Influence of Thermal Simulated and Real Tandem Submerged Arc Welding Process on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Coarse Grained Heat Affected Zone

The high-strength low-alloy microalloyed steel was procured as a hot rolled plate with accelerated cooling. The Gleeble thermal simulated process involved heating the steel specimens to the peak temperature of 1400 °C, with constant cooling rates of 3.75 °C/s and 2 °C/s to room temperature. The four-wire tandem submerged arc welding process, with different heat input, was used to generate a welded microstructure. The martensite/austenite constituent appeared in the microstructure of the heat affected zone region for all the specimens along the prior-austenite grain boundaries and between bainitic ferrite laths. The blocky-like and stringer martensite/austenite morphology were observed in the heat affected zone regions. The martensite/austenite constituents were obtained by a combination of field emission scanning electron microscopes and image analysis software The Charpy absorbed energy of specimens was assessed using Charpy impact testing at-50 °C. Brittle particles, such as martensite/austenite constituent along the grain boundaries, can make an easy path for crack propagation. Similar crack initiation sites and growth mechanism were investigated for specimens welded with different heat input values.