Welding Metallurgy 2

Welding Metallurgy 2
Learning Activities
1. View Slides;
Lesson Objectives 2. Read Notes,
When you finish this lesson you will 3. Listen to lecture
understand: 4. Do on-line
• The various region of the weld where liquid workbook
does not form 5. Do homework
• Mechanisms of structure and property
changes associated with these regions

Keywords:
Heat affected zone, Base metal, Solutionizing treatment, Aging,
welding procedure, heat input, Hydrogen cracking, Carbon
equivalent, Lamellar Tearing, Reheat Cracking, Knife-line attack,
Heat Affected Zone Welding
Concerns
Heat Affected Zone Welding
Concerns

• Changes in Structure Resulting

in Changes in Properties
• Cold Cracking Due to Hydrogen
Look At Two Types of Alloy Systems
Cold Worked Alloy Without Allotropic Transformation

Introductory Welding Metallurgy,

AWS, 1979
Welding
Precipitation
Hardened Alloys
Without Allotropic
Phase Changes

Welded In:
• Full Hard
Condition
• Solution
Annealed
Condition

Introductory Welding Metallurgy,

AWS, 1979
Annealed upon
Cooling
Precipitation Hardened Alloy Welded in Full Hard Condition

Introductory Welding Metallurgy,

AWS, 1979
Precipitation Hardened Alloys Welded in Solutioned Condition

Introductory Welding Metallurgy,

AWS, 1979
Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.):
• Precipitation hardened austenitic stainless steel is used for
high strength applications like rocket components etc.
Reviewing the various procedures for welding precipitation
hardened steels, what procedure would you recommend?
Does it make any difference that this is austenitic stainless
steel and not just plain carbon steel?
Steel Alloys With Allotropic Transformation

Introductory Welding Metallurgy,

AWS, 1979
Introductory Welding Metallurgy,
AWS, 1979
Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.):
• As we saw, the cooling rate can depend upon the preheat
and the heat input. Many codes actually specify the range of
heat inputs that can be used to weld certain materials. We
had an equation to determine the heat input before. What is
it? What processes have the highest Heat Inputs? The
lowest?
 Cracking in Welds

Hydrogen Cracking
• Hydrogen cracking, also called cold
cracking, requires all three of these
factors
– Hydrogen
– Stress
– Susceptible microstructure (high
hardness)
• Occurs below 300°C
• Prevention by
– Preheat slows down the cooling rate;
this can help avoid martensite
formation and supplies heat to diffuse
hydrogen out of the material
– Low-hydrogen welding procedure 0.1.1.5.2.T12.95.12
Dickinson
 Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels

Why Preheat?
• Preheat reduces the temperature differential
between the weld region and the base metal
– Reduces the cooling rate, which reduces the
chance of forming martensite in steels
– Reduces distortion and shrinkage stress
– Reduces the danger of weld cracking
– Allows hydrogen to escape

0.1.1.5.1.T9.95.12
 Steel
Using Preheat to Avoid
Hydrogen Cracking
• If the base material is preheated, heat flows more
slowly out of the weld region
– Slower cooling rates avoid martensite formation
• Preheat allows hydrogen to diffuse from the metal
T base Cooling rate ∝ ( T - Tbase )3

Cooling rate ∝ ( T - Tbase )2

T base
 Steel
Interaction of Preheat and
Composition
CE = %C + %Mn/6 + %(Cr+Mo+V)/5 + %(Si+Ni+Cu)/15

• Carbon equivalent (CE) measures ability to form

martensite, which is necessary for hydrogen
cracking
– CE < 0.35 no preheat or postweld heat treatment
– 0.35 < CE < 0.55 preheat
– 0.55 < CE preheat and postweld heat treatment
• Preheat temp. ↑ as CE ↑ and plate thickness ↑
 Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels

Why Post-Weld Heat Treat?

• The fast cooling rates associated with welding
often produce martensite
• During postweld heat treatment, martensite is
tempered (transforms to ferrite and carbides)
– Reduces hardness
– Reduces strength
– Increases ductility
– Increases toughness
• Residual stress is also reduced by the postweld heat
treatment
0.1.1.5.1.T10.95.12
 Steel
Postweld Heat Treatment and
Hydrogen Cracking
• Postweld heat treatment (~ 1200°F) tempers any
martensite that may have formed
– Increase in ductility and toughness
– Reduction in strength and hardness
• Residual stress is decreased by postweld heat
treatment
• Rule of thumb: hold at temperature for 1 hour per
inch of plate thickness; minimum hold of 30
minutes
Base Metal Welding Concerns
 Cracking in Welds

Lamellar Tearing
• Occurs in thick plate subjected to high transverse
welding stress
• Related to elongated non-metallic inclusions, sulfides
and silicates, lying parallel to plate surface and
producing regions of reduced ductility
• Prevention by
– Low sulfur steel
– Specify minimum ductility levels in transverse direction
– Avoid designs with heavy through-thickness direction stress

0.1.1.5.2.T14.95.12
 Improve Cleanliness
Improve through thickness properties
Buttering
 Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels

Multipass Welds
• Heat from subsequent passes affects the
structure and properties of previous passes
– Tempering
– Reheating to form austenite
– Transformation from austenite upon cooling
• Complex Microstructure

0.1.1.5.1.T11.95.12
 Steel

Multipass Welds
• Exhibit a range of
microstructures
• Variation of mechanical
properties across joint
• Postweld heat treatment
tempers the structure
– Reduces property
variations across the joint
 Cracking in Welds

Reheat Cracking
• Mo-V and Mo-B steels susceptible
• Due to high temperature embrittlement of the heat-
affected zone and the presence of residual stress
• Coarse-grained region near fusion line most susceptible
• Prevention by
– Low heat input welding
– Intermediate stress relief of partially completed welds
– Design to avoid high restraint
– Restrict vanadium additions to 0.1% in steels
– Dress the weld toe region to remove possible areas of stress
concentration

0.1.1.5.2.T15.95.12
 Stainless Steel

Knife-Line Attack in the HAZ

HAZ • Cr23 C6 precipitate in HAZ
– Band where peak temperature
is 800-1600°F

Weld • Can occur even in stabilized

grades
– Peak temperature dissolves
titanium carbides
– Cooling rate doesn’t allow
Knife-line attack them to form again