Compatibility Welding Parameters with the Results Obtained in Testing of Fracture Mechanics in HSLA Steel
Many investigations led to show that no crack begins to propagate to an increase of stress intensity factor. The life of the components of a structure containing premature cracks, can be governed by the degree of subcritical crack propagation. Thus, knowledge of crack propagation to determine the fatigue of the structure is necessary. One problem of steels of high resilience is their low toughness in the HAZ, when they are welded with a high heat input. In this work we have studied nine specimens that have been welded under a submerged arc welding process controlling the welding parameters and checking in the HAZ of such specimens, critical tensions at the ends of the cracks, the critical cracks lengths and stress intensity factors. It is intended to check that the parameters that indicate the values of fracture mechanics in the HAZ, after heat cycle to which the steel has undergone, under a process with a maximum heat input of 2.327kJ /mm, they are still valid, with the welding parameters applied. It is checked a correlation between the theoretical and experimental values.