Effect of Welding Heat Input on Microstructure and Impact Toughness in the Simulated CGHAZ of Low Carbon Mo-V-Ti-N-B Steel

Welding thermal cycles with heat inputs ranging from 25 to 75 kJ/cm were performed on a Gleeble 3500. The impact energy improved significantly (from 10 to 112 J), whereas the simulated coarse-grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) microstructure changed from lath bainite ferrite (LBF) and granular bainite ferrite (GBF) + martensite/austenite (M/A) to acicular ferrite (AF) + polygonal ferrite (PF) + M/A as the heat input increased. Simultaneously, the mean coarse precipitate sizes and the degree of V(C,N) enrichment on the precipitate surface increased, which provided favorable conditions for intragranular ferrite nucleation. The Ar3 of CGHAZ increased from 593 °C to 793 °C with increasing heat inputs; the longer high-temperature residence time inhibited the bainite transformation and promoted the ferrite transformation. As a result, acicular ferrite increased and bainite decreased in the CGHAZ. The CGHAZ microstructure was refined for the acicular ferrite segmentation of the prior austenite, and the microstructure mean equivalent diameter (MED) in the CGHAZ decreased from 7.6 µm to 4.2 µm; the densities of grain boundaries higher than 15° increased from 20.3% to 45.5% and significantly increased the impact toughness. The correlation of heat input, microstructure, and impact toughness was investigated in detail. These results may provide new ideas for the development of high welding heat input multiphase steels.

Relationship of the Microstructure and Toughness of the Coarse Grain Heat-Affected Zone of TiNbV Microalloyed Steels Based on Electron Backscatter Diffraction Analysis

The microstructure evolution and impact toughness of the coarse grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of TiNbV microalloyed steels were investigated by using a thermal simulation test. The samples were treated with various simulated welding thermal cycles. The phase constituents and grain sizes were analyzed by using electron backscatter diffraction analysis. The microstructure of the CGHAZ of the treated samples consisted of ferrite, acicular ferrite, pearlite, and bainite. The samples have a higher impact toughness under a lower welding heat input. This is because the microstructure of the CGHAZ is dominated by the higher volume fraction of the high-angle grain boundaries of acicular ferrites. The presence of bainite and coarsening grains are two key factors deteriorating the toughness of the CGHAZ of TiNbV microalloyed steels. The volume fraction of bainite sharply increased as the welding heat input increased, leading to a decrease in the impact toughness of the CGHAZ. For a higher welding heat input, both the severe coarsening of the grain size and a higher bainite content would result in poor impact toughness.

Study on the Hot Cracking Law of Inconel 690/52M Welding Material on F304LN Base Metal by Multi-Layer Cladding

During the welding of 690 nickel-based alloy, solidification cracking (SFC) and ductility-dip cracking (DDC) easily forms, which has a negative effect on the quality of welded joints and service life. The present study examined the effects of welding heat input and cladding layers on the SFC and DDC, as well as their formation mechanism. The microstructure observation, elemental distribution, and Varestraint test were carried out. The results show that SFC and DDC were formed for the Inconel filler metal 52M, and SFC is more prone to form than DDC. The alloy elements such as Fe, Si, C, and P from base metal can expand the solidification temperature range, such that the SFC sensitivity increases. With the increase of welding heat input, the grain size of cladding metal is increased with a great SFC sensitivity. The increasing welding heat input also makes DDC possible due to the formation of a large angle grain boundary.

Shielded metal arc welding of AISI 409M ferritic stainless steel: study on mechanical, intergranular corrosion properties and microstructure analysis

Purpose The purpose of this study is on AISI 409 M ferritic stainless steel (FSS) which is developing a preferred choice for railway carriages, storage tanks and reactors in chemical plants. The intergranular corrosion behavior of welded SS 409 M has been studied in H2SO4 solution (0.5 M) with the addition of NH4SCN (0.01 M) with different heat input. As this study is very important in context of various chemical and petrochemical industries. Design/methodology/approach The microstructure, mechanical properties and intergranular corrosion properties of AISI 409 M FSS using shielded metal arc welding were investigated. Shielded metal arc welding with different welding current values are used to change the heat input in the joints resulted in the microstructural variations. The microstructure of the welded steel was carefully inspected along the width of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and the transverse-section of the thin plate. Findings The width of heat affected zone (3.1,4.2 and 5.8 mm) increases on increasing the welding heat input. Due to change in grain size (grain coarsening) as HAZ increased. From the microstructure, it was observed that the large grain growth which is dendritic and the structure become finer to increase in welding heat input. For lower heat input, the maximum microhardness value (388HV) was observed compared with medium (351 HV) and higher heat input (344 HV), which is caused by a rapid cooling rate and the depleted area of chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni). The increase in weld heat input decreases tensile strength, i.e. 465 MPa, 440 MPa and 418 MPa for low, medium and high heat input, respectively. This is because of grain coarsening and chromium carbide precipitation in sensitized zone and wider HAZ. The degree of sensitization increases (27.04%, 31.86% and 36.08%) to increase welding heat input because of chromium carbide deposition at the grain boundaries. The results revealed that the higher degree of sensitization and the difference in intergranular corrosion behavior under high heat input are related to the grain growth in the HAZ and the weld zone. Originality/value The study is based on intergranular corrosion behavior of welded SS 409 M in H2SO4 solution (0.5 M) with the addition of NH4SCN (0.01 M) with different heat input which is rarely found in literature.