Characterization of microstructure and texture across dissimilar super duplex/austenitic stainless steel weldment joint by austenitic filler metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eghlimi, Abbas; Shamanian, Morteza; Eskandarian, Masoomeh; Zabolian, Azam; Szpunar, Jerzy A.

2015-01-01

The evolution of microstructure and texture across an as-welded dissimilar UNS S32750 super duplex/UNS S30403 austenitic stainless steel joint welded by UNS S30986 (AWS A5.9 ER309LMo) austenitic stainless steel filler metal using gas tungsten arc welding process was evaluated by optical micrography and EBSD techniques. Due to their fabrication through rolling process, both parent metals had texture components resulted from deformation and recrystallization. The weld metal showed the highest amount of residual strain and had large austenite grain colonies of similar orientations with little amounts of skeletal ferrite, both oriented preferentially in the < 001 > direction with cub-on-cube orientation relationship. While the super duplex stainless steel's heat affected zone contained higher ferrite than its parent metal, an excessive grain growth was observed at the austenitic stainless steel's counterpart. At both heat affected zones, austenite underwent some recrystallization and formed twin boundaries which led to an increase in the fraction of high angle boundaries as compared with the respective base metals. These regions showed the least amount of residual strain and highest amount of recrystallized austenite grains. Due to the static recrystallization, the fraction of low degree of fit (Σ) coincident site lattice boundaries, especially Σ3 boundaries, was increased in the austenitic stainless steel heat affected zone, while the formation of subgrains in the ferrite phase increased the content of < 5° low angle boundaries at that of the super duplex stainless steel. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • Extensive grain growth in the HAZ of austenitic stainless steel was observed. • Intensification of < 100 > orientated grains was observed adjacent to both fusion lines. • Annealing twins with Σ3 CSL boundaries were formed in the austenite of both HAZ. • Cub-on-cube OR was observed between austenite and ferrite in the weld

Characterization of microstructure and texture across dissimilar super duplex/austenitic stainless steel weldment joint by austenitic filler metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eghlimi, Abbas, E-mail: a.eghlimi@ma.iut.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shamanian, Morteza [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Eskandarian, Masoomeh [Department of Materials Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71348-51154 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Zabolian, Azam [Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Szpunar, Jerzy A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9 (Canada)

2015-08-15

The evolution of microstructure and texture across an as-welded dissimilar UNS S32750 super duplex/UNS S30403 austenitic stainless steel joint welded by UNS S30986 (AWS A5.9 ER309LMo) austenitic stainless steel filler metal using gas tungsten arc welding process was evaluated by optical micrography and EBSD techniques. Due to their fabrication through rolling process, both parent metals had texture components resulted from deformation and recrystallization. The weld metal showed the highest amount of residual strain and had large austenite grain colonies of similar orientations with little amounts of skeletal ferrite, both oriented preferentially in the < 001 > direction with cub-on-cube orientation relationship. While the super duplex stainless steel's heat affected zone contained higher ferrite than its parent metal, an excessive grain growth was observed at the austenitic stainless steel's counterpart. At both heat affected zones, austenite underwent some recrystallization and formed twin boundaries which led to an increase in the fraction of high angle boundaries as compared with the respective base metals. These regions showed the least amount of residual strain and highest amount of recrystallized austenite grains. Due to the static recrystallization, the fraction of low degree of fit (Σ) coincident site lattice boundaries, especially Σ3 boundaries, was increased in the austenitic stainless steel heat affected zone, while the formation of subgrains in the ferrite phase increased the content of < 5° low angle boundaries at that of the super duplex stainless steel. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • Extensive grain growth in the HAZ of austenitic stainless steel was observed. • Intensification of < 100 > orientated grains was observed adjacent to both fusion lines. • Annealing twins with Σ3 CSL boundaries were formed in the austenite of both HAZ. • Cub-on-cube OR was observed between austenite and ferrite in the weld

Microstructure and mechanical properties of resistance upset butt welded 304 austenitic stainless steel joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharifitabar, M.; Halvaee, A.; Khorshahian, S.

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: Three different microstructural zones formed at different distances from the joint interface in resistance upset butt welding of 304 austenitic stainless steel. Highlights: → Evaluation of microstructure in resistance upset welding of 304 stainless steel. → Evaluation of welding parameters effects on mechanical properties of the joint. → Introducing the optimum welding condition for joining stainless steel bars. -- Abstract: Resistance upset welding (UW) is a widely used process for joining metal parts. In this process, current, time and upset pressure are three parameters that affect the quality of welded products. In the present research, resistance upset butt welding of 304 austenitic stainless steel and effect of welding power and upset pressure on microstructure, tensile strength and fatigue life of the joint were investigated. Microstructure of welds were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to distinguish the phase(s) that formed at the joint interface and in heat affected zone (HAZ). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) linked to the SEM was used to determine chemical composition of phases formed at the joint interface. Fatigue tests were performed using a pull-push fatigue test machine and the fatigue properties were analyzed drawing stress-number of cycles to failure (S-N) curves. Also tensile strength tests were performed. Finally tensile and fatigue fracture surfaces were studied by SEM. Results showed that there were three different microstructural zones at different distances from the joint interface and delta ferrite phase has formed in these regions. There was no precipitation of chromium carbide at the joint interface and in the HAZ. Tensile and fatigue strengths of the joint decreased with welding power. Increasing of upset pressure has also considerable influence on tensile strength of the joint. Fractography of fractured samples showed that formation of hot spots at

Low temperature thermal ageing embrittlement of austenitic stainless steel welds and its electrochemical assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandra, K.; Kain, Vivekanand; Raja, V.S.; Tewari, R.; Dey, G.K.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Embrittlement study of austenitic stainless steel welds after ageing up to 20,000 h. ► Spinodal decomposition and G-phase precipitation in ferrite at 400 °C. ► Spinodal decomposition of ferrite at 335 and 365 °C. ► Large decrease in corrosion resistance due to G-phase precipitation. ► Good correlation between electrochemical properties and the degree of embrittlement. - Abstract: The low temperature thermal ageing embrittlement of austenitic stainless steel welds is investigated after ageing up to 20,000 h at 335, 365 and 400 °C. Spinodal decomposition and G-phase precipitation after thermal ageing were identified by transmission electron microscopy. Ageing led to increase in hardness of the ferrite phase while there was no change in the hardness of austenite. The degree of embrittlement was evaluated by non-destructive methods, e.g., double-loop and single-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation tests. A good correlation was obtained between the electrochemical properties and hardening of the ferrite phase of the aged materials.

On qualification of TOFD technique for austenitic stainless steel welds inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez-Ona, R. [Tecnatom, San Sebastian de los Reyes (Spain); Viggianiello, S.; Bleuze, A. [Metalscan, Saint-Remy (France)

2006-07-01

Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) technique is gaining ground as a solid method for detection and sizing of defects. It has been reported that TOFD technique provides good results on the inspection of fine grain steels. However, there are few results regarding the application and performance of this technique on austenitic stainless steels. A big challenge of these inspections is the coarse grain structure that produces low signal to noise ratio and may mask the diffraction signals. Appropriate transducer design, selection of technique parameters and analysis tools could overcome the actual difficulties. In this paper, the main design aspects and parameters of the TOFD technique for austenitic steels are presented. It follows the description of qualification tests carried out to validate the technique for inspecting stainless steels welds. To conclude, discussion of results from actual inspections is shown. (orig.)

Prediction of microsegregation and pitting corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steel welds by modelling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vilpas, M. [VTT Manufacturing Technology, Espoo (Finland). Materials and Structural Integrity

1999-07-01

The present study focuses on the ability of several computer models to accurately predict the solidification, microsegregation and pitting corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steel weld metals. Emphasis was given to modelling the effect of welding speed on solute redistribution and ultimately to the prediction of weld pitting corrosion resistance. Calculations were experimentally verified by applying autogenous GTA- and laser processes over the welding speed range of 0.1 to 5 m/min for several austenitic stainless steel grades. Analytical and computer aided models were applied and linked together for modelling the solidification behaviour of welds. The combined use of macroscopic and microscopic modelling is a unique feature of this work. This procedure made it possible to demonstrate the effect of weld pool shape and the resulting solidification parameters on microsegregation and pitting corrosion resistance. Microscopic models were also used separately to study the role of welding speed and solidification mode in the development of microsegregation and pitting corrosion resistance. These investigations demonstrate that the macroscopic model can be implemented to predict solidification parameters that agree well with experimentally measured values. The linked macro-micro modelling was also able to accurately predict segregation profiles and CPT-temperatures obtained from experiments. The macro-micro simulations clearly showed the major roles of weld composition and welding speed in determining segregation and pitting corrosion resistance while the effect of weld shape variations remained negligible. The microscopic dendrite tip and interdendritic models were applied to welds with good agreement with measured segregation profiles. Simulations predicted that weld inhomogeneity can be substantially decreased with increasing welding speed resulting in a corresponding improvement in the weld pitting corrosion resistance. In the case of primary austenitic

Integrity of austenitic stainless steel piping welds for nuclear service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canalini, A.; Lopes, L.R.

1983-01-01

A criterion applying K 1d concept was developed to determine the fracture mechanics properties of austenitic stainless steel nuclear piping welds. The critical dimensions, lenght and depth, for crack initiation were established and plotted in a chart. This study enables the dimensions of a discontinuity detected in an in-service inspection to be compared to the critical dimensions for crack initiation, and the indication can be judged critical or non-critical for the component. (author) [pt

Environmental Degradation of Dissimilar Austenitic 316L and Duplex 2205 Stainless Steels Welded Joints

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Topolska S.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper describes structure and properties of dissimilar stainless steels welded joints between duplex 2205 and austenitic 316L steels. Investigations were focused on environmentally assisted cracking of welded joints. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC and hydrogen embrittlement was determined in slow strain rate tests (SSRT with the strain rate of 2.2 × 10−6 s−1. Chloride-inducted SCC was determined in the 35% boiling water solution of MgCl2 environment at 125°C. Hydrogen assisted SCC tests were performed in synthetic sea water under cathodic polarization condition. It was shown that place of the lowest resistance to chloride stress corrosion cracking is heat affected zone at duplex steel side of dissimilar joins. That phenomenon was connected with undesirable structure of HAZ comprising of large fractions of ferrite grains with acicular austenite phase. Hydrogen assisted SCC tests showed significant reduction in ductility of duplex 2205 steel while austenitic 316L steel remains almost immune to degradation processes. SSR tests of dissimilar welded joints revealed a fracture in the area of austenitic steel.

Welding of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel with Activated Tungsten Inert Gas Process

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadi, E.; Ebrahimi, A. R.

2015-02-01

The use of activating flux in TIG welding process is one of the most notable techniques which are developed recently. This technique, known as A-TIG welding, increases the penetration depth and improves the productivity of the TIG welding. In the present study, four oxide fluxes (SiO2, TiO2, Cr2O3, and CaO) were used to investigate the effect of activating flux on the depth/width ratio and mechanical property of 316L austenitic stainless steel. The effect of coating density of activating flux on the weld pool shape and oxygen content in the weld after the welding process was studied systematically. Experimental results indicated that the maximum depth/width ratio of stainless steel activated TIG weld was obtained when the coating density was 2.6, 1.3, 2, and 7.8 mg/cm2 for SiO2, TiO2, Cr2O3, and CaO, respectively. The certain range of oxygen content dissolved in the weld, led to a significant increase in the penetration capability of TIG welds. TIG welding with active fluxes can increase the delta-ferrite content and improves the mechanical strength of the welded joint.

Evaluation of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in Dissimilar Austenitic/Super Duplex Stainless Steel Joint

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmani, Mehdi; Eghlimi, Abbas; Shamanian, Morteza

2014-10-01

To study the effect of chemical composition on microstructural features and mechanical properties of dissimilar joints between super duplex and austenitic stainless steels, welding was attempted by gas tungsten arc welding process with a super duplex (ER2594) and an austenitic (ER309LMo) stainless steel filler metal. While the austenitic weld metal had vermicular delta ferrite within austenitic matrix, super duplex stainless steel was mainly comprised of allotriomorphic grain boundary and Widmanstätten side plate austenite morphologies in the ferrite matrix. Also the heat-affected zone of austenitic base metal comprised of large austenite grains with little amounts of ferrite, whereas a coarse-grained ferritic region was observed in the heat-affected zone of super duplex base metal. Although both welded joints showed acceptable mechanical properties, the hardness and impact strength of the weld metal produced using super duplex filler metal were found to be better than that obtained by austenitic filler metal.

Influence of Welding Strength Matching Coefficient and Cold Stretching on Welding Residual Stress in Austenitic Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yaqing; Hui, Hu; Gong, Jianguo

2018-05-01

Austenitic stainless steel is widely used in pressure vessels for the storage and transportation of liquid gases such as liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid hydrogen. Cryogenic pressure vessel manufacturing uses cold stretching technology, which relies heavily on welding joint performance, to construct lightweight and thin-walled vessels. Residual stress from welding is a primary factor in cases of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessel failure. In this paper, on the basis of Visual Environment 10.0 finite element simulation technology, the residual stress resulting from different welding strength matching coefficients (0.8, 1, 1.2, 1.4) for two S30408 plates welded with three-pass butt welds is calculated according to thermal elastoplastic theory. In addition, the stress field was calculated under a loading as high as 410 MPa and after the load was released. Path 1 was set to analyze stress along the welding line, and path 2 was set to analyze stress normal to the welding line. The welding strength matching coefficient strongly affected both the longitudinal residual stress (center of path 1) and the transverse residual stress (both ends of path 1) after the welding was completed. However, the coefficient had little effect on the longitudinal and transverse residual stress of path 2. Under the loading of 410 MPa, the longitudinal and transverse stress decreased and the stress distribution, with different welding strength matching coefficients, was less diverse. After the load was released, longitudinal and transverse stress distribution for both path 1 and path 2 decreased to a low level. Cold stretching could reduce the effect of residual stress to various degrees. Transverse strain along the stretching direction was also taken into consideration. The experimental results validated the reliability of the partial simulation.

Characterization of friction stir welded joint of low nickel austenitic stainless steel and modified ferritic stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Mounarik; Das, Hrishikesh; Ahn, Eun Yeong; Hong, Sung Tae; Kim, Moon-Jo; Han, Heung Nam; Pal, Tapan Kumar

2017-09-01

Friction stir welding (FSW) of dissimilar stainless steels, low nickel austenitic stainless steel and 409M ferritic stainless steel, is experimentally investigated. Process responses during FSW and the microstructures of the resultant dissimilar joints are evaluated. Material flow in the stir zone is investigated in detail by elemental mapping. Elemental mapping of the dissimilar joints clearly indicates that the material flow pattern during FSW depends on the process parameter combination. Dynamic recrystallization and recovery are also observed in the dissimilar joints. Among the two different stainless steels selected in the present study, the ferritic stainless steels shows more severe dynamic recrystallization, resulting in a very fine microstructure, probably due to the higher stacking fault energy.

Effect of nitrogen and boron on weldability of austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhaduri, A.K.; Albert, S.K.; Srinivasan, G.; Divya, M.; Das, C.R.

2012-01-01

Hot cracking is a major problem in the welding of austenitic stainless steels, particularly the fully austenitic grades. A group of alloys of enhanced-nitrogen 316LN austenitic stainless steel is being developed for structural components of the Indian Fast Reactor programme. Studying the hot cracking behaviour of this nitrogen-enhanced austenitic stainless steel is an important consideration during welding, as this material solidifies without any residual delta ferrite in the primary austenitic mode. Nitrogen has potent effects on the solidification microstructure, and hence has a strong influence on the hot cracking behaviour. Different heats of this material were investigated, which included fully austenitic stainless steels containing 0.070.22 wt% nitrogen. Also, borated austenitic stainless steels, such as type 304B4, have been widely used in the nuclear applications primarily due to its higher neutron absorption efficiency. Weldability is a major concern for this alloy due to the formation of low melting eutectic phase that is enriched with iron, chromium, molybdenum and boron. Fully austenitic stainless steels are prone to hot cracking during welding in the absence of a small amount of delta ferrite, especially for compositions rich in elements like boron that increases the tendency to form low melting eutectics. Detailed weldability investigations were carried out on a grade 304B4 stainless steel containing 1.3 wt% boron. Among the many approaches that have been used to determine the hot cracking susceptibility of different alloys, Variable-Restraint (Varestraint) weld test and Hot Ductility (Gleeble) tests are commonly used to evaluate the weldability of austenitic alloys. Hence, investigations on these materials consisted of detailed metallurgical characterization and weldability studies that included studying both the fusion zone and liquation cracking susceptibility, using Varestraint tests at 0.254.0%, strain levels and Gleeble (thermo

Microstructure characterization in the weld joint of a high nickel austenitic alloy and Cr18-Ni8 stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Na; Li, Yajiang; Wang, Juan [Shandong Univ., Jinan (CN). Key Lab. for Liquid - Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education)

2012-06-15

High nickel austenitic alloy, 6 mm thick, and Cr18-Ni8 stainless steel with a thickness of 0.6 mm were joined by pulsed current tungsten inert gas arc welding without filler metal in this work. Metallographic examination, microhardness measurement and electron microprobe analysis were used to reveal microstructural characteristics in the joint. The results indicated that the weld metal consisted of {gamma}-austenite, {delta}-ferrite and carbides without the appearance of martensite. There were dendrite crystals at the edge of the weld metal near the high nickel austenitic alloy and isometric crystals in the center of the weld metal. The microhardness of the weld metal was the highest due to the existence of carbides and its finer structure. Graphite flakes were still embedded in the austenite matrix of the heat-affected zone without the formation of martensite. (orig.)

Characterization of the dissimilar welding - austenitic stainless steel with filler metal of the nickel alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, Bruno Amorim; Schvartzman, Monica Maria de Abreu Mendonca; Campos, Wagner Reis da Costa

2007-01-01

In elevated temperature environments, austenitic stainless steel and nickel alloy has a superior corrosion resistance due to its high Cr content. Consequently, this alloys is widely used in nuclear reactors components and others plants of energy generation that burn fossil fuel or gas, chemical and petrochemical industries. The object of the present work was to research the welding of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel using the nickel alloy filler metals, Inconel 625. Gas tungsten arc welding, mechanical and metallographic tests, and compositional analysis of the joint were used. A fundamental investigation was undertaken to characterize fusion boundary microstructure and to better understand the nature and character of boundaries that are associated with cracking in dissimilar welds. The results indicate that the microstructure of the fusion zone has a dendritic structure, inclusions, and precipitated phases containing Ti and Nb are present in the inter-dendritic region. In some parts near to the fusion line it can be seen a band in the weld, probably a eutectic phase with lower melting point than the AISI 304, were the cracking may be beginning by stress corrosion. (author)

The Effect of Constant and Pulsed Current Gas Tungsten Arc Welding on Joint Properties of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel to 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Neissi, R.; Shamanian, M.; Hajihashemi, M.

2016-05-01

In this study, dissimilar 316L austenitic stainless steel/2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) joints were fabricated by constant and pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding process using ER2209 DSS as a filler metal. Microstructures and joint properties were characterized using optical and electron scanning microscopy, tensile, Charpy V-notch impact and micro-hardness tests, and cyclic polarization measurements. Microstructural observations confirmed the presence of chromium nitride and delta ferrite in the heat-affected zone of DSS and 316L, respectively. In addition, there was some deviation in the austenite/ferrite ratio of the surface welding pass in comparison to the root welding pass. Besides having lower pitting potential, welded joints produced by constant current gas tungsten arc welding process, consisted of some brittle sigma phase precipitates, which resulted in some impact energy reduction. The tensile tests showed high tensile strength for the weld joints in which all the specimens were broken in 316L base metal.

Effect on spot welding variables on nugget size and bond strength of 304 austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charde, Nachimani

2012-01-01

Resistance spot welding (RSW) has revolutionized mechanical assembly in the automotive industry since its introduction in the early 1970s. Currently, one mechanical assembly in five is welded using spot welding technology, with welding of stainless steel sheet becoming increasingly common. Consequently, this research paper examines the spot welding of 2 mm thick 304 austenitic stainless steel sheet. The size of a spot weld nugget is primarily determined by the welding parameters: welding current, welding time, electrode force and electrode tip diameter However, other factors such as electrode deformation, corrosion, dissimilar materials and material properties also affect the nugget size and shape. This paper analyzes only the effects of current, weld time and force variations with unchanged electrode tip diameter. A pneumatically driven 75kVA spot welder was used to accomplish the welding process and the welded samples were subjected to tensile, hardness and metallurgical testing to characterize the size and shape of the weld nugget and the bond strength.

Experimental Analysis of Residual Stresses in Samples of Austenitic Stainless Steel Welded on Martensitic Stainless Steel Used for Kaplan Blades Repairs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasile Cojocaru

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Residual stresses occur in materials as a result of mechanical processes: welding, machining, grinding etc. If residual stresses reach high values they can accelerate the occurrence of cracks and erosion of material. An experimental research was made in order to study the occurrence of residual stresses in the repaired areas of hydraulic turbine components damaged by cavitation erosion. An austenitic stainless steel was welded in various layer thicknesses on a martensitic stainless steel base. The residual stresses were determined using the hole drilling strain gage method.

A Comparative Study of Fracture Toughness at Cryogenic Temperature of Austenitic Stainless Steel Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Aviles Santillana, I.; Boyer, C.; Fernandez Pison, P.; Foussat, A.; Langeslag, S. A. E.; Perez Fontenla, A. T.; Ruiz Navas, E. M.; Sgobba, S.

2018-03-01

The ITER magnet system is based on the "cable-in-conduit" conductor (CICC) concept, which consists of stainless steel jackets filled with superconducting strands. The jackets provide high strength, limited fatigue crack growth rate and fracture toughness properties to counteract the high stress imposed by, among others, electromagnetic loads at cryogenic temperature. Austenitic nitrogen-strengthened stainless steels have been chosen as base material for the jackets of the central solenoid and the toroidal field system, for which an extensive set of cryogenic mechanical property data are readily available. However, little is published for their welded joints, and their specific performance when considering different combinations of parent and filler metals. Moreover, the impact of post-weld heat treatments that are required for Nb3Sn formation is not extensively treated. Welds are frequently responsible for cracks initiated and propagated by fatigue during service, causing structural failure. It becomes thus essential to select the most suitable combination of parent and filler material and to assess their performance in terms of strength and crack propagation at operation conditions. An extensive test campaign has been conducted at 7 K comparing tungsten inert gas (TIG) welds using two fillers adapted to cryogenic service, EN 1.4453 and JK2LB, applied to two different base metals, AISI 316L and 316LN. A large set of fracture toughness data are presented, and the detrimental effect on fracture toughness of post-weld heat treatments (unavoidable for some of the components) is demonstrated. In this study, austenitic stainless steel TIG welds with various filler metals have undergone a comprehensive fracture mechanics characterization at 7 K. These results are directly exploitable and contribute to the cryogenic fracture mechanics properties database of the ITER magnet system. Additionally, a correlation between the impact in fracture toughness and microstructure

Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Austenitic Stainless-Steel Pipes Welded by TIG Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mushtaq Albdiry

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steel (type 204 pipes welded by Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG welding process. Testing of hardness (HRC, tensile strength and bending strength was performed for the steel pipes welded at two different welding temperatures (700 °C and 900 °C with and without using the weld filler wire. The microstructure of the welding regions was examined by using an optical microscopy. The properties showed that the steel pipes welded by 900 °C with using the weld filler obtained the highest tensile strength and bending strength versus these welded by 700 °C without the use of the weld filler. This is attributed to the weld filler heated and melt at sufficient temperature (900 °C and compensate losing in the Ni metal occurred in the base steel metal during the welding process.

The role of nitrogen in improving pitting corrosion resistance of high-alloy austenitic and duplex stainless steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vilpas, M.; Haenninen, H.

1999-01-01

The effects of nitrogen alloyed shielding gas on weld nitrogen content and pitting corrosion resistance of super austenitic (6%Mo) and super duplex stainless steels have been studied with special emphasis on microsegregation behaviour of Cr, Mo and N. The measurements performed with the 6%Mo steel indicate that all these elements segregate interdendritically in the fully austenitic weld metal. With nitrogen addition to the shielding gas the enrichment of nitrogen to the interdendritic regions is more pronounced than to the dendrite cores due to which the pitting corrosion resistance of the dendrite cores increases only marginally. In the super duplex steel welds nitrogen enriches in austenite increasing its pitting corrosion resistance more effectively. In these welds the pitting corrosion resistance of the ferrite phase remains lower. (orig.)

Microstructural characterization of dissimilar welds between Incoloy 800H and 321 Austenitic Stainless Steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sayiram, G., E-mail: sayiram.g@vit.ac.in; Arivazhagan, N.

2015-04-15

In this work, the microstructural character of dissimilar welds between Incoloy 800H and 321 Stainless Steel has been discussed. The microscopic examination of the base metals, fusion zones and interfaces was characterized using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed precipitates of Ti (C, N) in the austenitic matrix along the grain boundaries of the base metals. Migration of grain boundaries in the Inconel 82 weld metal was very extensive when compared to Inconel 617 weldment. Epitaxial growth was observed in the 617 weldment which increases the strength and ductility of the weld metal. Unmixed zone near the fusion line between 321 Stainless Steel and Inconel 82 weld metal was identified. From the results, it has been concluded that Inconel 617 filler metal is a preferable choice for the joint between Incoloy 800H and 321 Stainless Steel. - Highlights: • Failure mechanisms produced by dissimilar welding of Incoloy 800H to AISI 321SS • Influence of filler wire on microstructure properties • Contemplative comparisons of metallurgical aspects of these weldments • Microstructure and chemical studies including metallography, SEM–EDS • EDS-line scan study at interface.

Effect of Heat Input on Geometry of Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Bead on Low Carbon Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Manas Kumar; Hazra, Ritesh; Mondal, Ajit; Das, Santanu

2018-05-01

Among different weld cladding processes, gas metal arc welding (GMAW) cladding becomes a cost effective, user friendly, versatile method for protecting the surface of relatively lower grade structural steels from corrosion and/or erosion wear by depositing high grade stainless steels onto them. The quality of cladding largely depends upon the bead geometry of the weldment deposited. Weld bead geometry parameters, like bead width, reinforcement height, depth of penetration, and ratios like reinforcement form factor (RFF) and penetration shape factor (PSF) determine the quality of the weld bead geometry. Various process parameters of gas metal arc welding like heat input, current, voltage, arc travel speed, mode of metal transfer, etc. influence formation of bead geometry. In the current experimental investigation, austenite stainless steel (316) weld beads are formed on low alloy structural steel (E350) by GMAW using 100% CO2 as the shielding gas. Different combinations of current, voltage and arc travel speed are chosen so that heat input increases from 0.35 to 0.75 kJ/mm. Nine number of weld beads are deposited and replicated twice. The observations show that weld bead width increases linearly with increase in heat input, whereas reinforcement height and depth of penetration do not increase with increase in heat input. Regression analysis is done to establish the relationship between heat input and different geometrical parameters of weld bead. The regression models developed agrees well with the experimental data. Within the domain of the present experiment, it is observed that at higher heat input, the weld bead gets wider having little change in penetration and reinforcement; therefore, higher heat input may be recommended for austenitic stainless steel cladding on low alloy steel.

Residual-stresses in austenitic stainless-steel primary coolant pipes and welds of pressurized-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faure, F.; Leggatt, R.H.

1996-01-01

Surface and through thickness residual stress measurements were performed on an aged cast austenitic-ferritic stainless steel pipe and on an orbital TIG weld representative of those of primary coolant pipes in pressurized water reactors. An abrasive-jet hole drilling method and a block removal and layering method were used. Surface stresses and through thickness stress profiles are strongly dependent upon heat treatments, machining and welding operations. In the aged cast stainless steel pipe, stresses ranged between -250 and +175 MPa. On and near the orbital TIG weld, the outside surface of the weld was in tension both in the axial and hoop directions, with maximum values reaching 420 MPa in the weld. On the inside surface, the hoop stresses were compressive, reaching -300 MPa. However, the stresses in the axial direction at the root of the weld were tensile within 4 mm depth from the inside surface, locally reaching 280 MPa. (author)

Boride Formation Induced by pcBN Tool Wear in Friction-Stir-Welded Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Seung Hwan C.; Sato, Yutaka S.; Kokawa, Hiroyuki; Okamoto, Kazutaka; Hirano, Satoshi; Inagaki, Masahisa

2009-03-01

The wear of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (pcBN) tool and its effect on second phase formation were investigated in stainless steel friction-stir (FS) welds. The nitrogen content and the flow stress were analyzed in these welds to examine pcBN tool wear. The nitrogen content in stir zone (SZ) was found to be higher in the austenitic stainless steel FS welds than in the ferritic and duplex stainless steel welds. The flow stress of austenitic stainless steels was almost 1.5 times larger than that of ferritic and duplex stainless steels. These results suggest that the higher flow stress causes the severe tool wear in austenitic stainless steels, which results in greater nitrogen pickup in austenitic stainless steel FS welds. From the microstructural observation, a possibility was suggested that Cr-rich borides with a crystallographic structure of Cr2B and Cr5B3 formed through the reaction between the increased boron and nitrogen and the matrix during FS welding (FSW).

Evaluation of welds on a ferritic-austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pleva, J.; Johansson, B.

1984-01-01

Five different welding methods for the ferritic-austenitic steel 22Cr6Ni3MoN have been evaluated on mill welded heavy wall pipes. The corrosion resistance of the weld joints has been tested both in standard tests and in special environments, related to certain oil and gas wells. The tests were conclusive in that a welding procedure with the addition of sufficient amounts of filler metal should be employed. TIG welds without or with marginal filler addition showed poor resistance to pitting, and to boiling nitric acid. Contents of main alloying elements in ferrite and austenite phases have been measured and causes of corrosion attack in welds are discussed

Features of residual stresses in duplex stainless steel butt welds

Science.gov (United States)

Um, Tae-Hwan; Lee, Chin-Hyung; Chang, Kyong-Ho; Nguyen Van Do, Vuong

2018-04-01

Duplex stainless steel finds increasing use as an alternative to austenitic stainless steel, particularly where chloride or sulphide stress corrosion cracking is of primary concern, due to the excellent combination of strength and corrosion resistance. During welding, duplex stainless steel does not create the same magnitude or distribution of weld-induced residual stresses as those in welded austenitic stainless steel due to the different physical and mechanical properties between them. In this work, an experimental study on the residual stresses in butt-welded duplex stainless steel is performed utilizing the layering technique to investigate the characteristics of residual stresses in the weldment. Three-dimensional thermos-mechanical-metallurgical finite element analysis is also performed to confirm the residual stress measurements.

An assessment of microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of dissimilar welds between Inconel 718 and 310S austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortezaie, A.; Shamanian, M.

2014-01-01

In the present study, dissimilar welding between Inconel 718 nickel-base superalloy and 310S austenitic stainless steel using gas tungsten arc welding process was performed to determine the relationship between the microstructure of the welds and the resultant mechanical and corrosion properties. For this purpose, three filler metals including Inconel 625, Inconel 82 and 310 stainless steel were used. Microstructural observations showed that weld microstructures for all filler metals were fully austenitic. In tension tests, welds produced by Inconel 625 and 310 filler metals displayed the highest and the lowest ultimate tensile strength, respectively. The results of Charpy impact tests indicated that the maximum fracture energy was related to Inconel 82 weld metal. According to the potentiodynamic polarization test results, Inconel 82 exhibited the highest corrosion resistance among all tested filler metals. Finally, it was concluded that for the dissimilar welding between Inconel 718 and 310S, Inconel 82 filler metal offers the optimum properties at room temperature. - Highlights: • Three filler metals including Inconel 625, Inconel 82 and 310 SS were used. • A columnar to equiaxed dendritic structure was seen for IN-625 weld metal. • A granular austenitic microstructure obtained for Inconel 82 weld metal. • Microstructure of 310 weld metal includes solidification cracks along SSGB. • IN-82 weld metal showed the highest corrosion potential

Effects of Heat Input on Microstructure, Corrosion and Mechanical Characteristics of Welded Austenitic and Duplex Stainless Steels: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghusoon Ridha Mohammed

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of input heat of different welding processes on the microstructure, corrosion, and mechanical characteristics of welded duplex stainless steel (DSS are reviewed. Austenitic stainless steel (ASS is welded using low-heat inputs. However, owing to differences in the physical metallurgy between ASS and DSS, low-heat inputs should be avoided for DSS. This review highlights the differences in solidification mode and transformation characteristics between ASS and DSS with regard to the heat input in welding processes. Specifically, many studies about the effects of heat energy input in welding process on the pitting corrosion, intergranular stress, stresscorrosion cracking, and mechanical properties of weldments of DSS are reviewed.

Solidification behavior of austenitic stainless steel filler metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, S.A.; Goodwin, G.M.; Braski, D.N.

1980-02-01

Thermal analysis and interrupted solidification experiments on selected austenitic stainless steel filler metals provided an understanding of the solidification behavior of austenitic stainless steel welds. The sequences of phase separations found were for type 308 stainless steel filler metal, L + L + delta + L + delta + γ → γ + delta, and for type 310 stainless steel filler metal, L → L + γ → γ. In type 308 stainless steel filler metal, ferrite at room temperature was identified as either the untransformed primary delta-ferrite formed during the initial stages of solidification or the residual ferrite after Widmanstaetten austenite precipitation. Microprobe and scanning transmission electron microscope microanalyses revealed that solute extensively redistributes during the transformation of primary delta-ferrite to austenite, leading to enrichment and stabilization of ferrite by chromium. The type 310 stainless steel filler metal investigated solidifies by the primary crystallization of austenite, with the transformation going to completion at the solidus temperature. In our samples residual ferrite resulting from solute segregation was absent at the intercellular or interdendritic regions

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomlinson, J R; Wagg, A R; Whittle, M J [N.D.T. Applications Centre, CEGB, Manchester (United Kingdom)

1980-11-01

The metallurgical structure of austenitic welds is described and contrasted with that found in ferritic welds. It is shown that this structure imparts a marked elastic anisotropy in the ultrasonic propagation parameters. Measurements of variations in the apparent attenuation of sound and deviations in the beam direction are described. The measurements are interpreted in terms of the measured velocity anisotropy. Two applications of the fundamental work are described. In the first it is shown how, by using short pulse compression wave probes, and with major modification of the welding procedure, a stainless steel fillet weld in an AGR boiler can be inspected. In the second application, alternative designs of a transition butt weld have been compared for ease of ultrasonic inspection. The effects of two different welding processes on such an inspection are described. Finally, the paper examines the prospects for future development of inspection and defect-sizing techniques for austenitic welds. (author)

Updating of actual technique for ultrasonic testing of austenitic stainless materials and welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindholm, P.O.; Pers-Anderson, E.B.

1982-01-01

The technique for ultrasonic testing of stainless austenitic steels and weldings has been studied and it has been brought to the latest standard. Many problems exist when testing, the most serious being the occurence of false indications and the damping of energy. Laboratory tests show that the detectors with transversal sound waves should be used for plane defects. Best results were achieved with a 45 degrees detector. (GB)

Austenitic stainless steel-to-ferritic steel transition joint welding for elevated temperature service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, J.F.; Goodwin, G.M.; Slaughter, G.M.

1978-01-01

Transition weld joints between ferritic steels and austenitic stainless steels are required for fossil-fired power plants and proposed nuclear plants. The experience with these dissimilar-metal transition joints has been generally satisfactory, but an increasing number of failures of these joints is occurring prematurely in service. These concerns with transition joint service history prompted a program to develop more reliable joints for application in proposed nuclear power plants

The characteristic investigation on narrow-gap TIG weld joint of heavy wall austenitic stainless steel pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shim, Deog Nam; Jung, In Cheol

2003-01-01

Although Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW or TIG welding) is considered as high quality and precision welding process, it also has demerit of low melting rate. Narrow-gap TIG welding which has narrow joint width reduces the groove volume remarkably, so it could be shorten the welding time and decrease the overall shrinkage in heavy wall pipe welding. Generally narrow-gap TIG welding is used as orbital welding process, it is important to select the optimum conditions for the automatic control welding. This paper looks at the application and metallurgical properties on narrow-gap TIG welding joint of heavy wall large austenitic stainless steel pipe to determine the deposition efficiency, the resultant shrinkage and fracture toughness. The fracture toughness depends slightly on the welding heat input

Filler metal selection for welding a high nitrogen stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Du Toit, Madeleine

2002-06-01

Cromanite is a high-strength austenitic stainless steel that contains approximately 19% chromium, 10% manganese, and 0.5% nitrogen. It can be welded successfully, but due to the high nitrogen content of the base metal, precautions have to be taken to ensure sound welds with the desired combination of properties. Although no matching filler metals are currently available, Cromanite can be welded using a range of commercially available stainless steel welding consumables. E307 stainless steel, the filler metal currently recommended for joining Cromanite, produces welds with mechanical properties that are generally inferior to those of the base metal. In wear applications, these lower strength welds would probably be acceptable, but in applications where full use is made of the high strength of Cromanite, welds with matching strength levels would be required. In this investigation, two welding consumables, ER2209 (a duplex austenitic-ferritic stainless steel) and 15CrMn (an austenitic-manganese hardfacing wire), were evaluated as substitutes for E307. When used to join Cromanite, 15CrMn produced welds displaying severe nitrogen-induced porosity, and this consumable is therefore not recommended. ER2209, however, outperformed E307, producing sound porosity-free welds with excellent mechanical properties, including high ductility and strength levels exceeding the minimum limits specified for Cromanite.

New developments for the ultrasonic inspection of austenitic stainless steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chassignole, Bertrand; Doudet, Loic; Dupond, Olivier; Fouquet, Thierry; Richard, Benoit

2006-01-01

EDF R and D undertakes studies in non destructive testing (NDT) for better understanding the influence of various parameters (material, type of defect, geometry) on the 'controllability' of the critical components for nuclear safety. In the field of ultrasonic testing, one of the principal research orientations is devoted to the study of the austenitic stainless steel welds of the primary cooling system. Indeed, the structure of these welds present characteristics making difficult their examination, for example: - a strong anisotropy of the properties of elasticity which, coupled with the heterogeneity of the grain orientations, can involve phenomena of skewing, division and distortion of the beam; - a significant scattering of the waves by the grains involving an high attenuation and sometimes backscattered signals. For several years, actions have been launched to improve comprehension of these disturbing phenomena and to evaluate the controllability of those welds. This work is based on the one hand on experimental analyses on representative mock-ups and on the other hand on the developments of modelling codes taking into account the characteristics of the materials. We present in this document a synthesis of this work by developing the following points in particular: - a description of the phenomena of propagation; - the works undertaken to characterize the structure of the welds; - an example of study coupling experimental and modelling analyses for a butt weld achieved by manual arc welding with coated electrodes. The paper has the following contents: 1. Context; 2. Presentation of the problem; 3. Characterization of austenitic welds; 4. From comprehension to industrial application; 5. Conclusion and perspectives; 5. Conclusion and perspectives. This synthesis shows that each austenitic stainless steel weld is a particular case for the ultrasonic testing. This work allowed to better apprehend the disturbances of the ultrasonic propagation in the welds and thus

Verification of an optimized condition for low residual stress employed water-shower cooling during welding in austenitic stainless steel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, N.; Enomoto, K.; Anzai, H.

2004-01-01

To reduce tensile residual stress in a welded region, we have developed a new cooling method that uses a water-shower behind the welding torch. When this method is applied to the welding of austenitic stainless steel, the welding and cooling conditions mainly determine how much the residual stress can be reduced. To optimize these conditions, we first used a robust design method to determine the effects of the preheating temperature, the heat input quantity, and the water-shower area on the residual stress, and found that, to decrease the tensile residual stress, the preheating temperature should be high, the heat input low, and the water-shower area large. To confirm the effectiveness of these optimized conditions, the residual stresses under optimized or non-optimized conditions were measured experimentally. It was found that the residual stresses were tensile under the non-optimized conditions, but compressive under the optimized ones. These measurements agree well with the 3D-FEM analyses. It can therefore be concluded that the optimized conditions are valid and appropriate for reducing residual stress in an austenitic stainless-steel weld. (orig.)

Joining silicon carbide to austenitic stainless steel through diffusion welding; Stellingen behorende bij het proefschrift

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krugers, Jan-Paul

1993-01-19

In this thesis, the results are presented of a study dealing with joining silicon carbide to austenitic stainless steel AIS316 by means of diffusion welding. Welding experiments were carried out without and with the use of a metallic intermediate, like copper, nickel and copper-nickel alloys at various conditions of process temperature, process time, mechanical pressure and interlayer thickness. Most experiments were carried out in high vacuum. For reasons of comparison, however, some experiments were also carried out in a gas shielded environment of 95 vol.% Ar and 5 vol.% H₂.

Optimization of laser welding process parameters for super austenitic stainless steel using artificial neural networks and genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathiya, P.; Panneerselvam, K.; Abdul Jaleel, M.Y.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Super austenitic stainless steel has successfully welded by laser welding with three different shielding gases. ► Among the three shielded joints, the helium shielded weld has more tensile strength. ► Neural network model was developed to predict the depth of penetration, bead width and tensile strength of the joints. ► The developed ANN model is suitably integrated with GA for optimization. -- Abstract: The laser welding input parameters play a very significant role in determining the quality of a weld joint. The quality of the joint can be defined in terms of properties such as weld bead geometry, mechanical properties and distortion. In particular mechanical properties should be controlled to obtain good welded joints. In this study, the weld bead geometry such as depth of penetration (DP), bead width (BW) and tensile strength (TS) of the laser welded butt joints made of AISI 904L super austenitic stainless steel are investigated. Full factorial design is used to carry out the experimental design. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) program was developed in MatLab software to establish the relationship between the laser welding input parameters like beam power, travel speed and focal position and the three responses DP, BW and TS in three different shielding gases (argon, helium and nitrogen). The established models are used for optimizing the process parameters using genetic algorithm (GA). Optimum solutions for the three different gases and their respective responses are obtained. Confirmation experiment has also been conducted to validate the optimized parameters obtained from GA.

Microstructure and failure behavior of dissimilar resistance spot welds between low carbon galvanized and austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marashi, P.; Pouranvari, M.; Amirabdollahian, S.; Abedi, A.; Goodarzi, M.

2008-01-01

Resistance spot welding was used to join austenitic stainless steel and galvanized low carbon steel. The relationship between failure mode and weld fusion zone characteristics (size and microstructure) was studied. It was found that spot weld strength in the pullout failure mode is controlled by the strength and fusion zone size of the galvanized steel side. The hardness of the fusion zone which is governed by the dilution between two base metals, and fusion zone size of galvanized carbon steel side are dominant factors in determining the failure mode

Testing of intergranular and pitting corrosion in sensitized welded joints of austenitic stainless steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bore V. Jegdic

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Pitting corrosion resistance and intergranular corrosion of the austenitic stainless steel X5Cr Ni18-10 were tested on the base metal, heat affected zone and weld metal. Testing of pitting corrosion was performed by the potentiodynamic polarization method, while testing of intergranular corrosion was performed by the method of electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation with double loop. The base metal was completely resistant to intergranular corrosion, while the heat affected zone showed a slight susceptibility to intergranular corrosion. Indicators of pitting corrosion resistance for the weld metal and the base metal were very similar, but their values are significantly higher than the values for the heat affected zone. This was caused by reduction of the chromium concentration in the grain boundary areas in the heat affected zone, even though the carbon content in the examined stainless steel is low (0.04 wt. % C.

Optimisation of welding procedures for duplex and superduplex stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westin, Elin M.

2014-01-01

Austenitic stainless steels are increasingly being replaced by duplex grades that can offer similar corrosion resistance with far higher strength. This increased strength makes it possible to reduce material consumption whilst also decreasing transport and construction costs. Although established welding methods used for austenitic steels can be used for duplex steels, modification of the procedures can lead to improved results. This paper reviews the welding of duplex stainless steel and examines precautions that may be required. The advantages and disadvantages of different welding methods are highlighted and some high productivity solutions are presented. The application of a more efficient process with a high deposition rate (e.g. flux- cored arc welding) can decrease labour costs. Further close control of heat input and interpass temperature can result in more favourable microstructures and final properties. Although welding adversely affects the corrosion resistance of austenitic and duplex stainless steels, particularly the pitting resistance, relative to the parent material, this problem can be minimised by proper backing gas protection and subsequent pickling.

Progress report on the influence of higher interpass temperatures on the integrity of austenitic stainless steel welded joints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarmuch, M.; Choi, L. [Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, AB (Canada); Armstrong, K.; Radu, I. [PCL Industrial Constructors Inc., Nisku, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

This report discussed the progress of the Welding Productivity Group (TWPG) interpass temperature assessment project (ITAP). The project was initiated to evaluate the influence of interpass temperatures on the metallurgical, corrosive, and mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steel, carbon steel, and low-alloy pressure weldments. To date, the project has conducted experiments to determine if interpass temperatures in austenitic stainless steel weldments are higher than temperatures recommended by API requirements. Elevated interpass temperatures for various base materials have been evaluated. Preliminary metallurgical, mechanical, and laboratory corrosion data from 3 experiments with 304/304L and 316/316L stainless steel weldment test specimens has shown that no significant changes occur as a result of elevated interpass temperatures. Results from side bend specimens have demonstrated that elevated interpass temperatures produce acceptable weldment ductility. No intergranular cracking was observed during oxalic acid etch tests conducted for the 316/316L samples. Huey tests performed on the 304/304L specimens indicated that elevated interpass temperatures did not adversely affect the intergranular corrosion resistance of weldments with less than 3 weld passes. Huey tests performed on the 316 specimens showed a marked increase in corrosion rates and normalized weight losses. It was concluded that rates of attack correlate with the maximum interpass temperature and not the average weld metal ferrite number. 22 refs., 11 tabs., 12 figs.

Welding of austenitic stainless steel with a high molybdenum content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liljas, A.; Holmberg, B.

1984-01-01

Welding of austenitic steel is discussed. Welding tests of AVESTA 250 SMO (six percent Mo) are reported. Welding without special additives can make the joints susceptible for corrosion in aggressive environments, e.g. sea water. (L.E.)

Welding Metallurgy and Weldability of Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Lippold, John C.; Kotecki, Damian J.

2005-03-01

Welding Metallurgy and Weldability of Stainless Steels, the first book in over twenty years to address welding metallurgy and weldability issues associated with stainless steel, offers the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of these topics currently available. The authors emphasize fundamental metallurgical principles governing microstructure evolution and property development of stainless steels, including martensistic, ferric, austenitic, duplex, and precipitation hardening grades. They present a logical and well-organized look at the history, evolution, and primary uses of each stainless steel, including detailed descriptions of the associated weldability issues.

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baikie, B.L.; Wagg, A.R.; Whittle, M.J.; Yapp, D.

1976-01-01

The ultrasonic examination of austenitic stainless steel weld metal has always been regarded as a difficult proposition because of the large and variable ultrasonic attenuations and back scattering obtained from apparently similar weld deposits. The work to be described shows how the existence of a fibre texture within each weld deposit (as a result of epitaxial growth through successive weld beads) produces a systematic variation in the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient and the velocity of sound, depending upon the angle between the ultrasonic beam and the fibre axis. Development work has shown that it is possible to adjust the welding parameters to ensure that the crystallographic texture within each weld is compatible with improved ultrasonic transmission. The application of the results to the inspection of a specific weld in type 316 weld metal is described

Ultrasonic inspectability of austenitic stainless steel and dissimilar metal weld joints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pudovikov, S.; Bulavinov, A.; Kroening, M. [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Zerstoerungsfreie Pruefverfahren IZFP, Saarbruecken (Germany)

2008-07-01

Since their invention in 1912, austenitic stainless steel materials are widely used in a variety of industry sectors. In particular, austenitic stainless steel material is qualified to meet the design criteria of high quality, safety related applications, for example, the primary loop of the most of the nuclear power plants in the world, due to high durability and corrosion resistance. Certain operating conditions may cause a range of changes in the integrity of the component, and therefore require nondestructive testing at reasonable intervals. These in-service inspections are often performed using ultrasonic techniques, in particular when cracking is of specific concern. However, the coarse, dendritic grain structure of the weld material, formed during the welding process, is extreme and unpredictably anisotropic. Such structure is no longer direction-independent to the ultrasonic wave propagation; therefore, the ultrasonic beam deflects and redirects and the wave front becomes distorted. Thus, the use of conventional ultrasonic testing techniques using fixed beam angles is very limited and the application of ultrasonic Phased Array techniques becomes desirable. The ''Sampling Phased Array'' technique, invented and developed by Fraunhofer IZFP, allows the acquisition of time signals (A-scans) for each individual transducer element of the array along with image reconstruction techniques using ''SynFoc'' algorithms. The reconstruction considers the sound propagation from each image pixel to the individual sensor element. For anisotropic media, where the sound beam is deflected and the sound path is not known a-priory, we implement a new phase adjustment called ''Reverse Phase Matching'' technique. This algorithm permits the acquisition of phase-corrected A-scans that represent the actual sound propagation in the anisotropic structure; this technique can be utilized for image reconstruction. (orig.)

Fiber Laser Welding of Dissimilar 2205/304 Stainless Steel Plates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghusoon Ridha Mohammed

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, an attempt on pulsed-fiber laser welding on an austenitic-duplex stainless steel butt joint configuration was investigated. The influence of various welding parameters, such as beam diameter, peak power, pulse repetition rate, and pulse width on the weld beads geometry was studied by checking the width and depth of the welds after each round of welding parameters combination. The weld bead dimensions and microstructural progression of the weld joints were observed microscopically. Finally, the full penetration specimens were subjected to tensile tests, which were coupled with the analysis of the fracture surfaces. From the results, combination of the selected weld parameters resulted in robust weldments with similar features to those of duplex and austenitic weld metals. The weld depth and width were found to increase proportionally to the laser power. Furthermore, the weld bead geometry was found to be positively affected by the pulse width. Microstructural studies revealed the presence of dendritic and fine grain structures within the weld zone at low peak power, while ferritic microstructures were found on the sides of the weld metal near the SS 304 and austenitic-ferritic microstructure beside the duplex 2205 boundary. Regarding the micro-hardness tests, there was an improvement when compared to the hardness of duplex and austenitic stainless steels base metals. Additionally, the tensile strength of the fiber laser welded joints was found to be higher when compared to the tensile strength of the base metals (duplex and austenitic in all of the joints.

Effects of Thermocapillary Forces during Welding of 316L-Type Wrought, Cast and Powder Metallurgy Austenitic Stainless Steels

CERN Document Server

Sgobba, Stefano

2003-01-01

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is now under construction at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). This 27 km long accelerator requires 1248 superconducting dipole magnets operating at 1.9 K. The cold mass of the dipole magnets is closed by a shrinking cylinder with two longitudinal welds and two end covers at both extremities of the cylinder. The end covers, for which fabrication by welding, casting or Powder Metallurgy (PM) was considered, are dished-heads equipped with a number of protruding nozzles for the passage of the different cryogenic lines. Structural materials and welds must retain high strength and toughness at cryogenic temperature. AISI 316L-type austenitic stainless steel grades have been selected because of their mechanical properties, ductility, weldability and stability of the austenitic phase against low-temperature spontaneous martensitic transformation. 316LN is chosen for the fabrication of the end covers, while the interconnection components to be welded on the protrud...

Austenitic stainless steels for cryogenic service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalder, E.N.C.; Juhas, M.C.

1985-01-01

Presently available information on austenitic Fe-Cr-Ni stainless steel plate, welds, and castings for service below 77 K are reviewed with the intent (1) of developing systematic relationships between mechanical properties, composition, microstructure, and processing, and (2) of assessing the adequacy of these data bases in the design, fabrication, and operation of engineering systems at 4 K

Austenitic stainless steels for cryogenic service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalder, E.N.C.; Juhas, M.C.

1985-09-19

Presently available information on austenitic Fe-Cr-Ni stainless steel plate, welds, and castings for service below 77 K are reviewed with the intent (1) of developing systematic relationships between mechanical properties, composition, microstructure, and processing, and (2) of assessing the adequacy of these data bases in the design, fabrication, and operation of engineering systems at 4 K.

Effect of Welding Process on Microstructure, Mechanical and Pitting Corrosion Behaviour of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Raffi; Madhusudhan Reddy, G.; Srinivasa Rao, K.

2018-03-01

An attempt has been made to weld 2205 Duplex stainless steel of 6mm thick plate using conventional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and activated gas tungsten arc welding (A- GTAW) process using silica powder as activated flux. Present work is aimed at studying the effect of welding process on depth of penetration, width of weld zone of 2205 duplex stainless steel. It also aims to observe the microstructural changes and its effect on mechanical properties and pitting corrosion resistance of 2205 duplex stainless steel welds. Metallography is done to observe the microstructural changes of the welds using image analyzer attached to the optical microscopy. Hardness studies, tensile and ductility bend tests were evaluated for mechanical properties. Potentio-dynamic polarization studies were carried out using a basic GillAC electro-chemical system in 3.5% NaCl solution to observe the pitting corrosion behaviour. Results of the present investigation established that increased depth of penetration and reduction of weld width in a single pass by activated GTAW with the application of SiO2 flux was observed when compared with conventional GTAW process. It may be attributed to the arc constriction effect. Microstructure of the weld zones for both the welds is observed to be having combination of austenite and delta ferrite. Grain boundary austenite (GBA) with Widmanstatten-type austenite (WA) of plate-like feature was nucleated from the grain boundaries in the weld zone of A-GTAW process. Mechanical properties are relatively low in activated GTAW process and are attributed to changes in microstructural morphology of austenite. Improved pitting corrosion resistance was observed for the welds made with A-GTAW process.

Effect of welding process, type of electrode and electrode core diameter on the tensile property of 304L austenitic stainless steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akinlabi OYETUNJI

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The effect of welding process, type of electrode and electrode core diameter on the tensile property of AISI 304L Austenitic Stainless Steel (ASS was studied. The tensile strength property of ASS welded samples was evaluated. Prepared samples of the ASS were welded under these three various variables. Tensile test was then carried out on the welded samples. It was found that the reduction in ultimate tensile strength (UTS of the butt joint samples increases with increase in core diameter of the electrode. Also, the best electrode for welding 304L ASS is 308L stainless steel-core electrode of 3.2 mm core diameter. It is recommended that the findings of this work can be applied in the chemical, food and oil industries where 304L ASS are predominantly used.

Characterization of microstructure and texture across dissimilar super duplex/austenitic stainless steel weldment joint by super duplex filler metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eghlimi, Abbas, E-mail: a.eghlimi@ma.iut.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shamanian, Morteza [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Eskandarian, Masoomeh [Department of Materials Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71348-51154 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Zabolian, Azam [Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Szpunar, Jerzy A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK S7N 5A9 (Canada)

2015-08-15

In the present paper, microstructural changes across an as-welded dissimilar austenitic/duplex stainless steel couple welded by a super duplex stainless steel filler metal using gas tungsten arc welding process is characterized with optical microscopy and electron back-scattered diffraction techniques. Accordingly, variations of microstructure, texture, and grain boundary character distribution of base metals, heat affected zones, and weld metal were investigated. The results showed that the weld metal, which was composed of Widmanstätten austenite side-plates and allotriomorphic grain boundary austenite morphologies, had the weakest texture and was dominated by low angle boundaries. The welding process increased the ferrite content but decreased the texture intensity at the heat affected zone of the super duplex stainless steel base metal. In addition, through partial ferritization, it changed the morphology of elongated grains of the rolled microstructure to twinned partially transformed austenite plateaus scattered between ferrite textured colonies. However, the texture of the austenitic stainless steel heat affected zone was strengthened via encouraging recrystallization and formation of annealing twins. At both interfaces, an increase in the special character coincident site lattice boundaries of the primary phase as well as a strong texture with <100> orientation, mainly of Goss component, was observed. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • Weld metal showed local orientation at microscale but random texture at macroscale. • Intensification of <100> orientated grains was observed adjacent to the fusion lines. • The austenite texture was weaker than that of the ferrite in all duplex regions. • Welding caused twinned partially transformed austenites to form at SDSS HAZ. • At both interfaces, the ratio of special CSL boundaries of the primary phase increased.

Case histories of microbiologically influenced corrosion of austenitic stainless steel weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borenstein, S.W.; Buchanan, R.A.; Dowling, N.J.E.

1990-01-01

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is initiated or accelerated by microorganisms and is currently recognized as a serious problem affecting the construction and operation of many industrial facilities, including nuclear power plants. The purpose of this paper is to review how biofouling and MIC can occur and discuss current mechanistic theories. A case history of MIC attack in power plants is examined with emphasis on the role of welding and heat treatment variables using laboratory electrochemical analyses. Although MIC can occur on a variety of alloys, pitting corrosion failures of austenitic stainless steels are often associated with weldments. MIC occurs as the result of a consortium of microorganisms colonizing on the metal surface and their variety (fungi, bacteria, algae, mold, and slimes) enables them to form support systems for cross feeding to enhance survival. The metabolic processes influence corrosion behaviour of materials by destroying protective coatings, producing a localized acid environment, creating corrosive deposits, or altering anodic and cathodic reactions. On stainless steels, biofilms destroy the passive oxide film on the surface of the steels and subject them to localized forms of corrosion. Many of the MIC failures in industry result in pitting to austenitic stainless steel weldments. Pitting primarily occurs in the weld metal, heat affected zones, and adjacent to the weld in the base metal. Depending on the conditions of the concentration cell created by the biofilm, either phase of the two-phase duplex stainless steel, austenite or delta ferrite, may be selectively attacked. Theories have been proposed about the mechanism of MIC on austenitic stainless steel and and a general understanding is that some function associated with the biofilm formation directly affects the electrochemical process

Studies on microstructure, mechanical and pitting corrosion behaviour of similar and dissimilar stainless steel gas tungsten arc welds

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Raffi; Dilkush; Srinivasa Rao, K.; Madhusudhan Reddy, G.

2018-03-01

In the present study, an attempt has been made to weld dissimilar alloys of 5mm thick plates i.e., austenitic stainless steel (316L) and duplex stainless steel (2205) and compared with that of similar welds. Welds are made with conventional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process with two different filler wires namely i.e., 309L and 2209. Welds were characterized using optical microscopy to observe the microstructural changes and correlate with mechanical properties using hardness, tensile and impact testing. Potentio-dynamic polarization studies were carried out to observe the pitting corrosion behaviour in different regions of the welds. Results of the present study established that change in filler wire composition resulted in microstructural variation in all the welds with different morphology of ferrite and austenite. Welds made with 2209 filler showed plate like widmanstatten austenite (WA) nucleated at grain boundaries. Compared to similar stainless steel welds inferior mechanical properties was observed in dissimilar stainless steel welds. Pitting corrosion resistance is observed to be low for dissimilar stainless steel welds when compared to similar stainless steel welds. Overall study showed that similar duplex stainless steel welds having favorable microstructure and resulted in better mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Relatively dissimilar stainless steel welds made with 309L filler obtained optimum combination of mechanical properties and pitting corrosion resistance when compared to 2209 filler and is recommended for industrial practice.

Through-Thickness Residual Stress Profiles in Austenitic Stainless Steel Welds: A Combined Experimental and Prediction Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mathew, J.; Moat, R. J.; Paddea, S.; Francis, J. A.; Fitzpatrick, M. E.; Bouchard, P. J.

2017-12-01

Economic and safe management of nuclear plant components relies on accurate prediction of welding-induced residual stresses. In this study, the distribution of residual stress through the thickness of austenitic stainless steel welds has been measured using neutron diffraction and the contour method. The measured data are used to validate residual stress profiles predicted by an artificial neural network approach (ANN) as a function of welding heat input and geometry. Maximum tensile stresses with magnitude close to the yield strength of the material were observed near the weld cap in both axial and hoop direction of the welds. Significant scatter of more than 200 MPa was found within the residual stress measurements at the weld center line and are associated with the geometry and welding conditions of individual weld passes. The ANN prediction is developed in an attempt to effectively quantify this phenomenon of `innate scatter' and to learn the non-linear patterns in the weld residual stress profiles. Furthermore, the efficacy of the ANN method for defining through-thickness residual stress profiles in welds for application in structural integrity assessments is evaluated.

Investigation of corrosion of welded joints of austenitic and duplex stainless steels

Science.gov (United States)

Topolska, S.

2016-08-01

Investigation of corrosion resistance of materials is one of the most important tests that allow determining their functional properties. Among these tests the special group consist electrochemical investigations, which let to accelerate the course of the process. These investigations allow rapidly estimating corrosion processes occurring in metal elements under the influence of the analysed environment. In the paper are presented results of investigations of the resistance to pitting corrosion of the steel of next grades: austenitic 316L and duplex 2205. It was also analysed the corrosion resistance of welded joints of these grades of steel. The investigations were conducted in two different corrosion environments: in the neutral one (3.5 % sodium chloride) and in the aggressive one (0.1 M sulphuric acid VI). The obtained results indicate different resistance of analysed grades of steel and their welded joints in relation to the corrosion environment. The austenitic 316L steel characterizes by the higher resistance to the pitting corrosion in the aggressive environment then the duplex 2205 steel. In the paper are presented results of potentiodynamic tests. They showed that all the specimens are less resistant to pitting corrosion in the environment of sulphuric acid (VI) than in the sodium chloride one. The 2205 steel has higher corrosion resistance than the 316L stainless steel in 3.5% NaCl. On the other hand, in 0.1 M H2SO4, the 316L steel has a higher corrosion resistance than the 2205 one. The weld has a similar, very good resistance to pitting corrosion like both steels.

Damage mechanism of piping welded joints made from austenitic Steel for the type RBMK reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karzov, G.; Timofeev, B.; Gorbakony, A.; Petrov, V.; Chernaenko, T.

1999-01-01

In the process of operation of RBMK reactors the damages were taking place on welded piping, produced from austenitic stainless steel of the type 08X18H10T. The inspection of damaged sections in piping has shown that in most cases crack-like defects are of corrosion and mechanical character. The paper considers in details the reasons of damages appearance and their development for this type of welded joints of downcomers 325xl6 mm, which were fabricated from austenitic stainless steel using TlG and MAW welding methods. (author)

Stress relief cracking by relaxation in austenitic stainless steels welded junctions; Fissuration differee par relaxation des jonctions soudes en aciers inoxydables austenitiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allais, L.; Auzoux, Q.; Chabaud-Reytier, M

2003-07-01

During service at high temperature (450 to 650 C), austenitic stainless steels are well known to present a risk of cracking near the welded junctions for times under the service life. This intergranular cracking in affected zones has been identified on titanium stabilized steels and is known as relief cracking by relaxation or reheat cracking. In order to control this cracking of welded junctions on titanium stabilized stainless steel AISI 321, a simulation of the affected zone has been realized. The results have been extended to non stabilized steels. (A.L.B.)

Welding of nickel free high nitrogen stainless steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raffi Mohammed

2017-04-01

Full Text Available High nitrogen stainless steel (HNS is a nickel free austenitic stainless steel that is used as a structural component in defence applications for manufacturing battle tanks as a replacement of the existing armour grade steel owing to its low cost, excellent mechanical properties and better corrosion resistance. Conventional fusion welding causes problems like nitrogen desorption, solidification cracking in weld zone, liquation cracking in heat affected zone, nitrogen induced porosity and poor mechanical properties. The above problems can be overcome by proper selection and procedure of joining process. In the present work, an attempt has been made to correlate the microstructural changes with mechanical properties of fusion and solid state welds of high nitrogen steel. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW, gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW, electron beam welding (EBW and friction stir welding (FSW processes were used in the present work. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction were used to characterize microstructural changes. Hardness, tensile and bend tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of welds. The results of the present investigation established that fully austenitic dendritic structure was found in welds of SMAW. Reverted austenite pools in the martensite matrix in weld zone and unmixed zones near the fusion boundary were observed in GTA welds. Discontinuous ferrite network in austenite matrix was observed in electron beam welds. Fine recrystallized austenite grain structure was observed in the nugget zone of friction stir welds. Improved mechanical properties are obtained in friction stir welds when compared to fusion welds. This is attributed to the refined microstructure consisting of equiaxed and homogenous austenite grains.

Failure of Stainless Steel Welds Due to Microstructural Damage Prevented by In Situ Metallography

OpenAIRE

Lopez,Juan Manuel Salgado; Alvarado,María Inés; Hernandez,Hector Vergara; Quiroz,José Trinidad Perez; Olmos,Luis

2016-01-01

Abstract In stainless steels, microstructural damage is caused by precipitation of chromium carbides or sigma phase. These microconstituents are detrimental in stainless steel welds because they lead to weld decay. Nevertheless, they are prone to appear in the heat affected zone (HAZ) microstructure of stainless steel welds. This is particularly important for repairs of industrial components made of austenitic stainless steel. Non-destructive metallography can be applied in welding repairs of...

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baikie, B.L.; Wagg, A.R.; Whittle, M.J.; Yapp, D.

1976-01-01

Optical and X-ray metallography combined with ultrasonic testing by compression waves was used for inspection of stainless steel weld metal produced by three different welding techniques. X-ray diffraction showed that each weld possessed a characteristic fibre textured structure which was shown by optical microscopy to be parallel to columnar grain boundaries. Metallographic evidence suggested that the development of fibre texture is due to the mechanism of competitive growth. From observations made as a result of optical metallographic examination the orientation of the fibre axis could be predicted if the weld geometry and welding procedure were known. Ultrasonic velocity and attenuation measurements as a continuous function of grain orientation, made on cylinders machined from weld samples, showed that attenuation was strongly orientation dependent. It was concluded that the sensitivity of ultrasonic inspection to small defects is unlikely to be as high for austenitic welds as for ferritic even when transmission is improved by modifying the welding procedure to improve the ultrasonic transmission. (U.K.)

Stress-free reference for neutron diffraction measurement of residual stress in butt-welded joints of austenitic stainless steel pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maekawa, Akira; Takahashi, Tsuneo; Tsuji, Takashi; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Moriai, Atsushi

2012-01-01

Stress-free lattice spacing d_0 has the most influence on reliability of neutron stress measurements made using an angle dispersive method. However, it is hard to evaluate the lattice spacing of welded structures and ductile materials such as stainless steel accurately. In this study, suitable measurement conditions for d_0 of welded pipe joints of austenitic stainless steel were discussed. The d_0 values derived from {311} and {111} reflections, which are often used in austenitic stainless steel for residual stress measurement, were examined. Comparison of the residual strains and stresses evaluated using the obtained d_0 and the finite element analysis showed that the way the d_0 values were chosen affected the measurement accuracy significantly. The stress measurement accuracy was remarkably improved when the {311} reflection was used and the proper d_0 value was chosen in the respective neutron diffraction measurements. For instance, for the axial diffraction measurements using the {311} reflection, it was recommended that only the axial d_0 value of the {311} reflection be used; the measurements using the {111} reflection were less accurate due to the large Young's modulus. Additionally, a lower diffraction angle was judged to be one of the factors leading to a decrease of the strain measurement accuracy. (author)

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Y.S.; Nelson, T.W.; Sterling, C.J.; Steel, R.J.; Pettersson, C.-O.

2005-01-01

The microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir (FS) welded SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel were examined. High-quality, full-penetration welds were successfully produced in the super duplex stainless steel by friction stir welding (FSW) using polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tool. The base material had a microstructure consisting of the ferrite matrix with austenite islands, but FSW refined grains of the ferrite and austenite phases in the stir zone through dynamic recrystallisation. Ferrite content was held between 50 and 60% throughout the weld. The smaller grain sizes of the ferrite and austenite phases caused increase in hardness and strength within the stir zone. Welded transverse tensile specimen failed near the border between the stir zone and TMAZ at the retreating side as the weld had roughly the same strengths as the base material

Evaluation of AISI 316L stainless steel welded plates in heavy petroleum environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho Silva, Cleiton; Pereira Farias, Jesualdo; Batista de Sant'Ana, Hosiberto

2009-01-01

This work presents the study done on the effect of welding heating cycle on AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel corrosion resistance in a medium containing Brazilian heavy petroleum. AISI 316L stainless steel plates were welded using three levels of welding heat input. Thermal treatments were carried out at two levels of temperatures (200 and 300 deg. C). The period of treatment in all the trials was 30 h. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and analysis of X-rays dispersive energy (EDX) were used to characterize the samples. Weight loss was evaluated to determine the corrosion rate. The results show that welding heating cycle is sufficient to cause susceptibility to corrosion caused by heavy petroleum to the heat affected zone (HAZ) of the AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel

Effect of residual stress on fatigue crack propagation at 200 C in a welded joint austenitic stainless steel - ferritic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahouane, A.I.; Gauthier, J.P.; Petrequin, P.

1988-01-01

Fatigue resistance of heterogeneous welded joints between austenitic stainless steels and ferritic steels is evaluated for reactor components and more particularly effect of residual stress on fatigue crack propagation in a heterogeneous welded joint. Residual stress is measured by the hole method in which a hole is drilled through the center of a strain gage glued the surface of the materials. In the non uniform stress field a transmissibility function is used for residual stress calculation. High compression residual stress in the ferritic metal near the interface ferritic steel/weld slow down fatigue crack propagation. 5 tabs., 15 figs., 19 refs [fr

Effect of welding structure and δ-ferrite on fatigue properties for TIG welded austenitic stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Yuri, Tetsumi; Ogata, Toshio; Saito, Masahiro; Hirayama, Yoshiaki

2000-04-01

High-cycle and low-cycle fatigue properties of base and weld metals for SUS304L and SUS316L and the effects of welding structure and δ-ferrite on fatigue properties were investigated at cryogenic temperatures in order to evaluate the long-life reliability of the structural materials to be used in liquid hydrogen supertankers and storage tanks and to develop a welding process for these applications. The S-N curves of the base and weld metals shifted towards higher levels, i.e., the longer life side, with decreasing test temperatures. High-cycle fatigue tests demonstrated the ratios of fatigue strength at 10 6 cycles to tensile strength of the weld metals to be 0.35-0.7, falling below those of base metals with decreasing test temperatures. Fatigue crack initiation sites in SUS304L weld metals were mostly at blowholes with diameters of 200-700 μm, and those of SUS316L weld metals were at weld pass interface boundaries. Low-cycle fatigue tests revealed the fatigue lives of the weld metals to be somewhat lower than those of the base metals. Although δ-ferrite reduces the toughness of austenitic stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures, the effects of δ-ferrite on high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue properties are not clear or significant.

Studies of microstructure-property relationships in austenitic stainless steels. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spruiell, J.E.

1977-01-01

A final review is presented of the research carried out to provide better understanding of elevated temperature service of austenitic stainless steels, and especially the microstructural stability of both wrought-annealed steels and welded joints

Role of Austenite in Brittle Fracture of Bond Region of Super Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Kitagawa, Yoshihiko; Ikeuchi, Kenji; Kuroda, Toshio

Weld simulation of heat-affected zone (HAZ) was performed to investigate the mechanism by which austenite affects the toughness of super duplex stainless steel. Thermal cycles of various peak temperatures in the range from 1373 K to 1673 K corresponding to the HAZ were applied to SAF2507 super duplex stainless steel specimens. Charpy impact test was carried out using the specimens after the weld simulation, and the fracture surfaces were observed by SEM using three-dimensionally reconstruction technique. Austenite content decreased with increasing the peak temperature when the peak temperature exceeded 1473 K and the impact value decreased with increasing the peak temperature and decreasing the austenite content. The thermal cycle of the peak temperature of 1673 K corresponding to weld bond region caused decreasing of austenite content which was 22% lower than that of the base metal. The ductile-brittle transition temperature was measured. As a result the temperature increased rapidly in the weld bond region, the peak temperature of which exceeded 1623 K by the grain growth of ferrite matrix occurring subsequently to the completely dissolution of austenite. The morphology of the fracture surfaces after impact testing at 77 K showed cleavage fracture of ferrite. The {100} orientations of cleavage fracture facets were measured using three-dimensional images of the fracture surfaces and the results were visualized as the orientation color maps. The results showed that there were cleavage fractures consisting of a few facets parallel to each other. It was considered that a few facets existed in one ferrite grain. It was concluded that Widmanstätten austenite divided the large fracture into smaller cleavage facets in a ferrite grain and then suppressed the degradation of bond toughness of duplex stainless steel.

Mechanical characteristics of welded joints between different stainless steels grades

Science.gov (United States)

Topolska, S.; Łabanowski, J.

2017-08-01

Investigation of mechanical characteristics of welded joints is one of the most important tasks that allow determining their functional properties. Due to the very high, still rising, cost of some stainless steels it is justified, on economic grounds, welding austenitic stainless steel with steels that are corrosion-resistant like duplex ones. According to forecasts the price of corrosion resistant steels stil can increase by 26 ÷ 30%. For technical reasons welded joints require appropriate mechanical properties such as: tensile strength, bending, ductility, toughness, and resistance to aggressive media. Such joints are applied in the construction of chemical tankers, apparatus and chemical plants and power steam stations. Using the proper binder makes possible the welds directly between the elements of austenitic stainless steels and duplex ones. It causes that such joits behave satisfactorily in service in such areas like maritime constructions and steam and chemical plants. These steels have high mechanical properties such as: the yield strength, the tensile strength and the ductility as well as the resistance to general corrosion media. They are resistant to both pitting and stress corrosions. The relatively low cost of production of duplex steels, in comparison with standard austenitic steels, is inter alia, the result of a reduced amount of scarce and expensive Nickel, which is seen as a further advantage of these steels.

Effect of weld metal properties on fatigue crack growth behaviour of gas tungsten arc welded AISI 409M grade ferritic stainless steel joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shanmugam, K.; Lakshminarayanan, A.K.; Balasubramanian, V.

2009-01-01

The effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel on fatigue crack growth behaviour of the gas tungsten arc welded ferritic stainless steel joints was investigated. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single 'V' butt welded joints. Centre cracked tensile (CCT) specimens were prepared to evaluate fatigue crack growth behaviour. Servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine was used to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behaviour of the welded joints. From this investigation, it was found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed superior fatigue crack growth resistance compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Higher yield strength, hardness and relatively higher toughness may be the reasons for superior fatigue performance of the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal.

Fatigue crack propagation behavior of stainless steel welds

Science.gov (United States)

Kusko, Chad S.

The fatigue crack propagation behavior of austenitic and duplex stainless steel base and weld metals has been investigated using various fatigue crack growth test procedures, ferrite measurement techniques, light optical microscopy, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry. The compliance offset method has been incorporated to measure crack closure during testing in order to determine a stress ratio at which such closure is overcome. Based on this method, an empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been shown to be very successful in overcoming crack closure for all da/dN for gas metal arc and laser welds. This empirically-determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been applied to testing of stainless steel base metal and weld metal to understand the influence of microstructure. Regarding the base metal investigation, for 316L and AL6XN base metals, grain size and grain plus twin size have been shown to influence resulting crack growth behavior. The cyclic plastic zone size model has been applied to accurately model crack growth behavior for austenitic stainless steels when the average grain plus twin size is considered. Additionally, the effect of the tortuous crack paths observed for the larger grain size base metals can be explained by a literature model for crack deflection. Constant Delta K testing has been used to characterize the crack growth behavior across various regions of the gas metal arc and laser welds at the empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60. Despite an extensive range of stainless steel weld metal FN and delta-ferrite morphologies, neither delta-ferrite morphology significantly influence the room temperature crack growth behavior. However, variations in weld metal da/dN can be explained by local surface roughness resulting from large columnar grains and tortuous crack paths in the weld metal.

Solidification cracking in austenitic stainless steel welds

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

M. Senthilkumar (Newgen Imaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

Hot cracking in stainless steel welds is caused by low-melting eutectics containing impurities such as S, ... Total crack length (TCL), used extensively in hot cracking assessment, exhibits greater variability due to ... behaviour appear to be complex and the mechanisms thereof are not completely under- stood. Development of ...

A review of hot cracking in austenitic stainless steel weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankar, V.; Gill, T.P.S.; Mannan, S.L.; Rodriguez, P.

1991-01-01

The occurrence of hot cracking in austenitic stainless steel weldments is discussed with respect to its origin and metallurgical contributory factors. Of the three types of hot cracking, namely solidification cracking, liquation and ductility dip cracking, solidification cracking occurs in the interdendritic regions in weld metal while liquation and ductility dip cracking occur intergranularly in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Segregation of impurity and minor elements such as sulphur, phosphorous, silicon, niobium, boron etc to form low melting eutectic phases has been found to be the major cause of hot cracking. Control of HAZ cracking requires minimisation of impurity elements in the base metal. In stabilized stainless steels containing niobium, higher amounts of delta-ferrite have been found necessary to prevent cracking than in unstabilized compositions. Titanium compounds have been found to cause liquation cracking in maraging steels and titanium containing stainless steels and superalloys. In nitrogen added stainless steels, cracking resistance decreases when the solidification mode changes to primary austenitic due to nitrogen addition. A review of the test methods to evaluate hot cracking behaviour showed that several external restraint and semi-self-restraint tests are available. The finger Test, WRC Fissure Bend Test, the PVR test and the Varestraint Test are described along with typical test results. Hot ductility testing to reveal HAZ cracking tendency during welding is described, which is of particular importance to stabilized stainless steels. Based on the literature, recommendations are made for welding stabilized and nitrogen added steels, indicating areas of further work. (author). 81 refs., 30 figs., 1 tab

Effect of Post-weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Supermartensitic Stainless Steel Deposit

Science.gov (United States)

Zappa, Sebastián; Svoboda, Hernán; Surian, Estela

2017-02-01

Supermartensitic stainless steels have good weldability and adequate tensile property, toughness and corrosion resistance. They have been developed as an alternative technology, mainly for oil and gas industries. The final properties of a supermartensitic stainless steel deposit depend on its chemical composition and microstructure: martensite, tempered martensite, ferrite, retained austenite and carbides and/or nitrides. In these steels, the post-weld heat treatments (PWHTs) are usually double tempering ones, to ensure both complete tempering of martensite and high austenite content, to increase toughness and decrease hardness. The aim of this work was to study the effect of post-weld heat treatments (solution treatment with single and double tempering) on the mechanical properties of a supermartensitic stainless steel deposit. An all-weld metal test coupon was welded according to standard ANSI/AWS A5.22-95 using a GMAW supermartensitic stainless steel metal cored wire, under gas shielding. PWHTs were carried out varying the temperature of the first tempering treatment with and without a second tempering one, after solution treatment. All-weld metal chemical composition analysis, metallurgical characterization, hardness and tensile property measurements and Charpy-V tests were carried out. There are several factors which can be affected by the PWHTs, among them austenite content is a significant one. Different austenite contents (0-42%) were found. Microhardness, tensile property and toughness were affected with up to 15% of austenite content, by martensite tempering and carbide precipitation. The second tempering treatment seemed not to have had an important effect on the mechanical properties measured in this work.

Development of Weld Metal Microstructures in Pulsed Laser Welding of Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Mirakhorli, F.; Malek Ghaini, F.; Torkamany, M. J.

2012-10-01

The microstructure of the weld metal of a duplex stainless steel made with Nd:YAG pulsed laser is investigated at different travel speeds and pulse frequencies. In terms of the solidification pattern, the weld microstructure is shown to be composed of two distinct zones. The presence of two competing heat transfer channels to the relatively cooler base metal and the relatively hotter previous weld spot is proposed to develop two zones. At high overlapping factors, an array of continuous axial grains at the weld centerline is formed. At low overlapping factors, in the zone of higher cooling rate, a higher percentage of ferrite is transformed to austenite. This is shown to be because with extreme cooling rates involved in pulsed laser welding with low overlapping, the ferrite-to-austenite transformation can be limited only to the grain boundaries.

Friction Welding For Cladding Applications: Processing, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Inertia Friction Welds of Stainless Steel to Low Carbon Steel and Evaluation of Wrought and Welded Austenitic Stainless Steels for Cladding Applications in Acidchloride Service

Science.gov (United States)

Switzner, Nathan

-state mixing. Thirdly, the corrosion resistance of multiple austenitic stainless steels (types 304, 316, and 309) processed in varying ways was compared for acid chloride environments using advanced electrochemical techniques. Physical simulation of fusion claddings and friction weld claddings (wrought stainless steels) was used for sample preparation to determine compositional and microstructural effects. Pitting resistance correlated firstly with Cr content, with N and Mo additions providing additional benefits. The high ferrite fraction of as-welded samples reduced their corrosion resistance. Wrought type 309L outperformed as-welded type 309L in dissolved mass loss and reverse corrosion rate from the potentiodynamic scan in 1.0 N HCl/3.5% NaCl solution. Electrochemical impedance results indicated that wrought 309L and 316L developed a corrosion resistant passive film more rapidly than other alloys in 0.1 N HCl/3.5% NaCl, and also performed well in long term (160-day) corrosion testing in the same environment. Fourthly, to prove the concept of internal CR lining by friction welding, a conical work piece of 304L stainless steel was friction welded internally to 1018 steel.

The Microstructure and Pitting Resistance of Weld Joints of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Mingfang; Liu, Fei; Pu, Juan; Anderson, Neil E.; Li, Leijun; Liu, Dashuang

2017-11-01

2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) was welded by submerged arc welding. The effects of both heat input and groove type on the ferrite/austenite ratio and elemental diffusion of weld joints were investigated. The relationships among welding joint preparation, ferrite/austenite ratio, elemental diffusion, and pitting corrosion resistance of weld joints were analyzed. When the Ni content of the weld wire deposit was at minimum 2-4% higher than that of 2205 DSS base metal, the desired ratio of ferrite/austenite and elemental partitioning between the austenite and ferrite phases were obtained. While the pitting sensitivity of weld metal was higher than that of base metal, the self-healing capability of the passive film of weld metal was better than that of the base metal when a single V-type groove was used. Furthermore, the heat input should be carefully controlled since pitting corrosion occurred readily in the coarse-grained heat-affected zone near the fusion line of welded joints.

Automated flaw detection scheme for cast austenitic stainless steel weld specimens using Hilbert-Huang transform of ultrasonic phased array data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Tariq; Majumdar, Shantanu; Udpa, Lalita; Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Crawford, Susan; Diaz, Aaron; Anderson, Michael T.

2012-01-01

The objective of this work is to develop processing algorithms to detect and localize flaws using ultrasonic phased-array data. Data was collected on cast austenitic stainless stell (CASS) weld specimens onloan from the U.S. nuclear power industry' Pressurized Walter Reactor Owners Group (PWROG) traveling specimen set. Each specimen consists of a centrifugally cast stainless stell (CCSS) pipe section welded to a statically cst(SCSS) or wrought (WRSS) section. The paper presents a novel automated flaw detection and localization scheme using low frequency ultrasonic phased array inspection singals from the weld and heat affected zone of the based materials. The major steps of the overall scheme are preprocessing and region of interest (ROI) detection followed by the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) of A-scans in the detected ROIs. HHT offers time-frequency-energy distribution for each ROI. The Accumulation of energy in a particular frequency band is used as a classification feature for the particular ROI

Microstructure characterization and corrosion testing of MAG pulsed duplex stainless steel welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitelea, Ion; Utu, Ion Dragos; Urlan, Sorin Dumitru; Karancsi, Olimpiu [Politehnica Univ. Timisoara (Romania). Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

2017-08-01

Duplex stainless steels are extremely attractive construction materials for their usage in intense aggressive environments. They offer numerous advantages compared to the austenitic stainless steels having an excellent behavior to pitting and cavernous corrosion, and a high resistance to stress cracking corrosion in chlorides media. However, their corrosion properties are largely dependent on the microstructural factors such as: the quantitative ratio of the two phases ferrite/austenite (F/A), the presence of intermetallic compounds and the distribution of the alloying elements between the ferrite and austenite. As a result of the thermal cycles experienced by the base metal without a post-weld heat treatment, the mechanical properties are significantly different in the heat affected zone and the deposited metal compared with the properties of the base metal. The present paper highlights the effect of the post-weld solution treatment in order to restore the balance between austenite and ferrite in the welded joint areas and also to limit undesirable precipitation of secondary phases with implications for increasing the corrosion resistance.

Microstructure characterization and corrosion testing of MAG pulsed duplex stainless steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitelea, Ion; Utu, Ion Dragos; Urlan, Sorin Dumitru; Karancsi, Olimpiu

2017-01-01

Duplex stainless steels are extremely attractive construction materials for their usage in intense aggressive environments. They offer numerous advantages compared to the austenitic stainless steels having an excellent behavior to pitting and cavernous corrosion, and a high resistance to stress cracking corrosion in chlorides media. However, their corrosion properties are largely dependent on the microstructural factors such as: the quantitative ratio of the two phases ferrite/austenite (F/A), the presence of intermetallic compounds and the distribution of the alloying elements between the ferrite and austenite. As a result of the thermal cycles experienced by the base metal without a post-weld heat treatment, the mechanical properties are significantly different in the heat affected zone and the deposited metal compared with the properties of the base metal. The present paper highlights the effect of the post-weld solution treatment in order to restore the balance between austenite and ferrite in the welded joint areas and also to limit undesirable precipitation of secondary phases with implications for increasing the corrosion resistance.

Effect of weld metal chemistry and heat input on the structure and properties of duplex stainless steel welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muthupandi, V.; Bala Srinivasan, P.; Seshadri, S.K.; Sundaresan, S

2003-10-15

The excellent combination of strength and corrosion resistance in duplex stainless steels (DSS) is due to their strict composition control and microstructural balance. The ferrite-austenite ratio is often upset in DSS weld metals owing to the rapid cooling rates associated with welding. To achieve the desired ferrite-austenite balance and hence properties, either the weld metal composition and/or the heat input is controlled. In the current work, a low heat input process viz., EBW and another commonly employed process, gas tungsten-arc welding have been employed for welding of DSS with and without nickel enhancement. Results show that (i) chemical composition has got a greater influence on the ferrite-austenite ratio than the cooling rate, (ii) and even EBW which is considered an immature process in welding of DSS, can be employed provided means of filler addition could be devised.

Fusion welding of borated stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robino, C.V.; Cieslak, M.J.

1993-01-01

Borated austenitic stainless steels have been developed for use in the nuclear industry where storage, transport, and reprocessing of nuclear materials are required. The objective of this work is to develop appropriate joining technology for borated stainless steels based upon understanding the response of these materials to thermal processing involving melting. This understanding is being developed through the application of physical metallurgy techniques to determine the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties within the various regions of the HAZ. Initial investigations include development of the kinetics of boride coarsening in the solid-state region of HAZ and the effect of boride coarsening on the impact properties of this region of the weld zone. Microstructures of the borated stainless steels, their response to high temperature isothermal heat treatments, and the implications of these heat treatments with respect to welding behavior will be presented

Effect of composition on corrosion resistance of high-alloy austenitic stainless steel weld metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, P.I.; Gooch, T.G.

1993-01-01

The corrosion resistance of stainless steel weld metal in the ranges of 17 to 28% chromium (Cr), 6 to 60% nickel (Ni), 0 to 9% molybdenum (Mo), and 0.0 to 0.37% nitrogen (N) was examined. Critical pitting temperatures were determined in ferric chloride (FeCl 3 ). Passive film breakdown potentials were assessed from potentiodynamic scans in 3% sodium chloride (NaCl) at 50 C. Potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests were carried out in 30% sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) ar 25 C, which was representative of chloride-free acid media of low redox potential. Metallographic examination and microanalysis were conducted on the test welds. Because of segregation of alloying elements, weld metal pitting resistance always was lower than that of matching composition base steel. The difference increased with higher Cr, Mo, and N contents. Segregation also reduced resistance to general corrosion in H 2 SO 4 , but the effect relative to the base steel was less marked than with chloride pitting. Segregation of Cr, Mo, and N in fully austenitic deposits decreased as the Ni' eq- Cr' eq ratio increased. Over the compositional range studied, weld metal pitting resistance was dependent mainly on Mo content and segregation. N had less effect than in wrought alloys. Both Mo and N enhanced weld metal corrosion resistance in H 2 SO 4

The Effects of Nitrogen Gas on Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of TIG Welded S32205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aziz Barış Başyiğit

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Duplex stainless steels are gaining greater interest due to their increasing amounts of application fields. Accordingly, there is a need for awareness of problems associated with improper microstructural distributions such as δ-ferrite (delta-ferrite, austenite and other important intermetallic phases that may form in these steel weldments. Since δ-ferrite versus austenite ratio profoundly influences corrosion and mechanical properties, optimum δ-ferrite ratios must be kept approximately within 35–65 vol % and balance austenite to maintain satisfactory corrosion and mechanical properties on welding of these steels. Cooling rates of welds and alloying elements in base metal are the major factors that determine the final microstructure of these steels. In this work, 3 mm thickness of 2205 duplex stainless-steel plates were TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas welded with various amounts of nitrogen gas added to argon shielding gas. Specimens were joined within the same welding parameters and cooling conditions. As nitrogen is a potential austenite stabilizer and an interstitial solid solution hardener, the effects of nitrogen on mechanical properties such as hardness profiles, grain sizes and microstructural modifications are investigated thoroughly by changing the welding shielding gas compositions. Increasing the nitrogen content in argon shielding gas also increases the amount of austenitic phase while δ-ferrite ratios decreases. Nitrogen spherodized the grains of austenitic structure much more than observed in δ-ferrite. The strength values of specimens that welded with the addition of nitrogen gas into the argon shielding gas are increased more in both austenitic and delta-ferritic structure as compared to specimens that welded with plain argon shielding gas. The addition of 1 vol % of nitrogen gas into argon shielding gas provided the optimum phase balance of austenite and δ-ferrite in S32205 duplex stainless-steel TIG-welded specimens.

Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Gas Metal Arc Welded AISI 409 Grade Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Lakshminarayanan, A. K.; Shanmugam, K.; Balasubramanian, V.

2009-10-01

The effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, and duplex stainless steel on fatigue crack growth behavior of the gas metal arc welded ferritic stainless steel joints was investigated. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single ‘V’ butt welded joints. Center cracked tensile specimens were prepared to evaluate fatigue crack growth behavior. Servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine with a capacity of 100 kN was used to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behavior of the welded joints. From this investigation, it was found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed superior fatigue crack growth resistance compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Higher yield strength and relatively higher toughness may be the reasons for superior fatigue performance of the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal.

Welding-induced local maximum residual stress in heat affected zone of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with machined surface layer and its influential factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okano, Shigetaka; Ihara, Ryohei; Kanamaru, Daisuke; Mochizuki, Masahito

2015-01-01

In this study, the effects of work-hardening and pre-existing stress in the machined surface layer of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel on the welding-induced residual stress were experimentally investigated through the use of weld specimens with three different surface layers; as-cutout, mechanically-polished and electrolytically-polished. The high tensile and compressive stresses exist in the work-hardened surface layer of the as-cutout and mechanically-polished specimens, respectively. Meanwhile, no stress and work-hardened surface layer exist in the electrolytically-polished specimen. TIG bead-on-plate welding under the same welding heat input conditions was performed to introduce the residual stress into these specimens. Using these welded specimens, the distributions of welding-induced residual stress were measured by the X-ray diffraction method. Similarly, the distributions of hardness in welds were estimated by the Vickers hardness test. And then, these distributions were compared with one another. Based on the results, the residual stress in the weld metal (WM) is completely unaffected by the machined surface layer because the work-hardened surface layer disappears through the processes of melting and solidification during welding. The local maximum longitudinal tensile residual stress in the heat affected zone (HAZ) depends on the work-hardening but not on the existing stress, regardless of whether tensile or compressive, in the machined surface layer before welding. At the base metal far from WM and HAZ, the residual stress is formed by the addition of the welding-induced residual stress to the pre-existing stress in the machined surface layer before welding. The features of the welding-induced residual stress in low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with the machined surface layer and their influential factors were thus clarified. (author)

A study on laser welding deformation of 304 stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitagawa, Akikazu; Maehara, Kenji; Takeda, Shinnosuke; Matsunawa, Akira

2002-01-01

In heavy industries, 304 austenitic stainless steel is the most popular material which is used for nuclear equipment, chemical vessels, vacuum vessels and so on. On the fabrication, not only a joint quality but also severe dimensional accuracy is required. To keep dimensional accuracy, considerable cost and efforts are requested, because the welding deformation of austenitic stainless steel is deeply depended on the physical properties of material itself. To decrease welding deformation, big jigs or water cooling method are commonly used which lead to the high cost. In general, the fusion welding by high energy density heat source results in less distortion. Today, laser welding technology has grown up to the stage that enables to weld thick plate with small deformation. The researches of welding deformation have been conducted intensively, but they are mainly concerned for arc welding, and studies for laser welding are very few. In this report, the authors will show the test results of deformation behavior in laser welding of 304 stainless steel. Also, they will discuss the deformation behavior comparing to that in arc welding. The main results of this study are as follows. 1. The angular distortion of laser welding can be unified by heat input parameter (Hp) which is used for arc welding deformation. 2. The angular distortion are same under the condition of Hp 3 in spite of different welding method, however under the condition of Hp>6-9 J/mm 3 the angular distortion is quite different depending on the power density of welding method. 3. Pure angular distortion seemed to complete just after welding, but following longitudinal distortion took place for long period. 4. The critical value of longitudinal distortion can be estimated from heat input parameter. The transverse deformation can be also estimated by heat input parameter. (author)

Analysis of a multi pass weld of a thick walled tube made of austenitic stainless steel X6 CrNiNb 18 10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scholtes, B.; Zinn, W.; Ilg, U.; Backfisch, W.; Gibmeier, J.; Kirch, D.

2006-01-01

In this paper, microstructure and residual stresses of a multi pass welding of a thick-walled tube made of austenitic stainless steel X6 CrNiNb 18 10 (1.4550) are systematically characterized and assessed. Results of microstructural and phase analyses, residual stress and hardness measurements as well as of a tensile test using micro specimen and SEM analyses are presented. Using these data, plastic deformations occurring during the welding process in the vicinity of the weld seam are evaluated. Finally, consequences of an additional heat treatment at 400 C/24 h are studied. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [de

Welding of nickel free high nitrogen stainless steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties

OpenAIRE

Raffi Mohammed; G. Madhusudhan Reddy; K. Srinivasa Rao

2017-01-01

High nitrogen stainless steel (HNS) is a nickel free austenitic stainless steel that is used as a structural component in defence applications for manufacturing battle tanks as a replacement of the existing armour grade steel owing to its low cost, excellent mechanical properties and better corrosion resistance. Conventional fusion welding causes problems like nitrogen desorption, solidification cracking in weld zone, liquation cracking in heat affected zone, nitrogen induced porosity and poo...

Effects of heat input on pitting corrosion in super duplex stainless steel weld metals

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Yong taek; Shin, Hak soo; Lee, Hae woo

2012-12-01

Due to the difference in reheating effects depending on the heat input of subsequent weld passes, the microstructure of the weld metal varies between acicular type austenite and a mixture of polygonal type and grain boundary mixed austenite. These microstructural changes may affect the corrosion properties of duplex stainless steel welds. This result indicates that the pitting resistance of the weld can be strongly influenced by the morphology of the secondary austenite phase. In particular, the ferrite phase adjacent to the acicular type austenite phase shows a lower Pitting Resistance Equivalent (PRE) value of 25.3, due to its lower chromium and molybdenum contents, whereas the secondary austenite phase maintains a higher PRE value of more than 38. Therefore, it can be inferred that the pitting corrosion is mainly due to the formation of ferrite phase with a much lower PRE value.

Numeric ultrasonic image processing method: application to non-destructive testing of stainless austenitic steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corneloup, G.

1988-09-01

A bibliographic research on the means used to improve the ultrasonic inspection of heterogeneous materials such as stainless austenitic steel welds has shown, taking into account the first analysis, a signal assembly in the form of an image (space, time) which carries an original solution to fault detection in highly noisy environments. A numeric grey-level ultrasonic image processing detection method is proposed based on the research of a certain determinism, in the way which the ultrasonic image evolves in space and time in the presence of a defect: the first criterion studies the horizontal stability of the gradients in the image and the second takes into account the time-transient nature of the defect echo. A very important rise in the signal-to-noise ratio obtained in welding inspections evidencing defects (real and artificial) is shown with the help of a computerized ultrasonic image processing/management system, developed for this application [fr

Effect of Dynamic Reheating Induced by Weaving on the Microstructure of GTAW Weld Metal of 25% Cr Super Duplex Stainless Steel Weld Metal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hee-Joon Sung

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The importance of the additional growth and/or transformation of the austenite phase that occurs in weld metals of super duplex stainless steel upon reheating is known. However, the effects have not been fully investigated, especially with respect to reheating induced by weaving during single-pass welding. In this work, bead-on-pipe gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW was conducted on super duplex stainless steel to understand the effect of weaving on the microstructure of weld metal. Microstructural analysis, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD, and focused ion beam transmission electron microscopy (FIB-TEM were carried out to investigate the relationship between weaving and microstructural change. The weaving of GTAW produced a dynamic reheated area just before the weld bead during welding. It was revealed that extensive reheated weld existed even after one welding pass, and that the content of the austenite phase in the reheated area was higher than that in the non-reheated area, indicating the existence of a large quantity of intragranular austenite phase. In addition, the Cr2N content in the reheated area was lower than that in the non-reheated area. This reduction of Cr2N was closely related to the reheating resulting from weaving. TEM analysis revealed that Cr2N in the non-reheated area was dispersed following heating and transformed to secondary austenite.

Weld solidification cracking in 304 to 304L stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochanadel, Patrick W [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Lienert, Thomas J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Martinez, Jesse N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Martinez, Raymond J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Johnson, Matthew Q [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2010-01-01

A series of annulus welds were made between 304 and 304L stainless steel coaxial tubes using both pulsed laser beam welding (LBW) and pulsed gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). In this application, a change in process from pulsed LBW to pulsed gas tungsten arc welding was proposed to limit the possibility of weld solidification cracking since weldability diagrams developed for GTAW display a greater range of compositions that are not crack susceptible relative to those developed for pulsed LBW. Contrary to the predictions of the GTAW weldability diagram, cracking was found. This result was rationalized in terms of the more rapid solidification rate of the pulsed gas tungsten arc welds. In addition, for the pulsed LBW conditions, the material compositions were predicted to be, by themselves, 'weldable' according to the pulsed LBW weldability diagram. However, the composition range along the tie line connecting the two compositions passed through the crack susceptible range. Microstructurally, the primary solidification mode (PSM) of the material processed with higher power LBW was determined to be austenite (A), while solidification mode of the materials processed with lower power LBW apparently exhibited a dual PSM of both austenite (A) and ferrite-austenite (FA) within the same weld. The materials processed by pulsed GT A W showed mostly primary austenite solidification, with some regions of either primary austenite-second phase ferrite (AF) solidification or primary ferrite-second phase austenite (FA) solidification. This work demonstrates that variations in crack susceptibility may be realized when welding different heats of 'weldable' materials together, and that slight variations in processing can also contribute to crack susceptibility.

Weld solidification cracking in 304 to 204L stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochanadel, Patrick W [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Lienert, Thomas J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Martinez, Jesse N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Johnson, Matthew Q [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2010-09-15

A series of annulus welds were made between 304 and 304L stainless steel coaxial tubes using both pulsed laser beam welding (LBW) and pulsed gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). In this application, a change in process from pulsed LBW to pulsed gas tungsten arc welding was proposed to limit the possibility of weld solidification cracking since weldability diagrams developed for GTAW display a greater range of compositions that are not crack susceptible relative to those developed for pulsed LBW. Contrary to the predictions of the GTAW weldability diagram, cracking was found.This result was rationalized in terms of the more rapid solidification rate of the pulsed gas tungsten arc welds. In addition, for the pulsed LBW conditions, the material compositions were predicted to be, by themselves, 'weldable' according to the pulsed LBW weldability diagram. However, the composition range along the tie line connecting the two compositions passed through the crack susceptible range. Microstructurally, the primary solidification mode (PSM) of the material processed with higher power LBW was determined to be austenite (A), while solidification mode of the materials processed with lower power LBW apparently exhibited a dual PSM of both austenite (A) and ferrite-austenite (FA) within the same weld. The materials processed by pulsed GTAW showed mostly primary austenite solidification, with some regions of either primary austenite-second phase ferrite (AF) solidification or primary ferrite-second phase austenite (FA) solidification. This work demonstrates that variations in crack susceptibility may be realized when welding different heats of 'weldable' materials together, and that slight variations in processing can also contribute to crack susceptibility.

Hot Ductility Behaviors in the Weld Heat-Affected Zone of Nitrogen-Alloyed Fe-18Cr-10Mn Austenitic Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Joonoh; Lee, Tae-Ho; Hong, Hyun-Uk

2015-04-01

Hot ductility behaviors in the weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) of nitrogen-alloyed Fe-18Cr-10Mn austenitic stainless steels with different nitrogen contents were evaluated through hot tension tests using Gleeble simulator. The results of Gleeble simulations indicated that hot ductility in the HAZs deteriorated due to the formation of δ-ferrite and intergranular Cr2N particles. In addition, the amount of hot ductility degradation was strongly affected by the fraction of δ-ferrite.

Characterization of weld strength and impact toughness in the multi-pass welding of super-duplex stainless steel UNS 32750

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devendranath Ramkumar, K.; Thiruvengatam, G.; Sudharsan, S.P.; Mishra, Debidutta; Arivazhagan, N.; Sridhar, R.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of filler metals on the weldability of super-duplex stainless steel plates. • Contemplative explanations on the metallurgical and mechanical properties of the weldments. • Enhanced mechanical properties of the welds at ambient room temperature. - Abstract: This paper investigates the weldability, metallurgical and mechanical properties of the UNS 32750 super-duplex stainless steels joints by Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) employing ER2553 and ERNiCrMo-4 filler metals. Impact and tensile studies envisaged that the weldments employing ER2553 exhibited superior mechanical properties compared to ERNiCrMo-4 weldments. Microstructure studies performed using optical and SEM analysis clearly exhibited the different forms of austenite including widmanstatten austenite on the weld zone employing ER2553 filler. Also the presented results clearly reported the effect of filler metals on strength and toughness during the multi-pass welding. This research article addressed the improvement of tensile and impact strength using appropriate filler wire without obtaining any deleterious phases

Recent studies on the welding of austenitic stainless steel piping for BWR service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Childs, W.J.

1986-01-01

The incidence of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in stainless steel piping in BWR power plants has led to the development of various countermeasures. Replacement of the susceptible Type 304 stainless steel with Type 316 nuclear grade stainless steel has been done by a number of plants. In order to minimize radiation exposure to welding personnel, automatic GTA welding has been used wherever possible when we make the field welds. Studies have shown that the residual stresses in the welded butt joints are affected by the welding process, weld joint design and welding procedures. A new weld joint design has been developed which minimizes the volume of deposited metal while providing adequate access for welding. It also minimizes axial and radial shrinkage and the resulting residual stresses. Other countermeasures, which have been used, include stress modifications such as induction heating stress improvement (IHSI) and last pass heat sink welding (LPHSW). It has been shown that these remedies must be process adjusted to account for the welding process employed. In some cases where UT cracking indication have been detected or where through wall cracking has occurred, weld surfacing has been used to extend life. A further approach to preventing IGSCC in the weld HAZ has been through improvement of the water chemistry by injecting hydrogen to reduce the oxygen level and by keeping the impurity level low

Study of the Performance of Stainless Steel A-TIG Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Shyu, S. W.; Huang, H. Y.; Tseng, K. H.; Chou, C. P.

2008-04-01

The purpose of the present work was to investigate the effect of oxide fluxes on weld morphology, arc voltage, mechanical properties, angular distortion and hot cracking susceptibility obtained with TIG welding, which applied to the welding of 5 mm thick austenitic stainless steel plates. A novel variant of the autogenous TIG welding process, oxide powders (Al2O3, Cr2O3, TiO2, SiO2 and CaO) was applied on a type 304 stainless steel through a thin layer of the flux to produce a bead on plate welds. The experimental results indicated that the increase in the penetration is significant with the use of Cr2O3, TiO2, and SiO2. A-TIG welding can increase the weld depth to bead-width ratio, and tends to reduce the angular distortion of the weldment. It was also found that A-TIG welding can increase the retained delta-ferrite content of stainless steel 304 welds and, in consequence, the hot-cracking susceptibility of as-welded is reduced. Physically constricting the plasma column and reducing the anode spot are the possible mechanism for the effect of certain flux on A-TIG penetration.

Contribution to the metallurgy of welding processes in stainless ferritic-austenitic (duplex) steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perteneder, E.; Toesch, J.; Rabensteiner, G.

1989-01-01

Duplex steels have a ferritic austenitic structure. Therefore, to obtain a successful welding, special metallurgical regulations must be observed. The effect of energy per unit length and plate thickness onto the heat influence zone in case of manual arc welding is examined. Practice-oriented instructions for the welding technique to be applied are deduced from the results. Finally, the effect of the alloy composition onto the welding capacity of duplex steels is examined. (orig.) [de

Characterization of duplex stainless steel weld metals obtained by hybrid plasma-gas metal arc welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koray Yurtisik

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Despite its high efficiency, autogenous keyhole welding is not well-accepted for duplex stainless steels because it causes excessive ferrite in as-welded duplex microstructure, which leads to a degradation in toughness and corrosion properties of the material. Combining the deep penetration characteristics of plasma arc welding in keyhole mode and metal deposition capability of gas metal arc welding, hybrid plasma - gas metal arc welding process has considered for providing a proper duplex microstructure without compromising the welding efficiency. 11.1 mm-thick standard duplex stainless steel plates were joined in a single-pass using this novel technique. Same plates were also subjected to conventional gas metal arc and plasma arc welding processes, providing benchmarks for the investigation of the weldability of the material. In the first place, the hybrid welding process enabled us to achieve less heat input compared to gas metal arc welding. Consequently, the precipitation of secondary phases, which are known to be detrimental to the toughness and corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steels, was significantly suppressed in both fusion and heat affected zones. Secondly, contrary to other keyhole techniques, proper cooling time and weld metal chemistry were achieved during the process, facilitating sufficient reconstructive transformation of austenite in the ferrite phase.

Electron-beam welding of 21-6-9 (Cr--Ni--Mn) stainless steel: effect of machine parameters on weldability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casey, H.

1975-04-01

The high-manganese, nitrogen-strengthened 21-6-9 (Cr--Ni--Mn) austenitic stainless steel has a weldability rating similar to that of more common austenitic stainless steels in terms of cracking, porosity, etc. However, weld pool disruption problems may occur with this alloy that can be related to instability within the molten weld pool. Selection of machine parameters is critical to achieving weld pool quiescence as this report confirms from recent tests. Test samples came from heats of air-melted, vacuum-arc remelted, and electroslag remelted material. Low- and high-voltage machine parameters are discussed, and effects of parameter variation on weld pool behavior are given. Data relate weld pool behavior to weld fusion-zone geometry. Various weld parameters are recommended for the 21-6-9 alloy, regardless of its source or chemistry. (auth)

Variation behavior of residual stress distribution by manufacturing processes in welded pipes of austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ihara, Ryohei; Hashimoto, Tadafumi; Mochizuki, Masahito

2012-01-01

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) has been observed near heat affected zone (HAZ) of primary loop recirculation pipes made of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel type 316L in the nuclear power plants. For the non-sensitization material, residual stress is the important factor of SCC, and it is generated by machining and welding. In the actual plants, welding is conducted after machining as manufacturing processes of welded pipes. It could be considered that residual stress generated by machining is varied by welding as a posterior process. This paper presents residual stress variation due to manufacturing processes of pipes using X-ray diffraction method. Residual stress distribution due to welding after machining had a local maximum stress in HAZ. Moreover, this value was higher than residual stress generated by welding or machining. Vickers hardness also had a local maximum hardness in HAZ. In order to clarify hardness variation, crystal orientation analysis with EBSD method was performed. Recovery and recrystallization were occurred by welding heat near the weld metal. These lead hardness decrease. The local maximum region showed no microstructure evolution. In this region, machined layer was remained. Therefore, the local maximum hardness was generated at machined layer. The local maximum stress was caused by the superposition effect of residual stress distributions due to machining and welding. Moreover, these local maximum residual stress and hardness are exceeded critical value of SCC initiation. In order to clarify the effect of residual stress on SCC initiation, evaluation including manufacturing processes is important. (author)

Weld repair issues in thick section austenitic pipework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodwin, S.J.; Price, A.T.

1989-03-01

Thick section austenitic Type 316 Stainless steel, in the solution treated condition, has been used in Central Electricity Generating Board plant in the United Kingdom for some three decades and has given good service. Repair and replacement of this material after long term service is becoming a requirement and is complicated by the precipitation hardening and sensitisation of the materials. This paper summarises the compositional, microstructural and ageing characteristics of the wrought material and weld metals and the consequences for materials properties. Post weld heat treatment options are outlined and sensitisation to stress corrosion cracking is discussed. Finally, some examples of cracking that has occurred in plant after long term operation are given and weld repair research requirements are noted. (author)

INTERWELD - European project to determine irradiation induced material changes in the heat affected zones of austenitic stainless steel welds that influence the stress corrosion behaviour in high-temperature water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roth, A.; Schaaf, Bob van der; Castano, M.L.; Ohms, C.; Gavillet, D.; Dyck, S. van

2003-01-01

PWR and BWR RPV internals have experienced stress corrosion cracking in service. The objective of the INTERWELD project is to determine the radiation induced material changes that promote stress corrosion cracking in the heat affected zone of austenitic stainless steel welds. To achieve this goal, welds in austenitic stainless steel types AISI 304/347 have been fabricated, respectively. Stress-relief annealing was applied optionally. The pre-characterisation of both the as-welded and stress relieved material conditions comprises the examination of the weld residual stresses by the ring-core-technique and neutron diffraction, the degree of sensitisation by EPR, and the stress corrosion behaviour by SSRT testing in high-temperature water. The weldments will be irratiated to 2 neutron fluence levels and a postirradiation examination will determine micromechanical, microchemical and microstructural changes in the materials. In detail, the evolution of the residual stress levels and the stress corrosion behaviour after irradiation will be determined. Neutron diffraction will be utilized for the first time with respect to neutron irradiated material. In this paper, the current state of the project will be described and discussed. (orig.)

Austenitic stainless steels with cryogenic resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarata, Daniela Florentina

1999-01-01

The most used austenitic stainless steels are alloyed with chromium and nickel and have a reduced carbon content, usually lower than 0.1 % what ensures corresponding properties for processing by plastic deformation at welding, corrosion resistance in aggressive environment and toughness at low temperatures. Steels of this kind alloyed with manganese are also used to reduce the nickel content. By alloying with manganese which is a gammageneous element one ensures the stability of austenites. Being cheaper these steels may be used extensively for components and equipment used in cryogenics field. The best results were obtained with steels of second group, AMnNi, in which the designed chemical composition was achieved, i.e. the partial replacement of nickel by manganese ensured the toughness at cryogenic temperatures. If these steels are supplementary alloyed, their strength properties may increase to the detriment of plasticity and toughness, although the cryogenic character is preserved

Tensile properties of a titanium modified austenitic stainless steel and the weld joints after neutron irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiba, K.; Ioka, I.; Jitsukawa, S.; Hamada, A.; Hishinuma, A. [and others

1996-10-01

Tensile specimens of a titanium modified austenitic stainless steel and its weldments fabricated with Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) and Electron Beam (EB) welding techniques were irradiated to a peak dose of 19 dpa and a peak helium level of 250 appm in the temperature range between 200 and 400{degrees}C in spectrally tailored capsules in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). The He/dpa ratio of about 13 appm/dpa is similar to the typical helium/dpa ratio of a fusion reactor environment. The tensile tests were carried out at the irradiation temperature in vacuum. The irradiation caused an increase in yield stress to levels between 670 and 800 MPa depending on the irradiation temperature. Total elongation was reduced to less than 10%, however the specimens failed in a ductile manner. The results were compared with those of the specimens irradiated using irradiation capsules producing larger amount of He. Although the He/dpa ratio affected the microstructural change, the impact on the post irradiation tensile behavior was rather small for not only base metal specimens but also for the weld joint and the weld metal specimens.

Optimal design for laser beam butt welding process parameter using artificial neural networks and genetic algorithm for super austenitic stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Sathiya, P.; Panneerselvam, K.; Soundararajan, R.

2012-09-01

Laser welding input parameters play a very significant role in determining the quality of a weld joint. The joint quality can be defined in terms of properties such as weld bead geometry, mechanical properties and distortion. Therefore, mechanical properties should be controlled to obtain good welded joints. In this study, the weld bead geometry such as depth of penetration (DP), bead width (BW) and tensile strength (TS) of the laser welded butt joints made of AISI 904L super austenitic stainless steel were investigated. Full factorial design was used to carry out the experimental design. Artificial Neural networks (ANN) program was developed in MatLab software to establish the relationships between the laser welding input parameters like beam power, travel speed and focal position and the three responses DP, BW and TS in three different shielding gases (Argon, Helium and Nitrogen). The established models were used for optimizing the process parameters using Genetic Algorithm (GA). Optimum solutions for the three different gases and their respective responses were obtained. Confirmation experiment has also been conducted to validate the optimized parameters obtained from GA.

Gas tungsten arc welding and friction stir welding of ultrafine grained AISI 304L stainless steel: Microstructural and mechanical behavior characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabooni, S., E-mail: s.sabooni@ma.iut.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Karimzadeh, F.; Enayati, M.H. [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ngan, A.H.W. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China); Jabbari, H. [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-11-15

In the present study, an ultrafine grained (UFG) AISI 304L stainless steel with the average grain size of 650 nm was successfully welded by both gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and friction stir welding (FSW). GTAW was applied without any filler metal. FSW was also performed at a constant rotational speed of 630 rpm and different welding speeds from 20 to 80 mm/min. Microstructural characterization was carried out by High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM) with Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Nanoindentation, microhardness measurements and tensile tests were also performed to study the mechanical properties of the base metal and weldments. The results showed that the solidification mode in the GTAW welded sample is FA (ferrite–austenite) type with the microstructure consisting of an austenite matrix embedded with lath type and skeletal type ferrite. The nugget zone microstructure in the FSW welded samples consisted of equiaxed dynamically recrystallized austenite grains with some amount of elongated delta ferrite. Sigma phase precipitates were formed in the region ahead the rotating tool during the heating cycle of FSW, which were finally fragmented into nanometric particles and distributed in the weld nugget. Also there is a high possibility that the existing delta ferrite in the microstructure rapidly transforms into sigma phase particles during the short thermal cycle of FSW. These suggest that high strain and deformation during FSW can promote sigma phase formation. The final austenite grain size in the nugget zone was found to decrease with increasing Zener–Hollomon parameter, which was obtained quantitatively by measuring the peak temperature, calculating the strain rate during FSW and exact examination of hot deformation activation energy by considering the actual grain size before the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization. Mechanical properties observations showed that the welding

Effect of pre-strain on creep of three AISI 316 austenitic stainless steels in relation to reheat cracking of weld-affected zones

Science.gov (United States)

Auzoux, Q.; Allais, L.; Caës, C.; Monnet, I.; Gourgues, A. F.; Pineau, A.

2010-05-01

Microstructural modifications induced by welding of 316 stainless steels and their effect on creep properties and relaxation crack propagation were examined. Cumulative strain due to multi-pass welding hardens the materials by increasing the dislocation density. Creep tests were conducted on three plates from different grades of 316 steel at 600 °C, with various carbon and nitrogen contents. These plates were tested both in the annealed condition and after warm rolling, which introduced pre-strain. It was found that the creep strain rate and ductility after warm rolling was reduced compared with the annealed condition. Moreover, all steels exhibited intergranular crack propagation during relaxation tests on Compact Tension specimens in the pre-strained state, but not in the annealed state. These results confirmed that the reheat cracking risk increases with both residual stress triaxiality and pre-strain. On the contrary, high solute content and strain-induced carbide precipitation, which are thought to increase reheat cracking risk of stabilised austenitic stainless steels did not appear as key parameters in reheat cracking of 316 stainless steels.

Effect of pre-strain on creep of three AISI 316 austenitic stainless steels in relation to reheat cracking of weld-affected zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auzoux, Q.; Allais, L.; Caes, C.; Monnet, I.; Gourgues, A.F.; Pineau, A.

2010-01-01

Microstructural modifications induced by welding of 316 stainless steels and their effect on creep properties and relaxation crack propagation were examined. Cumulative strain due to multi-pass welding hardens the materials by increasing the dislocation density. Creep tests were conducted on three plates from different grades of 316 steel at 600 deg. C, with various carbon and nitrogen contents. These plates were tested both in the annealed condition and after warm rolling, which introduced pre-strain. It was found that the creep strain rate and ductility after warm rolling was reduced compared with the annealed condition. Moreover, all steels exhibited intergranular crack propagation during relaxation tests on Compact Tension specimens in the pre-strained state, but not in the annealed state. These results confirmed that the reheat cracking risk increases with both residual stress triaxiality and pre-strain. On the contrary, high solute content and strain-induced carbide precipitation, which are thought to increase reheat cracking risk of stabilised austenitic stainless steels did not appear as key parameters in reheat cracking of 316 stainless steels.

Equipment for inspection of austenitic stainless steel pipe welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehmer, W.D.; Horn, J.E.

1979-01-01

A computer controlled ultrasonic scanning system and a data acquisition and analysis system have been developed to perform the inservice inspection of welds in stainless steel sodium piping in the Fast Flux Test Facility. The scanning equipment consists of a six axis motion mechanism and control system which allows full articulation of an ultrasonic transducer as it follows the circumferential pipe welds. The data acquisition and analysis system consists of high speed ultrasonic waveform digitizing equipment, dedicated processors to perform on-line analysis, and data storage and display equipment

The Effect of Welding Current and Composition of Stainless steel on the Panetration in GTAW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramazan Yılmaz

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, welding was performed on the plates of two different types of AISI 316 and AISI 316Ti austenitic stainless steels by GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding without using welding consumable in flat position. Automatic GTAW welding machine was used to control and obtain the exact values. The effects of welding currents used in welding process and the compositions of the stainless steels materials on the penetration were investigated. Weld bead size and shape such as bead width and dept were important considerations for penetration. Welding process was performed using various welding current values. The study showed that both welding parameters and composition of the stainless steels has influence on the penetration and It is increased with increasing of welding current. Besides, P/W rate of the weldments were influenced by the current and hardness values of the weld metal decrease with increasing welding current. The microstructure of the weld metal was also changed by variation of welding current.

Effect of current and travel speed variation of TIG welding on microstructure and hardness of stainless steel SS 316L

Science.gov (United States)

Jatimurti, Wikan; Abdillah, Fakhri Aulia; Kurniawan, Budi Agung; Rochiem, Rochman

2018-04-01

One of the stainless steel types that widely used in industry is SS 316L, which is austenitic stainless steel. One of the welding methods to join stainless steel is Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), which can affect its morphology, microstructure, strength, hardness, and even lead to cracks in the weld area due to the given heat input. This research has a purpose of analyzing the relationship between microstructure and hardness value of SS 316L stainless steel after TIG welding with the variation of current and travel speed. The macro observation shows a distinct difference in the weld metal and base metal area, and the weld form is not symmetrical. The metallographic test shows the phases that formed in the specimen are austenite and ferrite, which scattered in three welding areas. The hardness test showed that the highest hardness value found in the variation of travel speed 12 cm/min with current 100 A. Welding process and variation were given do not cause any defects in the microstructure, such as carbide precipitation and sigma phase, means that it does not affect the hardness and corrosion resistance of all welded specimen.

Stress Corrosion Cracking Behaviour of Dissimilar Welding of AISI 310S Austenitic Stainless Steel to 2304 Duplex Stainless Steel

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Thiago AmaroVicente

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The influence of the weld metal chemistry on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC susceptibility of dissimilar weldments between 310S austenitic stainless steel and 2304 duplex steels was investigated by constant load tests and microstructural examination. Two filler metals (E309L and E2209 were used to produce fusion zones of different chemical compositions. The SCC results showed that the heat affected zone (HAZ on the 2304 base metal side of the weldments was the most susceptible region to SCC for both filler metals tested. The SCC results also showed that the weldments with 2209 duplex steel filler metal presented the best SCC resistance when compared to the weldments with E309L filler metal. The lower SCC resistance of the dissimilar joint with 309L austenitic steel filler metal may be attributed to (1 the presence of brittle chi/sigma phase in the HAZ on the 2304 base metal, which produced SC cracks in this region and (2 the presence of a semi-continuous delta-ferrite network in the fusion zone which favored the nucleation and propagation of SC cracks from the fusion zone to HAZ of the 2304 stainless steel. Thus, the SC cracks from the fusion zone associated with the SC cracks of 2304 HAZ decreased considerably the time-of-fracture on this region, where the fracture occurred. Although the dissimilar weldment with E2209 filler metal also presented SC cracks in the HAZ on the 2304 side, it did not present the delta ferrite network in the fusion zone due to its chemical composition. Fractography analyses showed that the mixed fracture mode was predominant for both filler metals used.

Behaviour under fatigue of AISI 304-L stainless steel welded joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scal, M.W.; Joia, C.J.B.M.; Sousa e Silva, A.S. de

1979-01-01

The fatigue behaviour at room temperature of AISI-304-L stainless steel welded joints obtained by two distinct welding methods was studied. The results obtained were compared to those characteristic of the base metal. The welded joint fatigue samples were rectified in order to eliminate the effect of the welded seam geometry. It was concluded that the mechanisms of fatigue crack start in this case is commanded by the austenitic matrix, there being no influence of the delta ferrite rate and distribution present at the melted zone. (Author) [pt

High Temperature Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Studies in Stainless Steel 316L(N Welds Processed by A-TIG and MP-TIG Welding.

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Thomas Manuel

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Welded stainless steel components used in power plants and chemical industries are subjected to mechanical load cycles at elevated temperatures which result in early fatigue failures. The presence of weld makes the component to be liable to failure in view of residual stresses at the weld region or in the neighboring heat affected zone apart from weld defects. Austenitic stainless steels are often welded using Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG process. In case of single pass welding, there is a reduced weld penetration which results in a low depth-to-width ratio of weld bead. If the number of passes is increased (Multi-Pass TIG welding, it results in weld distortion and subsequent residual stress generation. The activated flux TIG welding, a variant of TIG welding developed by E.O. Paton Institute, is found to reduce the limitation of conventional TIG welding, resulting in a higher depth of penetration using a single pass, reduced weld distortion and higher welding speeds. This paper presents the fatigue crack growth rate characteristics at 823 K temperature in type 316LN stainless steel plates joined by conventional multi-pass TIG (MP-TIG and Activated TIG (A-TIG welding process. Fatigue tests were conducted to characterize the crack growth rates of base metal, HAZ and Weld Metal for A-TIG and MP-TIG configurations. Micro structural evaluation of 316LN base metal suggests a primary austenite phase, whereas, A-TIG weld joints show an equiaxed grain distribution along the weld center and complete penetration during welding (Fig. 1. MP-TIG microstructure shows a highly inhomogeneous microstructure, with grain orientation changing along the interface of each pass. This results in tortuous crack growth in case of MP-TIG welded specimens. Scanning electron microscopy studies have helped to better understand the fatigue crack propagation modes during high temperature testing.

Mechanical Properties of High Manganese Austenitic Stainless Steel JK2LB for ITER Central Solenoid Jacket Material

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Toru; Kawano, Katsumi; Yamazaki, Toru; Ozeki, Hidemasa; Isono, Takaaki; Hamada, Kazuya; Devred, Arnaud; Vostner, Alexander

A suite of advanced austenitic stainless steels are used for the ITER TF, CS and PF coil systems.These materials will be exposed to cyclic-stress at cryogenic temperature. Therefore, high manganese austenitic stainless steel JK2LB, which has high tensile strength, high ductility and high resistance to fatigue at 4 K has been chosen for the CS conductor. The cryogenic temperature mechanical property data of this material are very important for the ITER magnet design. This study is focused on mechanical characteristics of JK2LB and its weld joint.

Weldability of Stainless Steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saida, Kazuyoshi

2010-01-01

It gives an outline of metallographic properties of welding zone of stainless steels, generation and mechanisms of welding crack and decreasing of corrosion resistance of welding zone. It consists of seven chapters such as introduction, some kinds of stainless steels and properties, metallographic properties of welding zone, weld crack, toughness of welding zone, corrosion resistance and summary. The solidification modes of stainless steels, each solidification mode on the cross section of Fe-Cr-Ni alloy phase diagram, each solidification mode of weld stainless steels metal by electron beam welding, segregation state of alloy elements at each solidification mode, Schaeffler diagram, Delong diagram, effects of (P + S) mass content in % and Cr/Ni equivalent on solidification cracking of weld stainless steels metal, solidification crack susceptibility of weld high purity stainless steels metal, effects of trace impurity elements on solidification crack susceptibility of weld high purity stainless steels metal, ductile fracture susceptibility of weld austenitic stainless steels metal, effects of H2 and ferrite content on generation of crack of weld 25Cr-5N duplex stainless steels, effects of O and N content on toughness of weld SUS 447J1 metals, effect of ferrite content on aging toughness of weld austenitic stainless steel metal, corrosion morphology of welding zone of stainless steels, generation mechanism of knife line attack phenomenon, and corrosion potential of some kinds of metals in seawater at room temperature are illustrated. (S.Y.)

Evaluation of welding by MIG in martensitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandes, M.A.; Mariano, N.A.; Marinho, D.H.C. Marinho

2010-01-01

This work evaluated structure's characterization and mechanical properties after the welding process of the stainless steel CA6NM. The employed welding process was the metal active gas with tubular wire. The control of the thermal cycle in the welding process has fundamental importance regarding the properties of the welded joint, particularly in the thermally affected zone. The mechanical properties were appraised through impact resistance tests and the hardness and microstructure through metallographic characterization and Ray-X diffraction. The parameters and the process of welding used promoted the hardness and toughness appropriate to the applications of the steel. Welding energy's control becomes an essential factor that can affect the temperature of carbide precipitation and the nucleation of the retained austenite in the in the region of the in the thermally affected zone. (author)

Effect of plasma arc welding variables on fusion zone grain size and hardness of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Kondapalli, S. P.

2017-12-01

In the present work, pulsed current microplasma arc welding is carried out on AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel of 0.3 mm thickness. Peak current, Base current, Pulse rate and Pulse width are chosen as the input variables, whereas grain size and hardness are considered as output responses. Response surface method is adopted by using Box-Behnken Design, and in total 27 experiments are performed. Empirical relation between input and output response is developed using statistical software and analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95% confidence level to check the adequacy. The main effect and interaction effect of input variables on output response are also studied.

Study on laser welding of austenitic stainless steel by varying incident angle of pulsed laser beam

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Nikhil; Mukherjee, Manidipto; Bandyopadhyay, Asish

2017-09-01

In the present work, AISI 304 stainless steel sheets are laser welded in butt joint configuration using a robotic control 600 W pulsed Nd:YAG laser system. The objective of the work is of twofold. Firstly, the study aims to find out the effect of incident angle on the weld pool geometry, microstructure and tensile property of the welded joints. Secondly, a set of experiments are conducted, according to response surface design, to investigate the effects of process parameters, namely, incident angle of laser beam, laser power and welding speed, on ultimate tensile strength by developing a second order polynomial equation. Study with three different incident angle of laser beam 89.7 deg, 85.5 deg and 83 deg has been presented in this work. It is observed that the weld pool geometry has been significantly altered with the deviation in incident angle. The weld pool shape at the top surface has been altered from semispherical or nearly spherical shape to tear drop shape with decrease in incident angle. Simultaneously, planer, fine columnar dendritic and coarse columnar dendritic structures have been observed at 89.7 deg, 85.5 deg and 83 deg incident angle respectively. Weld metals with 85.5 deg incident angle has higher fraction of carbide and δ-ferrite precipitation in the austenitic matrix compared to other weld conditions. Hence, weld metal of 85.5 deg incident angle achieved higher micro-hardness of ∼280 HV and tensile strength of 579.26 MPa followed by 89.7 deg and 83 deg incident angle welds. Furthermore, the predicted maximum value of ultimate tensile strength of 580.50 MPa has been achieved for 85.95 deg incident angle using the developed equation where other two optimum parameter settings have been obtained as laser power of 455.52 W and welding speed of 4.95 mm/s. This observation has been satisfactorily validated by three confirmatory tests.

X-Ray diffraction technique applied to study of residual stresses after welding of duplex stainless steel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monin, Vladimir Ivanovitch; Assis, Joaquim Teixeira de; Lopes, Ricardo Tadeu; Turibus, Sergio Noleto; Payao Filho, Joao C.

2014-01-01

Duplex stainless steel is an example of composite material with approximately equal amounts of austenite and ferrite phases. Difference of physical and mechanical properties of component is additional factor that contributes appearance of residual stresses after welding of duplex steel plates. Measurements of stress distributions in weld region were made by X-ray diffraction method both in ferrite and austenite phases. Duplex Steel plates were joined by GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) technology. There were studied longitudinal and transverse stress components in welded butt joint, in heat affected zone (HAZ) and in points of base metal 10 mm from the weld. Residual stresses measured in duplex steel plates jointed by welding are caused by temperature gradients between weld zone and base metal and by difference of thermal expansion coefficients of ferrite and austenite phases. Proposed analytical model allows evaluating of residual stress distribution over the cross section in the weld region. (author)

Role of ferrite and phosphorus plus sulphur in the crack sensitivity of autogenously welded type 309 stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambert, F.J. Jr.

1976-07-01

A study on autogenous welding of Type 309 thin stainless steel sheet was made after experiencing cracking difficulties on several commercial heats. A relationship exists between the sum of the phosphorus plus sulfur, the ferrite control of the weld metal, and the crack sensitivity of autogenously made welds. A new simple weld test for thin-gage sheet is utilized for studying the susceptibility to cracking. A chemistry modification is suggested to alleviate possible weld cracking when autogenously welding this grade. The principles of crack sensitivity prediction could apply to other austenitic stainless steel types where chemistry limits are such that ferrite is possible

Fatigue crack growth rate studies on pipes and pipe welds made of austenitic stainless steel and carbon steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arora, Punit; Singh, P.K.; Bhasin, Vivek; Vaze, K.K.; Pukazhendhi, D.M.; Gandhi, P.; Raghava, G.

2011-01-01

The objective of the present study is to understand the fatigue crack growth behavior in austenitic stainless steel and carbon steel pipes and pipe welds by carrying out analysis/predictions and experiments. The Paris law has been used for the prediction of fatigue crack growth life. To carry out the analysis, Paris constants have been determined for pipe (base) and pipe weld materials by using Compact Tension (CT)/Three Point Bend (TPB) specimens machined from the actual pipe/pipe weld. Analyses have been carried out to predict the fatigue crack growth life of pipes/pipe welds having part through cracks on the outer surface. In the analyses, Stress Intensity Factors (K) have been evaluated through two different schemes. The first scheme considers the 'K' evaluations at two points of the crack front i.e. maximum crack depth and crack tip at the outer surface. The second scheme accounts for the area averaged root mean square stress intensity factor (K RMS ) at deepest and surface points. In order to validate the analytical procedure/results, experiments have been carried out on full scale pipe and pipe welds with part through circumferential crack. Fatigue crack growth life evaluated using both schemes have been compared with experimental results. Use of stress intensity factor (K RMS ) evaluated using second scheme gives better fatigue crack growth life prediction compared to that of first scheme. (author)

Segregation effects in welded stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhter, J.I.; Shoaid, K.A.; Ahmed, M.; Malik, A.Q.

1987-01-01

Welding of steels causes changes in the microstructure and chemical composition which could adversely affect the mechanical and corrosion properties. The report describes the experimental results of an investigation of segregation effects in welded austenitic stainless steels of AISI type 304, 304L, 316 and 316L using the techniques of scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis. Considerable enhancement of chromium and carbon has been observed in certain well-defined zones on the parent metal and on composition, particularly in the parent metal, in attributed to the formation of (M 23 C 6 ) precipitates. The formation of geometrically well-defined segregation zones is explained on the basis of the time-temperature-precipitation curve of (M 23 C 6 ). (author)

Investigations on structure–property relationships of activated flux TIG weldments of super-duplex/austenitic stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devendranath Ramkumar, K., E-mail: ramdevendranath@gmail.com; Bajpai, Ankur; Raghuvanshi, Shubham; Singh, Anshuman; Chandrasekhar, Aditya; Arivarasu, M.; Arivazhagan, N.

2015-06-25

This research work articulated the effect of SiO{sub 2} flux assisted tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding on the microstructure and mechanical properties of marine grade stainless steel weldments, such as super-duplex stainless steel (UNS S32750) and austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316L). The studies showed that the use of flux decreased the heat input required to obtain complete penetration. Microstructure studies revealed the presence of ferrite at the heat affected zone of AISI 316L and the fusion zone which obviated the hot cracking tendency. Tensile studies corroborated that the joint strength was sufficiently greater than that of the parent metals. Impact toughness slightly impoverished owing to the presence of large platelets of Widmanstätten austenite in the fusion zone. The study also explored the structure–property relationships of the flux assisted weldments using the combined techniques of optical and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Owing to the better metallurgical and mechanical properties, this study recommends the use of SiO{sub 2} flux for joining the dissimilar metals involving austenitic and super-duplex stainless steels.

Investigations on structure–property relationships of activated flux TIG weldments of super-duplex/austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devendranath Ramkumar, K.; Bajpai, Ankur; Raghuvanshi, Shubham; Singh, Anshuman; Chandrasekhar, Aditya; Arivarasu, M.; Arivazhagan, N.

2015-01-01

This research work articulated the effect of SiO 2 flux assisted tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding on the microstructure and mechanical properties of marine grade stainless steel weldments, such as super-duplex stainless steel (UNS S32750) and austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316L). The studies showed that the use of flux decreased the heat input required to obtain complete penetration. Microstructure studies revealed the presence of ferrite at the heat affected zone of AISI 316L and the fusion zone which obviated the hot cracking tendency. Tensile studies corroborated that the joint strength was sufficiently greater than that of the parent metals. Impact toughness slightly impoverished owing to the presence of large platelets of Widmanstätten austenite in the fusion zone. The study also explored the structure–property relationships of the flux assisted weldments using the combined techniques of optical and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Owing to the better metallurgical and mechanical properties, this study recommends the use of SiO 2 flux for joining the dissimilar metals involving austenitic and super-duplex stainless steels

Modelling the attenuation in the ATHENA finite elements code for the ultrasonic testing of austenitic stainless steel welds.

Science.gov (United States)

Chassignole, B; Duwig, V; Ploix, M-A; Guy, P; El Guerjouma, R

2009-12-01

Multipass welds made in austenitic stainless steel, in the primary circuit of nuclear power plants with pressurized water reactors, are characterized by an anisotropic and heterogeneous structure that disturbs the ultrasonic propagation and makes ultrasonic non-destructive testing difficult. The ATHENA 2D finite element simulation code was developed to help understand the various physical phenomena at play. In this paper, we shall describe the attenuation model implemented in this code to give an account of wave scattering phenomenon through polycrystalline materials. This model is in particular based on the optimization of two tensors that characterize this material on the basis of experimental values of ultrasonic velocities attenuation coefficients. Three experimental configurations, two of which are representative of the industrial welds assessment case, are studied in view of validating the model through comparison with the simulation results. We shall thus provide a quantitative proof that taking into account the attenuation in the ATHENA code dramatically improves the results in terms of the amplitude of the echoes. The association of the code and detailed characterization of a weld's structure constitutes a remarkable breakthrough in the interpretation of the ultrasonic testing on this type of component.

Helium-induced weld cracking in austenitic and martensitic steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, H.T.; Chin, B.A.

1991-01-01

Helium was uniformly implanted into type 316 stainless steel and Sandvik HT-9 (12Cr-1MoVW) to levels of 0.18 to 256 and 0.3 to 1 a.p.p.m., respectively, using the ''tritium trick'' technique. Autogenous bead-on-plate, full penetration, welds were then produced under fully constrained conditions using the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The control and hydrogen-charged plates of both alloys were sound and free of any weld defects. For the 316 stainless steel, catastrophic intergranular fracture occurred in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of welds with helium levels ≥ 2.5 a.p.p.m. In addition to the HAZ cracking, brittle fracture along the centreline of the fusion zone was also observed for the welds containing greater than 100 a.p.p.m. He. For HT-9, intergranular cracking occurred in the HAZ along prior-austenite grain boundaries of welds containing 1 a.p.p.m. He. Electron microscopy observations showed that the cracking in the HAZ originated from the growth and coalescence of grain-boundary helium bubbles and that the fusion-zone cracking resulted from the growth of helium bubbles at dendrite boundaries. The bubble growth kinetics in the HAZ is dominated by stress-induced diffusion of vacancies into bubbles. Results of this study indicate that the use of conventional GTAW techniques to repair irradiation-degraded materials containing even small amounts of helium may be difficult. (author)

Analysis of cracks in stainless steel TIG [tungsten inert gas] welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagaki, M.; Marschall, C.; Brust, F.

1986-12-01

This report contains the results of a combined experimental and analytical study of ductile crack growth in tungsten inert gas (TIG) weldments of austenitic stainless steel specimens. The substantially greater yield strength of the weld metal relative to the base metal causes more plastic deformation in the base metal adjacent to the weld than in the weld metal. Accordingly, the analytical studies focused on the stress-strain interaction between the crack tip and the weld/base-metal interface. Experimental work involved tests using compact (tension) specimens of three different sizes and pipe bend experiments. The compact specimens were machined from a TIG weldment in Type 304 stainless steel plate. The pipe specimens were also TIG welded using the same welding procedures. Elastic-plastic finite element methods were used to model the experiments. In addition to the J-integral, different crack-tip integral parameters such as ΔT/sub p/* and J were evaluated. Also, engineering J-estimation methods were employed to predict the load-carrying capacity of the welded pipe with a circumferential through-wall crack under bending

Laser-Beam Welding Impact on the Deformation Properties of Stainless Steels When Used for Automotive Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evin Emil

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Materials other than standard and advanced high strength steels are remarkable for the thin-walled structures of the car-body in recent years in order to safety enhancement, weight and emission reduction, corrosion resistance improvement. Thus, there are presented in the paper the deformation properties of laser welded austenitic AISI 304 and ferritic AISI 430 stainless steels compared to these one measured for the high strength low alloyed steel H220PD. The properties were researched by tensile test and 3-point bending test with fixed ends on specimens made of basic material and laser welded one. The specimens were welded by solid state fiber laser YLS-5000 in longitudinal direction (the load direction. The deformation properties such as strength, stiffness and deformation work were evaluated and compared. The strength and stiffness were calculated from tensile test results and the deformation work was calculated from both, tensile test and 3-point bending test results. There has been found only minor effect of laser welding to the deformation properties for high strength low alloyed steel H220PD and austenitic stainless steel AISI 304. Otherwise, the laser welding strongly influenced the deformation work of the ferritic stainless steel AISI 430 as well as the elongation at tensile test.

Failure of Stainless Steel Welds Due to Microstructural Damage Prevented by In Situ Metallography

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Juan Manuel Salgado Lopez

Full Text Available Abstract In stainless steels, microstructural damage is caused by precipitation of chromium carbides or sigma phase. These microconstituents are detrimental in stainless steel welds because they lead to weld decay. Nevertheless, they are prone to appear in the heat affected zone (HAZ microstructure of stainless steel welds. This is particularly important for repairs of industrial components made of austenitic stainless steel. Non-destructive metallography can be applied in welding repairs of AISI 304 stainless steel components where it is difficult to ensure that no detrimental phase is present in the HAZ microstructure. The need of microstructural inspection in repairs of AISI 304 is caused because it is not possible to manufacture coupons for destructive metallography, with which the microstructure can be analyzed. In this work, it is proposed to apply in situ metallography as non-destructive testing in order to identify microstructural damage in the microstructure of AISI 304 stainless steel welds. The results of this study showed that the external surface micrographs of the weldment are representative of HAZ microstructure of the stainless steel component; because they show the presence of precipitated metallic carbides in the grain boundaries or sigma phase in the microstructure of the HAZ.

Designing of CK45 carbon steel and AISI 304 stainless steel dissimilar welds

OpenAIRE

Pouraliakbar,Hesam; Hamedi,Mohsen; Kokabi,Amir Hossein; Nazari,Ali

2014-01-01

Gas tungsten arc welding of CK45 and AISI304 stainless steel was performed through preparation of different types of samples using ER308L and ERNi-1 wires. Welded samples were studied by different techniques including optical metallography, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction, hardness measurements and impact test. It was observed that in the buttered specimen, the structure of the weld metal was completely austenitic wh...

Influence of PWHT on Toughness of High Chromium and Nickel Containing Martensitic Stainless Steel Weld Metals

Science.gov (United States)

Divya, M.; Das, Chitta Ranjan; Mahadevan, S.; Albert, S. K.; Pandian, R.; Kar, Sujoy Kumar; Bhaduri, A. K.; Jayakumar, T.

2015-06-01

Commonly used 12.5Cr-5Ni consumable specified for welding of martensitic stainless steels is compared with newly designed 14.5Cr-5Ni consumable in terms of their suitability for repair welding of 410 and 414 stainless steels by gas tungsten arc welding process. Changes in microstructure and austenite evolution were investigated using optical, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques and Thermo-Calc studies. Microstructure of as-welded 12.5Cr-5Ni weld metal revealed only lath martensite, whereas as-welded 14.5Cr-5Ni weld metal revealed delta-ferrite, retained austenite, and lath martensite. Toughness value of as-welded 12.5Cr-5Ni weld metal is found to be significantly higher (216 J) than that of the 14.5Cr-5Ni weld metal (15 J). The welds were subjected to different PWHTs: one at 923 K (650 °C) for 1, 2, 4 hours (single-stage PWHT) and another one at 923 K (650 °C)/4 h followed by 873 K (600 °C)/2 h or 873 K (600 °C)/4 h (two-stage heat treatment). Hardness and impact toughness of the weld metals were measured for these weld metals and correlated with the microstructure. The study demonstrates the importance of avoiding formation of delta-ferrite in the weld metal.

Mechanical behaviour of dissimilar metal welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escaravage, C.

1990-01-01

This report addresses the problems of dissimilar metal welds connecting an austenitic stainless steel component to a ferritic steel component. In LMFBRs such welds appear at the junction of the austenitic stainless steel vessel with the ferritic steel roof and in sodium and water or steam pipes. The latter are exposed to high temperatures in the creep range. A wide range of austenitic stainless steels and ferritic steels (carbon steels, low allow steels and alloy steels) are covered; the study encompasses more than 20 different weld metals (austenitic stainless steels and nickel base alloys). The report begins with a presentation of the materials, geometries and welding procedures treated in the study, followed by a review of service experience from examinations of dissimilar metal welds after elevated temperature service, in particular failed welds. Results of laboratory tests performed for reproducing service failures are then discussed. A further section is devoted to a review of test results on fatigue behaviour and impact toughness for dissimilar metal welded joints when creep is not significant. Finally, the problem of residual life assessment is addressed. A set of recommendations concludes the report. They concern the material selection, welding procedure, life prediction and testing of dissimilar metal welds. 84 refs

Welding stainless steels for structures operating at liquid helium temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witherell, C.E.

1980-01-01

Superconducting magnets for fusion energy reactors require massive monolithic stainless steel weldments which must operate at extremely low temperatures under stresses approaching 100 ksi (700 MPa). A three-year study was conducted to determine the feasibility of producing heavy-section welds having usable levels of strength and toughness at 4.2 0 K for fabrication of these structures in Type 304LN plate. Seven welding processes were evaluated. Test weldments in full-thickness plate were made under severe restraint to simulate that of actual structures. Type 316L filler metal was used for most welds. Welds deposited under some conditions and which solidify as primary austenite have exhibited intergranular embrittlement at 4.2 0 K. This is believed to be associated with grain boundary metal carbides or carbonitrides precipitated during reheating of already deposited beads by subsequent passes. Weld deposits which solidify as primary delta ferrite appear immune. Through use of fully austenitic filler metals of low nitrogen content under controlled shielded metal arc welding conditions, and through use of filler metals solidifying as primary delta ferrite where only minimum residuals remain to room temperature, welds of Type 316L composition have been made with 4.2K yield strength matching that of Type 304LN plate and acceptable levels of soundness, ductility and toughness

Effect of the delta ferrite solidification morphology of austenitic steels weld metal on the joint properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilmes, P.; Gonzalez, A.; Llorente, C.; Solari, M.

1996-01-01

The properties of austenitic stainless steel weld metals are largely influenced by the appearance in the microstructure of delta ferrite of a given morphology. The susceptibility to hot cracks and low temperature toughness are deeply conditioned by the mixed complex austenitic-ferritic structures which depending on the steel chemical composition and on the cooling rate may be developed. The latest research on this issue points out the importance of the sodification mode as regards to the influence in the appearance of delta ferrite of a certain morphology. In fact, it is very important to understand the solidification sequences, the primary solidification modes which are possible and the subsequent solid state transformations to correlate the structural elements of the weld metal with the parameters of the welding process on the one had, and the weld joint properties on the other. (Author) 19 refs

Influence of Thermal Aging on Tensile and Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Type 316LN Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Joint

Science.gov (United States)

Suresh Kumar, T.; Nagesha, A.; Ganesh Kumar, J.; Parameswaran, P.; Sandhya, R.

2018-05-01

Influence of short-term thermal aging on the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of 316LN austenitic stainless steel weld joint with 0.07 wt pct N has been investigated. Prior thermal exposure was found to improve the fatigue life compared with the as-welded condition. Besides, the treatment also imparted a softening effect on the weld metal, leading to an increase in the ductility of the weld joint which had a bearing on the cyclic stress response. The degree of cyclic hardening was seen to increase after aging. Automated ball-indentation (ABI) technique was employed toward understanding the mechanical properties of individual zones across the weld joint. It was observed that the base metal takes most of the applied cyclic strain during LCF deformation in the as-welded condition. In the aged condition, however, the weld also participates in the cyclic deformation. The beneficial effect of thermal aging on cyclic life is attributed to a reduction in the severity of the metallurgical notch leading to a restoration of ductility of the weld region. The transformation of δ-ferrite to σ-phase during the aging treatment was found to influence the location of crack initiation. Fatigue cracks were found to initiate in the base metal region of the joint in most of the testing conditions. However, embrittlement in the weld metal caused a shift in the point of crack initiation with increasing strain amplitude under LCF.

Study on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 304 Stainless Steel Joints by Tig-Mig Hybrid Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Ogundimu, Emmanuel O.; Akinlabi, Esther T.; Erinosho, Mutiu F.

Stainless steel is a family of Fe-based alloys having excellent resistance to corrosion and as such has been used imperatively for kitchen utensils, transportation, building constructions and much more. This paper presents the work conducted on the material characterizations of a tungsten inert gas (TIG)-metal inert gas (MIG) hybrid welded joint of type 304 austenitic stainless steel. The welding processes were conducted in three phases. The phases of welding employed are MIG welding using a current of 170A, TIG welding using a current of 190A, and a hybrid TIG-MIG welding with currents of 190/170A, respectively. The MIG, TIG, and hybrid TIG-MIG weldments were characterized with incomplete penetration, full penetration and excess penetration of weld. Intergranular austenite was created toward transition and heat affected zones. The thickness of the delta ferrite (δ-Fe) formed in the microstructures of the TIG weld is more than the thickness emerged in the microstructures of MIG and hybrid TIG-MIG welds. A TIG-MIG hybrid weld of specimen welded at the currents of 190/170A has the highest ultimate tensile strength value and percentage elongation of 397.72MPa and 35.7%. The TIG-MIG hybrid welding can be recommended for high-tech industrial applications such as nuclear, aircraft, food processing, and automobile industry.

Effect of post weld heat treatments on the resistance to the hydrogen embrittlement of soft martensitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazarabedian, Alfredo; Ovejero Garcia, Jose; Bilmes, P.; Llorente, C.

2003-01-01

The effect of external hydrogen on the tensile properties of an all weld sample of a soft martensitic stainless steel was studied. The material was tested in the as weld condition and after tempered conditions modifying the austenite content, and changing the quantity, type and distribution of precipitates. Hydrogen was introduced by cathodic charge or by immersion in an acid brine saturated whit 1 atm hydrogen sulphide, during the mechanical test. The as weld condition showed a good resistance in the hydrogen sulphide, were the tempered samples were embrittled. Under cathodic charge, all samples were susceptible to hydrogen damage. The embritting mechanisms were the same in both environments. When the austenite content, was below 10% the crack path is on the primary austenite grain boundary. At higher austenite content, the crack is transgranular. (author)

Influence of heat input in electron beam process on microstructure and properties of duplex stainless steel welded interface

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang; Xu, Lianyong; Han, Yongdian; Zhao, Lei; Lv, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Jianyang

2018-03-01

The influence of heat input in electron beam (EB) process on microstructure, mechanical properties, and pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel (DSS) welded interface was investigated. The rapid cooling in EB welding resulted in insufficient austenite formation. The austenite mainly consisted of grain boundary austenite and intragranular austenite, and there was abundant Cr2N precipitation in the ferrite. The Ni, Mo, and Si segregation indicated that the dendritic solidification was primarily ferrite in the weld. The weld exhibited higher hardness, lower toughness, and poorer pitting corrosion resistance than the base metal. The impact fractures of the welds were dominated by the transgranular cleavage failure of the ferrite. The ferrite was selectively attacked because of its lower pitting resistance equivalent number than that of austenite. The Cr2N precipitation accelerated the pitting corrosion. In summary, the optimised heat input slightly increased the austenite content, reduced the segregation degree and ferrite texture intensity, decreased the hardness, and improved the toughness and pitting corrosion resistance. However, the effects were limited. Furthermore, optimising the heat input could not suppress the Cr2N precipitation. Taking into full consideration the microstructure and properties, a heat input of 0.46 kJ/mm is recommended for the EB welding of DSS.

Stainless steel welding method with excellent nitric acid corrosion resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushita, Yukinobu; Inazumi, Toru; Hyakubo, Tamako; Masamura, Katsumi.

1996-01-01

The present invention concerns a welding method for a stainless steel used in a circumstance being in contact with a highly oxidizing nitric acid solution such as nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, upon welding 316 type austenite steel containing Mo while giving excellent nitric acid resistance. A method of TIG welding using a filler metal having a composition of C, Si, Mn, P, S, Ni, Cr, Mo and Cu somewhat different from a stainless steel mother material in which C, Si, Mn, P, S, Ni, Cr and Mo are specified comprises a step of TIG-welding the surface of the mother material and a step of TIG-welding the rear face of the mother material, in which the welding conditions for the rear face of the mother material are such that the distance between the surface of the outermost welding metal layer on the side of the surface of the mother material and the bottom of the groove is not less than 5mm, and an amount of welding heat is made constant. As a result, even if the method is used in a circumstance being in contact with a highly corrosive solution such as nitric acid, corrosion resistance is not degraded. (N.H.)

Corrosion behavior in high heat input welded heat-affected zone of Ni-free high-nitrogen Fe–18Cr–10Mn–N austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Joonoh; Ha, Heon-Young; Lee, Tae-Ho

2013-01-01

The pitting corrosion and interphase corrosion behaviors in high heat input welded heat-affected zone (HAZ) of a metastable high-nitrogen Fe–18Cr–10Mn–N austenitic stainless steel were explored through electrochemical tests. The HAZs were simulated using Gleeble simulator with high heat input welding condition of 300 kJ/cm and the peak temperature of the HAZs was changed from 1200 °C to 1350 °C, aiming to examine the effect of δ-ferrite formation on corrosion behavior. The electrochemical test results show that both pitting corrosion resistance and interphase corrosion resistance were seriously deteriorated by δ-ferrite formation in the HAZ and their aspects were different with increasing δ-ferrite fraction. The pitting corrosion resistance was decreased by the formation of Cr-depleted zone along δ-ferrite/austenite (γ) interphase resulting from δ-ferrite formation; however it didn't depend on δ-ferrite fraction. The interphase corrosion resistance depends on the total amount of Cr-depleted zone as well as ferrite area and thus continuously decreased with increasing δ-ferrite fraction. The different effects of δ-ferrite fraction on pitting corrosion and interphase corrosion were carefully discussed in terms of alloying elements partitioning in the HAZ based on thermodynamic consideration. - Highlights: • Corrosion behavior in the weld HAZ of high-nitrogen austenitic alloy was studied. • Cr 2 N particle was not precipitated in high heat input welded HAZ of tested alloy. • Pitting corrosion and interphase corrosion show a different behavior. • Pitting corrosion resistance was affected by whether or not δ-ferrite forms. • Interphase corrosion resistance was affected by the total amount of δ-ferrite

Effects of nitrogen in shielding gas on microstructure evolution and localized corrosion behavior of duplex stainless steel welding joint

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang; Xu, Lianyong; Han, Yongdian; Zhao, Lei; Zhou, Chao

2017-05-01

The effects of nitrogen addition in shielding gas on microstructure evolution and localized corrosion behavior of duplex stainless steel (DSS) welds were studied. N2-supplemented shielding gas facilitated the primary austenite formation, suppressed the Cr2N precipitation in weld root, and increased the microhardnesses of weld metal. Furthermore, N2-supplemented shielding gas increased pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) of austenite, but which decreased slightly PREN of ferrite. The modified double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation in 2 M H2SO4 + 1 M HCl was an effective method to study the localized corrosion of the different zones in the DSS welds. The adding 2% N2 to pure Ar shielding gas improved the localized corrosion resistance in the DSS welds, which was due to compensation for nitrogen loss and promoting nitrogen further solution in the austenite phases, suppression of the Cr2N precipitation in the weld root, and increase of primary austenite content with higher PREN than the ferrite and secondary austenite. Secondary austenite are prone to selective corrosion because of lower PREN compared with ferrite and primary austenite. Cr2N precipitation in the pure Ar shielding weld root and heat affected zone caused the pitting corrosion within the ferrite and the intergranular corrosion at the ferrite boundary. In addition, sigma and M23C6 precipitation resulted in the intergranular corrosion at the ferrite boundary.

Investigation of the Weld Properties of Dissimilar S32205 Duplex Stainless Steel with AISI 304 Steel Joints Produced by Arc Stud Welding

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Aziz Barış Başyiğit

2017-03-01

Full Text Available UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel plates with a thickness of 3 mm are arc stud welded by M8 × 40 mm AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel studs with constant stud lifts in order to investigate the effects of welding arc voltages on mechanical and microstructural behaviors of the joints. As the welding arc voltage increases starting from 140 V, the tensile strength of the weldment also increases but the higher arc values results in more spatters around the weld seam up to 180 V. Conversely, the lower arc voltages causes poor tensile strength values to weldments. Tensile tests proved that all of the samples are split from each other in the welding zone but deformation occurs in duplex plates during the tensile testing of weldments so that the elongation values are not practically notable. The satisfactory tensile strength and bending values are determined by applying 180 volts of welding arc voltage according to ISO 14555 standard. Peak values of micro hardness occurred in weld metal most probably as a consequence of increasing heat input decreasing the delta ferrite ratios. As the arc voltage increases, the width of the heat affected zone increases. Coarsening of delta-ferrite and austenite grains was observed in the weld metal peak temperature zone but it especially becomes visible closer to the duplex side in all samples. The large voids and unwelded zones up to approximately 1 mm by length are observed by macro-structure inspections. Besides visual tests and micro-structural surveys; bending and microhardness tests with radiographic inspection were applied to samples for maintaining the correct welding parameters in obtaining well-qualified weldments of these two distinct groups of stainless steel materials.

Microstructure Evolution and Selective Corrosion Resistance in Underwater Multi-pass 2101 Duplex Stainless Steel Welding Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yu; Shi, Yonghua; Shen, Xiaoqin; Wang, Zhongmin

2018-05-01

A recently developed promising material, 2101 lean duplex stainless steel, represents an alternative to 304 austenite stainless steel. In this work, multi-pass 2101 weld joints were fabricated using the flux-cored arc welding method in a hyperbaric chamber. The pressure varied from 0 to 0.75 MPa. The evolution of the welding process and microstructure was investigated. γ 2 formation in the reheated zones of the WM and HAZ was not uniform. The closer the reheated zone is to the subsequent heat source, the greater the γ 2 formation in the reheated zone. Sufficient primary austenite transformation inhibited Cr2N precipitation and the subsequent intragranular γ 2 formation in the reheated weld passes of the 0.45 MPa weld metal. The localized corrosion resistance of each zone of the 0.45 MPa DSS joint was measured using non-destructive double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation tests. The localized corrosion was induced by γ 2 and Cr2N. The root region of the 0.45 MPa weld metal underwent two subsequent welding thermal cycles, which induced increased γ 2 formation and lower resistance to corrosion because of the decreased pitting resistance value of γ 2. The correlation between microstructure evolution and the distribution of selective corrosion was determined.

Modification of the grain structure of austenitic welds for improved ultrasonic inspectability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, S.; Dugan, S.; Stubenrauch, S.; Jacobs, O.

2012-01-01

Austenitic stainless steel welds, which are widely used for example in nuclear power plants and chemical installations, present major challenges for ultrasonic inspection due to the grain structure of the weld. Large grains in combination with the elastic anisotropy of the material lead to increased scattering and affect sound wave propagation in the weld. This results in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio, and complicates the interpretation of signals and the localization of defects. The aim of this project is to influence grain growth in the weld during the welding process to produce smaller grains, in order to improve sound propagation through the weld, thus improving inspectability. Metallographic sections of the first test welds have shown that a modification of the grain structure can be achieved by influencing the grain growth with magnetic fields. For further optimization, test blocks for ultrasonic testing were manufactured to study sound propagation through the weld and detectability of test flaws.

Heat input effect on the microstructural transformation and mechanical properties in GTAW welds of a 409L ferritic stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delgado, J. A.; Ambriz, R. R.; Cuenca-Alvarez, R.; Alatorre, N.; Curiel, F. F.

2016-10-01

Welds without filler metal and welds using a conventional austenitic stainless steel filler metal (ER308L) were performed to join a ferritic stainless steel with Gas Tungsten Arc Welding process (GTAW). Welding parameters were adjusted to obtain three different heat input values. Microstructure reveals the presence of coarse ferritic matrix and martensite laths in the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). Dilution between filler and base metal was correlated with the presence of austenite, martensite and ferrite in the weld metal. Weld thermal cycles were measured to correlate the microstructural transformation in the HAZ. Microhardness measurements (maps and profiles) allow to identify the different zones of the welded joints (weld metal, HAZ, and base metal). Comparing the base metal with the weld metal and the HAZ, a hardness increment (∼172 HV{sub 0}.5 to ∼350 HV{sub 0}.5 and ∼310 HV{sub 0}.5, respectively) was observed, which has been attributed to the martensite formation. Tensile strength of the welded joints without filler metal increased moderately with respect to base metal. In contrast, ductility was approximately 25% higher than base metal, which provided a toughness improvement of the welded joints. (Author)

In-situ observation of weld joint of austenitic stainless steel due to helium irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, S.; Hojou, K.; Hishinuma, A.

1992-01-01

Microstructural evolution during helium ions irradiation in a weld metal containing 10% delta-ferrite of a weld joint of Ti-modified austenitic stainless steel were in-situ observed through a transmission electron microcopy. Very fine helium bubbles were observed in high number density in both a delta ferrite phase and a matrix to a dose of 3 x 10 19 ions·m -2 . Entirely different behavior appeared in both phases with increasing dose. Bubbles in a delta-ferrite phase were readily converted into voids during slight increment of dose, and these rapidly grew with additional increasing of dose. On the other hand, finer bubbles in a matrix were very stable during irradiation and did not grow any more up to 2 x 10 20 ions·m -2 . Swelling became much larger in a delta-ferrite phase than in a fcc matrix phase, resultantly ; This means an inverse phenomenon for conventional results that swelling is smaller in a ferrite phase than in a fcc phase. Sigma phase radiation-enhanced precipitated at the grain boundary between a delta-ferrite phase and a matrix at a dose 9 x 10 19 ions·m -2 . This phase grew in two dimensions with increasing dose. The chemical composition of the sigma phase observed during irradiation showed Cr and Mo enrichment, and Fe and Ni depletion compared with those of a sigma phase thermally produced. (author)

Welding stainless steels for structures operating at liquid helium temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Witherell, C.E.

1980-04-18

Superconducting magnets for fusion energy reactors require massive monolithic stainless steel weldments which must operate at extremely low temperatures under stresses approaching 100 ksi (700 MPa). A three-year study was conducted to determine the feasibility of producing heavy-section welds having usable levels of strength and toughness at 4.2/sup 0/K for fabrication of these structures in Type 304LN plate. Seven welding processes were evaluated. Test weldments in full-thickness plate were made under severe restraint to simulate that of actual structures. Type 316L filler metal was used for most welds. Welds deposited under some conditions and which solidify as primary austenite have exhibited intergranular embrittlement at 4.2/sup 0/K. This is believed to be associated with grain boundary metal carbides or carbonitrides precipitated during reheating of already deposited beads by subsequent passes. Weld deposits which solidify as primary delta ferrite appear immune. Through use of fully austenitic filler metals of low nitrogen content under controlled shielded metal arc welding conditions, and through use of filler metals solidifying as primary delta ferrite where only minimum residuals remain to room temperature, welds of Type 316L composition have been made with 4.2K yield strength matching that of Type 304LN plate and acceptable levels of soundness, ductility and toughness.

Modification of the grain structure of austenitic welds for improved ultrasonic inspectability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Sabine; Dugan, Sandra; Stubenrauch, Steffen; Jacobs, Oliver

2013-01-01

Welding is an essential part of the fabrication of austenitic stainless steel components used in industrial plants, such as those designed for nuclear power generation, chemical processing, conventional power generation and, increasingly, for production of renewable energy. The welded austenitic material presents major challenges for ultrasonic inspection due to the grain structure of the weld metal. The typically coarse grain structure, in combination with the elastic anisotropy of the material, leads to increased scattering and affects sound wave propagation in the weld. These effects result in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio, and complicate the interpretation of signals and the localisation of defects by ultrasonic inspection. This paper presents the results of a research project dealing with efforts to influence grain growth in the weld during the welding process, in particular during the solidification process, in order to produce smaller grains. The objective was to achieve improved sound propagation through the weld, so that inspectability can be improved. The welding process was modified by the application of alternating magnetic fields at different frequencies, as well as different temperature cycles and pulsed arc technology. Metallographic sections of the test welds show that modification of the grain structure can be achieved by the use of these techniques. For further optimisation, test blocks for ultrasonic testing were manufactured with testflaws to study sound propagation through the modified weld and to assess the detectability of test flaws. The results of this investigation are of importance in assessing the integrity of highly stressed components in industrial installations, particularly for those components with stringent requirements on safety and quality.

Deviation of longitudinal and shear waves in austenitic stainless steel weld metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kupperman, D.S.; Reimann, K.J.

1980-01-01

One of the difficulties associated with the ultrasonic inspection of stainless steel weld metal is the deviation of the ultrasonic beams. This can lead to errors in determining both the location and size of reflectors. The present paper compares experimental and theoretical data related to beam steering for longitudinal and shear waves in a sample of 308 SS weld metal. Agreement between predicted and measured beam deviations is generally good. Reasons for discrepancies are discussed

In situ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy measurements of chemical compositions in stainless steels during tungsten inert gas welding

Science.gov (United States)

Taparli, Ugur Alp; Jacobsen, Lars; Griesche, Axel; Michalik, Katarzyna; Mory, David; Kannengiesser, Thomas

2018-01-01

A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was combined with a bead-on-plate Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process for the in situ measurement of chemical compositions in austenitic stainless steels during welding. Monitoring the weld pool's chemical composition allows governing the weld pool solidification behavior, and thus enables the reduction of susceptibility to weld defects. Conventional inspection methods for weld seams (e.g. ultrasonic inspection) cannot be performed during the welding process. The analysis system also allows in situ study of the correlation between the occurrence of weld defects and changes in the chemical composition in the weld pool or in the two-phase region where solid and liquid phase coexist. First experiments showed that both the shielding Ar gas and the welding arc plasma have a significant effect on the selected Cr II, Ni II and Mn II characteristic emissions, namely an artificial increase of intensity values via unspecific emission in the spectra. In situ investigations showed that this artificial intensity increase reached a maximum in presence of weld plume. Moreover, an explicit decay has been observed with the termination of the welding plume due to infrared radiation during sample cooling. Furthermore, LIBS can be used after welding to map element distribution. For austenitic stainless steels, Mn accumulations on both sides of the weld could be detected between the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the base material.

Effect of heat input on the microstructure, residual stresses and corrosion resistance of 304L austenitic stainless steel weldments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unnikrishnan, Rahul, E-mail: rahulunnikrishnannair@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur 440010, Maharashtra (India); Idury, K.S.N. Satish, E-mail: satishidury@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur 440010, Maharashtra (India); Ismail, T.P., E-mail: tpisma@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur 440010, Maharashtra (India); Bhadauria, Alok, E-mail: alokbhadauria1@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur 440010, Maharashtra (India); Shekhawat, S.K., E-mail: satishshekhawat@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Powai, Mumbai 400076, Maharashtra (India); Khatirkar, Rajesh K., E-mail: rajesh.khatirkar@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur 440010, Maharashtra (India); Sapate, Sanjay G., E-mail: sgsapate@yahoo.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur 440010, Maharashtra (India)

2014-07-01

Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in high performance pressure vessels, nuclear, chemical, process and medical industry due to their very good corrosion resistance and superior mechanical properties. However, austenitic stainless steels are prone to sensitization when subjected to higher temperatures (673 K to 1173 K) during the manufacturing process (e.g. welding) and/or certain applications (e.g. pressure vessels). During sensitization, chromium in the matrix precipitates out as carbides and intermetallic compounds (sigma, chi and Laves phases) decreasing the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. In the present investigation, 304L austenitic stainless steel was subjected to different heat inputs by shielded metal arc welding process using a standard 308L electrode. The microstructural developments were characterized by using optical microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction, while the residual stresses were measured by X-ray diffraction using the sin{sup 2}ψ method. It was observed that even at the highest heat input, shielded metal arc welding process does not result in significant precipitation of carbides or intermetallic phases. The ferrite content and grain size increased with increase in heat input. The grain size variation in the fusion zone/heat affected zone was not effectively captured by optical microscopy. This study shows that electron backscattered diffraction is necessary to bring out changes in the grain size quantitatively in the fusion zone/heat affected zone as it can consider twin boundaries as a part of grain in the calculation of grain size. The residual stresses were compressive in nature for the lowest heat input, while they were tensile at the highest heat input near the weld bead. The significant feature of the welded region and the base metal was the presence of a very strong texture. The texture in the heat affected zone was almost random. - Highlights: • Effect of heat input on microstructure, residual

Microstructural characterization in dissimilar friction stir welding between 304 stainless steel and st37 steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafarzadegan, M.; Feng, A.H.; Abdollah-zadeh, A.; Saeid, T.; Shen, J.; Assadi, H.

2012-01-01

In the present study, 3 mm-thick plates of 304 stainless steel and st37 steel were welded together by friction stir welding at a welding speed of 50 mm/min and tool rotational speed of 400 and 800 rpm. X-ray diffraction test was carried out to study the phases which might be formed in the welds. Metallographic examinations, and tensile and microhardness tests were used to analyze the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint. Four different zones were found in the weld area except the base metals. In the stir zone of the 304 stainless steel, a refined grain structure with some features of dynamic recrystallization was evidenced. A thermomechanically-affected zone was characterized on the 304 steel side with features of dynamic recovery. In the other side of the stir zone, the hot deformation of the st37 steel in the austenite region produced small austenite grains and these grains transformed to fine ferrite and pearlite and some products of displacive transformations such as Widmanstatten ferrite and martensite by cooling the material after friction stir welding. The heat-affected zone in the st37 steel side showed partially and fully refined microstructures like fusion welding processes. The recrystallization in the 304 steel and the transformations in the st37 steel enhanced the hardness of the weld area and therefore, improved the tensile properties of the joint. - Highlights: ► FSW produced sound welds between st37 low carbon steel and 304 stainless steel. ► The SZ of the st37 steel contained some products of allotropic transformation. ► The material in the SZ of the 304 steel showed features of dynamic recrystallization. ► The finer microstructure in the SZ increased the hardness and tensile strength.

Low-temperature creep of austenitic stainless steels

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, R. P.; Walsh, R. P.

2017-09-01

Plastic deformation under constant load (creep) in austenitic stainless steels has been measured at temperatures ranging from 4 K to room temperature. Low-temperature creep data taken from past and unreported austenitic stainless steel studies are analyzed and reviewed. Creep at cryogenic temperatures of common austenitic steels, such as AISI 304, 310 316, and nitrogen-strengthened steels, such as 304HN and 3116LN, are included. Analyses suggests that logarithmic creep (creep strain dependent on the log of test time) best describe austenitic stainless steel behavior in the secondary creep stage and that the slope of creep strain versus log time is dependent on the applied stress/yield strength ratio. The role of cold work, strain-induced martensitic transformations, and stacking fault energy on low-temperature creep behavior is discussed. The engineering significance of creep on cryogenic structures is discussed in terms of the total creep strain under constant load over their operational lifetime at allowable stress levels.

Experimental electro-thermal method for nondestructively testing welds in stainless steel pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.R.

1979-01-01

Welds in austenitic stainless steel pipes are notoriously difficult to nondestructively examine using conventional ultrasonic and eddy current methods. Survace irregularities and microscopic variations in magnetic permeability cause false eddy current signal variations. Ultrasonic methods have been developed which use computer processing of the data to overcome some of the problems. Electro-thermal nondestructive testing shows promise for detecting flaws that are difficult to detect using other NDT methods. Results of a project completed to develop and demonstrate the potential of an electro-thermal method for nondestructively testing stainless steel pipe welds are presented. Electro-thermal NDT uses a brief pulse of electrical current injected into the pipe. Defects at any depth within the weld cause small differences in surface electrical current distribution. These cause short-lived transient temperature differences on the pipe's surface that are mapped using an infrared scanning camera. Localized microstructural differences and normal surface roughness in the welds have little effect on the surface temperatures

Influence of microstructure and elemental partitioning on pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel welding joints

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang; Xu, Lianyong; Han, Yongdian; Zhao, Lei; Zhang, Jianli

2017-02-01

The influences of microstructure and elemental partitioning on pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel joints welded by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) with different shielding gas compositions were studied by optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and potentiostatic and potentiodynamic polarization methods The adding 2% N2 in shielding gas facilitated primary austenite formation in GTAW weld metal (WM) and suppressed Cr2N precipitation in GTAW weld root. In the HAZ, the banded microstructure disappeared while the coarse ferrite grains maintained same orientation as the banded ferrite in the BM. In the WM, the ferrite had one single orientation throughout a grain, whereas several families of austenite appeared. The austenite both in BM and WM enriched in Ni and nitro`gen, while Cr and Mo were concentrated in the ferrite and thus no element showed clear dendritic distribution in the WM (ER2209 and E2209T1). In addition, the secondary austenite had higher Ni content but lower Cr and Mo content than the primary austenite. The N2-supplemented shielding gas promoted nitrogen solid-solution in the primary and secondary austenite. Furthermore, the secondary austenite had relatively lower pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) than the ferrite and primary austenite, thereby resulting in its preferential corrosion. The Cr2N precipitation led to relatively poor resistance to pitting corrosion in three HAZs and pure Ar shielding GTAW weld root. The N2-supplemented shielding gas improved pitting corrosion resistance of GTAW joint by increasing PREN of secondary austenite and suppressing Cr2N precipitation. In addition, the FCAW WM had much poorer resistance to pitting corrosion than the GTAW WM due to many O-Ti-Si-Mn inclusions. In the BM, since the austenite with lower PREN compared

Phase structures and morphologies of tempered CA6NM stainless steel welded by hybrid laser-arc process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mirakhorli, F., E-mail: Fatemeh.mirakhorli.1@ens.etsmtl.ca [École de Technologie Supérieure, Montréal, Québec H3C 1K3 (Canada); National Research Council Canada – Aerospace, Montréal, Québec H3T 2B2 (Canada); Cao, X., E-mail: Xinjin.cao@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca [National Research Council Canada – Aerospace, Montréal, Québec H3T 2B2 (Canada); Pham, X-T., E-mail: Tan.pham@etsmtl.ca [École de Technologie Supérieure, Montréal, Québec H3C 1K3 (Canada); Wanjara, P., E-mail: Priti.wanjara@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca [National Research Council Canada – Aerospace, Montréal, Québec H3T 2B2 (Canada); Fihey, J.L., E-mail: jean-luc.fihey@etsmtl.ca [École de Technologie Supérieure, Montréal, Québec H3C 1K3 (Canada)

2017-01-15

The post-weld tempered microstructure of hybrid laser-arc welded CA6NM, a cast low carbon martensitic stainless steel, was investigated. The microstructural evolutions from the fusion zone to the base metal were characterized in detail using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microhardness techniques. The fusion zone, in its post-weld tempered condition, consisted of tempered lath martensite, residual delta-ferrite with various morphologies, reversed austenite and chromium carbides. The reversed austenite, which can be detected through both EBSD and XRD techniques, was found to be finely dispersed along the martensite lath boundaries, particularly at triple junctions. Based on the EBSD analysis, the orientation relationship between the reversed austenite and the adjacent martensite laths seemed to follow the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) model. The results also revealed the presence of the reversed austenite in the different regions of the heat affected zone after post-weld tempering. The microindentation hardness distribution was measured, and correlated to the evolution of the corresponding microstructure across the welds. - Highlights: •The EBSD analysis was performed on hybrid laser-arc welded CA6NM. •The FZ consisted of tempered lath martensite, reversed austenite, carbides and δ ferrite after tempering. •The reversed γ was formed along the α′ lath boundaries, particularly at triple junctions.

Assessment of Hot Crack Properties of Laser Welded Stainless Steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Thomas Winther; Olsen, Flemming Ove

2003-01-01

Crack testing concerning small and fast solidifying laser welds in austenitic stainless steel has been studied. A set of methods has been applied to investigate alloy properties, including (1) Application of known information to predict solidification phases, (2) Weld metal solidification rate...... crack tests, the Weeter spot weld test has been chosen to form a basis for the development of a practicable method to select specific alloys for welding applications. A new test, the Groove weld test was developed, which has reduced the time consumption and lightened the analysis effort considerably...... measurements for prediction of phases, (3) Various crack tests to assess the crack susceptibility of alloys and (4) A combination of the above for selection of suitable, weldable alloys. The possibility of using such specific methods for alloys and applications has been investigated and recommendations...

The influence of the heat treatment on delta ferrite transformation in austenitic stainless steel welds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Mateša

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Shielded metal arc (SMAW welded specimens using austenitic consumable materials with different amount of delta-ferrite are annealed in range 650-750 °C through 2-10 hours. Factorial plan 33 with influenced factors regression analyze of measured delta-ferrite values is used. The transformation i.e. decomposition of delta ferrite during annealing was analyzed regarding on weld cracking resistance using metallographic examination and WRC-1992 diagram.

Damping Capacity of High Manganese Austenitic Stainless Steel with a Two Phase Mixed Structure of Martensite and Austenite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Tae Hyun; Kang, Chang-Yong

2013-01-01

The damping capacity of high manganese austenitic stainless steel with a two phase mixed structure of deformation-induced martensite and reversed austenite was studied. Reversed austenite with an ultra-fine grain size of less than 0.2 μm was obtained by reversion treatment. The two phase structure of deformation-induced martensite and reversed austenite was obtained by annealing treatment at a range of 500-700 °C and various times in cold rolled high manganese austenitic stainless steel. The damping capacity increased with an increasing annealing temperature and time. In high manganese stainless steel with the two phase mixed structure of martensite and austenite, the damping capacity decreased with an increasing volume fraction of deformation-induced martensite. Thus, the damping capacity was strongly affected by deformation-induced martensite. The results confirmed that austenitic stainless steel with a good combination of strength and damping capacity was obtained from the two phase mixed structure of austenite and martensite.

Influence of microstructure and elemental partitioning on pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel welding joints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin 300350 (China); Xu, Lianyong, E-mail: xulianyong@tju.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin 300350 (China); Han, Yongdian; Zhao, Lei [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin 300350 (China); Zhang, Jianli [Welding laboratory, Offshore Oil Engineering (Qing Dao) Company, Qing Dao 266520 (China)

2017-02-01

Highlights: • N{sub 2}-supplemented shielding gas promoted nitrogen solid-solution in the austenite. • Secondary austenite had higher Ni but lower Cr and Mo than primary austenite. • Pitting corrosion preferentially occurred at secondary austenite and Cr{sub 2}N. • Adding N{sub 2} in shielding gas improved pitting corrosion resistance of GTAW joint. • E2209T{sub 1} weld metal had very poor pitting corrosion resistance due to inclusions. - Abstract: The influences of microstructure and elemental partitioning on pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel joints welded by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) with different shielding gas compositions were studied by optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and potentiostatic and potentiodynamic polarization methods The adding 2% N{sub 2} in shielding gas facilitated primary austenite formation in GTAW weld metal (WM) and suppressed Cr{sub 2}N precipitation in GTAW weld root. In the HAZ, the banded microstructure disappeared while the coarse ferrite grains maintained same orientation as the banded ferrite in the BM. In the WM, the ferrite had one single orientation throughout a grain, whereas several families of austenite appeared. The austenite both in BM and WM enriched in Ni and nitrogen, while Cr and Mo were concentrated in the ferrite and thus no element showed clear dendritic distribution in the WM (ER2209 and E2209T{sub 1}). In addition, the secondary austenite had higher Ni content but lower Cr and Mo content than the primary austenite. The N{sub 2}-supplemented shielding gas promoted nitrogen solid-solution in the primary and secondary austenite. Furthermore, the secondary austenite had relatively lower pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) than the ferrite and primary austenite, thereby resulting in its preferential

Influence of the filler material on the pitting corrosion in welded duplex stainless

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munez, C. J.; Utrilla, M. V.; Urena, A.; Otero, E.

2007-01-01

In this work, it has been studied the pitting corrosion resistance of welding duplex stainless steel 2205. Unions were made by GMAW process with different fillers: duplex ER 2209 and two austenitic (ER 316LSi and ER 308LSi). the microstructure obtained with the duplex ER 2209 filler is similar to the duplex 2205 base material, but the unions produced with the austenitic fillers cause a decrease of the phases relationα/γ. To evaluate the influence of the filler on the weld, the pitting corrosion resistance was determined by electrochemical critical pitting temperature test (TCP) and the mechanical properties by the hardness. The phases imbalance produced for the dissimilar fillers bring out a variation of the pitting corrosion resistance and the mechanical properties. (Author)

Effects of Energy Density and Shielding Medium on Performance of Laser Beam Welding (LBW) Joints on SAF2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, W. W.; Cong, S.; Luo, S. B.; Fang, J. H.

2018-05-01

The corrosion resistance performance of SAF2205 duplex stainless steel depends on the amount of ferrite to austenite transformation, but the ferrite content after power beam welding is always excessively high. To obtain laser beam welding joints with better mechanical and corrosion resistance performance, the effects of the energy density and shielding medium on the austenite content, hardness distribution, and shear strength were investigated. The results showed that ferrite to austenite transformation was realized with increase in the energy density. When the energy density was increased from 120 J/mm to 200 J/mm, the austenite content of the welding joint changed from 2.6% to 38.5%. Addition of nitrogen gas to the shielding medium could promote formation of austenite. When the shielding medium contained 50% and 100% nitrogen gas, the austenite content of the welding joint was 42.7% and 47.2%, respectively. The hardness and shear strength were significantly improved by increase in the energy density. However, the shielding medium had less effect on the mechanical performance. Use of the optimal welding process parameters resulted in peak hardness of 375 HV and average shear strength of 670 MPa.

Effect of residual stress and hardening on grain boundary sliding in welds of low-carbon stainless steels with surface machining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Hiroaki; Mochizuki, Masahito; Nishimoto, Kazutoshi; Katsuyama, Jinya

2007-01-01

To clarify the effects of residual stress and hardening on intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) behavior in welds of low-carbon austenitic stainless steels with surface machining, residual stress and hardness were evaluated by 3-dimentional thermo elastic-plastic analysis and grain boundary sliding behavior was examined using a constant strain rate tensile test. It was revealed that grain boundary sliding occurred in the material at 561K by the tensile test with the numerically simulated tensile residual stress due to welding and surface machining. In addition, it was clarified that the grain boundary energy is raised by the grain boundary sliding. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the cause of IGSCC in the welds of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with surface hardening is the increase in grain boundary energy due to grain boundary sliding accelerated by residual stress of multi pass welding and surface hardening. (author)

Effect of residual stress and hardening on grain boundary sliding in welds of low-carbon stainless steels with surface machining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Hiroaki; Mochizuki, Masahito; Nishimoto, Kazutoshi; Katsuyama, Jinya

2008-01-01

To clarify the effects of residual stress and hardening on intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) behavior in welds of low-carbon austenitic stainless steels with surface machining, residual stress and hardness were evaluated by 3-dimentional thermo elastic-plastic analysis and grain boundary sliding behavior was examined using a constant strain rate tensile test. It was revealed that grain boundary sliding occurred in the material at 561K by the tensile test with the numerically simulated tensile residual stress due to multi-pass welding and surface machining. In addition, it was clarified that the grain boundary energy is raised by the grain boundary sliding. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the cause of IGSCC in the welds of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with surface hardening is the increase in grain boundary energy due to grain boundary sliding induced by residual stress of multi pass welding and surface hardening. (author)

Expanded austenite in nitrided layers deposited on austenitic and super austenitic stainless steel grades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casteletti, L.C.; Fernandes, F.A.P.; Heck, S.C.; Gallego, J.

2010-01-01

In this work nitrided layers deposited on austenitic and super austenitic stainless steels were analyzed through optical microscopy and X-rays diffraction analysis (XRD). It was observed that the formation of N supersaturated phase, called expanded austenite, has promoted significant increment of hardness (> 1000HV). XRD results have indicated the anomalous displacement of the diffracted peaks, in comparison with the normal austenite. This behavior, combined with peaks broadening, it was analyzed in different nitriding temperatures which results showed good agreement with the literature. (author)

Lifespan estimation of seal welded super stainless steels for water condenser of nuclear power plants

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Young Sik; Park, Sujin; Chang, Hyun Young

2014-01-01

When sea water was used as cooling water for water condenser of nuclear power plants, commercial stainless steels can not be applied because chloride concentration exceeds 20,000 ppm. There are many opinions for the materials selection of tube and tube sheets of a condenser. This work reviewed the application guide line of stainless steels for sea-water facilities and the estimation equations of lifespan were proposed from the analyses of both field data for sea water condenser and experimental results of corrosion. Empirical equations for lifespan estimation were derived from the pit initiation time and re-tubing time of stainless steel tubing in sea water condenser of nuclear power plants. The lifespan of seal-welded super austenitic stainless steel tube/tube sheet was calculated from these equations. Critical pitting temperature of seal-welded PRE 50 grade super stainless steel was evaluated as 60 °C. Using the proposed equation in engineering aspect, tube pitting corrosion time of seal-welded tube/tube sheet was calculated as 69.8 years and re-tubing time was estimated as 82.0 years.

Investigation on Microstructure and Impact Toughness of Different Zones in Duplex Stainless Steel Welding Joint

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang; Xu, Lianyong; Han, Yongdian; Li, Guolu; Zhao, Lei

2017-01-01

This paper investigated on microstructure and impact toughness of different zones in duplex stainless steel welding joint. High-temperature heat-affected zone (HTHAZ) contained coarse ferrite grains and secondary precipitates such as secondary austenite, Cr2N, and sigma. Intergranular secondary austenite was prone to precipitation in low-temperature heat-affected zone (LTHAZ). Both in weld metal (WM) and in HTHAZ, the austenite consisted of different primary and secondary austenite. The ferrite grains in base metal (BM) presented typical rolling texture, while the austenite grains showed random orientation. Both in the HTHAZ and in the LTHAZ, the ferrite grains maintained same texture as the ferrite in the BM. The secondary austenite had higher Ni but lower Cr and Mo than the primary austenite. Furthermore, the WM exhibited the highest toughness because of sufficient ductile austenite and unapparent ferrite texture. The HTHAZ had the lowest toughness because of insufficient austenite formation in addition to brittle sigma and Cr2N precipitation. The LTHAZ toughness was higher than the BM due to secondary austenite precipitation. In addition, the WM fracture was dominated by the dimple, while the cleavage was main fracture mode of the HTHAZ. Both BM and LTHAZ exhibited a mixed fracture mode of the dimple and quasi-cleavage.

Structural stability of super duplex stainless weld metals and its dependence on tungsten and copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, J.O.; Wilson, A.; Huhtala, T.; Karlsson, L.; Jonsson, P.

1996-01-01

Three different superduplex stainless weld metals have been produced using manual metal arc welding under identical welding conditions. The concentration of the alloying elements tungsten and copper corresponded to the concentrations in commercial superduplex stainless steels (SDSS). Aging experiments in the temperature range 700 C to 1,110 C showed that the formation of intermetallic phase was enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal and also dissolved at higher temperatures compared with tungsten-poor and tungsten-free weld metals. It could be inferred from time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams produced in the present investigation that the critical cooling rate to avoid 1 wt pct of intermetallic phase was 2 times faster for tungsten-rich weld metal. Microanalysis in combination with thermodynamic calculations showed that tungsten was accommodated in χ phase, thereby decreasing the free energy. Experimental evidence supports the view that the formation of intermetallic phase is enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal, owing to easier nucleation of nonequilibrium χ phase compared with σ phase. The formation of secondary austenite (γ 2 ) during welding was modeled using the thermodynamic computer program Thermo-Calc. Satisfactory agreement between theory and practice was obtained. Thermo-Calc was capable of predicting observed lower concentrations of chromium and nitrogen in γ 2 compared with primary austenite. The volume fraction of γ 2 was found to be significantly higher in tungsten-rich and tungsten + copper containing weld metal. The results could be explained by a higher driving force for precipitation of γ 2 in these

Structural stability of super duplex stainless weld metals and its dependence on tungsten and copper

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, J.-O.; Huhtala, T.; Jonsson, P.; Karlsson, L.; Wilson, A.

1996-08-01

Three different superduplex stainless weld metals have been produced using manual metal arc welding under identical welding conditions. The concentration of the alloying elements tungsten and copper corresponded to the concentrations in commercial superduplex stainless steels (SDSS). Aging experiments in the temperature range 700 °C to 1110 °C showed that the formation of intermetallic phase was enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal and also dissolved at higher temperatures compared with tungsten-poor and tungsten-free weld metals. It could be inferred from time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams produced in the present investigation that the critical cooling rate to avoid 1 wt pct of intermetallic phase was 2 times faster for tungsten-rich weld metal. Microanalysis in combination with thermodynamic calculations showed that tungsten was accommodated in χ phase, thereby decreasing the free energy. Experimental evidence supports the view that the formation of intermetallic phase is enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal, owing to easier nucleation of nonequilibrium χ phase compared with σ phase. The formation of secondary austenite (γ2) during welding was modeled using the thermodynamic computer program Thermo-Calc. Satisfactory agreement between theory and practice was obtained. Thermo-Calc was capable of predicting observed lower concentrations of chromium and nitrogen in γ2 compared with primary austenite. The volume fraction of γ2 was found to be significantly higher in tungsten-rich and tungsten + copper containing weld metal. The results could be explained by a higher driving force for precipitation of γ2 in these.

Double-Sided Single-Pass Submerged Arc Welding for 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jian; Yuan, Yi; Wang, Xiaoming; Yao, Zongxiang

2013-09-01

The duplex stainless steel (DSS), which combines the characteristics of ferritic steel and austenitic steel, is used widely. The submerged arc welding (SAW) method is usually applied to join thick plates of DSS. However, an effective welding procedure is needed in order to obtain ideal DSS welds with an appropriate proportion of ferrite (δ) and austenite (γ) in the weld zone, particularly in the melted zone and heat-affected zone. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a high efficiency double-sided single-pass (DSSP) SAW joining method for thick DSS plates. The effectiveness of the converse welding procedure, characterizations of weld zone, and mechanical properties of welded joint are analyzed. The results show an increasing appearance and continuous distribution feature of the σ phase in the fusion zone of the leading welded seam. The converse welding procedure promotes the σ phase to precipitate in the fusion zone of leading welded side. The microhardness appears to significantly increase in the center of leading welded side. Ductile fracture mode is observed in the weld zone. A mixture fracture feature appears with a shear lip and tears in the fusion zone near the fusion line. The ductility, plasticity, and microhardness of the joints have a significant relationship with σ phase and heat treatment effect influenced by the converse welding step. An available heat input controlling technology of the DSSP formation method is discussed for SAW of thick DSS plates.

Qualification of phased array ultrasonic examination on T-joint weld of austenitic stainless steel for ITER vacuum vessel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, G.H. [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Park, C.K., E-mail: love879@hanmail.net [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Jin, S.W.; Kim, H.S.; Hong, K.H.; Lee, Y.J.; Ahn, H.J.; Chung, W. [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Y.H.; Roh, B.R. [Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Ulsan 682-792 (Korea, Republic of); Sa, J.W.; Choi, C.H. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St. Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • PAUT techniques has been developed by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., LTD (HHI) and Korea Domestic Agency (KODA) to verify and settle down instrument calibration, test procedures, image processing, and so on. As the first step of development for PAUT technique, Several dozens of qualification blocks with artificial defects, which are parallel side drilled hole, embedded lack of fusion, embedded repair weld notch, and so on, have been designed and fabricated to simulate all potential defects during welding process. Real UT qualification group-1 for T-joint weld was successfully conducted in front of ANB inspector. • In this paper, remarkable progresses of UT qualification are presented for ITER vacuum vessel. - Abstract: Full penetration welding and 100% volumetric examination are required for all welds of pressure retaining parts of the ITER Vacuum Vessel (VV) according to RCC-MR Code and French Order of Nuclear Pressure Equipment (ESPN). The NDE requirement is one of important technical issues because radiographic examination (RT) is not applicable to many welding joints. Therefore the ultrasonic examination (UT) has been selected as an alternative method. Generally the UT on the austenitic welds is regarded as a great challenge due to the high attenuation and dispersion of the ultrasonic signal. In this paper, Phased array ultrasonic examination (PAUT) has been introduced on double sided T-shape austenitic welds of the ITER VV as a major NDE method as well as RT. Several dozens of qualification blocks with artificial defects, which are parallel side drilled hole, embedded lack of fusion, embedded repair weld notch, embedded parallel vertical notch, and so on, have been designed and fabricated to simulate all potential defects during welding process. PAUT techniques on the thick austenitic welds have been developed taking into account the acceptance criteria. Test procedure including calibration of equipment is derived and qualified through

Further contribution to the study of buffer layer on austenitic stainless stell overlays obtained by means of automatic submerged arc welding with electrode-wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colla, G.

1988-01-01

The influence of several buffer layer types on a 308 type austenitic stainless steel surface overlay having a 19-21% chromium and 10-12% nikel content have been analysed. Cladding passes have been deposited on carbon steel test samples by using automatic submerged arc welding process with electrode-wire. The experimental tests have involved buffer layers having seven different chemical compositions and the obtained results are reported and discussed in the paper. The achieved experimetal results allow selecting the most suitable buffer layer to be deposited in order to reach the required cladding performance in service

An investigation of fusion zone microstructures in electron beam welding of copper-stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnabosco, I.; Ferro, P.; Bonollo, F.; Arnberg, L.

2006-01-01

The article presents a study of three different welded joints produced by electron beam welding dissimilar materials. The junctions were obtained between copper plates and three different austenitic stainless steel plates. Different welding parameters were used according to the different thicknesses of the samples. Morphological, microstructural and mechanical (micro-hardness test) analyses of the weld bead were carried out. The results showed complex heterogeneous fusion zone microstructures characterized both by rapid cooling and poor mixing of the materials which contain main elements which are mutually insoluble. Some defects such as porosity and microfissures were also found. They are mainly due to the process and geometry parameters

IASCC susceptibility under BWR conditions of welded 304 and 347 stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castano, M.L. [CIEMAT, Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Schaaf, B. van der [NRG, Petten (Netherlands); Roth, A. [Framatome ANP, Erlangen (Germany); Ohms, C. [JRC-IE, Petten (Netherlands); Gavillet, D. [PSI, Villigen (Switzerland); Dyck, S. van [SCK - CEN, Mol (Belgium)

2004-07-01

In-service cracking of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) internal components has been attributed to Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC), a high temperature degradation process that austenitic stainless steels exhibit, when subjected to stress and exposed to relatively high fast neutron flux. Most of the cracking incidents in BWRs were associated to the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of welds. Although the maximum end-of- life dose for this structure is about 3 x 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2}, below the threshold fluence of 5 x 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2} (equivalent to {approx} 1 dpa) for IASCC in BWR of annealed materials, the influence of neutron irradiation in the weld and HAZ is still an open question. As a consequence of the welding process, residual stresses, microstructural and microchemical modifications are expected. In addition, exposure to neutron irradiation can induce variations in the material's characteristics that can modify the stress corrosion resistance of the welded components. While the IASCC susceptibility of base materials is being widely studied in many international projects, the specific conditions of irradiated weldments are rarely assessed. The INTERWELD project, partially financed by the 5. Framework program of the European Commission, was defined to elucidate neutron radiation induced changes in the HAZ of austenitic stainless steel welds that may promote intergranular cracking. To achieve this goal the evolution of residual stresses, microstructure, micro-chemistry, mechanical properties and the stress corrosion behaviour of irradiated materials are being evaluated. Fabrication of appropriate welds of 304 and 347 stainless steels, representative of core components, was performed. These weld materials were irradiated in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten to two neutron dose levels, i.e. 0.3 and 1 dpa. Complete characterization of the HAZ of both materials, before and after irradiation is

Study on mechanism of intergranular stress corrosion cracking and analysis of residual stress and work hardening in welds of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with hard surface machining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Hiroaki; Mochizuki, Masahito; Nishimoto, Kazutoshi; Toyoda, Masao; Katsuyama, Jinya

2007-01-01

In order to make clear the effects of residual stress and hardening on intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) behavior in the welds of Type 316L low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with surface hardening, the residual stress and hardness in the butt-joint of pipes as a typical example of the actual structure were estimated and the grain boundary sliding was analyzed from the viewpoint of micro-deformation. On the basis of these results, the mechanism of IGSCC was discussed by the integrated knowledge between metallurgy and mechanics. The relationship between plastic strain and hardness in hard-machined surface near welds was clarified from the experimented relationship and the analysis method by the thermal elastic-plastic analysis. The distributions of hardness and residual stress with the actual surface machining could be simulated. It was made clear that grain boundary sliding occurred in the steel at 561K by a constant strain rate tensile test. From the comparison of grain boundary sliding behavior between solution treated specimen and cold-rolled one, it was found that the grain boundary sliding in cold-rolled one occurs in smaller strain conditions than that in as received one, and the amount of grain boundary sliding in cold-rolled one increases remarkably with increases in rolling reduction. In addition, it was clarified that the grain boundary energy is raised by the grain boundary sliding. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the cause of IGSCC in the welds of Type 316L low-carbon austenitic stainless steel with surface hardening is the increase in grain boundary energy due to grain boundary sliding induced by residual stress of multi pass welding and surface hardening. (author)

Phase transformation by fatigue in austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Y.S.; Kwun, S.I.

1988-01-01

The effect of strain induced martensite on the fatigue behavior of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel was investigated. During low cycle fatigue, the austenitic stainless steel showed a continuous cyclic hardening until fracture. The extent of cyclic hardening increased with decreasing austenite stability. The austenite stability was controlled by different aging time and temperature, which resulted in different carbide morphologies. The fatigue crack propagation rate near ΔK th varied also with the austenite stability inside the plastic zone at the crack up. Especially, the near-threshold fatigue crack propagation rate of the grain boundary carbide precipitated condition was the lowest. This was considered to be due to the roughness induced closure caused by intergranular facet. A new model for the intergranular facet formation and the fatigue crack propagation of grain boundary carbide precipitated condition was proposed. (Author)

Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization studies of some commercial austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collings, E.W.

1979-01-01

Results of magnetic susceptibility measurements using the Curie magnetic force technique are reported for six AISI 300-series alloys 310S, 304, 304L, 304N, 316, 316L as well as AWS 330 weld metal and Inconel 625. The temperature ranged from 5 to 416 0 K. Magnetization measurements over the temperature range 3 to 297 0 K, performed using a vibrating-sample magnetometer, are also reported. Alloy compositions and sample preparation procedures are discussed and numerical results of the study are presented. Magnetic characteristics of the four principal types of austenitic stainless steels studied are summarized

Microstructure and corrosion behavior of shielded metal arc-welded dissimilar joints comprising duplex stainless steel and low alloy steel

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, P. Bala; Muthupandi, V.; Sivan, V.; Srinivasan, P. Bala; Dietzel, W.

2006-12-01

This work describes the results of an investigation on a dissimilar weld joint comprising a boiler-grade low alloy steel and duplex stainless steel (DSS). Welds produced by shielded metal arc-welding with two different electrodes (an austenitic and a duplex grade) were examined for their microstructural features and properties. The welds were found to have overmatching mechanical properties. Although the general corrosion resistance of the weld metals was good, their pitting resistance was found to be inferior when compared with the DSS base material.

Phase transformation and mechanical behavior in annealed 2205 duplex stainless steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badji, Riad; Bouabdallah, Mabrouk; Bacroix, Brigitte; Kahloun, Charlie; Belkessa, Brahim; Maza, Halim

2008-01-01

The phase transformations and mechanical behaviour during welding and subsequent annealing treatment of 2205 duplex stainless steel have been investigated. Detailed microstructural examination showed the presence of higher ferrite amounts in the heat affected zone (HAZ), while higher amounts of austenite were recorded in the centre region of the weld metal. Annealing treatments in the temperature range of 800-1000 deg. C resulted in a precipitation of σ phase and M 23 C 6 chromium carbides at the γ/δ interfaces that were found to be preferential precipitation sites. Above 1050 deg. C, the volume fraction of δ ferrite increases with annealing temperature. The increase of δ ferrite occurs at a faster rate in the HAZ than in the base metal and fusion zone. Optimal mechanical properties and an acceptable ferrite/austenite ratio throughout the weld regions corresponds to annealing at 1050 deg. C. Fractographic examinations showed that the mode of failure changed from quasi-cleavage fracture to dimple rupture with an increase in the annealing temperature from 850 to 1050 deg. C

75 FR 973 - Certain Welded Stainless Steel Pipes From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-07

... to welded austenitic stainless steel pipes. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and... with sections 772(d)(1) and (2) of the Act, we also deducted, where applicable, those selling expenses associated with economic activities occurring in the United States, including U.S. direct selling expenses (i...

Low temperature sensitization of austenitic stainless steel: an ageing effect during BWR service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, B.K.; Sinha, A.K.; Rastogi, P.K.; Kulkarni, P.G.

1994-01-01

Sensitization in austenitic stainless steel refers to chromium carbide precipitation at the grain boundaries with concomitant depletion of chromium below 12% near grain boundaries. This makes the material susceptible to either intergranular corrosion (IGC) or intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC). This effect is predominant whenever austenitic stainless steel is subjected to thermal exposure in the temperature range 723-1073K either during welding or during heat treatment. Low temperature sensitization (LTS) refers to sensitization at temperature below the typical range of sensitization i.e. 723-1073K. A prerequisite for LTS phenomenon is reported to be the presence of chromium carbide nuclei at the grain boundaries which can grow during boiling water reactor service even at a relatively lower temperature of around 560K. LTS can lead to failure of BWR pipe due to IGSCC. The paper reviews the phenomenological and mechanistic aspects of LTS. Studies carried out regarding effect of prior cold work on LTS are reported. Summary of the studies reported in literature to examine the occurrence of LTS during BWR service has also been included. (author). 10 refs., 3 figs

Using Taguchi method to optimize welding pool of dissimilar laser welded components

OpenAIRE

Anawa, E.; Olabi, Abdul-Ghani

2008-01-01

In the present work CO2 continuous laser welding process was successfully applied and optimized for joining a dissimilar AISI 316 stainless steel and AISI 1009 low carbon steel plates. Laser power, welding speed, and defocusing distance combinations were carefully selected with the objective of producing welded joint with complete penetration, minimum fusion zone size and acceptable welding profile. Fusion zone area and shape of dissimilar austenitic stainless steel with ferritic low carbon s...

Sensitization behaviour of modified 316N and 316L stainless steel weld metals after complex annealing and stress relieving cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parvathavarthini, N.; Dayal, R.K.; Khatak, H.S.; Shankar, V.; Shanmugam, V.

2006-01-01

Sensitization behaviour of austenitic stainless steel weld metals prepared using indigenously developed modified 316N (C = 0.05%; N = 0.12%) and 316L (C = 0.02%; N = 0.07%) electrodes was studied. Detailed optical and scanning electron microscopic examination was carried out to understand the microstructural changes occurring in the weld metal during isothermal exposure at various temperatures ranging from 500 deg. C to 850 deg. C (773-1123 K). Based on these studies the mechanism of sensitization in the austenite-ferrite weld metal has been explained. Time-temperature-sensitization (TTS) diagrams were established using ASTM A262 Practice E test. From the TTS diagrams, critical cooling rate (CCR) above which there is no risk of sensitization was calculated for both materials. The heating/cooling rates to be followed for avoiding sensitization during heat treatment cycles consisting of solution-annealing and stress-relieving in fabrication of welded components of AISI 316LN stainless steel (SS) were estimated taking into account the soaking time and the number of times the component undergoes thermal excursions in the sensitization regime. The results were validated by performing controlled heating and cooling heat treatment trials on welded specimens

Applications of nitrogen-alloyed stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundvall, J.; Olsson, J. [Avesta Sheffield AB (Sweden); Holmberg, B. [Avesta Welding AB (Sweden)

1999-07-01

A selected number of applications for different types of nitrogen-alloyed stainless steels are described. The applications and grades are based on how nitrogen improves different properties. Conventional austenitic grades of type 304 and 316 can be alloyed with nitrogen to increase the strength and to maintain the austenite stability after cold deformation when exposed to cryogenic temperatures. Such examples are presented. The addition of nitrogen to duplex grades of stainless steel such as 2205 improves the pitting resistance, among other things, and also enables faster reformation of the austenite in the heat affected zone. This means that heavy plate can be welded without pre-heating or post-weld heating. Such applications are covered. Modern highly alloyed austenitic stainless steels almost always contain nitrogen and all reasons for this are covered, i.e. to stabilise the austenite, to increase the strength, and to improve the pitting resistance. The increased strength is the characteristic exemplified the least, since the higher strength of duplex grades is well known, but examples on austenite stability and improved pitting resistance are presented. (orig.)

Genetic algorithm based optimization of the process parameters for gas metal arc welding of AISI 904 L stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathiya, P.; Ajith, P. M.; Soundararajan, R.

2013-01-01

The present study is focused on welding of super austenitic stainless steel sheet using gas metal arc welding process with AISI 904 L super austenitic stainless steel with solid wire of 1.2 mm diameter. Based on the Box - Behnken design technique, the experiments are carried out. The input parameters (gas flow rate, voltage, travel speed and wire feed rate) ranges are selected based on the filler wire thickness and base material thickness and the corresponding output variables such as bead width (BW), bead height (BH) and depth of penetration (DP) are measured using optical microscopy. Based on the experimental data, the mathematical models are developed as per regression analysis using Design Expert 7.1 software. An attempt is made to minimize the bead width and bead height and maximize the depth of penetration using genetic algorithm.

Genetic algorithm based optimization of the process parameters for gas metal arc welding of AISI 904 L stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sathiya, P. [National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli (India); Ajith, P. M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kottayam (India); Soundararajan, R. [Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore (India)

2013-08-15

The present study is focused on welding of super austenitic stainless steel sheet using gas metal arc welding process with AISI 904 L super austenitic stainless steel with solid wire of 1.2 mm diameter. Based on the Box - Behnken design technique, the experiments are carried out. The input parameters (gas flow rate, voltage, travel speed and wire feed rate) ranges are selected based on the filler wire thickness and base material thickness and the corresponding output variables such as bead width (BW), bead height (BH) and depth of penetration (DP) are measured using optical microscopy. Based on the experimental data, the mathematical models are developed as per regression analysis using Design Expert 7.1 software. An attempt is made to minimize the bead width and bead height and maximize the depth of penetration using genetic algorithm.

Detailed Microstructural Characterization and Restoration Mechanisms of Duplex and Superduplex Stainless Steel Friction-Stir-Welded Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, T. F. A.; Torres, E. A.; Lippold, J. C.; Ramirez, A. J.

2016-12-01

Duplex stainless steels are successfully used in a wide variety of applications in areas such as the food industry, petrochemical installations, and sea water desalination plants, where high corrosion resistance and high mechanical strength are required. However, during fusion welding operations, there can be changes to the favorable microstructure of these materials that compromise their performance. Friction stir welding with a non-consumable pin enables welded joints to be obtained in the solid state, which avoids typical problems associated with solidification of the molten pool, such as segregation of alloying elements and the formation of solidification and liquefaction cracks. In the case of superduplex stainless steels, use of the technique can avoid unbalanced proportions of ferrite and austenite, formation of deleterious second phases, or growth of ferritic grains in the heat-affected zone. Consolidated joints with full penetration were obtained for 6-mm-thick plates of UNS S32101 and S32205 duplex stainless steels, and S32750 and S32760 superduplex steels. The welding heat cycles employed avoided the conditions required for formation of deleterious phases, except in the case of the welded joint of the S32760 steel, where SEM images indicated the formation of secondary phases, as corroborated by decreased mechanical performance. Analysis using EBSD and transmission electron microscopy revealed continuous dynamic recrystallization by the formation of cellular arrays of dislocations in the ferrite and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization in the austenite. Microtexture evaluation indicated the presence of fibers typical of shear in the thermomechanically affected zone. These fibers were not obviously present in the stir zone, probably due to the intensity of microstructural reformulation to which this region was subjected.

Stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steels in high temperature water and alternative stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonezawa, T.

2015-01-01

In order to clarify the effect of SFE on SCC resistance of austenitic stainless steels and to develop the alternative material of Type 316LN stainless steel for BWR application, the effect of chemical composition and heat treatment on SFE value and SCCGR in oxygenated high temperature water were studied. The correlation factors between SFE values for 54 heats of materials and their chemical compositions for nickel, molybdenum, chromium, manganese, nitrogen, silicon and carbon were obtained. From these correlation factors, original formulae for SFE values calculation of austenitic stainless steels in the SHTWC, SHTFC and AGG conditions were established. The maximum crack length, average crack length and cracked area of the IGSCC for 33 heats were evaluated as IGSCC resistance in oxygenated high temperature water. The IGSCC resistance of strain hardened nonsensitized austenitic stainless steels in oxygenated high temperature water increases with increasing of nickel contents and SFE values. From this study, it is suggested that the SFE value is a key parameter for the IGSCC resistance of non-sensitized strain hardened austenitic stainless steels. As an alternative material of Type 316LN stainless steel, increased SFE value material, which is high nickel, high chromium, low silicon and low nitrogen material, is recommendable. (author)

Microstructural characterization and electron backscatter diffraction analysis across the welded interface of duplex stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang; Xu, Lianyong; Han, Yongdian; Gao, Zhanqi; Zhao, Lei; Zhang, Jianli

2017-08-01

The microstructural evolution, orientation relationships, boundary characteristics, grain type, local deformation, and microhardness across the welded interface of duplex stainless steel (DSS) were investigated. The DSS welded joint consisted of four typical zones: base metal (BM), low-temperature heat-affected zone (LTHAZ), high-temperature heat-affected zone (HTHAZ), and weld metal (WM). The apparent microstructural changes in the HTHAZ and LTHAZ were secondary austenite and Cr2N precipitation. A modified cooperative precipitation mechanism of secondary austenite and Cr2N at the interface was proposed. Furthermore, the ferrite in both the HTHAZ and LTHAZ maintained the same distribution as the ferrite texture in the BM, while this ferrite texture disappeared completely in the WM. Different austenite grains in the different zones exhibited different orientation relationships with the ferrite matrix. Special grain boundaries were mainly distributed between the austenite grains, while the ferrite grains primarily contained random grain boundaries. Austenite twins constituted the largest proportion of the special boundaries. The special austenite grain boundaries in the BM and LTHAZ were higher in relative frequency than those in the HTHAZ and WM. The ferrite grains in the HTHAZ and WM mainly consisted of substructured grains. In the BM, the recrystallization degree of ferrite was significantly lower than that of austenite grains. The local deformations were mainly generated in the grain boundaries and within the deformed grains. The HTHAZ exhibited the highest hardness, while the BM had the lowest hardness. The LTHAZ had a lower hardness than the HTHAZ and higher hardness than the BM.

Studies of Hot Crack Properties of Laser Welded Stainless Steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Thomas Winther

During the present work crack testing concerning small and fast solidifying laser welds in austenitic stainless steel has been studied. A set of methods has been applied to investigate alloy properties, including ·Application of known information to predict solidification phases from the alloy...... composition. ·Weld metal solidification rate measurements for prediction of phases. ·Various crack tests to assess the crack susceptibility of alloys. ·A combination of the above for selection of suitable, weldable alloys. The possibility of using such specific methods for alloys and applications has been...... to the crack behaviour, but do not show an expected correlation between the crack resistance and the solidification rate. The employment of pulsed seams is therefore assessed not to be usable in the present selection methods. From evaluation of several crack tests, the Weeter spot weld test has been chosen...

Nondestructive characterization of austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayakumar, T.; Kumar, Anish

2010-01-01

The paper presents an overview of the non-destructive methodologies developed at the authors' laboratory for characterization of various microstructural features, residual stresses and corrosion in austenitic stainless steels. Various non-destructive evaluation (NDE) parameters such as ultrasonic velocity, ultrasonic attenuation, spectral analysis of the ultrasonic signals, magnetic hysteresis parameters and eddy current amplitude have been used for characterization of grain size, precipitation behaviour, texture, recrystallization, thermomechanical processing, degree of sensitization, formation of martensite from metastable austenite, assessment of residual stresses, degree of sensitization and propensity for intergranular corrosion in different austenitic steels. (author)

Study on microstructural changes in thermally-aged stainless steel weld-overlay cladding of nuclear reactor pressure vessels by atom probe tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeuchi, T., E-mail: takeuchi.tomoaki@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Kameda, J. [National Institute for Materials Science, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan); Nagai, Y.; Toyama, T. [Oarai Center, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Oarai, Ibaraki 311-1313 (Japan); Nishiyama, Y.; Onizawa, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan)

2011-08-15

Highlights: > Microstructural changes in stainless steel electroslag weld-overlay cladding. > Thermal aging caused progress of spinodal decomposition and precipitation of G phases in the {delta}-ferrite phase. > The degree of the spinodal decomposition had a linear relationship to the hardness. - Abstract: The effect of thermal aging on microstructural changes was investigated in stainless steel weld-overlay cladding composed of 90% austenite and 10% {delta}-ferrite phases using atom probe tomography (APT). In as-received materials subjected to cooling process after post-welding heat treatments (PWHT), a slight fluctuation of the Cr concentration was already observed due to spinodal decomposition in the ferrite phase but not in the austenitic phase. Thermal aging at 400 deg. C for 10,000 h caused not only an increase in the amplitude of spinodal decomposition but also the precipitation of G phases with composition ratios of Ni:Si:Mn = 16:7:6 in the ferrite phase. The chemical compositions of M{sub 23}C{sub 6} type carbides seemed to be formed at the austenite/ferrite interface were analyzed. The analyses of the magnitude of the spinodal decomposition and the hardness implied that the spinodal decomposition was the main cause of the hardening.

Transformation and Precipitation Reactions by Metal Active Gas Pulsed Welded Joints from X2CrNiMoN22-5-3 Duplex Stainless Steels.

Science.gov (United States)

Utu, Ion-Dragos; Mitelea, Ion; Urlan, Sorin Dumitru; Crăciunescu, Corneliu Marius

2016-07-21

The high alloying degree of Duplex stainless steels makes them susceptible to the formation of intermetallic phases during their exposure to high temperatures. Precipitation of these phases can lead to a decreasing of the corrosion resistance and sometimes of the toughness. Starting from the advantages of the synergic Metal Active Gas (MAG) pulsed welding process, this paper analyses the structure formation particularities of homogeneous welded joints from Duplex stainless steel. The effect of linear welding energy on the structure morphology of the welded joints was revealed by macro- and micrographic examinations, X-ray energy dispersion analyses, measurements of ferrite proportion and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results obtained showed that the transformation of ferrite into austenite is associated with the chromium, nickel, molybdenum and nitrogen distribution between these two phases and their redistribution degree is closely linked to the overall heat cycle of the welding process. The adequate control of the energy inserted in the welded components provides an optimal balance between the two microstructural constituents (Austenite and Ferrite) and avoids the formation of undesirable intermetallic phases.

Transformation and Precipitation Reactions by Metal Active Gas Pulsed Welded Joints from X2CrNiMoN22-5-3 Duplex Stainless Steels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion-Dragos Utu

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The high alloying degree of Duplex stainless steels makes them susceptible to the formation of intermetallic phases during their exposure to high temperatures. Precipitation of these phases can lead to a decreasing of the corrosion resistance and sometimes of the toughness. Starting from the advantages of the synergic Metal Active Gas (MAG pulsed welding process, this paper analyses the structure formation particularities of homogeneous welded joints from Duplex stainless steel. The effect of linear welding energy on the structure morphology of the welded joints was revealed by macro- and micrographic examinations, X-ray energy dispersion analyses, measurements of ferrite proportion and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results obtained showed that the transformation of ferrite into austenite is associated with the chromium, nickel, molybdenum and nitrogen distribution between these two phases and their redistribution degree is closely linked to the overall heat cycle of the welding process. The adequate control of the energy inserted in the welded components provides an optimal balance between the two microstructural constituents (Austenite and Ferrite and avoids the formation of undesirable intermetallic phases.

Effect of electromagnetic interaction during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the corrosion resistance

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rentería, M. A.; López-Morelos, V. H.; González-Sánchez, J.; García-Hernández, R.; Dzib-Pérez, L.; Curiel-López, F. F.

2017-02-01

The effect of electromagnetic interaction of low intensity (EMILI) applied during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the resistance to localised corrosion in natural seawater was investigated. The heat affected zone (HAZ) of samples welded under EMILI showed a higher temperature for pitting initiation and lower dissolution under anodic polarisation in chloride containing solutions than samples welded without EMILI. The EMILI assisted welding process developed in the present work enhanced the resistance to localised corrosion due to a modification on the microstructural evolution in the HAZ and the fusion zone during the thermal cycle involved in fusion welding. The application of EMILI reduced the size of the HAZ, limited coarsening of the ferrite grains and promoted regeneration of austenite in this zone, inducing a homogeneous passive condition of the surface. EMILI can be applied during fusion welding of structural or functional components of diverse size manufactured with duplex stainless steel designed to withstand aggressive environments such as natural seawater or marine atmospheres.

Effects on Machining on Surface Residual Stress of SA 508 and Austenitic Stainless Steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyoung Soo; Lee, Seong Ho; Park, Chi Yong; Yang, Jun Seok; Lee, Jeong Geun; Park, Jai Hak

2011-01-01

Primary water stress corrosion cracking has occurred in dissimilar weld areas in nuclear power plants. Residual stress is a driving force in the crack. Residual stress may be generated by weld or surface machining. Residual stress due to surface machining depends on the machining method, e.g., milling, grinding, or EDM. The stress is usually distributed on or near the surface of the material. We present the measured residual stress for machining on SA 508 and austenitic stainless steels such as TP304 and F316. The residual stress can be tensile or compressive depending on the machining method. The depth and the magnitude of the residual stress depend on the material and the machining method

Effects of microstructure and residual stress on fatigue crack growth of stainless steel narrow gap welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Changheui; Cho, Pyung-Yeon; Kim, Minu; Oh, Seung-Jin; Yang, Jun-Seog

2010-01-01

The effects of weld microstructure and residual stress distribution on the fatigue crack growth rate of stainless steel narrow gap welds were investigated. Stainless steel pipes were joined by the automated narrow gap welding process typical to nuclear piping systems. The weld fusion zone showed cellular-dendritic structures with ferrite islands in an austenitic matrix. Residual stress analysis showed large tensile stress in the inner-weld region and compressive stress in the middle of the weld. Tensile properties and the fatigue crack growth rate were measured along and across the weld thickness direction. Tensile tests showed higher strength in the weld fusion zone and the heat affected zone compared to the base metal. Within the weld fusion zone, strength was greater in the inner weld than outer weld region. Fatigue crack growth rates were several times greater in the inner weld than the outer weld region. The spatial variation of the mechanical properties is discussed in view of weld microstructure, especially dendrite orientation, and in view of the residual stress variation within the weld fusion zone. It is thought that the higher crack growth rate in the inner-weld region could be related to the large tensile residual stress despite the tortuous fatigue crack growth path.

Welding of stainless steel clad fuel rods for nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neves, Mauricio David Martins das

1986-01-01

This work describes the obtainment of austenitic stainless steel clad fuel rods for nuclear reactors. Two aspects have been emphasized: (a) obtainment and qualification of AISI 304 and 304 L stainless steel tubes; b) the circumferential welding of pipe ends to end plugs of the same alloy followed by qualification of the welds. Tubes with special and characteristic dimensions were obtained by set mandrel drawing. Both, seamed and seamless tubes of 304 and 304 L were obtained.The dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of the tubes were found to be adequate. The differences in the properties of the tubes with and without seams were found to be insignificant. The TIG process of welding was used. The influence of various welding parameters were studied: shielding gas (argon and helium), welding current, tube rotation speed, arc length, electrode position and gas flow. An inert gas welding chamber was developed and constructed with the aim of reducing surface oxidation and the heat affected zone. The welds were evaluated with the aid of destructive tests (burst-test, microhardness profile determination and metallographic analysis) and non destructive tests (visual inspection, dimensional examination, radiography and helium leak detection). As a function of the results obtained, two different welding cycles have been suggested; one for argon and another for helium. The changes in the microstructure caused by welding have been studied in greater detail. The utilization of work hardened tubes, permitted the identification by optical microscopy and microhardness measurements, of the different zones: weld zone; heat affected zone (region of grain growth, region of total and partial recrystallization) and finally, the zone not affected by heat. Some correlations between the welding parameters and metallurgical phenomena such as: solidification, recovery, recrystallization, grain growth and precipitation that occurred

The stress rupture properties of austenitic steel weld metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, D.S.

Elevated temperature stress rupture data on Mo containing and Mo free austenitic weld metals have been collected from French, Dutch, German and UK sources and the results analysed. The stress rupture strength of Mo containing weld metal is significantly higher than that of Mo free weld metal. At 10,000h the rupture strength of Mo containing weld metal is higher than that of Type 316 steel whereas the Mo free weld metal is about 20% lower than that of Type 304 steel. Austenitic weld metal can give low stress rupture ductility values. It is concluded that there are insufficient data to permit reliable extrapolations to long times and it is recommended that long term tests are performed to overcome this situation

Contribution to the assessment of thermal ageing of stainless steel castings and welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zdarek, J.; Novak, J.

1992-01-01

Indentation tests are considered for measuring and verifying of thermal ageing of stainless steel castings and welds in service. Therefore, relations between indentation- and tensile diagrams were analyzed. Conventional tensile characteristics, deduced from the indentation diagram, should be used for fracture toughness prediction. Form of correlation of yield stress and tensile strength on one side and of fracture toughness on the other side was proposed, which is specific for austenitic-ferritic two-phase materials. Properties of castings and welds were compared and analyzed within the framework of a mesomechanical homogenization model with micromechanical effect of geometric slip distance. (author)

Study on Characteristics of Corrosion Fatigue Crack Propagation for Austenitic Stainless Steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Uh Joh; Kim, Bu Ahn

1988-01-01

The characteristics of the corrosion fatigue cracking of both TIG weld heat affected zone and base metal for austenitic stainless steel were investigated under the environments of various specific resistance and the air. The corrosion fatigue crack initiation sensitivity was quantitatively investigated for SUS 304 weldments in the various specific resistances. Also, the characteristics of corrosion fatigue cracking for the weldments were investigated from mechanical, electrochemical, and microstructural point of view. Main results obtained are as follows: (1) The corrosion fatigue crack initiation sensitivity on the base metal and weld hea affected zone increases as the specific resistance of corrosion environment decreases, and the sensitivity of the weld heat affected zone appears increasing more than that of the base metal. (2) The corrosion potentials of various specific resistances are almost constant in initial corrosion fatigue cracking, but the corrosion potential becomes less noble promptly with the corrosion fatigue crack growth as the specific resistances decrease. (3) The corrosion fatigue crack growth of the weld heat affected zone rapid than that of the base metal, because of the softening and the less noble potential caused by welding heat cycle

UNS S31603 Stainless Steel Tungsten Inert Gas Welds Made with Microparticle and Nanoparticle Oxides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuang-Hung Tseng

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between tungsten inert gas (TIG welding of austenitic stainless steel assisted by microparticle oxides and that assisted by nanoparticle oxides. SiO2 and Al2O3 were used to investigate the effects of the thermal stability and the particle size of the activated compounds on the surface appearance, geometric shape, angular distortion, delta ferrite content and Vickers hardness of the UNS S31603 stainless steel TIG weld. The results show that the use of SiO2 leads to a satisfactory surface appearance compared to that of the TIG weld made with Al2O3. The surface appearance of the TIG weld made with nanoparticle oxide has less flux slag compared with the one made with microparticle oxide of the same type. Compared with microparticle SiO2, the TIG welding with nanoparticle SiO2 has the potential benefits of high joint penetration and less angular distortion in the resulting weldment. The TIG welding with nanoparticle Al2O3 does not result in a significant increase in the penetration or reduction of distortion. The TIG welding with microparticle or nanoparticle SiO2 uses a heat source with higher power density, resulting in a higher ferrite content and hardness of the stainless steel weld metal. In contrast, microparticle or nanoparticle Al2O3 results in no significant difference in metallurgical properties compared to that of the C-TIG weld metal. Compared with oxide particle size, the thermal stability of the oxide plays a significant role in enhancing the joint penetration capability of the weld, for the UNS S31603 stainless steel TIG welds made with activated oxides.

Low temperature sensitization behavior in the weld metal of austenitic stainless steel. Study on low temperature sensitization in weldments of austenitic stainless steels and its improvement by laser surface melting treatment. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Hiroaki; Nishimoto, Kazutoshi; Nakao, Yoshikuni

1996-01-01

Low temperature sensitization (LTS) behavior in the weld metal of Type308 stainless steel was investigated in this study. Three kinds of Type308 stainless steels, of which carbon contents were 0.04%, 0.06% and 0.08%, were used for this study. TIG welding method was adopted to make the weld metals. Weld metals were subjected to the sensitizing heat treatment in the temperature range between 773 K and 1073 K. The degree of sensitization were examined by the EPR method and the Strauss test. Chromium carbide was absorbed to precipitate at δ/γ grain boundaries in the as-welded weld metals Corrosion test results have shown that the higher carbon content in the weld metal is, the earlier sensitization yields in it. Sensitization in weld metals is found to occur faster than in those solution heat-treated at 1273 K prior to sensitizing heat-treatment. This fact suggests that preexisted chromium carbides have an effect to accelerate sensitization. That is, it is apparent that LTS phenomenon occur even in the weld metal. Moreover, sensitization in the weld metal has occurred in much shorter time than in HAZ, which is attributed to the preferential precipitation of chromium carbide at δ/γ grain boundaries in the weld metals. (author)

Mechanical properties of electron beam welds of 316LN austenitic steels at low temperature for ITER gravity support system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, P.Y.; Huo, B.L.; Kuai, K.W.

2007-01-01

The gravity support system in ITER not only sustains magnet system, the vacuum vessel and in-vessel components, but also endures several large forces, such as electromagnetic force, thermal load and seismic loads. Based on the ITER design report, the maximum displacement of the gravity support system is estimated to be 32 mm in radial direction at the top flange of the flexible plates during the TF coil cool down from room temperature to 80 k. Welds are located in the peak stress region and subject to cyclic loads in the top flange is a potential problem. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the welds are extremely important for this system. 316LN austenitic stainless steel has been selected as the gravity support structure materials. However, there is still lack of the related mechanical data of the welding components of 316LN stainless steel at present. In this study, we are systematically investigated the mechanical properties of the welding components at low temperature. (authors)

Strain hardening of cold-rolled lean-alloyed metastable ferritic-austenitic stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papula, Suvi [Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 14200, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Anttila, Severi [Centre for Advanced Steels Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4200, 90014 Oulu (Finland); Talonen, Juho [Outokumpu Oyj, P.O. Box 245, FI-00181 Helsinki (Finland); Sarikka, Teemu; Virkkunen, Iikka; Hänninen, Hannu [Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 14200, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland)

2016-11-20

Mechanical properties and strain hardening of two pilot-scale lean-alloyed ferritic-austenitic stainless steels having metastable austenite phase, present at 0.50 and 0.30 volume fractions, have been studied by means of tensile testing and nanoindentation. These ferritic-austenitic stainless steels have high strain-hardening capacity, due to the metastable austenite phase, which leads to an improved uniform elongation and higher tensile strength in comparison with most commercial lean duplex stainless steels. According to the results, even as low as 0.30 volume fraction of austenite seems efficient for achieving nearly 40% elongation. The austenite phase is initially the harder phase, and exhibits more strain hardening than the ferrite phase. The rate of strain hardening and the evolution of the martensite phase were found to depend on the loading direction: both are higher when strained in the rolling direction as compared to the transverse direction. Based on the mechanical testing, characterization of the microstructure by optical/electron microscopy, magnetic balance measurements and EBSD texture analysis, this anisotropy in mechanical properties of the cold-rolled metastable ferritic-austenitic stainless steels can be explained by the elongated dual-phase microstructure, fiber reinforcement effect of the harder austenite phase and the presence and interplay of rolling textures in the two phases.

Experimental and numerical approaches to studying hot cracking in stainless steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le, Minh

2014-01-01

This work concerns experimental and numerical approaches to studying hot cracking in welds in stainless steel. Metallurgical weldability of two filler products used for the welding of an AISI-316L(N) austenitic stainless steel grade is evaluated. These filler metals are distinguished by their solidification microstructures: austeno-ferritic for the 19Cr-12Ni-2Mo grade and austenitic for the 19-15H Thermanit grade. The study of weldability concerns the assessment of the susceptibility to hot cracking of these three alloys, the proposition of a hot cracking criterion, and the evaluation of its transferability to structure-scale tests. Hot cracks are material separations occurring at high temperatures along the grain boundaries (dendrite boundaries), when the level of strain and the strain rate exceed a certain level. The hot cracks studied are formed during solidification from the liquid phase of weld metals. The bibliography study brings to the fore the complexity of initiation and propagation mechanisms of these material separations. Three types of tests are studied in this work: hot cracking tests, such as trapezoidal and Varestraint tests, allowing to initiate the phenomenon in controlled experimental conditions, and tests on the Gleeble thermomechanical simulator for thermomechanical (materials behavior laws, fracture properties) and metallurgical (brittle temperature range (BTR), evolution of delta ferrite) characterizations of the alloys. All these tests on the three materials were analyzed via numerical modeling and simulations implemented in the Cast3M finite element code in order to bring out a thermomechanical hot cracking criterion. (author) [fr

Phase transformation system of austenitic stainless steels obtained by permanent compressive strain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okayasu, Mitsuhiro, E-mail: mitsuhiro.okayasu@utoronto.ca; Tomida, Sai

2017-01-27

In order to understand more completely the formation of strain-induced martensite, phase structures were investigated both before and after plastic deformation, using austenitic stainless steels of various chemical compositions (carbon C=0.007–0.04 mass% and molybdenum Mo=0–2.10 mass%) and varying pre-strain levels (0–30%). Although the stainless steels consisted mainly of γ austenite, two martensite structures were generated following plastic deformation, comprising ε and α′ martensite. The martensitic structures were obtained in the twin deformation and slip bands. The severity of martensite formation (ε and α′) increased with increasing C content. It was found that α′ martensite was formed mainly in austenitic stainless steel lacking Mo, whereas a high Mo content led to a strong ε martensite structure, i.e. a weak α′ martensite. The formation of α′ martensite occurred from γ austenite via ε martensite, and was related to the slip deformation. Molybdenum in austenitic stainless steel had high slip resistance (or weak stress-induced martensite transformation), because of the stacking fault energy of the stainless steel affecting the austenite stability. This resulted in the creation of weak α′ martensite. Models of the martensitic transformations γ (fcc)→ε (hcp)→α′ (bcc) were proposed on both the microscopic and nanoscopic scales. The α′ martensite content of austenitic stainless steel led to high tensile strength; conversely, ε martensite had a weak effect on the mechanical strength. The influence of martensitic formation on the mechanical properties was evaluated quantitatively by statistical analysis.

Welding hot cracking in an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerrouault, N.

2001-01-01

The occurrence of hot cracking is linked to several conditions, in particular, the composition of the material and the local strains due to clambering. The aim of this study is to better analyse the implied mechanisms and to lead to a local thermomechanical criterion for hot cracking. The example studied is an AISI 321-type stainless steel (X10CrNiTi18-12) strongly prone to cracking. Two weldability tests are studied: - the first one consists in carrying out a fusion line by the TIG process on a thin sheet. In the case of the defect occurrence, the crack is longitudinal and follows the back of the molten bath. The influence of the operating conditions welding (speed, welding heat input, width test sample) is studied. - the second one is the Varestraint test. It is widely used to evaluate the sensitivity of a material to hot cracking. It consists in loading the material by bending during a fusion line by the TIG process and in characterising the defects quantity (length, number). Various thermal and mechanical instrumentation methods were used. The possibilities of a local instrumentation instrumentation being limited because of the melting, the experimental results were complemented by a numerical modelling whose aim is to simulate the thermomechanical evolution of the loading thanks to the finite element analysis code ABAQUS. First, the heat input for thermal simulation is set by the use of an inverse method in order to optimise the energy deposit mode during welding in the calculation. Then, the mechanical simulation needs the input of a constitutive law that fits the mechanical behaviour over a wide temperature range from ambient to melting temperature. Thus, a mechanical characterization is performed by selecting strain values and strain rates representative of what the material undergoes during the tests. The results come from tensile and compressive tests and allow to settle an elasto-visco-plastic constitutive law over temperatures up to liquidus. Once

Residual stress improvement in multi-layer welded plates using water-shower cooling during welding process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Nobuyoshi; Koide, Hiroo

2006-01-01

To reduce tensile residual stress in a welded region, we developed a new welding method that applies a water-shower behind the welding torch. When this method is applied to welding of austenitic stainless steel plates, cooling conditions mainly determine how much the residual stress can be reduced. To determine the conditions, we first used FEM to evaluate the effects of interpass temperature on the residual stress. And we found effective conditions for reducing tensile residual stress. To verify the validity of the conditions, specimens welded with or without water shower cooling were manufactured. Residual stresses of the specimens were experimentally measured. It was found that tensile residual stresses were generated on the surface of the welds and those were reduced in the case that the water-shower was applied. These measurement results agree well with the FEM analyses. It can therefore be concluded that the water-shower cooling during welding is appropriate for reducing tensile residual stress in austenitic stainless steel welding. (author)

Anelastic mechanical loss spectrometry of hydrogen in austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yagodzinskyy, Y.; Andronova, E.; Ivanchenko, M.; Haenninen, H.

2009-01-01

Atomic distribution of hydrogen, its elemental diffusion jumps and its interaction with dislocations in a number of austenitic stainless steels are studied with anelastic mechanical loss (AML) spectrometry in combination with the hydrogen thermal desorption method. Austenitic stainless steels of different chemical composition, namely, AISI 310, AISI 201, and AISI 301LN, as well as LDX 2101 duplex stainless steel are studied to clarify the role of different alloying elements on the hydrogen behavior. Activation analyses of the hydrogen Snoek-like peaks are performed with their decomposition to sets of Gaussian components. Fine structure of the composite hydrogen peaks is analyzed under the assumption that each component corresponds to diffusion transfer of hydrogen between octahedral positions with certain atomic compositions of the nearest neighbouring lattice sites. An additional component originating from hydrogen-dislocation interaction is considered. Binding energies for hydrogen-dislocation interaction are also estimated for the studied austenitic stainless steels.

THE INFLUENCE OF POSTHEAT TREATMENT ON FERRITE REDISTRIBUTION IN DUPLEX STEELS ELECTRON BEAM WELDS

OpenAIRE

Zita Iždinská; František Kolenič

2009-01-01

The duplex stainless steel is two-phase steel with the structure composed of austenite and ferrite with optimum austenite/ferrite proportion 50%. At present, classical arc processes for welding duplex steels are generally regarded as acceptable. On the other hand electron and laser beam welding is up to now considered less suitable for welding duplex steels. The submitted work presents the results of testing various thermal conditions at welding duplex stainless steel with electron beam. It w...

Transformation in austenitic stainless steel sheet under different loading directions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Boogaard, Antonius H.; Krauer, J.; Hora, P.

2011-01-01

The stress-strain relation for austenitic stainless steels is based on 2 main contributions: work hardening and a phase transformation from austenite to martensite. The transformation is highly temperature dependent. In most models for phase transformation from austenite to martensite, the stress

Transformation in Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheet under Different Loading Directions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Boogaard, Antonius H.; Krauer, J.; Hora, P.

2011-01-01

The stress-strain relation for austenitic stainless steels is based on 2 main contributions: work hardening and a phase transformation from austenite to martensite. The transformation is highly temperature dependent. In most models for phase transformation from austenite to martensite, the stress

Microstructural changes of a thermally aged stainless steel submerged arc weld overlay cladding of nuclear reactor pressure vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Takeuchi, T.; Kameda, J.; Nagai, Y.; Toyama, T.; Matsukawa, Y.; Nishiyama, Y.; Onizawa, K.

2012-06-01

The effect of thermal aging on microstructural changes in stainless steel submerged arc weld-overlay cladding of reactor pressure vessels was investigated using atom probe tomography (APT). In as-received materials subjected to post-welding heat treatments (PWHTs), with a subsequent furnace cooling, a slight fluctuation of the Cr concentration was observed due to spinodal decomposition in the δ-ferrite phase but not in the austenitic phase. Thermal aging at 400 °C for 10,000 h caused not only an increase in the amplitude of spinodal decomposition but also the precipitation of G phases with composition ratios of Ni:Si:Mn = 16:7:6 in the δ-ferrite phase. The degree of the spinodal decomposition in the submerged arc weld sample was similar to that in the electroslag weld one reported previously. We also observed a carbide on the γ-austenite and δ-ferrite interface. There were no Cr depleted zones around the carbide.

Microstructural changes of a thermally aged stainless steel submerged arc weld overlay cladding of nuclear reactor pressure vessels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeuchi, T., E-mail: takeuchi.tomoaki@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Kameda, J. [National Institute for Materials Science, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan); Nagai, Y.; Toyama, T.; Matsukawa, Y. [Oarai Center, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Oarai, Ibaraki 311-1313 (Japan); Nishiyama, Y.; Onizawa, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan)

2012-06-15

The effect of thermal aging on microstructural changes in stainless steel submerged arc weld-overlay cladding of reactor pressure vessels was investigated using atom probe tomography (APT). In as-received materials subjected to post-welding heat treatments (PWHTs), with a subsequent furnace cooling, a slight fluctuation of the Cr concentration was observed due to spinodal decomposition in the {delta}-ferrite phase but not in the austenitic phase. Thermal aging at 400 Degree-Sign C for 10,000 h caused not only an increase in the amplitude of spinodal decomposition but also the precipitation of G phases with composition ratios of Ni:Si:Mn = 16:7:6 in the {delta}-ferrite phase. The degree of the spinodal decomposition in the submerged arc weld sample was similar to that in the electroslag weld one reported previously. We also observed a carbide on the {gamma}-austenite and {delta}-ferrite interface. There were no Cr depleted zones around the carbide.

Microstructural characterization and electron backscatter diffraction analysis across the welded interface of duplex stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin 300350 (China); Xu, Lianyong, E-mail: xulianyong@tju.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin 300350 (China); Han, Yongdian; Gao, Zhanqi; Zhao, Lei [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin 300350 (China); Zhang, Jianli [Welding laboratory, Offshore Oil Engineering (Qing Dao) Company, Qing Dao 266520 (China)

2017-08-15

Highlights: • Apparent change in LTHAZ was the intergranular secondary austenite precipitation. • Ferrite in HAZ maintained same distribution as ferrite texture in base metal. • Different austenite in different zones showed different orientation with ferrite. • Ferrite and austenite grains exhibited different boundary characteristics. • Local deformations were generated in grain boundary and within deformed grain. - Abstract: The microstructural evolution, orientation relationships, boundary characteristics, grain type, local deformation, and microhardness across the welded interface of duplex stainless steel (DSS) were investigated. The DSS welded joint consisted of four typical zones: base metal (BM), low-temperature heat-affected zone (LTHAZ), high-temperature heat-affected zone (HTHAZ), and weld metal (WM). The apparent microstructural changes in the HTHAZ and LTHAZ were secondary austenite and Cr{sub 2}N precipitation. A modified cooperative precipitation mechanism of secondary austenite and Cr{sub 2}N at the interface was proposed. Furthermore, the ferrite in both the HTHAZ and LTHAZ maintained the same distribution as the ferrite texture in the BM, while this ferrite texture disappeared completely in the WM. Different austenite grains in the different zones exhibited different orientation relationships with the ferrite matrix. Special grain boundaries were mainly distributed between the austenite grains, while the ferrite grains primarily contained random grain boundaries. Austenite twins constituted the largest proportion of the special boundaries. The special austenite grain boundaries in the BM and LTHAZ were higher in relative frequency than those in the HTHAZ and WM. The ferrite grains in the HTHAZ and WM mainly consisted of substructured grains. In the BM, the recrystallization degree of ferrite was significantly lower than that of austenite grains. The local deformations were mainly generated in the grain boundaries and within the deformed

A review on nickel-free nitrogen containing austenitic stainless steels for biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Talha, Mohd; Behera, C K; Sinha, O P

2013-10-01

The field of biomaterials has become a vital area, as these materials can enhance the quality and longevity of human life. Metallic materials are often used as biomaterials to replace structural components of the human body. Stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys, commercially pure titanium and its alloys are typical metallic biomaterials that are being used for implant devices. Stainless steels have been widely used as biomaterials because of their very low cost as compared to other metallic materials, good mechanical and corrosion resistant properties and adequate biocompatibility. However, the adverse effects of nickel ions being released into the human body have promoted the development of "nickel-free nitrogen containing austenitic stainless steels" for medical applications. Nitrogen not only replaces nickel for austenitic structure stability but also much improves steel properties. Here we review the harmful effects associated with nickel and emphatically the advantages of nitrogen in stainless steel, as well as the development of nickel-free nitrogen containing stainless steels for medical applications. By combining the benefits of stable austenitic structure, high strength, better corrosion and wear resistance and superior biocompatibility in comparison to the currently used austenitic stainless steel (e.g. 316L), the newly developed nickel-free high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel is a reliable substitute for the conventionally used medical stainless steels. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation of radiation induced segregation and PWSCC susceptibility for austenitic stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujimoto Koji; Yonezawa, Toshio; Iwamura, Toshihiko [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Takasago, Hyogo (Japan). Takasago R and D Center; Ajiki, Kazuhide [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Kobe (Japan). Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works; Urata, Sigeru [General Office of Nuclear and Fossil Power Production, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Osaka (Japan)

2000-08-01

Recently, irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of austenitic stainless steels for core internal components materials become a subject of discussion in light water reactors (LWRs). IASCC has not been found in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). However, the authors have investigated on the possibility of IASCC of austenitic stainless steels for core internal materials so as to be able to estimate the degradation of PWR plants up to the end of their lifetime. In this study, in order to verify the hypothetical that the IASCC in PWRs shall be caused by the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) as a result of radiation induced segregation (RIS) at grain boundaries, the authors simulated RIS at grain boundaries of austenitic stainless steels based on previous study and estimated RIS tendency after long time operation. And the authors melted the test alloys whose bulk compositions simulated the grain boundary compositions of irradiated austenitic stainless steels and made clear chromium-nickel-silicon compositions for PWSCC susceptibility area in austenitic alloys by slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test. (author)

Simulation of radiation induced segregation and PWSCC susceptibility for austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimoto Koji; Yonezawa, Toshio; Iwamura, Toshihiko

2000-01-01

Recently, irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of austenitic stainless steels for core internal components materials become a subject of discussion in light water reactors (LWRs). IASCC has not been found in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). However, the authors have investigated on the possibility of IASCC of austenitic stainless steels for core internal materials so as to be able to estimate the degradation of PWR plants up to the end of their lifetime. In this study, in order to verify the hypothetical that the IASCC in PWRs shall be caused by the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) as a result of radiation induced segregation (RIS) at grain boundaries, the authors simulated RIS at grain boundaries of austenitic stainless steels based on previous study and estimated RIS tendency after long time operation. And the authors melted the test alloys whose bulk compositions simulated the grain boundary compositions of irradiated austenitic stainless steels and made clear chromium-nickel-silicon compositions for PWSCC susceptibility area in austenitic alloys by slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test. (author)

Assessment of Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance of Activated Tungsten Inert Gas-Welded Duplex Stainless Steel Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Alwin, B.; Lakshminarayanan, A. K.; Vasudevan, M.; Vasantharaja, P.

2017-12-01

The stress corrosion cracking behavior of duplex stainless steel (DSS) weld joint largely depends on the ferrite-austenite phase microstructure balance. This phase balance is decided by the welding process used, heat input, welding conditions and the weld metal chemistry. In this investigation, the influence of activated tungsten inert gas (ATIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding processes on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of DSS joints was evaluated and compared. Boiling magnesium chloride (45 wt.%) environment maintained at 155 °C was used. The microstructure and ferrite content of different weld zones are correlated with the outcome of sustained load, SCC test. Irrespective of the welding processes used, SCC resistance of weld joints was inferior to that of the base metal. However, ATIG weld joint exhibited superior resistance to SCC than the TIG weld joint. The crack initiation and final failure were in the weld metal for the ATIG weld joint; they were in the heat-affected zone for the TIG weld joint.

Low temperature plasma carburizing of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel and AISI F51 duplex stainless steel

OpenAIRE

Pinedo,Carlos Eduardo; Tschiptschin,André Paulo

2013-01-01

In this work an austenitic AISI 316L and a duplex AISI F51 (EN 1.4462) stainless steel were DC-Plasma carburized at 480ºC, using CH4 as carbon carrier gas. For the austenitic AISI 316L stainless steel, low temperature plasma carburizing induced a strong carbon supersaturation in the austenitic lattice and the formation of carbon expanded austenite (γC) without any precipitation of carbides. The hardness of the carburized AISI 316L steel reached a maximum of 1000 HV due to ∼13 at% c...

Low temperature plasma carburizing of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel and AISI F51 duplex stainless steel

OpenAIRE

Pinedo, Carlos Eduardo; Tschiptschin, André Paulo

2013-01-01

In this work an austenitic AISI 316L and a duplex AISI F51 (EN 1.4462) stainless steel were DC-Plasma carburized at 480ºC, using CH4 as carbon carrier gas. For the austenitic AISI 316L stainless steel, low temperature plasma carburizing induced a strong carbon supersaturation in the austenitic lattice and the formation of carbon expanded austenite (γC) without any precipitation of carbides. The hardness of the carburized AISI 316L steel reached a maximum of 1000 HV due to ∼13 at% carbon super...

Signal quality enhancement using higher order wavelets for ultrasonic TOFD signals from austenitic stainless steel welds.

Science.gov (United States)

Praveen, Angam; Vijayarekha, K; Abraham, Saju T; Venkatraman, B

2013-09-01

Time of flight diffraction (TOFD) technique is a well-developed ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) method and has been applied successfully for accurate sizing of defects in metallic materials. This technique was developed in early 1970s as a means for accurate sizing and positioning of cracks in nuclear components became very popular in the late 1990s and is today being widely used in various industries for weld inspection. One of the main advantages of TOFD is that, apart from fast technique, it provides higher probability of detection for linear defects. Since TOFD is based on diffraction of sound waves from the extremities of the defect compared to reflection from planar faces as in pulse echo and phased array, the resultant signal would be quite weak and signal to noise ratio (SNR) low. In many cases the defect signal is submerged in this noise making it difficult for detection, positioning and sizing. Several signal processing methods such as digital filtering, Split Spectrum Processing (SSP), Hilbert Transform and Correlation techniques have been developed in order to suppress unwanted noise and enhance the quality of the defect signal which can thus be used for characterization of defects and the material. Wavelet Transform based thresholding techniques have been applied largely for de-noising of ultrasonic signals. However in this paper, higher order wavelets are used for analyzing the de-noising performance for TOFD signals obtained from Austenitic Stainless Steel welds. It is observed that higher order wavelets give greater SNR improvement compared to the lower order wavelets. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of the post-weld surface treatment on the corrosion resistance of the duplex stainless steel 1.4062

Science.gov (United States)

Rosemann, P.; Müller, C.; Baumann, O.; Modersohn, W.; Halle, T.

2017-03-01

The duplex stainless steel 1.4062 (X2CrNiN22-2) is used as alternative material to austenitic stainless steels in the construction industry. The corrosion resistance of welded seams is influenced by the base material, the weld filler material, the welding process and also by the final surface treatment. The scale layer next to the weld seam can be removed by grinding, pickling, electro-polished or blasting depending on the application and the requested corrosion resistance. Blasted surfaces are often used in industrial practice due to the easier and cheaper manufacturing process compared to pickled or electro-polished surfaces. Furthermore blasting with corundum-grain is more effective than blasting with glass-beads which also lower the process costs. In recent years, stainless steel surfaces showed an unusually high susceptibility to pitting corrosion after grinding with corundum. For this reason, it is now also questioned critically whether the corrosion resistance is influenced by the applied blasting agent. This question was specifically investigated by comparing grinded, pickled, corundum-grain- and glass-bead-blasted welding seams. Results of the SEM analyses of the blasting agents and the blasted surfaces will be presented and correlated with the different performed corrosion tests (potential measurement, KorroPad-test and pitting potential) on welding seams with different surface treatments.

An experience with in-service fabrication and inspection of austenitic stainless steel piping in high temperature sodium system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ravi, S., E-mail: sravi@igcar.gov.in; Laha, K.; Sakthy, S.; Mathew, M.D.; Bhaduri, A.K.

2015-04-01

Highlights: • Procedure for changing 304L SS pipe to 316L SS in sodium loop has been established. • Hot leg made of 304L SS was isolated from existing cold leg made of 316LN SS. • Innovative welding was used in joining the new 316L SS pipe with existing 316LN SS. • The old components of 304L SS piping have been integrated with the new piping. - Abstract: A creep testing facility along with dynamic sodium loop was installed at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, India to assess the creep behavior of fast reactor structural materials in flowing sodium. Type 304L austenitic stainless steel was used in the low cross section piping of hot-leg whereas 316LN austenitic stainless steel in the high cross section cold-leg of the sodium loop. The intended service life of the sodium loop was 10 years. The loop has performed successfully in the stipulated time period. To enhance its life time, it has been decided to replace the 304L piping with 316L piping in the hot-leg. There were more than 300 welding joints involved in the integration of cold-leg with the new 316L hot-leg. Continuous argon gas flow was maintained in the loop during welding to avoid contamination of sodium residue with air. Several innovative welding procedures have been adopted for joining the new hot-leg with the existing cold-leg in the presence of sodium residue adopting TIG welding technique. The joints were inspected for 100% X-ray radiography and qualified by performing tensile tests. The components used in the discarded hot-leg were retrieved, cleaned and integrated in the renovated loop. A method of cleaning component of sodium residue has been established. This paper highlights the in-service fabrication and inspection of the renovation.

Corrosion of austenitic stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, M C.M. [Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

1977-01-01

Types of corrosion observed in a heat exchanger pipe and on a support of still of molasses fermented wort, both in austenitic stainless steel, are focused. Not only are the causes which might have had any kind of influence on them examined, but also the measures adopted in order to avoid and lessen its occurence.

Intergranular stress corrosion in soldered joints of stainless steel 304

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamora R, L.

1994-01-01

The intergranular stress cracking of welded joints of austenitic stainless steel, AISI 304, is a serious problem in BWR type reactors. It is associated with the simultaneous presence of three factors; stress, a critical media and sensibilization (DOS). EPR technique was used in order to verify the sensibilization degree in the base metal, and the zone affected by heat and welding material. The characterization of material was done. The objective of this work is the study of microstructure and the evaluation of EPR technique used for the determination of DOS in a welded plate of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304. (Author)

Thermal treatments effect on the austenite-ferrite equilibrium in a duplex stainless steel weld beads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belkessa, Brahim; Badji, Riad; Bettahar, Kheireddine; Maza, Halim

2006-01-01

Heat treatments in the temperature range between 800 to 1200 C, with a keeping at high temperature of 60 min, followed by a water quenching at 20 C, have been carried out on austeno-ferritic stainless steel welds (of type SAF 2205-UNS S31803). The heat treatments carried out at temperatures below 1000 C have modified the structure of the duplex stainless steel 2205 in inducing the formation of precipitates, identified by X-ray diffraction as being the intermetallic compound σ and the chromium carbides M 23 C 6 . The treatments applied to temperatures superior to 1000 C shift the δ-γ equilibrium towards the δ phase. Indeed, the increase of the ferrite rate with the treatment temperature is approximately linear. The ferrite rates are higher in the heat-affected zone, which has been submitted to a ferritizing due to the welding thermal effects. (O.M.)

Laser desensitization of austenitic stainless steel weld AHZ. Desensibilizacion con Laser de la zona afectada por el calor (ZAC) en aceros inoxidables austeniticos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, C.H.; Kim, K.C.; Chang, R.W. (Welding Research Center Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of))

1994-01-01

This paper addressed the fundamental understanding of sensitization phenomena in the weld HAZ of austenitic stainless steel and a method of desensitization utilizing LASER, without degradation of other corrosion resistance (pitting resistance). Sensitization in the weld HAZ was due to a formation of CR depleted zone along grain boundaries and twin boundaries by precipitation of Cr[sub 2]3C[sub 6] which contains 70-80% Cr and a small amount of Fe having a cubic-cubic relationship with the austenite matrix. Common morphologies of carbides were found to be of bar and globular shapes. As the holding time increased, carbides with coarsened globular (iodomorph) and dendrite shapes were also found. However, there was no significant variation in the composition of carbides and width of the Cr depleted zone with morphology. Laser desensitization could be obtained with a proper choice of the beam power and travel speed under a constant beam size. As long as the beam density reached a critical amount, carbides and Cr depleted zone completed zone completely disappeared. The critical travel speed increased with higher beam power, but was constant regardless of the original degree of sensitization. Pitting resistance of the LASER desensitized base metal and HAZ appeared to be far superior to that found in the sensitized condition. The protection potential in the hysteresis loop test was very sensitive to the degree of sensitization, revealing that the protection potential was dependent upon the propagation of the pits through the Cr depleted grain boundaries. (Author) 10 refs.

Effect of electromagnetic interaction during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the corrosion resistance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Rentería, M.A., E-mail: marcogarciarenteria@uadec.edu.mx [Faculty of Metallurgy, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Carretera 57 Km. 5, CP 25720, Monclova, Coahuila (Mexico); López-Morelos, V.H., E-mail: vhlopez@umich.mx [Instituto de Investigación en Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, A.P. 888, CP 58000, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); González-Sánchez, J., E-mail: jagonzal@uacam.mx [Centre for Corrosion Research, Autonomous University of Campeche, Av. Agustín Melgar s/n, Col. Buenavista, CP 24039, Campeche, Cam (Mexico); García-Hernández, R., E-mail: rgarcia@umich.mx [Instituto de Investigación en Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, A.P. 888, CP 58000, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); Dzib-Pérez, L., E-mail: franciscocl7@yahoo.com.mx [Centre for Corrosion Research, Autonomous University of Campeche, Av. Agustín Melgar s/n, Col. Buenavista, CP 24039, Campeche, Cam (Mexico); Curiel-López, F.F., E-mail: franciscocl7@yahoo.com.mx [Faculty of Metallurgy, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Carretera 57 Km. 5, CP 25720, Monclova, Coahuila (Mexico)

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Application of EMILI during welding 2205 Duplex stainless steel hindered the coarsening of δ grains in HTHAZ and promoted regeneration of γ. • Welds made with simultaneous EMILI presented TPI values at the HTHAZ similar to those for BM. • Welds made under 3, 12 and 15 mT presented a mass loss by anodic polarisation similar to that observed for the as-received BM. • This behaviour is due to changes in the dynamics of microstructural evolution during welding with EMILI. - Abstract: The effect of electromagnetic interaction of low intensity (EMILI) applied during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the resistance to localised corrosion in natural seawater was investigated. The heat affected zone (HAZ) of samples welded under EMILI showed a higher temperature for pitting initiation and lower dissolution under anodic polarisation in chloride containing solutions than samples welded without EMILI. The EMILI assisted welding process developed in the present work enhanced the resistance to localised corrosion due to a modification on the microstructural evolution in the HAZ and the fusion zone during the thermal cycle involved in fusion welding. The application of EMILI reduced the size of the HAZ, limited coarsening of the ferrite grains and promoted regeneration of austenite in this zone, inducing a homogeneous passive condition of the surface. EMILI can be applied during fusion welding of structural or functional components of diverse size manufactured with duplex stainless steel designed to withstand aggressive environments such as natural seawater or marine atmospheres.

Studies on Stress Corrosion Cracking of Super 304H Austenitic Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Prabha, B.; Sundaramoorthy, P.; Suresh, S.; Manimozhi, S.; Ravishankar, B.

2009-12-01

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a common mode of failure encountered in boiler components especially in austenitic stainless steel tubes at high temperature and in chloride-rich water environment. Recently, a new type of austenitic stainless steels called Super304H stainless steel, containing 3% copper is being adopted for super critical boiler applications. The SCC behavior of this Super 304H stainless steel has not been widely reported in the literature. Many researchers have studied the SCC behavior of steels as per various standards. Among them, the ASTM standard G36 has been widely used for evaluation of SCC behavior of stainless steels. In this present work, the SCC behavior of austenitic Fe-Cr-Mn-Cu-N stainless steel, subjected to chloride environments at varying strain conditions as per ASTM standard G36 has been studied. The environments employed boiling solution of 45 wt.% of MgCl2 at 155 °C, for various strain conditions. The study reveals that the crack width increases with increase in strain level in Super 304H stainless steels.

Metallurgical and Corrosion Characterization of POST Weld Heat Treated Duplex Stainless Steel (uns S31803) Joints by Friction Welding Process

Science.gov (United States)

Asif M., Mohammed; Shrikrishna, Kulkarni Anup; Sathiya, P.

2016-02-01

The present study focuses on the metallurgical and corrosion characterization of post weld heat treated duplex stainless steel joints. After friction welding, it was confirmed that there is an increase in ferrite content at weld interface due to dynamic recrystallization. This caused the weldments prone to pitting corrosion attack. Hence the post weld heat treatments were performed at three temperatures 1080∘C, 1150∘C and 1200∘C with 15min of aging time. This was followed by water and oil quenching. The volume fraction of ferrite to austenite ratio was balanced and highest pit nucleation resistance were achieved after PWHT at 1080∘C followed by water quench and at 1150∘C followed by oil quench. This had happened exactly at parameter set containing heating pressure (HP):40 heating time (HT):4 upsetting pressure (UP):80 upsetting time (UP):2 (experiment no. 5). Dual phase presence and absence of precipitates were conformed through TEM which follow Kurdjumov-Sachs relationship. PREN of ferrite was decreasing with increase in temperature and that of austenite increased. The equilibrium temperature for water quenching was around 1100∘C and that for oil quenching was around 1140∘C. The pit depths were found to be in the range of 100nm and width of 1.5-2μm.

Effects of stop–start features on residual stresses in a multipass austenitic stainless steel weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turski, M.; Francis, J.A.; Hurrell, P.R.; Bate, S.K.; Hiller, S.; Withers, P.J.

2012-01-01

In this article we describe experiments that characterise and quantify the localised perturbations in residual stress associated with both ramped and abrupt stop–start features in a multipass weld. Residual stress distributions in AISI Grade 304L/308L stainless steel groove-welded specimens, containing weld interruptions that were introduced in a controlled manner, have been characterised using both neutron diffraction and the incremental deep hole drilling method. The extent to which the localised stresses associated with the interruptions were annealed by overlayed passes was also assessed. The results suggest that, regardless of the type of interruption, there can be significant localised increases in residual stress if the stop–start feature is left exposed. If further weld passes are deposited, then the localised increases in stress are likely to persist if the interruption was abrupt, whereas for a ramped interruption they may be dissipated. - Highlights: ► In this study the residual stress-field surrounding weld interruptions was measured. ► Localised stresses were found to increase at weld interruptions. ► Both ramped and abrupt weld interruptions were investigated. ► After subsequent weld passes, localised stresses persisted for abrupt interruptions. ► After subsequent weld passes, localised stresses dissipated for ramped interruptions.

THE INFLUENCE OF POSTHEAT TREATMENT ON FERRITE REDISTRIBUTION IN DUPLEX STEELS ELECTRON BEAM WELDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zita Iždinská

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The duplex stainless steel is two-phase steel with the structure composed of austenite and ferrite with optimum austenite/ferrite proportion 50%. At present, classical arc processes for welding duplex steels are generally regarded as acceptable. On the other hand electron and laser beam welding is up to now considered less suitable for welding duplex steels. The submitted work presents the results of testing various thermal conditions at welding duplex stainless steel with electron beam. It was shown, that application of suitable postheat made possible to reduce the ferrite content in weld metal.

Study of irradiation damage structures in austenitic stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamada, Shozo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1997-08-01

The irradiation damage microstructures in austenitic stainless steels, which have been proposed to be a candidate of structural materials of a fusion reactor, under ions and neutrons irradiation have been studied. In ion irradiation experiments, cross-sectional observation of the depth distribution of damage formed due to ion irradiation became available. Comparison and discussion between experimental results with TEM and the calculated ones in the depth profiles of irradiation damage microstructures. Further, dual-phase stainless steels, consisted of ferritic/austenitic phases, showed irradiation-induced/enhanced precipitation during ion irradiation. High Flux Isotope Reactor with high neutron fluxes was employed in neutron-irradiation experiments. Swelling of 316 steel showed irradiation temperature dependence and this had strong correlation with phase instability under heavy damage level. Swelling resistance of Ti-modified austenitic stainless steel, which has good swelling resistance, decreased during high damage level. This might be caused by the instability of Ti-carbide particles. The preparation method to reduce higher radioactivity of neutron-irradiated TEM specimen was developed. (author). 176 refs.

Study of irradiation damage structures in austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, Shozo

1997-08-01

The irradiation damage microstructures in austenitic stainless steels, which have been proposed to be a candidate of structural materials of a fusion reactor, under ions and neutrons irradiation have been studied. In ion irradiation experiments, cross-sectional observation of the depth distribution of damage formed due to ion irradiation became available. Comparison and discussion between experimental results with TEM and the calculated ones in the depth profiles of irradiation damage microstructures. Further, dual-phase stainless steels, consisted of ferritic/austenitic phases, showed irradiation-induced/enhanced precipitation during ion irradiation. High Flux Isotope Reactor with high neutron fluxes was employed in neutron-irradiation experiments. Swelling of 316 steel showed irradiation temperature dependence and this had strong correlation with phase instability under heavy damage level. Swelling resistance of Ti-modified austenitic stainless steel, which has good swelling resistance, decreased during high damage level. This might be caused by the instability of Ti-carbide particles. The preparation method to reduce higher radioactivity of neutron-irradiated TEM specimen was developed. (author). 176 refs

Fracture toughness of partially welded joints of SUS316 stainless steel at 4 K by large bend tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, A.; Tobler, R.L.; Tamura, H.; Imagawa, S.; Mito, T.; Yamamoto, J.; Motojima, O.; Takahashi, H.; Suzuki, S.

1996-01-01

Austenitic stainless steels in relatively thick sections are specified in support structure designs for huge superconducting magnets in fusion energy machines such as the Large Helical Device (LHD). In the LHD under construction at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) in Japan, partial welding of SUS 316 stainless steel is employed to fabricate the 100-mm thick coil can and coil support structures. Partial welding lowers the heat input and reduces residual deformation after welding. The main disadvantage is that a sizable crack-like defect remains embedded in the unwelded portion of the primary structural component. Here, SUS 316 stainless steel bars were partially welded and tested in 3-point bending to evaluate the effect of natural cracks on fusion zone toughness at 4 K. The specimens had a cross-section 87.5 mm x 175 mm and were fractured in liquid helium using a 10 MN cryogenic mechanical testing machine. In two tests, unstable fracture occurred at maximum load and at critical stress intensity factors K max = 227 and 228 MPa√m. Results indicate a high resistance to fracture initiation but no stable tearing. Therefore, no resistance to crack propagation may exist in a fusion zone at a weld root under cryogenic temperature

The tensile properties of austenitic steel weld metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, D.S.

1985-01-01

Elevated temperature tensile data on Mo containing and Mo free austenitic weld metals have been collected from French, German and UK sources and the results analysed. In the as welded condition the proof strength is significantly higher than that of wrought material and Mo containing weld metal is stronger than Mo free weld metal. The differences in UTS values are not so marked, and on average at temperatures above 400 0 the weld metal UTS is slightly lower than that of wrought material. The ductility of weld metal is significantly lower than that for wrought material. 7 refs, 2 tables, 20 figs

Fracture toughness of irradiated wrought and cast austenitic stainless steels in BWR environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chopra, O.K.; Gruber, E.E.; Shack, W.J.

2007-01-01

Experimental data are presented on the fracture toughness of wrought and cast austenitic stainless steels (SSs) that were irradiated to a fluence of ∼ 1.5 x 10 21 n/cm 2 (E > 1 MeV) * (∼ 2.3 dpa) at 296-305 o C. To evaluate the possible effects of test environment and crack morphology on the fracture toughness of these steels, all tests were conducted in normal-water-chemistry boiling water reactor (BWR) environments at ∼ 289 o C. Companion tests were also conducted in air on the same material for comparison. The fracture toughness J-R curves for SS weld heat-affected-zone materials in BWR water were found to be comparable to those in air. However, the results of tests on sensitized Type 304 SS and thermally aged cast CF-8M steel suggested a possible effect of water environment. The available fracture toughness data on irradiated austenitic SSs were reviewed to assess the potential for radiation embrittlement of reactor-core internal components. The synergistic effects of thermal and radiation embrittlement of cast austenitic SS internal components are also discussed. (author)

The effect of CO{sub 2} laser beam welded AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel on the viability of fibroblast cells, in vitro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Köse, Ceyhun, E-mail: ceyhun.kose@gop.edu.tr [Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat (Turkey); Kaçar, Ramazan, E-mail: rkacar@karabuk.edu.tr [Faculty of Technology Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Karabuk University, Karabuk 78050 (Turkey); Zorba, Aslı Pınar, E-mail: aslipinarzorba@gmail.com [Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Bioengineering Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering, Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul (Turkey); Bağırova, Melahat, E-mail: mbagir@yildiz.edu.tr [Department of Bioengineering Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering, Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul (Turkey); Allahverdiyev, Adil M., E-mail: adil@yildiz.edu.tr [Department of Bioengineering Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering, Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul (Turkey)

2016-03-01

It has been determined by the literature research that there is no clinical study on the in vivo and in vitro interaction of the cells with the laser beam welded joints of AISI 316L biomaterial. It is used as a prosthesis and implant material and that has adequate mechanical properties and corrosion resistance characteristics. Therefore, the interaction of the CO{sub 2} laser beam welded samples and samples of the base metal of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel with L929 fibroblast cells as an element of connective tissue under in vitro conditions has been studied. To study the effect of the base metal and the laser welded test specimens on the viability of the fibroblast cells that act as an element of connective tissues in the body, they were kept in DMEMF-12 medium for 7, 14, 28 days and 18 months. The viability study was experimentally studied using the MTT method for 7, 14, 28 days. In addition, the direct interaction of the fibroblast cells seeded on 6 different plates with the samples was examined with an inverted microscope. The MTT cell viability experiment was repeated on the cells that were in contact with the samples. The statistical relationship was analyzed using a Tukey test for the variance with the GraphPad statistics software. The data regarding metallic ion release were identified with the ICP-MS method after the laser welded and main material samples were kept in cell culture medium for 18 months. The cell viability of the laser welded sample has been detected to be higher than that of the base metal and the control based on 7th day data. However, the laser welded sample's viability of the fibroblast cells has diminished by time during the test period of 14 and 28 days and base metal shows better viability when compared to the laser welded samples. On the other hand, the base metal and the laser welded sample show better cell viability effect when compared to the control group. According to the ICP-MS results of the main material and

Bringing Pulsed Laser Welding into Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemmming Ove

1996-01-01

In this paper, some research and develop-ment activities within pulsed laser welding technology at the Tech-nical University of Denmark will be described. The laser group at the Insti-tute for Manufacturing Technology has nearly 20 years of experience in laser materials process-ing. Inter......-nationally the group is mostly known for its contri-butions to the development of the laser cutting process, but further it has been active within laser welding, both in assisting industry in bringing laser welding into production in several cases and in performing fundamental R & D. In this paper some research...... activities concerning the weldability of high alloyed austenitic stainless steels for mass production industry applying industrial lasers for fine welding will be described. Studies on hot cracking sensitivity of high alloyed austenitic stainless steel applying both ND-YAG-lasers and CO2-lasers has been...

Effect of heat input on dissimilar welds of ultra high strength steel and duplex stainless steel: Microstructural and compositional analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tasalloti, H., E-mail: hamed.tasalloti.kashani@student.lut.fi; Kah, P., E-mail: paul.kah@lut.fi; Martikainen, J., E-mail: jukka.martikainen@lut.fi

2017-01-15

The effect of heat input on the microstructure and compositional heterogeneity of welds of direct-quenched ultra high strength steel (Optim 960 QC) and duplex stainless steel (UNS S32205) was studied. The dissimilar welds were made using GMAW with a fully austenitic filler wire. In addition to grain coarsening in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of the ferritic side, it was found that an increase in heat input correlatively increased the proportional volume of bainitic to martensitic phases. Coarse ferritic grains were observed in the duplex HAZ. Higher heat input, however, had a beneficial effect on the nucleation of austenite in the HAZ. Heat input had a regulatory effect on grain growth within the austenitic weld and more favorable equiaxed austenite was obtained with higher heat input. On the ferritic side of the welds, macrosegregation in the form of a martensitic intermediate zone was observed for all the cooling rates studied. However, on the duplex side, macrosegregation in the fusion boundary was only noticed with higher cooling rates. Microstructural observations and compositional analysis suggest that higher heat input could be beneficial for the structural integrity of the weld despite higher heat input increasing the extent of adverse coarse grains in the HAZ, especially on the ferritic side. - Highlights: •The effect of heat input on dissimilar welds of UHSS and DSS was studied. •Transmutation of the microstructure was discussed in detail. •The influence of heat input on compositional heterogeneity of welds was described. •Higher heat input enhanced bainitic transformation on the ferritic side. •Macrosegregation was affected by the amount of heat input on the DSS side.

Consitutive modeling of metastable austenitic stainless steel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perdahcioglu, Emin Semih; Perdahcioglu, Emin Semih

2008-01-01

Metastable austenitic stainless steels combine high formability and high strength, which are generally opposing properties in materials. This property is a consequence of the martensitic phase transformation that takes place during deformation. This transformation is purely mechanically induced

Characterization of microstructure, chemical composition, corrosion resistance and toughness of a multipass weld joint of superduplex stainless steel UNS S32750

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavares, S.S.M.; Pardal, J.M.; Lima, L.D.; Bastos, I.N.; Nascimento, A.M.; Souza, J.A. de

2007-01-01

The superduplex stainless steels have an austeno-ferritic microstructure with an average fraction of each phase of approximately 50%. This duplex microstructure improves simultaneously the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Welding of these steels is often a critical operation. In this paper we focus on characterization and analysis of a multipass weld joint of UNS S32750 steel prepared using welding conditions equal to industrial standards. The toughness and corrosion resistance properties of the base metal, root pass welded with gas tungsten arc welding, as well as the filler passes, welded with shielded metal arc welding, were evaluated. The microstructure and chemical composition of the selected areas were also determined and correlated to the corrosion and mechanical properties. The root pass was welded with low nickel filler metal and, as a consequence, presented low austenite content and significant precipitation. This precipitation is reflected in the corrosion and mechanical properties. The filler passes presented an adequate ferrite:austenite proportion but, due to their high oxygen content, the toughness was lower than that of the root pass. Corrosion properties were evaluated by cyclic polarization tests in 3.5% NaCl and H 2 SO 4 media

Optimization of the A-TIG welding for stainless steels

Science.gov (United States)

Jurica, M.; Kožuh, Z.; Garašić, I.; Bušić, M.

2018-03-01

The paper presents the influence of the activation flux and shielding gas on tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding of the stainless steel. In introduction part, duplex stainless steel was analysed. The A-TIG process was explained and the possibility of welding stainless steels using the A-TIG process to maximize productivity and the cost-effectiveness of welded structures was presented. In the experimental part duplex, 7 mm thick stainless steel has been welded in butt joint. The influence of activation flux chemical composition upon the weld penetration has been investigated prior the welding. The welding process was performed by a robot with TIG equipment. With selected A-TIG welding technology preparation of plates and consumption of filler material (containing Cr, Ni and Mn) have been avoided. Specimens sectioned from the produced welds have been subjected to tensile strength test, macrostructure analysis and corrosion resistance analysis. The results have confirmed that this type of stainless steel can be welded without edge preparation and addition of filler material containing critical raw materials as Cr, Ni and Mn when the following welding parameters are set: current 200 A, welding speed 9,1 cm/min, heat input 1,2 kJ/mm and specific activation flux is used.

Constitutive modeling of metastable austenitic stainless steel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perdahcioglu, Emin Semih; Geijselaers, Hubertus J.M.; Huetink, Han; Khan, A.

2010-01-01

A physically based, macroscale constitutive model has been developed that can describe the complex mechanical behavior of metastable austenitic stainless steels. In the developed model a generalized model for the mechanically induced martensitic transformation is introduced. Mechanical tests have

Low ductility creep failure in austenitic weld metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, R.G.

Creep tests have been carried out for times of up to approx. 22,000 hrs on three austenitic weld metals of nominal composition 17Cr-8Ni-2Mo, 19Cr-12Ni-3Mo+Nb and 17Cr-10Ni-2Mo. The two former deposits were designed to produce delta-ferrite contents in the range 3-9% while the latter was designed to be fully austenitic. The common feature of all three weld metals was that they all gave very low strains at failure, typically approx. 1%. The microstructures of the failed creep specimens have been studied using optical and electron microscopy and the precipitate structures related to the occurrence of low creep strains. Creep deformation and fracture mechanisms in austenitic materials in general have been reviewed and this has been used as a basis for discussion of the observations of the present work. Finally, some of the factors that can be controlled to improve long-term creep ductility have been appraised

The Effect of Shielding N{sub 2} gas on The Pitting Corrosion of Seal-welded Super Austenitic Stainless Steel by Autogenous Welding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Ki Tae; Kim, Young Sik [Andong National University, Andong (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Hyun Young [KEPCO Engineering and Construction Company, Gimcheon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-04-15

Many research efforts on the effect of nitrogen on the corrosion resistance of stainless steels have been reported, but little research has been conducted on the effect of nitrogen for the weldment of stainless steels by the seal-weld method. Therefore, this work focused on the determining the corrosion resistance of tube/tube sheet mock-up specimen for sea water condensers, and elucidating the effect of shielding nitrogen gas on its resistance. The pitting corrosion of autogenously welded specimen propagated preferentially along the dendritic structure. Regardless of the percent of shielding nitrogen gas, the analyzed nitrogen contents were very much lower than that of the bulk specimen. This can be arisen because the nitrogen in shielding gas may partly dissolve into the weldment, but simultaneously during the welding process, nitrogen in the alloy may escape into the atmosphere. However, the pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) of the interdendrite area was higher than that of the dendrite arm, regardless of the shielding gas percent; and the PREN of the interdendrite area was higher than that of the base metal; the PREN of the dendrite arm was lower than that of the base metal because of the formation of (Cr, Mo) rich phases by welding.

Repair welding of cracked steam turbine blades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhaduri, A.K.; Gill, T.P.S.; Albert, S.K.; Shanmugam, K.; Iyer, D.R.

1999-01-01

The procedure for repair welding of cracked steam turbine blades made of martensitic stainless steels has been developed using the gas tungsten arc welding process. Weld repair procedures were developed using both ER316L austenitic stainless steel filler wire and ER410 martensitic stainless steel filler wire. The repair welding procedure with austenitic filler wire was developed to avoid preheating of the blade as also hydrogen induced cold cracking, and involved evaluation of three different austenitic filler wires, viz. ER309L, ER316L and ERNiCr-3. The overall development of the repair welding procedure included selection of welding consumables (for austenitic filler metal), optimisation of post weld heat treatment parameters, selection of suitable method for local pre-heating and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) of the blades, determination of mechanical properties of weldments in as-welded and PWHT conditions, and microstructural examination. After various trials using different procedures, the procedure of local PWHT using electrical resistance heating on the top surface of the weldment and monitoring the temperature by placing a thermocouple at the bottom of the weld, was found to give the most satisfactory results. A similar procedure was used for preheating while using ER410 filler metal. Mechanical testing of weldments before and after PWHT involved tensile tests at room temperature, face and root bend tests, and microhardness measurements across the fusion line and heat affected zone. During procedure qualification, mock-ups and actual repair welding, dye penetrant testing was used at different stages and where ever possible radiography was carried out. These procedures were developed for repair welding of cracked blades in the low-pressure (LP) steam turbines of Indian nuclear power plants. The procedure with ER316 L filler wire has so far been applied for repair welding of 2 cracked blades (made of AISI 410 SS) of LP steam turbines, while the procedure

Effects of nitrogen and pulsed mean welding current in AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel solidification cracks; Efecto del nitrogeno y la corriente media pulsada de soldadura en la formacion de grietas de solidificacion en aceros inoxidables AISI 316L

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trevisan, R. E.; Braga, E.; Fals, H. C.

2002-07-01

An analysis of the influence of nitrogen concentration in the weld zone and the pulsed mean welding current in the solidification crack formation is presented in this paper. The AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel was employed as the metal base. The welding was done using CC+ pulsed flux cored are welding process and AWS E316L wire type. The tests were conducted using CO{sub 2} shielding gas with four different nitrogen levels (0,5; 10 and 15%) in order to induce different nitrogen weld metal concentrations. The pulsed mean welding current was varied in three levels and the. Transvarestraint tangential strain test was fixed of 5%. The results showed that the solidification cracking decreased as the pulsed mean welding current increase. It was also verified that an increase of the weld zone nitrogen level was associated with a decrease in both the total length of solidification crack and the amount of {delta} ferrite. (AUthor) 20 refs.

Production and several properties of single crystal austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamoto, Kazutaka; Yoshinari, Akira; Kaneda, Junya; Aono, Yasuhisa; Kato, Takahiko

1998-01-01

The single crystal austenitic stainless steels Type 316L and 304L were grown in order to improve the resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) using a unidirectional solidification method which can provide the large size single crystals. The mechanical properties and the chemical properties were examined. The orientation and temperature dependence of tensile properties of the single crystals were measured. The yield stress of the single crystal steels are lower than those of the conventional polycrystal steels because of the grain boundary strength cannot be expected in the single crystal steels. The tensile properties of the single crystal austenitic stainless steel Type 316L depend strongly on the orientation. The tensile strength in orientation are about 200 MPa higher than those in the and orientations. The microstructure of the single crystal consists of a mixture of the continuous γ-austenitic single crystal matrix and the δ-ferrite phase so that the effects of the γ/δ boundaries on the chemical properties were studied. The effects of the δ-ferrite phases and the γ/δ boundaries on the resistance to SCC were examined by the creviced bent beam test (CBB test). No crack is observed in all the CBB test specimens of the single crystals, even at the γ/δ boundaries. The behavior of the radiation induced segregation (RIS) at the γ/δ boundaries in the single crystal austenitic stainless steel Type 316L was evaluated by the electron irradiation test in the high voltage electron microscope (HVEM). The depletion of oversized solute chromium at the γ/δ boundary in the single crystal austenitic stainless steel Type 316L is remarkably lower than that at the grain boundary in the polycrystalline-type 316L. (author)

Thermo-mechanical process for treatment of welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malik, R.K.

1980-03-01

Benefits from thermo-mechanical processing (TMP) of austenitic stainless steel weldments, analogous to hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of castings, most likely result from compressive plastic deformation, enhanced diffusion, and/or increased dislocation density. TMP improves ultrasonic inspectability of austenitic stainless steel welds owing to: conversion of cast dendrites into equiaxed austenitic grains, reduction in size and number of stringers and inclusions, and reduction of delta ferrite content. TMP induces structural homogenization and healing of void-type defects and thus contributes to an increase in elongation, impact strength, and fracture toughness as well as a significant reduction in data scatter for these properties. An optimum temperature for TMP or HIP of welds is one which causes negligible grain growth and an acceptable reduction in yield strength, and permits healing of porosity

Effect of Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Parameters on Hydrogen-Assisted Cracking of Type 321 Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Rozenak, Paul; Unigovski, Yaakov; Shneck, Roni

2016-05-01

The susceptibility of AISI type 321 stainless steel welded by the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process to hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) was studied in a tensile test combined with in situ cathodic charging. Specimen charging causes a decrease in ductility of both the as-received and welded specimens. The mechanical properties of welds depend on welding parameters. For example, the ultimate tensile strength and ductility increase with growing shielding gas (argon) rate. More severe decrease in the ductility was obtained after post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). In welded steels, in addition to discontinuous grain boundary carbides (M23C6) and dense distribution of metal carbides MC ((Ti, Nb)C) precipitated in the matrix, the appearance of delta-ferrite phase was observed. The fracture of sensitized specimens was predominantly intergranular, whereas the as-welded specimens exhibited mainly transgranular regions. High-dislocation density regions and stacking faults were found in delta-ferrite formed after welding. Besides, thin stacking fault plates and epsilon-martensite were found in the austenitic matrix after the cathodic charging.

Research on weld cracking of TP321H stainless steel pipeline under elevated temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Jian-hua; Fan, Zhi-cao; Zong, Ning-sheng

2016-01-01

The failure of pipeline which adopted material type TP321H austenitic stainless steel and occurred cracking after servicing at elevated temperature for less than two years had been investigated. The cracks were appeared repeatedly although they had been repaired for several times. The pipeline stress analysis was conducted to determine stress levels of cracking positions by finite element analysis software ABAQUS. The mechanical properties of base metals and welds including tensile and charpy impact tests were carried out. The test results showed that ductility of welds cut from the serviced pipeline was very poor. The microstructure investigations suggested that it was intergranular crack located in the HAZ near fusion line. It could be determined that it was reheat cracking based on some other works such as metallographic inspection, SEM, X-ray diffraction, etc. Welds analysis results showed that the welding of pipeline had not been in accord with right qualification of welding procedure leading to poor welding quality. The cracking reasons and preventive measures were discussed. Several suggestions were proposed to help extend service lifetime of the stainless steel pipeline under elevated temperature condition. - Highlights: • The pipeline is calculated by finite element analysis software ABAQUS. • Various tests are made, such as mechanical property, SEM, EDS, X-ray diffraction. • It is reheat cracking or stress relief cracking for the pipeline failure. • The stress levels of pipeline should be as low as possible. • The lifetime of pipeline would be shorten obviously due to poor weld quality.

Corrosion studies using potentiodynamic and EIS electrochemical techniques of welded lean duplex stainless steel UNS S82441

Science.gov (United States)

Brytan, Z.; Niagaj, J.; Reiman, Ł.

2016-12-01

The corrosion characterisation of lean duplex stainless steel (1.4662) UNS S82441 welded joints using the potentiodynamic test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 M NaCl solution are discussed. The influence of autogenous TIG welding parameters (amount of heat input and composition of shielding gases like Ar and Ar-N2 and an Ar-He mixture), as well as A-TIG welding was studied. The influence of welding parameters on phase balance, microstructural changes and the protective properties of passive oxide films formed at the open circuit potential or during the anodic polarisation were studied. From the results of the potentiodynamic test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of TIG and A-TiG, welded joints show a lower corrosion resistance compared to non-welded parent metal, but introducing heat input properly during welding and applying shielding gases rich in nitrogen or helium can increase austenitic phase content, which is beneficial for corrosion resistance, and improves surface oxide layer resistance in 1 M NaCl solution.

Evaluation of the Sensitization of 316L Stainless Steels After the Post Weld Heat Treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Junho; Jang, Changheui [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kyoung Soo [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

It was observed that the PWSCC growth rate of alloy 182 was markedly decreased after PWHT. However, the PWHT of components made of stainless steels (SSs) would be limited because of the concerns about sensitization when they are exposed to temperature range of 500 to 800 .deg. C. Also, the sensitization of austenitic stainless steels could increase the susceptibility to intergrannular stress corrosion cracking. Therefore, the effect of PWHT on the sensitization behaviors of 316L SSs having predominant austenitic structure with small amount of ferrite was investigated to assess the applicability of PWHT to dissimilar weld area with austenitic stainless steels. The sensitization behaviors of two heats of 316L SSs with small amount of ferrite were investigated after heat treatment at 600, 650 and 700 .deg. C. Grain boundary sensitization was not observed in 316L SSs after the heat treatment at 600, 650 and 700 .deg. C up to 30 h. The increase in degree of sensitization (DOS) was caused by reduction of corrosion resistance in ferrite phase due to formation of chromium carbide and intermatallic phases during heat treatment. The DOS value of 316L SSs depended on the ferrite morphology. The stringer type of ferrite (316L-heat A) showed relatively higher DOS in comparison with 316L containing blocky type of ferrite (316L-heat B). It could be due to sufficient supplement of chromium in larger size of ferrite phase.

Evaluation of the Sensitization of 316L Stainless Steels After the Post Weld Heat Treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Junho; Jang, Changheui; Lee, Kyoung Soo

2014-01-01

It was observed that the PWSCC growth rate of alloy 182 was markedly decreased after PWHT. However, the PWHT of components made of stainless steels (SSs) would be limited because of the concerns about sensitization when they are exposed to temperature range of 500 to 800 .deg. C. Also, the sensitization of austenitic stainless steels could increase the susceptibility to intergrannular stress corrosion cracking. Therefore, the effect of PWHT on the sensitization behaviors of 316L SSs having predominant austenitic structure with small amount of ferrite was investigated to assess the applicability of PWHT to dissimilar weld area with austenitic stainless steels. The sensitization behaviors of two heats of 316L SSs with small amount of ferrite were investigated after heat treatment at 600, 650 and 700 .deg. C. Grain boundary sensitization was not observed in 316L SSs after the heat treatment at 600, 650 and 700 .deg. C up to 30 h. The increase in degree of sensitization (DOS) was caused by reduction of corrosion resistance in ferrite phase due to formation of chromium carbide and intermatallic phases during heat treatment. The DOS value of 316L SSs depended on the ferrite morphology. The stringer type of ferrite (316L-heat A) showed relatively higher DOS in comparison with 316L containing blocky type of ferrite (316L-heat B). It could be due to sufficient supplement of chromium in larger size of ferrite phase

Ultrasonic testing of austenitic welds and its dependency on the welding process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabatabaeipour, S.M.; Honarvar, F.

2009-01-01

This paper describes the ultrasonic testing of austenitic welds prepared by two different welding processes. The tests were carried out by the ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Diffraction (ToFD) technique. Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) are the welding processes used for preparing the specimens. Identical artificial defects were implanted in both welds during the welding process. Both specimens were examined by the ToFD technique under similar conditions. Metallographic images were also obtained from the cross sectional plane of both the SMA and GTA welds. These images show that the grain orientation in the two welded specimens are different. D-scan images obtained by the ToFD technique from these welds indicates that inspecting the specimens prepared by the SMAW process is easier than the one made by the GTAW process. The results also show that the D-scan images cannot reveal the small vertical drilled holes implanted in the specimens. (author)

High Cycle Fatigue of Metastable Austenitic Stainless Steels

OpenAIRE

Fargas Ribas, Gemma; Zapata Dederle, Ana Cristina; Anglada Gomila, Marcos Juan; Mateo García, Antonio Manuel

2009-01-01

Metastable austenitic stainless steels are currently used in applications where severe forming operations are required, such as automotive bodies, due to its excellent ductility. They are also gaining interest for its combination of high strength and formability after forming. The biggest disadvantage is the difficulty to predict the mechanical response, which depends heavily on the amount of martensite formed. The martensitic transformation in metastable stainless steels can b...

Plasma spot welding of ferritic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesnjak, A.; Tusek, J.

2002-01-01

Plasma spot wedding of ferritic stainless steels studied. The study was focused on welding parameters, plasma and shieldings and the optimum welding equipment. Plasma-spot welded overlap joints on a 0.8 mm thick ferritic stainless steel sheet were subjected to a visual examination and mechanical testing in terms of tension-shear strength. Several macro specimens were prepared Plasma spot welding is suitable to use the same gas as shielding gas and as plasma gas , i. e. a 98% Ar/2% H 2 gas mixture. Tension-shear strength of plasma-spot welded joint was compared to that of resistance sport welded joints. It was found that the resistance welded joints withstand a somewhat stronger load than the plasma welded joints due to a large weld sport diameter of the former. Strength of both types of welded joints is approximately the same. (Author) 32 refs

Corrosion behaviour of austenitic stainless steel, nickel-base alloy and its weldments in aqueous LiBr solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blasco-Tamarit, E.; Igual-Munoz, A.; Garcia Anton, J.; Garcia-Garcia, D. [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica y Nuclear. E.T.S.I.Industriales, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, P.O. Box 22012 E-46071 Valencia (Spain)

2004-07-01

With the advances in materials production new alloys have been developed, such as High- Alloy Austenitic Stainless Steels and Nickel-base alloys, with high corrosion resistance. These new alloys are finding applications in Lithium Bromide absorption refrigeration systems, because LiBr is a corrosive medium which can cause serious corrosion problems, in spite of its favourable properties as absorbent. The objective of the present work was to study the corrosion resistance of a highly alloyed austenitic stainless steel (UNS N08031) used as base metal, a Nickel-base alloy (UNS N06059) used as its corresponding filler metal, and the weld metal obtained by the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) procedure. The materials have been tested in different LiBr solutions (400 g/l, 700 g/l, 850 g/l and a commercial 850 g/l LiBr heavy brine containing Lithium Chromate as corrosion inhibitor), at 25 deg. C. Open Circuit Potential tests and potentiodynamic anodic polarization curves have been carried out to obtain information about the general electrochemical behaviour of the materials. The polarization curves of all the alloys tested were typical of passivable materials. Pitting corrosion susceptibility has been evaluated by means of cyclic potentiodynamic curves, which provide parameters to analyse re-passivation properties. The galvanic corrosion generated by the electrical contact between the welded and the base material has been estimated from the polarization diagrams according to the Mixed Potential Method. Samples have been etched to study the microstructure by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrate that the pitting resistance of all these materials increases as the LiBr concentration decreases. In general, the presence of chromate tended to shift the pitting potential to more positive values than those obtained in the 850 g/l LiBr solution. (authors)

Effect of the purging gas on properties of Ti stabilized AISI 321 stainless steel TIG welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taban, Emel; Kaluc, Erdinc; Aykan, T. Serkan [Kocaeli Univ. (Turkey). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2014-07-01

Gas purging is necessary to provide a high quality of stainless steel pipe welding in order to prevent oxidation of the weld zone inside the pipe. AISI 321 stabilized austenitic stainless steel pipes commonly preferred in refinery applications have been welded by the TIG welding process both with and without the use of purging gas. As purging gases, Ar, N{sub 2}, Ar + N{sub 2} and N{sub 2} + 10% H{sub 2} were used, respectively. The aim of this investigation is to detect the effect of purging gas on the weld joint properties such as microstructure, corrosion, strength and impact toughness. Macro sections and microstructures of the welds were investigated. Chemical composition analysis to obtain the nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen content of the weld root was done by Leco analysis. Ferrite content of the beads including root and cap passes were measured by a ferritscope. Vickers hardness (HV10) values were obtained. Intergranular and pitting corrosion tests were applied to determine the corrosion resistance of all welds. Type of the purging gas affected pitting corrosion properties as well as the ferrite content and nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen contents at the roots of the welds. Any hot cracking problems are not predicted as the weld still solidifies with ferrite in the primary phase as confirmed by microstructural and ferrite content analysis. Mechanical testing showed no significant change according to the purge gas. AISI 321 steel and 347 consumable compositions would permit use of nitrogen rich gases for root shielding without a risk of hot cracking.

Characterization of the austenitic stability of metastable austenitic stainless steel with regard to its formability

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Matthias; Liewald, Mathias

2018-05-01

During the last decade, the stainless steel market showed a growing volume of 3-5% p.a.. The austenitic grades are losing market shares to ferritic or 200-series grades due to the high nickel price, but still playing the most important role within the stainless steel market. Austenitic stainless steel is characterized by the strain-induced martensite formation, causing the TRIP-effect (Transformation Induced Plasticity) which is responsible for good formability and high strength. The TRIP-effect itself is highly dependent on the forming temperature, the strain as well as the chemical composition which has a direct influence on the stability of the austenite. Today the austenitic stability is usually characterized by the so called Md30-temperature, which was introduced by Angel and enhanced by several researches, particularly Nohara. It is an empirical formula based on the chemical composition and the grain size of a given material, calculating the temperature which is necessary to gain a 50 % martensite formation after 30 % of elongation in a tensile test. A higher Md30-temperature indicates a lower stability and therefore a higher tendency towards martensite formation. The main disadvantage of Md30 -temperature is the fact that it is not based on forming parameters and only describes a single point instead of the whole forming process. In this paper, an experimental set up for measuring martensite and temperature evolution in a non-isothermal tensile test is presented, which is based on works of Hänsel and Schmid. With this set up, the martensite formation rate for different steels of the steel grade EN 1.4301 and EN 1.4310 is measured. Based on these results a new austenitic stability criterion is defined. This criterion and the determined Md30-temperatures are related to the stretch formability of the materials. The results show that the new IFU criterion is with regard to the formability a much more useful characteristic number for metastable austenitic steels

Fatigue life evaluation method of austenitic stainless steel in PWR water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakaguchi, Katsumi; Nomura, Yuichiro; Suzuki, Shigeki; Kanasaki, Hiroshi; Higuchi, Makoto

2006-09-01

It is known that the fatigue life in elevated temperature water is substantially reduced compared with that in the air. The fatigue life reduction has been investigated experimentally in EFT project of Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) to evaluate the environmental effect on fatigue life. Many tests have been done for carbon, low alloy, stainless steels and nickel-based alloy under the various conditions. In this paper, the results of the stainless steel in simulated PWR water environments were reported. Fatigue life tests in simulated PWR environments were carried out and the effect of key parameters on fatigue life reduction was examined. The materials used in this study were base and weld metal of austenitic stainless steel SS316, weld metal of SS304 and the base and aged metal of the duplex stainless steel SCS14A. In order to evaluate the effects of stain amplitude, strain rate, strain ratio, temperature, aging, water flow rate and strain holding time, many fatigue tests were examined. In transient condition in an actual plant, however, such parameters as temperature and strain rate are not constant. In order to evaluate fatigue damage in actual plant on the basis of experimental results under constant temperature and strain rate condition, the modified rate approach method was developed. Various kinds of transient have to be taken into account of in actual plant fatigue evaluation, and stress cycle of several ranges of amplitude has to be considered in assessing damage from fatigue. Generally, cumulative usage factor is applied in this type of evaluation. In this study, in order to confirm the applicability of modified rate approach method together with cumulative usage factor, fatigue tests were carried out by combining stress cycle blocks of different strain amplitude levels, in which strain rate changes in response to temperature in a simulated PWR water environment. Consequently, fatigue life could be evaluated with an accuracy of factor of 3

Manufacture and characterization of austenitic steel welded joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simoni, O.; Boerman, D.J.; Krischer, W.

1990-01-01

This paper describes the results of the first phase of the project, i.e. manufacturing and characterization of welded austenitic steel and the test matrix adopted to test the mechanical resistance of the welding. Five different welding methods have been tested and characterized in comparison to the parent material. The reference material was an AISI 316 L type steel close to the French Superphenix composition. The results of the mechanical testing and the relative comparison of the five welding methods are described in separate papers of the same session. As a general conclusion, the vacuum electron-beam welding proved to have better properties than the other weld methods and to attain in most cases the properties of the parent material. (author)

Study on microstructural changes in thermally-aged stainless steel weld-overlay cladding of nuclear reactor pressure vessels by atom probe tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Takeuchi, T.; Kameda, J.; Nagai, Y.; Toyama, T.; Nishiyama, Y.; Onizawa, K.

2011-08-01

The effect of thermal aging on microstructural changes was investigated in stainless steel weld-overlay cladding composed of 90% austenite and 10% δ-ferrite phases using atom probe tomography (APT). In as-received materials subjected to cooling process after post-welding heat treatments (PWHT), a slight fluctuation of the Cr concentration was already observed due to spinodal decomposition in the ferrite phase but not in the austenitic phase. Thermal aging at 400 °C for 10,000 h caused not only an increase in the amplitude of spinodal decomposition but also the precipitation of G phases with composition ratios of Ni:Si:Mn = 16:7:6 in the ferrite phase. The chemical compositions of M 23C 6 type carbides seemed to be formed at the austenite/ferrite interface were analyzed. The analyses of the magnitude of the spinodal decomposition and the hardness implied that the spinodal decomposition was the main cause of the hardening.

A Review on the Potential Use of Austenitic Stainless Steels in Nuclear Fusion Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Şahin, Sümer; Übeyli, Mustafa

2008-12-01

Various engineering materials; austenitic stainless steels, ferritic/martensitic steels, vanadium alloys, refractory metals and composites have been suggested as candidate structural materials for nuclear fusion reactors. Among these structural materials, austenitic steels have an advantage of extensive technological database and lower cost compared to other non-ferrous candidates. Furthermore, they have also advantages of very good mechanical properties and fission operation experience. Moreover, modified austenitic stainless (Ni and Mo free) have relatively low residual radioactivity. Nevertheless, they can't withstand high neutron wall load which is required to get high power density in fusion reactors. On the other hand, a protective flowing liquid wall between plasma and solid first wall in these reactors can eliminate this restriction. This study presents an overview of austenitic stainless steels considered to be used in fusion reactors.

Ion-nitriding of austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacheco, O.; Hertz, D.; Lebrun, J.P.; Michel, H.

1995-01-01

Although ion-nitriding is an extensively industrialized process enabling steel surfaces to be hardened by nitrogen diffusion, with a resulting increase in wear, seizure and fatigue resistance, its direct application to stainless steels, while enhancing their mechanical properties, also causes a marked degradation in their oxidation resistance. However, by adaption of the nitriding process, it is possible to maintain the improved wear resistant properties while retaining the oxidation resistance of the stainless steel. The controlled diffusion permits the growth of a nitrogen supersaturated austenite layer on parts made of stainless steel (AISI 304L and 316L) without chromium nitride precipitation. The diffusion layer remains stable during post heat treatments up to 650 F for 5,000 hrs and maintains a hardness of 900 HV. A very low and stable friction coefficient is achieved which provides good wear resistance against stainless steels under diverse conditions. Electrochemical and chemical tests in various media confirm the preservation of the stainless steel characteristics. An example of the application of this process is the treatment of Reactor Control Rod Cluster Assemblies (RCCAs) for Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactors

Effect of joint design on ballistic performance of quenched and tempered steel welded joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balakrishnan, M.; Balasubramanian, V.; Madhusudhan Reddy, G.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Traditional usage of austenitic stainless steel filler for armour steel welding shows poor ballistic performance. • Earlier efforts show dubious success on ballistic resistance of armour steel joints. • Comparative evaluation of equal/unequal joint design on ballistic performance. • Effect of joint design covers the main aspects of successful bullet stoppage. - Abstract: A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of joint design on ballistic performance of armour grade quenched and tempered steel welded joints. Equal double Vee and unequal double Vee joint configuration were considered in this study. Targets were fabricated using 4 mm thick tungsten carbide hardfaced middle layer; above and below which austenitic stainless steel layers were deposited on both sides of the hardfaced interlayer in both joint configurations. Shielded metal arc welding process was used to deposit for all layers. The fabricated targets were evaluated for its ballistic performance and the results were compared in terms of depth of penetration on weld metal. From the ballistic test results, it was observed that both the targets successfully stopped the bullet penetration at weld center line. Of the two targets, the target made with unequal double Vee joint configuration offered maximum resistance to the bullet penetration at weld metal location without any bulge at the rear side. The higher volume of austenitic stainless steel front layer and the presence of hardfaced interlayer after some depth of soft austenitic stainless steel front layer is the primary reason for the superior ballistic performance of this joint

Microstructural Study of 17-4PH Stainless Steel after Plasma-Transferred Arc Welding.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Dewei; Chen, Rui; Sun, Qi; Li, Xiaona

2015-01-29

The improvement of the surface qualities and surface hardening of precipitation hardened martensitic stainless steel 17-4PH was achieved by the plasma-transferred arc welding (PTAW) process deposited with Co-based alloy. The microstructure of the heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal were characterized by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that there are obvious microstructural differences between the base metal and HAZ. For example, base material is transformed from lath martensite to austenite due to the heateffect of the welding process. On the other hand, the precipitate in the matrix (bar-like shape Cr₇C₃ phase with a width of about one hundred nanometres and a length of hundreds of nanometres) grows to a rectangular appearance with a width of about two hundred nanometres and a length of about one micron. Stacking fault could also be observed in the Cr₇C₃ after PTAW. The above means that welding can obviously improve the surface qualities.

Evaluation of welding by MIG in martensitic stainless steel; Avaliacao da soldagem pelo processo MIG em aco inoxidavel martensitico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandes, M.A. [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil); Mariano, N.A.; Marinho, D.H.C. Marinho, E-mail: neideaparecidamariano@gmail.co [Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL), Pocos de Caldas, MG (Brazil)

2010-07-01

This work evaluated structure's characterization and mechanical properties after the welding process of the stainless steel CA6NM. The employed welding process was the metal active gas with tubular wire. The control of the thermal cycle in the welding process has fundamental importance regarding the properties of the welded joint, particularly in the thermally affected zone. The mechanical properties were appraised through impact resistance tests and the hardness and microstructure through metallographic characterization and Ray-X diffraction. The parameters and the process of welding used promoted the hardness and toughness appropriate to the applications of the steel. Welding energy's control becomes an essential factor that can affect the temperature of carbide precipitation and the nucleation of the retained austenite in the in the region of the in the thermally affected zone. (author)

Residual stresses associated with welds in austenitic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fidler, R.

1978-01-01

Two exploratory welds have been made with AISI 316 austenitic steel and Armex GT electrodes by the manual metal-arc process, and residual stress measurements made in the as-welded condition and after various periods of stress relief. The results show that substantial stress relief occurs at temperatures of 850 0 and 750 0 C after 1 hr, but is not complete. The stress distributions are compared with those obtained from ferritic welds and the effect of differences in thermal expansion coefficients is examined using finite element analysis. (author)

The effect of CO2 laser beam welded AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel on the viability of fibroblast cells, in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Köse, Ceyhun; Kaçar, Ramazan; Zorba, Aslı Pınar; Bağırova, Melahat; Allahverdiyev, Adil M

2016-03-01

It has been determined by the literature research that there is no clinical study on the in vivo and in vitro interaction of the cells with the laser beam welded joints of AISI 316L biomaterial. It is used as a prosthesis and implant material and that has adequate mechanical properties and corrosion resistance characteristics. Therefore, the interaction of the CO2 laser beam welded samples and samples of the base metal of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel with L929 fibroblast cells as an element of connective tissue under in vitro conditions has been studied. To study the effect of the base metal and the laser welded test specimens on the viability of the fibroblast cells that act as an element of connective tissues in the body, they were kept in DMEMF-12 medium for 7, 14, 28 days and 18 months. The viability study was experimentally studied using the MTT method for 7, 14, 28 days. In addition, the direct interaction of the fibroblast cells seeded on 6 different plates with the samples was examined with an inverted microscope. The MTT cell viability experiment was repeated on the cells that were in contact with the samples. The statistical relationship was analyzed using a Tukey test for the variance with the GraphPad statistics software. The data regarding metallic ion release were identified with the ICP-MS method after the laser welded and main material samples were kept in cell culture medium for 18 months. The cell viability of the laser welded sample has been detected to be higher than that of the base metal and the control based on 7th day data. However, the laser welded sample's viability of the fibroblast cells has diminished by time during the test period of 14 and 28 days and base metal shows better viability when compared to the laser welded samples. On the other hand, the base metal and the laser welded sample show better cell viability effect when compared to the control group. According to the ICP-MS results of the main material and laser welded

Laser cladding crack repair of austenitic stainless steel

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Rooyen, C

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Laser cladding crack repair of austenitic stainless steel vessels subjected to internal water pressure was evaluated. The purpose of this investigation was to develop process parameters for in-situ repair of through-wall cracks in components...

Kinetics analysis of two-stage austenitization in supermartensitic stainless steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nießen, Frank; Villa, Matteo; Hald, John

2017-01-01

The martensite-to-austenite transformation in X4CrNiMo16-5-1 supermartensitic stainless steel was followed in-situ during isochronal heating at 2, 6 and 18 K min−1 applying energy-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction at the BESSY II facility. Austenitization occurred in two stages, separated...... that the austenitization kinetics is governed by Ni-diffusion and that slow transformation kinetics separating the two stages is caused by soft impingement in the martensite phase. Increasing the lath width in the kinetics model had a similar effect on the austenitization kinetics as increasing the heating-rate....

Low Cycle Fatigue behavior of SMAW welded Alloy28 superaustenitic stainless steel at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kchaou, Y., E-mail: yacinekchaou@yahoo.fr [Institut Pprime, Département Physique et Mécanique des Matériaux, UPR 3346 CNRS ISAE-ENSMA Université de Poitiers, Téléport 2, 1, avenue Clément Ader, BP 40109, F – 86961 Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex (France); Laboratoire de Génie des Matériaux et Environnement (LGME), ENIS, BPW 1173, Sfax (Tunisia); Pelosin, V.; Hénaff, G. [Institut Pprime, Département Physique et Mécanique des Matériaux, UPR 3346 CNRS ISAE-ENSMA Université de Poitiers, Téléport 2, 1, avenue Clément Ader, BP 40109, F – 86961 Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex (France); Haddar, N.; Elleuch, K. [Laboratoire de Génie des Matériaux et Environnement (LGME), ENIS, BPW 1173, Sfax (Tunisia)

2016-01-10

This paper focused on the study of Low Cycle Fatigue of welded joints of superaustenitic (Alloy28) stainless steels. Chemical composition and microstructure investigation of Base Metal (BM) and Weld Metal (WM) were identified. The results showed that both of composition is fully austenitic with a dendritic microstructure in the WM. Low cycle fatigue tests at different strain levels were performed on Base Metal (BM) and Welded Joint (WJ) specimens with a strain ratio R{sub ε}=−1. The results indicated that the fatigue life of welded joints is lower than the base metal. This is mainly due to the low ductility of the Welded Metal (WM) and the presence of welding defects. Simultaneously, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observations of fractured specimens show that WJ have brittle behavior compared to BM with the presence of several welding defects especially in the crack initiation site. An estimation of the crack growth rate during LCF tests of BM and WJ was performed using distance between striations. The results showed that the crack initiation stage is shorter in the case of WJ compared to BM because of the presence of welding defects in WJ specimens.

Influence of delta ferrite on corrosion susceptibility of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawrence O. Osoba

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the current study, the influence of delta (δ ferrite on the corrosion susceptibility of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel was evaluated in 1Molar concentration of sulphuric acid (H2SO4 and 1Molar concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl. The study was performed at ambient temperature using electrochemical technique—Tafel plots to evaluate the corrosive tendencies of the austenitic stainless steel sample. The as-received (stainless steel specimen and 60% cold-worked (stainless steel specimens were isothermally annealed at 1,100°C for 2 h and 1 h, respectively, and quenched in water. The results obtained show that the heat-treated specimen and the 60% cold-worked plus heat-treated specimen exhibited higher corrosion susceptibility than the as-received specimen, which invariably contained the highest fraction of δ ferrite particles. The finding shows that the presence of δ ferrite, in which chromium (Cr, the main corrosion inhibitor segregates, does not degrade and or reduces the resistance to aqueous corrosion of the austenitic stainless steel material.

Microstructural characteristics of the laser welded joint of ITER correction coil sub case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Chao, E-mail: fangchao@ipp.ac.cn [ASIPP, Shushan Hu Road 350, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Lappeenranta University of Technology, Skinnarilankatu 34, 53850 Lappeenranta (Finland); Song, Yuntao; Wei, Jing; Xin, Jijun [ASIPP, Shushan Hu Road 350, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Wu, Huapeng; Handroos, Hekki; Salminen, Antti [Lappeenranta University of Technology, Skinnarilankatu 34, 53850 Lappeenranta (Finland); Li, Hongwei [ITER China, 15B Fuxing Road, Beijing 100862 (China); Libeyre, Paul; Dolgetta, Nello [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul lez Durance (France)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • The multi-pass laser welding was developed for the ITER CC case manufacture. • The laser welding procedure was studied and optimized. • The microstructural characteristic of the welded joint was discussed. - Abstract: The ITER correction coil (CC) case reinforces the winding packs against the electromagnetic loads, minimizes stresses and deformations to the winding pack. The cases are made of high strength and high toughness austenitic stainless steel (316LN) hot rolled heavy plate and have a thickness of 20 mm. Considering the small cross-section and large dimensions of the case, deformation of the case when welding becomes a challenge in the case manufacturing. Therefore, laser welding was developed as the main welding technology for manufacturing. In this paper, multi-pass laser welding technology is used, the laser weldability of a 20 mm thick 316LN austenitic stainless steel plate is studied and the microstructure of the welded joint is analyzed. The welding experiment used an YLS-6000 fiber laser (IPG) and weld filler of 316LMn to match the base metal was used. The result shows that the welded joint has no obvious surface and internal defects based on the optimized welding parameters. The weld joint have a fine austenite microstructure and display columnar dendrites and cellular grains with strong directional characteristics. No apparent heat affected zone is observed and approximately 2 μm an austenite microstructure of the fusion line is clearly presented.

Microstructural characteristics of the laser welded joint of ITER correction coil sub case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Chao; Song, Yuntao; Wei, Jing; Xin, Jijun; Wu, Huapeng; Handroos, Hekki; Salminen, Antti; Li, Hongwei; Libeyre, Paul; Dolgetta, Nello

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The multi-pass laser welding was developed for the ITER CC case manufacture. • The laser welding procedure was studied and optimized. • The microstructural characteristic of the welded joint was discussed. - Abstract: The ITER correction coil (CC) case reinforces the winding packs against the electromagnetic loads, minimizes stresses and deformations to the winding pack. The cases are made of high strength and high toughness austenitic stainless steel (316LN) hot rolled heavy plate and have a thickness of 20 mm. Considering the small cross-section and large dimensions of the case, deformation of the case when welding becomes a challenge in the case manufacturing. Therefore, laser welding was developed as the main welding technology for manufacturing. In this paper, multi-pass laser welding technology is used, the laser weldability of a 20 mm thick 316LN austenitic stainless steel plate is studied and the microstructure of the welded joint is analyzed. The welding experiment used an YLS-6000 fiber laser (IPG) and weld filler of 316LMn to match the base metal was used. The result shows that the welded joint has no obvious surface and internal defects based on the optimized welding parameters. The weld joint have a fine austenite microstructure and display columnar dendrites and cellular grains with strong directional characteristics. No apparent heat affected zone is observed and approximately 2 μm an austenite microstructure of the fusion line is clearly presented.

Effect of Dynamic Reheating Controlled by the Weaving Width on the Microstructure of GTA Bead-On-Pipe Weld Metal of 25% Cr Super Duplex Stainless Steel

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Hee-Joon Sung

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW with three different heat inputs controlled by the weaving width was performed to understand their effects on the microstructural changes during bead-on-pipe welding of super duplex stainless steel. The microstructure of the weld metals was categorized into three different types of zones: non-reheated, reheated type, and reheating-free zone. Even though single-pass welding with different weaving widths was employed, a reheated microstructure was detected, which has been previously observed with multiple pass welding. This phenomenon was called “dynamic reheating”, because it was produced by the weaving operation during welding regardless of the weaving width. The categorized area fraction varied with the weaving width change. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD results at the edge (the area near the fusion line of the low-heat-input condition indicated a higher austenite volume fraction and a lower Cr2N fraction than that of the medium heat input condition. Thus, it described an inverse relationship, because higher heat input provided a lower austenite fraction. In addition, it was observed clearly that the austenite fraction at the medium heat input condition was dramatically increased by reheating, while the Cr2N fraction was reduced. Regardless of the weaving width, reheating contributed to the increase of the austenite fraction, further reducing the Cr2N quantity. The edge areas in the map showed an inverse relationship in the reheated area fraction between low heat input and medium heat input. For this reason, the austenite fraction on the weld metal was determined not only by the heat input, but also by the amount of reheating.

Multiobjective optimization of friction welding of UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel

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P.M. Ajith

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The present study is to optimize the process parameters for friction welding of duplex stainless steel (DSS UNS S32205. Experiments were conducted according to central composite design. Process variables, as inputs of the neural network, included friction pressure, upsetting pressure, speed and burn-off length. Tensile strength and microhardness were selected as the outputs of the neural networks. The weld metals had higher hardness and tensile strength than the base material due to grain refinement which caused failures away from the joint interface during tensile testing. Due to shorter heating time, no secondary phase intermetallic precipitation was observed in the weld joint. A multi-layer perceptron neural network was established for modeling purpose. Five various training algorithms, belonging to three classes, namely gradient descent, genetic algorithm and Levenberg–Marquardt, were used to train artificial neural network. The optimization was carried out by using particle swarm optimization method. Confirmation test was carried out by setting the optimized parameters. In conformation test, maximum tensile strength and maximum hardness obtained are 822 MPa and 322 Hv, respectively. The metallurgical investigations revealed that base metal, partially deformed zone and weld zone maintain austenite/ferrite proportion of 50:50.

Optimization and verification of ultrasonic testability of acoustically anisotropic materials on austenitic and dissimilar welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pudovikov, Sergey

2013-01-01

Austenitic and dissimilar welds with respect to the ultrasonic testing (UT) methods are considered normally as ''difficult-to-test'' objects. During the solidification process in such welds a distinct dendrite microstructure evolves, which is coarse-grained, anisotropic and inhomogeneous simultaneously. The reliability of available ultrasonic methods on austenitic welds depends significantly on the selected UT-parameters as well as on the inspection personnel experience. In the present dissertation, an ultrasonic testing method was developed, which allows the flaw detection and evaluation in acoustically anisotropic inhomogeneous materials, especially in austenitic and dissimilar welds with a quantitative statement to the defect size, type, and location. The principle of synthetic focusing with taking into account the material anisotropy and inhomogeneity along with two- and three-dimensional visualization provides a reliable and quantitative assessment of the inspection results in acoustically anisotropic inhomogeneous test objects. Among others, an iterative algorithm for the determination of unknown elastic properties of inhomogeneous anisotropic materials has been developed. It allows practical application of the developed UT method, since the anisotropy of most of austenitic and dissimilar welds (especially of hand-welded joints) in practice is usually unknown. The functionality of the developed inspection technique has been validated by many experiments on welded austenitic specimens having artificial and natural defects. For the practical application of the new ultrasonic technique different testing strategies are proposed, which can be used depending on the current inspection task.

Size-separated particle fractions of stainless steel welding fume particles - A multi-analytical characterization focusing on surface oxide speciation and release of hexavalent chromium.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, N; Belleville, L; Cha, Y; Olofsson, U; Odnevall Wallinder, I; Persson, K-A; Hedberg, Y S

2018-01-15

Welding fume of stainless steels is potentially health hazardous. The aim of this study was to investigate the manganese (Mn) and chromium (Cr) speciation of welding fume particles and their extent of metal release relevant for an inhalation scenario, as a function of particle size, welding method (manual metal arc welding, metal arc welding using an active shielding gas), different electrodes (solid wires and flux-cored wires) and shielding gases, and base alloy (austenitic AISI 304L and duplex stainless steel LDX2101). Metal release investigations were performed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.3, 37°, 24h. The particles were characterized by means of microscopic, spectroscopic, and electroanalytical methods. Cr was predominantly released from particles of the welding fume when exposed in PBS [3-96% of the total amount of Cr, of which up to 70% as Cr(VI)], followed by Mn, nickel, and iron. Duplex stainless steel welded with a flux-cored wire generated a welding fume that released most Cr(VI). Nano-sized particles released a significantly higher amount of nickel compared with micron-sized particle fractions. The welding fume did not contain any solitary known chromate compounds, but multi-elemental highly oxidized oxide(s) (iron, Cr, and Mn, possibly bismuth and silicon). Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen Cracking in Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of an AISI Type 321 Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Rozenak, P.; Unigovski, Ya.; Shneck, R.

The effects of in situ cathodic charging on the tensile properties and susceptibility to cracking of an AISI type 321 stainless steel, welded by the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process, was studied by various treatments. Appearance of delta-ferrite phase in the as-welded steels in our tested conditions was observed with discontinuous grain boundaries (M23C6) and a dense distribution of metal carbides MC ((Ti, Nb)C), which precipitated in the matrix. Shielding gas rates changes the mechanical properties of the welds. Ultimate tensile strength and ductility are increases with the resistance to the environments related the increase of the supplied shielding inert gas rates. Charged specimens, caused mainly in decreases in the ductility of welded specimens. However, more severe decrease in ductility was obtained after post weld heat treatment (PWHT). The fracture of sensitized specimens was predominantly intergranular, whereas the as-welded specimens exhibited massive transgranular regions. Both types of specimen demonstrated narrow brittle zones at the sides of the fracture surface and ductile micro-void coalescences in the middle. Ferrite δ was form after welding with high density of dislocation structures and stacking faults formation and the thin stacking fault plates with e-martensite phase were typically found in the austenitic matrix after the cathodical charging process.

Fatigue properties of dissimilar metal laser welded lap joints

Science.gov (United States)

Dinsley, Christopher Paul

This work involves laser welding austenitic and duplex stainless steel to zinc-coated mild steel, more specifically 1.2mm V1437, which is a Volvo Truck Coiporation rephosphorised mild steel. The work investigates both tensile and lap shear properties of similar and dissimilar metal laser welded butt and lap joints, with the majority of the investigation concentrating on the fatigue properties of dissimilar metal laser welded lap joints. The problems encountered when laser welding zinc-coated steel are addressed and overcome with regard to dissimilar metal lap joints with stainless steel. The result being the production of a set of guidelines for laser welding stainless steel to zinc-coated mild steel. The stages of laser welded lap joint fatigue life are defined and the factors affecting dissimilar metal laser welded lap joint fatigue properties are analysed and determined; the findings suggesting that dissimilar metal lap joint fatigue properties are primarily controlled by the local stress at the internal lap face and the early crack growth rate of the material at the internal lap face. The lap joint rotation, in turn, is controlled by sheet thickness, weld width and interfacial gap. Laser welded lap joint fatigue properties are found to be independent of base material properties, allowing dissimilar metal lap joints to be produced without fatigue failure occurring preferentially in the weaker parent material, irrespective of large base material property differences. The effects of Marangoni flow on the compositions of the laser weld beads are experimentally characterised. The results providing definite proof of the stirring mechanism within the weld pool through the use of speeds maps for chromium and nickel. Keywords: Laser welding, dissimilar metal, Zinc-coated mild steel, Austenitic stainless steel, Duplex stainless steel, Fatigue, Lap joint rotation, Automotive.

Cryogenic properties of austenitic stainless steels for superconducting magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nohara, K.; Kato, T.; Ono, Y.; Sasaki, T.; Suzuki, S.

1983-01-01

The present study examines the magnetic and mechanical properties of a variety of austenitic stainless steels and high maganese steel which are candidate materials for the superconducting magnet attached to high energy particle accelerators. The effect of a specified heat treatment for the precipitation of intermetallic compound Nb3Sn to be used as superconductor on ductility and toughness are especially examined. It is found that nitrogen-strengthened austenitic stainless steels have high strength and good ductility and toughness, but that these are destroyed by precipitation treatment. The poor ductility and toughness after precipitation are caused by a weakening of the grain boundaries due to the agglomerated chromium carbide percipitates. The addition of vanadium suppresses this effect by refining the grain. Austenitic steels are found to have low magnetic permeabilities and Neel temperatures, and show serrated flow in traction test due to strained martensitic transformation. High manganese steel has extremely low permeability, a Neel temperature about room temperature, and has a serrated flow in traction test due to adiabatic deformation at liquid helium temperature

Effect of electromagnetic stirring on solidification structure of austenitic stainless steel in horizontal continuous casting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHOU Shu-cai

2007-08-01

Full Text Available An investigation on the influence of low frequency rotary electromagnetic stirring on solidification structure of austenitic stainless steel in horizontal continuous casting was experimentally conducted and carried out on an industrial trial basis. The results show that application of appropriate electromagnetic stirring parameters can obviously improve the macrostructure of austenitic stainless steel, in which both columnar and equiaxed grains can be greatly refined and shrinkage porosity or cavity zone along centerline can be remarkably decreased due to eliminating intracrystalline and enlarging equiaxed grains zone. The industrial trials verify that the electromagnetic stirring intensity of austenitic stainless steel should be higher than that of plain carbon steel. Electromagnetic stirring has somewhat affected the macrostructure of austenitic stainless steel even if the magnetic flux density of the electromagnetic stirring reaches 90 mT (amplitude reaches 141 mT in average at frequency f=3-4Hz, which provides a reference for the optimization of design and process parameters when applying the rotary electromagnetic stirrer.

Eddy-Current Testing of Welded Stainless Steel Storage Containers to Verify Integrity and Identity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolk, Keith M.; Stoker, Gerald C.

1999-01-01

An eddy-current scanning system is being developed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify the integrity of nuclear material storage containers. Such a system is necessary to detect attempts to remove material from the containers in facilities where continuous surveillance of the containers is not practical. Initial tests have shown that the eddy-current system is also capable of verifying the identity of each container using the electromagnetic signature of its welds. The DOE-3013 containers proposed for use in some US facilities are made of an austenitic stainless steel alloy, which is nonmagnetic in its normal condition. When the material is cold worked by forming or by local stresses experienced in welding, it loses its austenitic grain structure and its magnetic permeability increases. This change in magnetic permeability can be measured using an eddy-current probe specifically designed for this purpose. Initial tests have shown that variations of magnetic permeability and material conductivity in and around welds can be detected, and form a pattern unique to the container. The changes in conductivity that are present around a mechanically inserted plug can also be detected. Further development of the system is currently underway to adapt the system to verifying the integrity and identity of sealable, tamper-indicating enclosures designed to prevent unauthorized access to measurement equipment used to verify international agreements

Sandblasting induced stress release and enhanced adhesion strength of diamond films deposited on austenite stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiao; Ye, Jiansong; Zhang, Hangcheng; Feng, Tao; Chen, Jianqing; Hu, Xiaojun

2017-08-01

We firstly used sandblasting to treat austenite stainless steel and then deposited a Cr/CrN interlayer by close field unbalanced magnetron sputtering on it. After that, diamond films were prepared on the interlayer. It is found that the sandblasting process induces phase transition from austenite to martensite in the surface region of the stainless steel, which decreases thermal stress in diamond films due to lower thermal expansion coefficient of martensite phase compared with that of austenite phase. The sandblasting also makes stainless steel's surface rough and the Cr/CrN interlayer film inherits the rough surface. This decreases the carburization extent of the interlayer, increases nucleation density and modifies the stress distribution. Due to lower residual stress and small extent of the interlayer's carburization, the diamond film on sandblast treated austenite stainless steel shows enhanced adhesion strength.

Microstructural, Mechanical, and Electrochemical Analysis of Duplex and Superduplex Stainless Steels Welded with the Autogenous TIG Process Using Different Heat Input

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Gláucio Soares da Fonseca

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Duplex Stainless Steels (DSS and Superduplex Stainless Steels (SDSS have a strong appeal in the petrochemical industry. These steels have excellent properties, such as corrosion resistance and good toughness besides good weldability. Welding techniques take into account the loss of alloying elements during the process, so this loss is usually compensated by the addition of a filler metal rich in alloying elements. A possible problem would be during the welding of these materials in adverse conditions in service, where the operator could have difficulties in welding with the filler metal. Therefore, in this work, two DSS and one SDSS were welded, by autogenous Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG, i.e., without addition of a filler metal, by three different heat inputs. After welding, microstructural, mechanical, and electrochemical analysis was performed. The microstructures were characterized for each welding condition, with the aid of optical microscopy (OM. Vickers hardness, Charpy-V, and cyclic polarization tests were also performed. After the electrochemical tests, the samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The SDSS welded with high heat input kept the balance of the austenite and ferrite, and toughness above the limit value. The hardness values remain constant in the weld regions and SDSS is the most resistant to corrosion.

Spinodal decomposition of austenite in long-term-aged duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, H.M.

1989-02-01

Spinodal decomposition of austenite phase in the cast duplex stainless steels CF-8 and -8M grades has been observed after long- term thermal aging at 400 and 350/degree/C for 30,000 h (3.4 yr). At 320/degree/C, the reaction was observed only at the limited region near the austenite grain boundaries. Ni segregation and ''worm-holes'' corresponding to the spatial microchemical fluctuations have been confirmed. The decomposition was observed only for heats containing relatively high overall Ni content (9.6--12.0 wt %) but not in low-Ni (8.0--9.4 wt %) heats. In some specimens showing a relatively advanced stage of decomposition, localized regions of austenite with a Vickers hardness of 340--430 were observed. However, the effect of austenite decomposition on the overall material toughness appears secondary for aging up to 3--5 yr in comparison with the effect of the faster spinodal decomposition in ferrite phase. The observation of the thermally driven spinodal decomposition of the austenite phase in cast duplex stainless steels validates the proposition that a miscibility gap occurs in Fe-Ni and ancillary systems. 16 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Microstructural Evolutions During Reversion Annealing of Cold-Rolled AISI 316 Austenitic Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Naghizadeh, Meysam; Mirzadeh, Hamed

2018-06-01

Microstructural evolutions during reversion annealing of a plastically deformed AISI 316 stainless steel were investigated and three distinct stages were identified: the reversion of strain-induced martensite to austenite, the primary recrystallization of the retained austenite, and the grain growth process. It was found that the slow kinetics of recrystallization at lower annealing temperatures inhibit the formation of an equiaxed microstructure and might effectively impair the usefulness of this thermomechanical treatment for the objective of grain refinement. By comparing the behavior of AISI 316 and 304 alloys, it was found that the mentioned slow kinetics is related to the retardation effect of solute Mo in the former alloy. At high reversion annealing temperature, however, an equiaxed austenitic microstructure was achieved quickly in AISI 316 stainless steel due to the temperature dependency of retardation effect of molybdenum, which allowed the process of recrystallization to happen easily. Conclusively, this work can shed some light on the issues of this efficient grain refining approach for microstructural control of austenitic stainless steels.

Ultrasonic scanner for stainless steel weld inspections. [LMFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kupperman, D. S.; Reimann, K. J.

1978-09-01

The large grain size and anisotropic nature of stainless steel weld metal make conventional ultrasonic testing very difficult. A technique is evaluated for minimizing the coherent ultrasonic noise in stainless steel weld metal. The method involves digitizing conventional ''A-scan'' traces and averaging them with a minicomputer. Results are presented for an ultrasonic scanner which interrogates a small volume of the weld metal while averaging the coherent ultrasonic noise.

Sensitiaztion of austenitic stainless steels and its significance as regards stress-corrosion cracking of BWR pipe systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, W.; Otterberg, R.

1984-05-01

A critical literature evaluation dealing with sensitization of austenitic stainless steels and its importance in the context of intergranular stress-corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in high-temperature, oxygenated water is presented. The factors influencing the degree of sensitization are discussed, principally for type-304 stainless steels, both as regards sensitization arising as a result of isothermal holding within the critical temperature range and weld sensitization. The phenomenon of low-temperature sensitization is described and its potential significance under BWR operating conditions speculated upon. The principal features of and mechanisms controlling IGSCC of sensitized 304 steels in BWR-type environments are reviewed and some thoughts are given to the relevance of laboratory SCC testing in predicting the occurrence of cracking in actual BWR systems. Finally various countermeasures against IGSCC in existing and projected reactors are presented and discussed. (Author)

General and Localized corrosion of Austenitic and Borated Stainless Steels in Simulated Concentrated Ground Waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, D.; Estill, J.; Wong, L.; Rebak, R.

2004-01-01

Boron containing stainless steels are used in the nuclear industry for applications such as spent fuel storage, control rods and shielding. It was of interest to compare the corrosion resistance of three borated stainless steels with standard austenitic alloy materials such as type 304 and 316 stainless steels. Tests were conducted in three simulated concentrated ground waters at 90 C. Results show that the borated stainless were less resistant to corrosion than the witness austenitic materials. An acidic concentrated ground water was more aggressive than an alkaline concentrated ground water

Response of cast austenitic stainless steel to low temperature plasma carburizing.

OpenAIRE

Sun, Yong

2008-01-01

The response of a cast 316 type austenitic stainless steel to the novel low temperature plasma carburizing process has been investigated in this work. The cast steel has a dendritic structure with a mix of austenite, ferrite and carbide phases. The results show that such a complex structure responds well to the carburizing process, and the inter-dendrite regions containing ferrite and carbides can be transformed to expanded austenite to form a continuous and uniform layer supersat...

Irradiation-Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking of Austenitic Stainless Steels in BWR Environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.; Chopra, O. K.; Gruber, Eugene E.; Shack, William J.

2010-01-01

The internal components of light water reactors are exposed to high-energy neutron irradiation and high-temperature reactor coolant. The exposure to neutron irradiation increases the susceptibility of austenitic stainless steels (SSs) to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) because of the elevated corrosion potential of the reactor coolant and the introduction of new embrittlement mechanisms through radiation damage. Various nonsensitized SSs and nickel alloys have been found to be prone to intergranular cracking after extended neutron exposure. Such cracks have been seen in a number of internal components in boiling water reactors (BWRs). The elevated susceptibility to SCC in irradiated materials, commonly referred to as irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC), is a complex phenomenon that involves simultaneous actions of irradiation, stress, and corrosion. In recent years, as nuclear power plants have aged and irradiation dose increased, IASCC has become an increasingly important issue. Post-irradiation crack growth rate and fracture toughness tests have been performed to provide data and technical support for the NRC to address various issues related to aging degradation of reactor-core internal structures and components. This report summarizes the results of the last group of tests on compact tension specimens from the Halden-II irradiation. The IASCC susceptibility of austenitic SSs and heat-affected-zone (HAZ) materials sectioned from submerged arc and shielded metal arc welds was evaluated by conducting crack growth rate and fracture toughness tests in a simulated BWR environment. The fracture and cracking behavior of HAZ materials, thermally sensitized SSs and grain-boundary engineered SSs was investigated at several doses (3 dpa). These latest results were combined with previous results from Halden-I and II irradiations to analyze the effects of neutron dose, water chemistry, alloy compositions, and welding and processing conditions on IASCC. The

The irradiation performance of austenitic stainless steel clade PWR fuel rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teixeira e Silva, A.; Esteves, A.M.

1988-01-01

The steady state irradiation performance of austenitic stainless steel clad pressurized water reactor fuel rods is modeled with fuel performance codes of the FRAP series. These codes, originally developed to model the thermal-mechanical behavior of zircaloy clad fuel rods, are modified to model stainless steel clad fuel rods. The irradiation thermal-mechanical behavior of type 348 stainless steel and zircaloy fuel rods is compared. (author) [pt

Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on reliability of the ultrasonic inspection of austenitic materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1980-07-01

The contributions of this meeting addressed several topics: the fundamentals of ultrasonic examination of austenitic materials (effect of anisotropy on propagation, improvement of ultrasonic testing to thick bimetallic welds, aspects of the ultrasonic testing of austenitic steel structures, utilization of a Fisher linear discriminant function in intergranular stress corrosion cracking or IGSCC detection, case of coarse grain austenitic welds, efforts of the Argonne National Laboratory), instruments and methods (longitudinal wave ultrasonic inspection, Grass echo suppression technique during the ultrasonic inspection of fuel cladding tubes, inspections of fillet and butt welds, improvement by signal averaging techniques, multiple bearing angle crack detector for cladded pipes examinations, flow-to-grain echo enhancement by split-spectrum processing, ultrasonic imaging techniques, ultrasonic inspection of pipe weldments for IGSCC), industrial practice (ultrasonic testing techniques for fabrication and in-service inspection, experiences in ultrasonic examination of austenitic steel components, experience and practice on nuclear piping in Spain, detection of underclad defects, sizing of cracks perpendicular to stainless overlay), and reliability (survey of ultrasonic testing in austenitic weld material, examination of electron beam welds, factors affecting the reliability of ultrasonic examination, detectability of IGSCC, ultrasonic inspection reliability for primary piping systems)

Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on reliability of the ultrasonic inspection of austenitic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The contributions of this meeting addressed several topics: the fundamentals of ultrasonic examination of austenitic materials (effect of anisotropy on propagation, improvement of ultrasonic testing to thick bimetallic welds, aspects of the ultrasonic testing of austenitic steel structures, utilization of a Fisher linear discriminant function in intergranular stress corrosion cracking or IGSCC detection, case of coarse grain austenitic welds, efforts of the Argonne National Laboratory), instruments and methods (longitudinal wave ultrasonic inspection, Grass echo suppression technique during the ultrasonic inspection of fuel cladding tubes, inspections of fillet and butt welds, improvement by signal averaging techniques, multiple bearing angle crack detector for cladded pipes examinations, flow-to-grain echo enhancement by split-spectrum processing, ultrasonic imaging techniques, ultrasonic inspection of pipe weldments for IGSCC), industrial practice (ultrasonic testing techniques for fabrication and in-service inspection, experiences in ultrasonic examination of austenitic steel components, experience and practice on nuclear piping in Spain, detection of underclad defects, sizing of cracks perpendicular to stainless overlay), and reliability (survey of ultrasonic testing in austenitic weld material, examination of electron beam welds, factors affecting the reliability of ultrasonic examination, detectability of IGSCC, ultrasonic inspection reliability for primary piping systems)

Corrosion behaviour of dissimilar welds between martensitic stainless steel and carbon steel from secondary circuit of candu npp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popa, L.; Fulger, M.; Tunaru, M.; Velciu, L.; Lazar, M.

2015-01-01

Corrosion damages of welds occur in spite of the fact that the proper base metal and filler metal have been correctly selected, industry codes and standards have been followed and welds have been realized with full weld penetration and have proper shape and contour. It is not unusual to find that, although the base metal or alloy is resistant to corrosion in a particular environment, the welded counterpart is not resistant. In secondary circuit of a Nuclear Power Station there are some components which have dissimilar welds. Our experiments were performed in chloride environmental on two types of samples: non-welded (420 martensitic steel and 52.2k carbon steel) and dissimilar welds (dissimilar metal welds: joints beetween 420 martensitic steel and 52.2k carbon steel). To evaluate corrosion susceptibility of dissimilar welds was used electrochemical method (potentiodynamic method) and metallography microscopy (microstructural analysis). The present paper follows the localized corrosion behaviour of dissimilar welds between austenitic stainless steel and carbon steel in solutions containing chloride ions. We have been evaluated the corrosion rates of samples (welded and non-welded) by electrochemically. (authors)

Pulsed magnetic welding application of fast breeder austenitic pins plugging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallizzi, H.; Colombe, G.

1986-11-01

For specific nuclear needs, we had to develop pulsed magnetic welding on high resistivity coefficient alloys as austenitic steels. The magnetic force produced by an explosive inductor is transmitted on weld pieces by the use of an aluminium driver. A theoretical work carried out permitted to compare pulsed magnetic welding with explosive welding. With specific recordings, it was possible to study electrical and magnetical behavior during the active welding phase. By means of these informations, we are able to specify and to realize, with the financial help of ANVAR organization, a low impedance high velocity generator permitting to weld with a non destructible inductor. 6 refs [fr

Application of lap laser welding technology on stainless steel railway vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongxiao; Wang, Chunsheng; He, Guangzhong; Li, Wei; Liu, Liguo

2016-10-01

Stainless steel railway vehicles with so many advantages, such as lightweight, antirust, low cost of maintenance and simple manufacturing process, so the production of high level stainless steel railway vehicles has become the development strategy of European, American and other developed nations. The current stainless steel railway vehicles body and structure are usually assembled by resistance spot welding process. The weak points of this process are the poor surface quality and bad airtight due to the pressure of electrodes. In this study, the partial penetration lap laser welding process was investigated to resolve the problems, by controlling the laser to stop at the second plate in the appropriate penetration. The lap laser welding joint of stainless steel railway vehicle car body with partial penetration has higher strength and surface quality than those of resistance spot welding joint. The biggest problem of lap laser welding technology is to find the balance of the strength and surface quality with different penetrations. The mechanism of overlap laser welding of stainless steel, mechanical tests, microstructure analysis, the optimization of welding parameters, analysis of fatigue performance, the design of laser welding stainless steel railway vehicles structure and the development of non-destructive testing technology were systematically studied before lap laser welding process to be applied in manufacture of railway vehicles. The results of the experiments and study show that high-quality surface state and higher fatigue strength can be achieved by the partial penetration overlap laser welding of the side panel structure, and the structure strength of the car body can be higher than the requirements of En12663, the standard of structural requirements of railway vehicles bodies. Our company has produced the stainless steel subway and high way railway vehicles by using overlap laser welding technology. The application of lap laser welding will be a big

Zinc Addition Effects on General Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steels in PWR Primary Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiao Peipeng; Zhang Lefu; Liu Ruiqin; Jiang Suqing; Zhu Fawen

2010-01-01

Zinc addition effects on general corrosion of austenitic stainless steel 316 and 304 were investigated in simulated PWR primary coolant without zinc or with 50 ppb zinc addition at 315 degree C for 500 h. The results show that with the addition of zinc, the corrosion rate of austenitic stainless steel is effectively reduced, the surface oxide film is thinner, the morphology and chemical composition of surface oxide scales are evidently different from those without zinc. There are needle-like corrosion products on the surface of stainless steel 304. (authors)

Studies on analytical method and nondestructive measuring method on the sensitization of austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onimura, Kichiro; Arioka, Koji; Horai, Manabu; Noguchi, Shigeru.

1982-03-01

Austenitic stainless steels are widely used as structural materials for the machine and equipment of various kinds of plants, such as thermal power, nuclear power, and chemical plants. The machines and equipment using this kind of material, however, have the possibility of suffering corrosion damage while in service, and these damages are considered to be largely due to the sensitization of the material in sometimes. So, it is necessary to develop an analytical method for grasping the sensitization of the material more in detail and a quantitative nondestructive measuring method which is applicable to various kinds of structures in order to prevent the corrosion damage. From the above viewpoint, studies have been made on the analytical method based on the theory of diffusion of chromium in austenitic stainless steels and on Electro-Potentiokinetics Reactivation Method (EPR Method) as a nondestructive measuring method, using 304 and 316 austenitic stainless steels having different carbon contents in base metals. This paper introduces the results of EPR test on the sensitization of austenitic stainless steels and the correlation between analytical and experimental results. (author)

Influence of nitrogen in the shielding gas on corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel welds

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, R. B.; Kamat, H. S.; Ghosal, S. K.; de, P. K.

1999-10-01

The influence of nitrogen in shielding gas on the corrosion resistance of welds of a duplex stainless steel (grade U-50), obtained by gas tungsten arc (GTA) with filler wire, autogenous GTA (bead-on-plate), electron beam welding (EBW), and microplasma techniques, has been evaluated in chloride solutions at 30 °C. Pitting attack has been observed in GTA, electron beam welding, and microplasma welds when welding has been carried out using pure argon as the shielding gas. Gas tungsten arc welding with 5 to 10% nitrogen and 90 to 95% argon, as the shielding gas, has been found to result in an improved pitting corrosion resistance of the weldments of this steel. However, the resistance to pitting of autogenous welds (bead-on-plate) obtained in pure argon as the shielding gas has been observed to remain unaffected. Microscopic examination, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and x-ray diffraction studies have revealed that the presence of nitrogen in the shielding gas in the GTA welds not only modifies the microstructure and the austenite to ferrite ratio but also results in a nearly uniform distribution of the various alloying elements, for example, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum among the constitutent phases, which are responsible for improved resistance to pitting corrosion.

On Necking, Fracture and Localization of Plastic Flow in Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korhonen, A. S.; Manninen, T.; Kanervo, K.

2007-01-01

The forming limits of austenitic stainless steel sheets were studied in this work. It was found that the observed limit of straining in stretch forming, when both of the principal stresses are positive, is not set by localized necking, but instead by inclined shearing fracture in the through thickness direction. It appears that the forming limits of austenitic stainless steels may be predicted fairly well by using the classical localized and diffuse necking criteria developed by Hill. The strain path-dependence may be accounted for by integrating the effective strain along the strain path. The fracture criteria of Rice and Tracey and Cockcroft, Latham and Oh were also studied. The results were in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations. Recent experiments with high-velocity electrohydraulic forming of austenitic stainless steels revealed localized necks in stretch formed parts, which are not commonly observed in conventionally formed sheet metal parts

The Influence of Porosity on Corrosion Attack of Austenitic Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Z.; Ismail, A.; Ahmad, S.

2017-10-01

Porous metals also known as metal foams is a metallic body having spaces orpores through which liquid or air may pass. Porous metals get an attention from researchers nowadays due to their unique combination of properties includes excellent mechanical and electrical, high energy absorption, good thermal and sound insulation and water and gas permeability. Porous metals have been applied in numerous applications such as in automotive, aerospace and also in biomedical applications. This research reveals the influence of corrosion attack in porous austenitic stainless steel 316L. The cyclic polarization potential analysis was performed on the porous austenitic stainless steel 316L in 3.5% NaCl solution. The morphology and the element presence on the samples before and after corrosion attack was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) respectively to determine the corrosion mechanism structure. The cyclic polarization potential analysis showed the result of (E corr ) for porous austenitic stainless steel type 316L in the range of -0.40v to -0.60v and breakdown potential (E b ) is -0.3v to -0.4v in NaCl solution.

Studies on microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of high nitrogen stainless steel shielded metal arc welds

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Raffi; Madhusudhan Reddy, G.; Srinivasa Rao, K.

2018-03-01

The present work is aimed at studying the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of high nitrogen stainless steel shielded metal arc (SMA) welds made with Cromang-N electrode. Basis for selecting this electrode is to increase the solubility of nitrogen in weld metal due to high chromium and manganese content. Microstructures of the welds were characterized using optical microscopy (OM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) mainly to determine the morphology, phase analysis, grain size and orientation image mapping. Hardness, tensile and ductility bend tests were carried out to determine mechanical properties. Potentio-dynamic polarization testing was carried out to study the pitting corrosion resistance using a GillAC basic electrochemical system. Constant load type testing was carried out to study stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behaviour of welds. The investigation results shown that the selected Cr–Mn–N type electrode resulted in favourable microstructure and completely solidified as single phase coarse austenite. Mechanical properties of SMA welds are found to be inferior when compared to that of base metal and is due to coarse and dendritic structure.

Microstructural Study of 17-4PH Stainless Steel after Plasma-Transferred Arc Welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewei Deng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The improvement of the surface qualities and surface hardening of precipitation hardened martensitic stainless steel 17-4PH was achieved by the plasma-transferred arc welding (PTAW process deposited with Co-based alloy. The microstructure of the heat affected zone (HAZ and base metal were characterized by optical microscope (OM, scanning electron microscope (SEM and transmission electron microscope (TEM. The results show that there are obvious microstructural differences between the base metal and HAZ. For example, base material is transformed from lath martensite to austenite due to the heateffect of the welding process. On the other hand, the precipitate in the matrix (bar-like shape Cr7C3 phase with a width of about one hundred nanometres and a length of hundreds of nanometres grows to a rectangular appearance with a width of about two hundred nanometres and a length of about one micron. Stacking fault could also be observed in the Cr7C3 after PTAW. The above means that welding can obviously improve the surface qualities.

Experimental and Computational Investigation of Structural Integrity of Dissimilar Metal Weld Between Ferritic and Austenitic Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Santosh, R.; Das, G.; Kumar, S.; Singh, P. K.; Ghosh, M.

2018-03-01

The structural integrity of dissimilar metal welded (DMW) joint consisting of low-alloy steel and 304LN austenitic stainless steel was examined by evaluating mechanical properties and metallurgical characteristics. INCONEL 82 and 182 were used as buttering and filler materials, respectively. Experimental findings were substantiated through thermomechanical simulation of the weld. During simulation, the effect of thermal state and stress distribution was pondered based on the real-time nuclear power plant environment. The simulation results were co-related with mechanical and microstructural characteristics. Material properties were varied significantly at different fusion boundaries across the weld line and associated with complex microstructure. During in-situ deformation testing in a scanning electron microscope, failure occurred through the buttering material. This indicated that microstructure and material properties synergistically contributed to altering the strength of DMW joints. Simulation results also depicted that the stress was maximum within the buttering material and made its weakest zone across the welded joint during service exposure. Various factors for the failure of dissimilar metal weld were analyzed. It was found that the use of IN 82 alloy as the buttering material provided a significant improvement in the joint strength and became a promising material for the fabrication of DMW joint.

Experimental and Computational Investigation of Structural Integrity of Dissimilar Metal Weld Between Ferritic and Austenitic Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Santosh, R.; Das, G.; Kumar, S.; Singh, P. K.; Ghosh, M.

2018-06-01

The structural integrity of dissimilar metal welded (DMW) joint consisting of low-alloy steel and 304LN austenitic stainless steel was examined by evaluating mechanical properties and metallurgical characteristics. INCONEL 82 and 182 were used as buttering and filler materials, respectively. Experimental findings were substantiated through thermomechanical simulation of the weld. During simulation, the effect of thermal state and stress distribution was pondered based on the real-time nuclear power plant environment. The simulation results were co-related with mechanical and microstructural characteristics. Material properties were varied significantly at different fusion boundaries across the weld line and associated with complex microstructure. During in-situ deformation testing in a scanning electron microscope, failure occurred through the buttering material. This indicated that microstructure and material properties synergistically contributed to altering the strength of DMW joints. Simulation results also depicted that the stress was maximum within the buttering material and made its weakest zone across the welded joint during service exposure. Various factors for the failure of dissimilar metal weld were analyzed. It was found that the use of IN 82 alloy as the buttering material provided a significant improvement in the joint strength and became a promising material for the fabrication of DMW joint.

Residual stress studies of austenitic and ferritic steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrenko, R.M.

1978-01-01

Residual studies have been made on austenitic and ferritic steels of the types used as structural materials. The residual stress results presented here will include residual stress measurements in the heat-affected zone on butt welded Type 304 stainless steel pipes, and the stresses induced in Type 304 austenitic stainless steel and Type A508 ferritic steel by several surface preparations. Such surface preparation procedures as machining and grinding can induce large directionality effects in the residual stresses determined by X-ray techniques and some typical data will be presented. A brief description is given of the mobile X-ray residual stress apparatus used to obtain most of the data in these studies. (author)

Effect of A-TIG Welding Process on the Weld Attributes of Type 304LN and 316LN Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Vasudevan, M.

2017-03-01

The specific activated flux has been developed for enhancing the penetration performance of TIG welding process for autogenous welding of type 304LN and 316LN stainless steels through systematic study. Initially single-component fluxes were used to study their effect on depth of penetration and tensile properties. Then multi-component activated flux was developed which was found to produce a significant increase in penetration of 10-12 mm in single-pass TIG welding of type 304LN and 316LN stainless steels. The significant improvement in penetration achieved using the activated flux developed in the present work has been attributed to the constriction of the arc and as well as reversal of Marangoni flow in the molten weld pool. The use of activated flux has been found to overcome the variable weld penetration observed in 316LN stainless steel with TIG welds compared to that of the welds produced by conventional TIG welding on the contrary the transverse strength properties of the 304LN and 316LN stainless steel welds produced by A-TIG welding exceeded the minimum specified strength values of the base metals. Improvement in toughness values were observed in 316LN stainless steel produced by A-TIG welding due to refinement in the weld microstructure in the region close to the weld center. Thus, activated flux developed in the present work has greater potential for use during the TIG welding of structural components made of type 304LN and 316LN stainless steels.

Pitting corrosion resistant austenite stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

van Rooyen, D.; Bandy, R.

A pitting corrosion resistant austenite stainless steel comprises 17 to 28 wt. % chromium, 15 to 26 wt. % nickel, 5 to 8 wt. % molybdenum, and 0.3 to 0.5 wt. % nitrogen, the balance being iron, unavoidable impurities, minor additions made in the normal course of melting and casting alloys of this type, and may optionally include up to 10 wt. % of manganese, up to 5 wt. % of silicon, and up to 0.08 wt. % of carbon.

UNS S32750 super duplex steel welding using pulsed Nd:YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francini, O.D.; Andrade, G.G.; Clemente, M.S.; Gallego, J.; Ventrella, V.A.

2016-01-01

Laser is a flexible and powerful tool with many relevant applications in industry, mainly in the welding area. Lasers today provide the welding industry technical solutions to many problems. This work studied the weld metal obtained by pulsed laser welding of Nd: YAG super duplex stainless steel UNS S32750 employed in the oil and natural gas, analyzing the influence of high cooling rate, due to the laser process, the swing phase ferrite / austenite. Were performed weld beads in butt joint with different repetition rates. The different microstructures were obtained by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the effect of varying the welding energy of Nd: YAG laser on the volume fractions of the phases ferrite/austenite in the weld metal was its ferritization and low austenite amount on the grain boundary. (author)

78 FR 63517 - Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-24

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0231] Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld... Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal.'' This guide (Revision 4) describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for controlling ferrite content in stainless steel weld metal. It updates the...

Austenite Formation from Martensite in a 13Cr6Ni2Mo Supermartensitic Stainless Steel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bojack, A.; Zhao, L.; Morris, P.F.; Sietsma, J.

2016-01-01

The influence of austenitization treatment of a 13Cr6Ni2Mo supermartensitic stainless steel (X2CrNiMoV13-5-2) on austenite formation during reheating and on the fraction of austenite retained after tempering treatment is measured and analyzed. The results show the formation of austenite in two

Determination of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida Macedo, W.A. de.

1983-01-01

Measurements of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels were done by X-ray diffraction, quantitative metallography (point count) and by means of one specific commercial apparatus whose operational principle is magnetic-inductive: The Ferrite Content Meter 1053 / Institut Dr. Foerster. The results obtained were comparated with point count, the reference method. It was also investigated in these measurements the influence of the martensite induced by mechanical deformation. Determinations by X-ray diffraction, by the ratio between integrated intensities of the ferrite (211) and austenite (311) lines, are in excelent agreement with those taken by point count. One correction curve for the lectures of the commercial equipment in focus was obtained, for the range between zero and 20% of delta ferrite in 18/8 stainless steels. It is demonstrated that, depending on the employed measurement method and surface finishing of the material to be analysed, the presence of martensite produced by mechanical deformation of the austenitic matrix is one problem to be considered. (Author) [pt

Determination of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida Macedo, W.A. de.

1983-01-01

Measurements of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels were done by X-ray difraction, quantitative metallography (point count) and by means of one specific commercial apparatus whose operational principle is magnetic-inductive: The Ferrite Content Meter 1053 / Institut Dr. Forster. The results obtained were comparated with point count, the reference method. It was also investigated in these measurements the influence of the martensite induced by mechanical deformation. Determinations by X-ray diffraction, by the ratio between integrated intensities of the ferrite (211) and austenite (311) lines, are in excelent agreement with those taken by point count. One correction curve for the lectures of the commercial equipment in focus was obtained, for the range between zero and 20% of delta ferrite in 18/8 stainless steels. It is demonstrated that, depending on the employed measurement method and surface finishing of the material to be analysed, the presence of martensite produced by mechanical deformation of the austenitic matrix is one problem to be considered. (Author) [pt

The Effects of Alloy Chemistry on Localized Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Sapiro, David O.

This study investigated localized corrosion behavior of austenitic stainless steels under stressed and unstressed conditions, as well as corrosion of metallic thin films. While austenitic stainless steels are widely used in corrosive environments, they are vulnerable to pitting and stress corrosion cracking (SCC), particularly in chloride-containing environments. The corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steels is closely tied to the alloying elements chromium, nickel, and molybdenum. Polarization curves were measured for five commercially available austenitic stainless steels of varying chromium, nickel, and molybdenum content in 3.5 wt.% and 25 wt.% NaCl solutions. The alloys were also tested in tension at slow strain rates in air and in a chloride environment under different polarization conditions to explore the relationship between the extent of pitting corrosion and SCC over a range of alloy content and environment. The influence of alloy composition on corrosion resistance was found to be consistent with the pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) under some conditions, but there were also conditions under which the model did not hold for certain commercial alloy compositions. Monotonic loading was used to generate SCC in in 300 series stainless steels, and it was possible to control the failure mode through adjusting environmental and polarization conditions. Metallic thin film systems of thickness 10-200 nm are being investigated for use as corrosion sensors and protective coatings, however the corrosion properties of ferrous thin films have not been widely studied. The effects of film thickness and substrate conductivity were examined using potentiodynamic polarization and scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) on iron thin films. Thicker films undergo more corrosion than thinner films in the same environment, though the corrosion mechanism is the same. Conductive substrates encourage general corrosion, similar to that of bulk iron

Intergranular stress corrosion in soldered joints of stainless steel 304.; Corrosion intergranular bajo esfuerzo en uniones soldadas de acero inoxidable 304

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zamora R, L [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Mexico City (Mexico)

1994-12-31

The intergranular stress cracking of welded joints of austenitic stainless steel, AISI 304, is a serious problem in BWR type reactors. It is associated with the simultaneous presence of three factors; stress, a critical media and sensibilization (DOS). EPR technique was used in order to verify the sensibilization degree in the base metal, and the zone affected by heat and welding material. The characterization of material was done. The objective of this work is the study of microstructure and the evaluation of EPR technique used for the determination of DOS in a welded plate of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304. (Author).

Corrosion Properties of Laser Welded Stainless Steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weldingh, Jakob; Olsen, Flemmming Ove

1997-01-01

In this paper the corrosion properties of laser welded AISI 316L stainless steel are examined. A number of different welds has been performed to test the influence of the weld parameters of the resulting corrosion properties. It has been chosen to use the potential independent critical pitting...... temperature (CPT) test as corrosion test. The following welding parameters are varied: Welding speed, lsser power, focus point position and laser operation mode (CW or pulsed)....

Study on the abnormal image appeared in radiographs of welds, 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Morihiro; Sugimura, Seiichi; Umemura, Kunio; Imamura, Senji; Kanno, Munekazu.

1984-01-01

On the abnormal images arising at times in the X-ray radiographs of austenitic stainless steel welded parts, the cause of occurrence was clarified before. In this study, the authors made the welded parts of austenitic stainless steel SUS 304 and SUS 316 with abnormal images of different clearness by making heat input into respective layers of welds large or small, and compared the static and dynamic strength. Moreover, the relation of the form of abnormal images in radiographs to metal structures was studied. The welding method employed was TIG welding and submerged arc welding. The images of X-ray radiographs and the metal structures of the welded parts tested are shown. The mechanical strength test was carried out by tension, bending and impact. Also fatigue test was performed. In the welded parts of SUS 304 and SUS 316, even if abnormal images appeared in radiographs, when sound welding was made, they possessed sufficient strength statically and dynamically. In the macroscopic and microscopic cross-sectional structures of the welded parts with remarkable abnormal images, defect was not observed at all. The cause of abnormal image appearance is the diffraction of X-ray. (Kako, I.)

Weld Metallurgy and Mechanical Properties of High Manganese Ultra-high Strength Steel Dissimilar Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Dahmen, Martin; Lindner, Stefan; Monfort, Damien; Petring, Dirk

The increasing demand for ultra-high strength steels in vehicle manufacturing leads to the application of new alloys. This poses a challenge on joining especially by fusion welding. A stainless high manganese steel sheet with excellent strength and deformation properties stands in the centre of the development. Similar and dissimilar welds with a metastable austenitic steel and a hot formed martensitic stainless steel were performed. An investigation of the mixing effects on the local microstructure and the hardness delivers the metallurgical features of the welds. Despite of carbon contents above 0.4 wt.% none of the welds have shown cracks. Mechanical properties drawn from tensile tests deliver high breaking forces enabling a high stiffness of the joints. The results show the potential for the application of laser beam welding for joining in assembly of structural parts.

Reformed austenite transformation during fatigue crack propagation of 13%Cr-4%Ni stainless steel