Heat Affected Zone Softening Susceptibility Test

ABSTRACTIn this study, we investigated the effects of heat-affected zone (HAZ) softening on the strength and elongation of resistance spot-welded joints in high-strength steel sheet in an in-plane tensile test. The fracture in the softened HAZ had a little effect on the maximum stress of the resistance spot-welded specimen; however, the fracture elongation decreased. The nugget diameter and HAZ softened width had little effect on the fracture elongation of the resistance spot-welded specimen. Also, the fracture elongation decreased slightly with the decrease in the sheet thickness. The major factor affecting the fracture elongation was the HAZ hardness ratio (= Softened HAZ/Base metal × 100%). For the resistance spot-welded specimen with a thickness of 1.6 mm, when the HAZ hardness ratio decreased to less than 80%, the fracture position changed from the base metal to the softened HAZ and the fracture elongation decreased sharply. In addition, with a decrease in the hardness ratio, the fracture elongation decreased.

In this study, 2219-T87 aluminum alloys were butt welded by the double-pass tungsten inert gas arc welding process. And the softening behavior of fusion zone (FZ) and heat-affected zone (HAZ) was evaluated with the analysis of welding temperature field, grain size, alloying element distribution and precipitates evolution. Results show that the two FZs are almost the weakest regions in the joint, where the microhardness value is 76 and 78 HV, respectively. Microhardness of the HAZ generally grows along with increasing distance from fusion line except a valley value at the distance of about 4.5 mm. The mean grain size of two FZs is about 74.4 and 79.2 μm, whereas 41.5, 44.9 and 43.4 μm for the two measured HAZs and base metal (BM), respectively. There is about 60.4% and 54.2% Cu consumed in the coarse whitish particles of FZs that have little strengthening effect, while the percentage is about 24.6% of BM that is almost the same as HAZ. A large number of strengthening phases θ′ distribute dispersively in BM, whereas hardly any precipitates exist in FZ and HAZ adjacent to FZ. So the coarsening of grain size, reduction and segregation of alloying element content, and the precipitate evolution are regarded as the main causes of softening in FZ, while the precipitate evolution is the main factor of softening in HAZ.

The development of high strength aluminium alloy has revolutionized the automotive industry with innovative manufacturing and technological process to provide high-performance components, weight reduction and also diversified the application field and design consideration for the automotive parts that work under severe conditions, but the selection of proper production parameters is most challenging task to get excellent results. Growing industrial demand of aluminium alloys led to the development of new welding technologies, processes and studies of various parameters effects for its intended purposes. The microstructural changes lead to loss of hardening and thereby mechanical strength in the HAZ welded joint even though the base materials are heat treatable and precipitation hardened. So, our goal is to analyse HAZ softening and analyse the sub-zones as a function of the parameter. In this paper, the influence of weld heat cycle on the heat-affected zone (HAZ) is physically simulated for Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG) using Gleeble 3500 thermomechanical simulator for three different automotive aluminium alloy (AA5754-H22, AA6082-T6 & AA7075-T6) plate of 1 mm thickness. In order to simulate the sub-zones of the heat-affected zone, samples were heated to four different HAZ peak temperatures (550 °C, 440 °C, 380 °C and 280 °C), two linear heat input (100 J/mm and 200 J/mm) by the application of Rykalin 2D model. A series of experiments were performed to understand the behaviour, which make it possible to measure the objective data on the basis of the obtained image of the aluminium alloys tested with heat-affected zone tests in a Gleeble 3500 physical simulator. The main objective is to achieve the weldability of three different automotive aluminium alloys and their comparison based on the welding parameters like heat input. Further, the investigation of HAZ softening and microstructure of the specimens were tested and analysed using Vicker's hardness test and optical microscope respectively. The paper focuses on HAZ softening analysis of different grades of aluminium alloys for automotive application.

Pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective method of oil and gas transportation to storage and processing facilities. Large diameter welded pipes fabricated by submerged arc welding (SAW) are the preferred product in many cases for pipeline construction. Furthermore, pipelines are constructed by welding segments of pipe, typically by single or dual torch Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). During welding, both during pipe fabrication and girth welding, the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) experiences rapid thermal cycles with peak temperatures up to the melting temperature of the base metal. Controlling the microstructure evolution in the HAZ during welding of line pipe steels is critical to ensure that these products meet the Charpy impact testing and CTOD requirements imposed by clients and specifications. In particular, the Coarse Grain Heat Affected Zone (CGHAZ) is of concern. Here, austenite grain growth occurs readily due to the combination of high temperature and precipitate dissolution. Controlling the CGHAZ austenite grain size is critical to obtain final microstructures with acceptable impact properties. In this study, austenite grain growth has been measured and modeled for thermal conditions relevant for the CGHAZ in 27 steels, including industrial as well as laboratory steels with systematic variations of alloying element content. Austenite grain size was measured using a Laser Ultrasonics for Metallurgy (LUMet) sensor attached to a Gleeble 3500 Thermomechanical Simulator, which enables high-throughput in-situ monitoring of austenite grain growth. A classical grain growth model has been developed based on a standard test. The grain growth kinetics are described by combining curvature driven grain growth with pinning due to TiN precipitates. A phenomenological relationship has been developed for the grain boundary mobility that decreases with C, Nb and Mo alloying which is consistent with their expected grain boundary segregation. The pinning parameter is rationalized in terms of volume fraction and size of TiN particles. The proposed model has been validated for CGHAZ heat treatment cycles including an industrial welding trial. The results of this study provide a model to predict the austenite grain size in the CGHAZ as a function of steel chemistries and heat treatment paths, i.e. welding parameters. Austenite grain size maps have been constructed as a function of peak local temperature and line pipe steel chemistry. The model can be used both for steel chemistry design and for optimizing welding of steels with known chemical composition to minimize the CGHAZ austenite grain size both during pipe fabrication and girth welding.

Effects of strain path and girth weld heterogeneity on strain limits of X70 pipeline

Heat affected zone (HAZ) along with the weld seam of LSAW has discrete microstructure and usually shows lower toughness than base material. Grain coarsening and formation of M-A constituents governs the HAZ toughness, and a lot of efforts have been made to improve HAZ toughness. However, it is impossible to completely reduce the effect of microstructural change by seam welding. Especially, higher strength or heavy wall linepipes which have richer chemistry tend to have lower HAZ toughness. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between microstructural characteristics and toughness of HAZ and fracture behavior of HAZ region in order to ensure the structural reliability of seam welded region. In this paper, fracture behavior of X70 grade heavy wall UOE linepipe was investigated. Wide plate tensile test was conducted with the surface notch introduced on to the coarse grain HAZ, as well as the small scale testing such as Charpy and CTOD test. Fracture mechanics analysis was also carried out to understand the critical condition for brittle fracture of HAZ, and compared with the experimental results.

Demand for double jointing technology is increasing to improve pipeline construction productivity. Submerged arc welding (SAW) utilized for double jointing is likely to cause a much wider heat affected zone (HAZ) than those of typical field welding by gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and it should be taken into account for strain-based design of high strength line-pipes. However, guidelines for SAW welds properties to ensure strain capacity of high strength line-pipes such as X80 have not been established yet. In this study, a submerged arc weld joint was produced using tensile strength (TS) over-matching welding consumable. API standard type transverse weld tension test was conducted to measure local elongation at weld metal, HAZ, and base material. Elongation at weld metal increases prior to base material, but soon after that elongation at the HAZ softening region and base material adjacent to the HAZ catch up with the elongation in the weld metal, and finally, deformation concentrates at the HAZ softening region before final fracture. Deformation behavior of the joint was analyzed to verify applicability to double jointing girth welds for strain-based design. From finite element (FE) analysis of notched wide plate test which characterizes tensile strain capacity of a pipeline, it is suggested that ductile crack would not initiate before base material start necking in this particular TS over-matching weld joint in which the defect size is 1mm of notch depth and 25mm of notch length. Thus, the weld joint would be applicable for double jointing girth welds based on strain-based design.

Weld samples imitating the inservice girth welds in station (L245 straight pipe jointed to WPHY-70 tee joint and L415MB straight pipe jointed to WPHY-80 tee joint) were prepared. Tensile, bending, impact toughness and hardness of the joints were investigated. Results show that under tensile or bending load, failure occurred from the side with lower grade and smaller wall thickness. Relatived to the lower grade side, the weld seam is strong match. Significant change of impact toughness can be found in weld seam center and the heat affected zones (HAZ). The impact energy of seam center is the lowest in the weld joint. The impact energy show a trend of increase from seam center to base metal. In HAZ zone, impact toughness of the fusion line is the lowest. Impact toughness of higher grade side is higher than that of the lower grade side. Hardness of positions in HAZ zones are different distinctly. From coarse grained region to fine grained region, the hardness decrease. For the in-station girth welds jointed with different materials, lower grade and samller wall thickness side should be intensive monitored.

Welded connections are a fatigue sensitive location for offshore steel catenary risers. The susceptibility to fatigue is due to the notch effect of the weld and the gradient in microstructure and material properties across the weld which result from welding thermal cycles and differences in the composition of the parent material and weld metal. In this work, a representative full-scale steel catenary riser girth weld is conducted using X100Q steel. The thermal and strain history in the weld zone are captured using a thermocouple and strain gauge array. A parallel programme of Gleeble thermomechanical simulation is implemented to develop microstructurally uniform heat affected zone (HAZ) test specimens. The parent material, weld metal, simulated HAZ and a cross-weld sample are characterised using a programme of nanoindentation, tensile and fatigue testing. A softened region with microstructure corresponding to intercritical HAZ (ICHAZ) is identified in the girth weld. Tensile and fatigue failures are shown to occur in a representative microstructural region for simulated HAZ specimens, indicating a susceptibility to failure in the ICHAZ for matched or over-matched X100Q welds.

Heat-affected zone softening in high-strength low-alloy steels

Review of minimum requirements and development of guidance for weld spacing

In recent years, the demand for advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) has increased to improve the durability and service life of steel structures. The development of these steels involves innovative processing technologies and steel alloy design concepts. Joining these steels is predominantly conducted by following fusion welding techniques, such as gas metal arc welding, tungsten inert gas welding, and laser welding. These fusion welding techniques often lead to a loss of mechanical properties due to the weld thermal cycles in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and the deposited filler wire chemistry. This review paper elucidates the current studies on the state-of-the-art of weldability on AHSS, with ultimate strength levels above 800 MPa. The effects of alloy designs on the HAZ softening, microstructure evolution, and the mechanical properties of the weld joints corresponding to different welding techniques and filler wire chemistry are discussed. More specifically, the fusion welding techniques used for the welding of AHSS were summarized. This review article gives an insight into the issues while selecting a particular fusion welding technique for the welding of AHSS.

Experimental and numerical study on local mechanical properties and failure analysis of laser welded DP980 steels

The effect of reeling on the fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) behavior of welded pipe was investigated both in-air as well as in sour environment. The FCGR behavior of the reeled pipe in various notch locations, such as parent pipe (PP), weld center line (WCL), and heat affected zone (HAZ), did not exhibit any effect of reeling (i.e., the properties in the strained and aged conditions were similar to the as-fabricated welds). Frequency scan FCGR tests in sour environment (pH = 5/0.0031 MPa H2S) exhibited maximum FCGR in the range of 10× to 35× higher than the in-air values at frequencies in the range of 3–1 mHz and 3× to 5× at frequencies in the range of 0.3 Hz (risers). In sour service, WCL exhibited better fatigue performance than the PP and HAZ in all conditions. Fatigue performance of PP and WCL was independent of reeling. The poorest fatigue performance was observed in unstrained HAZ. Fatigue performance of HAZ extrados (side last strained in compression) and intrados (side last strained in tension) was similar and better than unstrained HAZ. It was also found that the FCGR in sour environments was controlled by the internal hydrogen due to bulk charging from the sour environment. The overall conclusion is that reeling has no detrimental effect on sour service fatigue crack growth behavior, i.e., sour service fatigue performance of reeled pipe is the same as unreeled pipe.

A comparison of the fracture behaviours for a full-scale (FS) pipe bending test and small-scale fracture toughness tests was carried out in this investigation. For the FS pipe test, two 4-meter long large diameter (914 mm) X70 pipes were girth-welded together to facilitate bend testing with an internal pressure of 72% of specified miniminm yield strength (SMYS). The test assembly also contained a semi-ellipical notch that was prepared by means of electrical discharge machining (EDM) from the outside surface in the heat-affected zone. Single-edge notched bend (SE(B) or SENB) and single-edge notched tension (SE(T) or SENT) test specimens were prepared from a duplicate girth weld produced with the same pipe and weld procedure with equivalent notch depths. The FS pipe test showed deformation along the pipe axis asymmetric to the girth weld centre. The comparison of fracture behaviours between small-scale and FS tests suggests that toughness measurements (crack-tip opening displacement or J-integral) at maximum load might be useful as a reference for strain-based design although further work is needed.