Effect of Reversed Austenite on Mechanical Properties of ZG06Cr13Ni4Mo Repair Welded Joint

In this work, gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) was used to repair ZG06Cr13Ni4Mo martensitic stainless steel. Repair welding occurred either once or twice. The changes in the microstructure and properties of the repair welded joints were characterized by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), tensile and impact tests. The effects of reversed austenite in repair welded joints on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that the microstructure of the welded joint after repair welding consists of a large amount of martensite (M) and a small amount of reversed austenite (A), and the reversed austenite is distributed at the boundary of martensite lath in fine strips. With the increase in the number of welding repairs, the content of reversed austenite in the welded joint increases. The microstructure in the repair welded joints is gradually refined, the microstructure in the once and twice repaired joints is 45.2% and 65.1% finer than that in the casting base metal, respectively. The reversed austenite presented in the repair welded joints decreases the tensile strength by 4.8% and 6.7%, increases the yield strength by 21.3% and 26.4%, and increases the elongation by 25% and 56%, respectively, compared with the casting base metal. In addition, the reversed austenite mainly nucleates and grows at the boundary of lath martensite. The refinement of the martensite structure was due to the generation of reversed austenite and the refinement of original austenite grain by the welding thermal cycle. After repair welding, the reverse austenite appeared in the repair welded joints and the tensile strength decreased slightly, but the plastic toughness was significantly improved, which was conducive to the subsequent service process.

Some advanced welding technologies applied for repair welding in power plants

Steels are subjected to many time-dependent degradation mechanisms when they are applied in electric power plants. They are exposed to high temperatures, multi-axial stresses, creep, fatigue, corrosion, and abrasion during such services. Used under these threatening conditions, those materials could develop various damages or failures or even form cracks. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent in-service failures, improve reliability, and extend the plant's operational life. The efficiency of the electric power plant, among other processes, depends on effective maintenance. The paper presents the evaluation of advanced procedures and knowledge in the field of steel repair welding in the maintenance of the power plants. Most repair welding of low alloy steels requires high-temperature post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), but in certain repairs, however, this is not always possible. Application of the nickel-based filler metal could also be an alternative to performing post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). The repair work expenses could be reduced if the repair is performed on-site. The novel developed repair welding procedures presented in this paper were applied for emergency weld repairing of the steel pipelines in thermal power plant, repairing without disassembling the working wheel of the coal mill in thermal power plant and "on-site" repairing turbine shaft of the hydropower plant. For all the presented repair welding procedures, weldability analysis based on the analytical equations and technological ''CTS'' and ''Y'' tests to determine the sensitivity to cold and hot crack forming were applied. Tensile tests, absorbed energies tests, banding tests, and hardness measurements were performed on trial joints, which were used to develop and verify the applied methodologies. Presented advanced weld repair technologies enable repairs for a shorter time and at lower costs compared to conventional procedures.

The Effect of Plug Rotation Speed on Micro-Structure of Nugget Zone of Friction Plug Repair Welding Joint for 6082 Aluminum Alloy

This paper carried out the friction plug repair welding of 6082 aluminum alloy keyhole defects by using the method of friction heating between shaft shoulder and base material. In addition, a well-formed friction plug welding joint was obtained at different plug rotation speeds. In order to study the influence mechanism of plug rotation speeds on the microstructure of the weld nugget zone, EBSD technology was used to analyze the grain morphology, grain size and grain boundary characteristics of the weld nugget zone under different rotation speeds of the plug rod. The results show that in the nugget zone, the grain was fine and equated crystals refinement, and there was a preferred orientation. The deformation texture components in the welded nugget zone increased with the plug rotation speed from 1600 to 2000 rpm. However, the grain size first decreased and then increased, while the components in the High-Angle Boundary first increased and then decreased.

Evaluation of an Alloy 52 / Cladded Carbon Steel Repair Weld by Cold Metal Transfer

Extending the lifetime of existing nuclear power reactors is an increasingly important topic. As the existing fleet of nuclear power reactors ages and approaches the end of their design lifetimes or enters periods of lifetime extension, there is an increased probability for defect repairs due to extended exposure to the operating environment (e.g. high temperature, high pressure, corrosion environment, neutron irradiation, etc.). Concerning repair welding, should a critical need for repair arise, qualified and validated solutions must be readily available for rapid deployment. A proposed method using robotized gas metal arc welding-cold metal transfer to repair a “worst-case” scenario, linear crack like defect beneath the cladding, which extended into the reactor pressure vessel steel, was evaluated on laboratory scale in previous works (PVP2020-21233, PVP2020-21236). These previous studies demonstrated that cold metal transfer has the potential to produce high quality welds in the case of a reactor pressure repair. In the current study, the lessons learned from the previous work were applied to repair a postulated surface crack on a thermally embrittled and cladded low alloy steel plate using a nickel base Alloy 52 filler metal. Two excavations were filled using different weld bead arrangements — a traditional pattern (92 weld beads, Q = 0.6 kJ/min) and a 45°-hatch pattern (184 weld beads, Q = 0.9 kJ/min) — by gas metal arc welding-cold metal transfer. No pre-heating or post-weld heat treatment were applied, to remain in line with what can be expected in a real pressure vessel repair situation. The 0° angle pattern acts as a reference for previous studies, while the 45°-hatch pattern, aims to minimize the residual stresses caused by repair welding. Finite element modeling was used to predict the initial (cladded, embrittled and excavated) condition of the steel plate, followed by simulating the welding using the actual welding conditions and material constants for both bead patterns as input parameters. The resulting deformation, strains and stresses created in the material due to repair welding were predicted and the welding’s effectiveness was estimated. In addition, the post-repair weld mechanical properties and microstructure, specifically focusing on the fusion boundary and heat-affected zone, were evaluated using various microscopy techniques and hardness measurements. The outcomes of the performed simulations, corresponding characterizations and lessons learned are presented in this study.

Introducing Compressive Residual Stresses into a Stainless-Steel T-Pipe Joint by an Overlay Weld

Microcracks are always present in the deposited metal of nickel-based alloys and austenitic stainless steels, which affects the safety of the pressure pipes. If compressive stress can be introduced into the cracked position by overlay welding, the time required with ordinary gouging repair welding technology will be significantly reduced, which is practical significance for pressure pipes repair welding. In this work, a stainless-steel T-pipe joint was fabricated using manual metal arc welding with an ER316L wire, and an overlay weld was fabricated using tungsten inert gas arc welding with an ERNiCrFe-7A wire. The overlay thickness was about 10 mm. The contour method was employed to measure the residual stress in the T-pipe joint. The results show that compressive residual stress about 50 MPa is formed in the original ER316L weld, which proves that the residual compressive stress can be obtained in the original weld by surfacing 10 mm thick nickel base alloy on the original weld surface.