The Benefits of a Modified-Chemistry, High-Strength, Low-Alloy Steel

Steels with 50 ksi and up yield points usually acquire their strength from some form of heat treatment. Most of these steels, 11/2 in. thick and up, must be welded using sustained preheat and controlled interpass temperatures, plus controlled welding heat input of approximately 50 to 60 kJ/in. These two items can add as much as 50 percent to the cost of submerged-arc welding, and increases of up to 30 percent are common for manual welding when compared with lower-strength steels previously used. To reduce costs, a quenched and precipitation-hardened steel, ASTM A710 Grade A Class 3, with a high degree of weldability, was tested. This steel, which can be welded without sustained preheat and almost unlimited heat input, has been extensively tested in thicknesses from 21/4 through 6 in. Although this steel costs more than the usual quenched-and-tempered plates at these strength levels, reductions of 40 to 75 percent in welding labor costs are probable. In addition, sizeable material savings should be realized when these items are used in place of HY-80 and HY-100.