding

X80 pipeline steel was welded with submerged arc automatic welding, the microstructures, cavity sizes, fusion depths and plane scanning of chemical elements in the welded zone, fusion zone, heat affected zone and base steel were observed with OM（optical microscope） and SEM（scanning electron microscope）, respectively. The experimental results show that there is main acicular ferrite in the base steel and welded zone, the microscopic structure of fusion zone is a blocked bainite, and the heat affected zone is composed of multilateral ferrite and pearlite. M-A unit of the welded zone is the main factor to strengthen the welded zone, composed of acicular ferrites. The percentage of cavities in the welded joint is less than that in the base steel, which is beneficial to increasing its mechanical performance and corrosion resistance. The fusion depth in the fusion zone and welded zone is 101.13 μm and 115.85 μm, respectively, and the distribution of chemical elements in the welded zone is uniform, no enrichment phenomena.

Effects of B and Ti on the Toughness of HSLA Steel Weld Metals

Effects of microalloying Ti and B on the microstructures and low temperature toughness of manual metal arc (MMA) deposits were investi- gated.Weld metals containing 200-300 ppm Ti and 29-60 ppm B deposited by manual coated elec- trodes provided an optimum low temperature toughness.The addition of B in weld metals low- ered the γ→α transformation temperature which promoted the acicular ferrite (AF) transformation. Solid solutioned B suppressed grain boundary ferrite as well as side plate ferrite formation and benefited the acicular ferrite formation.Titanium protected B from oxidizing as well as nitriding and formed Ti-Mn silicate inclusions.Ultra-high volt- age electron microscope analyses showed that TiO structure in the Ti-Mn silicate inclusions was the favorable nucleation site for acicular ferrite forma- tion.

Tensile properties and fracture surface of 07MnNiCrMoVDR steel welded joint at low temperature

The tensile properties and fracture surface of 07MnNiCrMoVDR steel welded joint at low temperature have been studied by universal testing machine and scanning electron microscope. The results show that the tensile properties of 07MnNiCrMoVDR steel welded joint are greatly affected by temperature. Tensile strength and yield strength of 07MnNiCrMoVDR steel welded joint increase, but elongation and reduction of area decrease with temperature decreasing. The macro-fracture of 07 MnNiCrMoVDR steel welded joint exhibits that the shear lip is not significant and micro-fracture makes up of dimpled fracture and tear fracture, and dimple becomes tiny and uniform with temperature decreasing.

Effects of Ni and Co on the Ac1 temperature of P92 steel weld metal

The effects of the addition of O - 1.2wt. % Ni and 0 - 2wt. % Co in F92 steel weld metal on its A L temperature was analyzed using computational thermodynamic software （ Thermo-CalcTM ） in this paper. The results indicate that both Ni and Co decrease the A, of P92 .steel weld metal, and each elements has a pronounced linear relationship with the At. The il^fluence of Ni on A,I is much larger than that of Co. In order to evaluate effects of Co and Ni in combination on AI of P92 .steel weld metal, an equation Ni = Ni ＋ O. 096Co was developed. According to the formula, the decreaing effect of Co on A., is jun about 1 / 10 of that of Ni. For welding consumables of P92 steel, the .substitution of Co for Ni （part or whole） could be an appropriate way to avoid the strong reduction of A and improve the properties of weld metal.

Improved Fatigue Behavior of Pipeline Steel Welded Joint by Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment(SMAT)

A pipeline steel X80 with welded joint was subjected to surface mechanical attrition treatment （SMAT）. After SMAT, a nanostructure surface layer with an average grain size of about 10 nm was formed in the treated sample, and the fatigue limit of the welded joint was elevated by about 13% relative to the untreated joints. In the low and the high amplitude stress regimes, both fatigue strength and fatigue life were enhanced. Formation of the nanostructured surface layer played more important role in the enhanced fatigue behavior than that of residual stress induced by the SMAT.

DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF HIGH-STRENGTH STEEL WELDING

Composition and service properties of high - strength low-alloyed steels with 590-980 MPa yield strength,which find an application in Russia, Belorus,Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR in manufacture of welded structures of a powerful mining and transport machinery, are given. Electrodes and wires for main processes of arc welding of these steels have been devel- oped on the basis of a rational use of different systems of alloying (08KhN2GM,08KhNG2M, and also economical systems of type 10G25, ect. ). Main approaches to the technological provess- es of manufacture of structures of high - strength steels are formulated.They are mainly directed to the weakening of de offect of the factors which contribute to a delayed fracture of joints (diffusive hydrogen,unfavourable rates of cooling,level of residual stresses). When there are no stress concentrators (and at a low level of residual stresses) the welded joints of these steels have a good resistance to fatigue and brittle fractures.As a rule, they are prevented with the help of the known approaches.It is shown that in addition to them and due to a proper selection of conditions of welding the life of welded joints of the high - strength steels can be 1. 2 - 1. 4 times in- creased.

Cold Cracking of Flux Cored Arc Welded Armour Grade High Strength Steel Weldments

In this investigation, an attempt has been made to study the influence of welding consumables on the factors that influence cold cracking of armour grade quenched and tempered （Q＆.T） steel welds. Flux cored arc welding （FCAW） process were used making welds using austenitic stainless steel （ASS） and low hydrogen ferritic steel （LHF） consumables. The diffusible hydrogen levels in the weld metal of the ASS and LHF consumables were determined by mercury method. Residual stresses were evaluated using X-ray stress analyzer and implant test was carried out to study the cold cracking of the welds. Results indicate that ASS welds offer a greater resistance to cold cracking of armour grade Q＆T steel welds.

Fatigue Test of Homemade Z Direction Steel Welded T Tubular Joints

This paper introduces the process and result of fatigue test of steel (Z direction steel) welded T tubular joints used in offshore engineering. Detailed measurement of stress concentration factor, stress distribution, fatigue life and crack development has been performed. Through analysis, an empirical formula of stress concentration factor for T tubular joints, fatigue S-N curve and crack propagation rule are obtained.

Effect of welding heat input on HAZ character in ultra-fine grain steel welding

In this essay, we studied how heat input affected the microstructure, hardness, grain size and heat-affected zone(HAZ) dimension of WCX355 ultra-fine grain steel which was welded respectively by the ultra narrow-gap welding (UNGW) process and the overlaying process with CO 2 as protective atmosphere and laser welding process. The experimental results show when the heat input changed from 1.65 kJ/cm to 5.93 kJ/cm, the width of its HAZ ranged from 0.6 mm to 2.1 mm.The average grain size grew up from 2～5 μm of base metal to 20～70 μm and found no obvious soften phenomenon in overheated zone. The width of normalized zone was generally wide as 2/3 as that of the whole HAZ, and the grain size in this zone is smaller than that in base metal. Under the circumstance of equal heat input, the HAZ width of UNGW is narrower than that of the laser welding.

Microstructure and properties of SAF2507 superduplex stainless steel welded joints

SAF2507 plates （ 12 mm thickness ） were welded using shield metal arc welding （SMAW） process with E2594 electrode. The microstructure, o-phase, and impact fraetograph of the welded joints were analyzed using optical microscope and scanning electron mieroseope. The results show that the fusion zone consists of ferrite, chromium nitride, and secondary aastenite precipitation when welding is performed at low heat input （0. 5 kJ/mm）. However, the increase in heat input causes precipitation of brittle o＂ phase at the y/c~ interface in weld metal and heat-affected zone, as well as a brittle fracture along the grain boundary. Heat input in the range of O. 5 kJ/mm to 1.5 kJ/mm is suitable for joining SAF2507 plates.