Prevention of Temper Embrittlement in

2VA Cr-1 Mo Weld Metal

by Metallurgical Actions
A significant improvement in toughness properties after step cooling
allows the application of high performance processes
such as tandem submerged arc welding

BY J. GROSSE-WORDEMANN AND S. DITTRICH

Introduction
The increasing demand for energy in
the future and interest in alternative processes like coal gasification, coal liquidation, the processing of heavier crude
feedstocks and different catalytic reformings will most likely lead to a growing
utilization of Cr-Mo alloy steels for the
construction of heavy wall pressure vessels.
Due to the 850 F (454C) primary
design temperature and other requirements, 2'/4 Cr-1 M o steel will continue to
be the most important material used in
pressure vessels.
In the past 10 years, temper embrittlement of 214 Cr-1 M o steel and the weld
metal has become of considerable concern to the users and producers of these
heavy wall vessels. The principal reason
for the temper embrittlement is the segregation of impure elements such as
phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and tin in
the grain boundary region. The embrittlement manifests itself by an upward shift
of the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature after a long time exposure in the
temperature range of 750-1100 F (399593C).

reducing the residual elements to an

extremely low level. Further, the embrittling element silicon and the alloying element manganese must be limited, the
latter due to its tendency towards cosegregation. The requirement for a temper
embrittlement resistant steel is commonly
expressed by the so called J-factor formulated by Watanabe (Ref. 5):
) = (Mn + Si) X (P + Sn) X 104
where the different elements are
expressed in percent.
Most recent specifications require a
(-number of less than 150; this can be
effected, for example, by the following
composition: 0.50% M n , 0.10% Si,
0.010% P, and 0.010% Sn. The (-number
is in this case 120.

Interacting Effects on the Temper

Embrittlement of the Weld Metal

Due to the wide range of complex

interacting effects, it is much more difficult to improve the resistance of the weld
metal to temper embrittlement than to
the equivalent extent in case of wrought
or forged material. For this reason, weldThe literature describing this phenomeing consumables have lagged behind the
non is now very extensive. The stepdevelopment of the wrought steel
by-step progress that has been made to
despite the fact that it is of equal imporimprove the properties of the steel and
tance. Proposals have been made that
the weld metal is very evident in the
circumvent the need for temper embritliterature (Ref. 1-11).
tlement resistance.
In case of 2VA Cr-1 M o steel, the
One proposal to circumvent resistance
embrittlement problem can be solved by
to temper embrittlement is to reduce the
pressure within the lower range of temperature; another is to use only forged
rings for the construction of vessels since,
Paper presented at the 63rd AWS Annual
Meeting held in Kansas City, Missouri, during in this case, they are without welded
April 26-30, 1982.
longitudinal seams. However, forged
I GROSSE-WORDEMANN and S. DITTRICH-rings have an inherent disadvantage compared to rolled plate rings because of
are with Thyssen Draht AG, Hamm, West
surfacing coalescence difficulties caused
Germany.

by the higher carbon content and the

temper embrittlement problem in the
forged material. Thus, the best solution
for construction of 2VA Cr-1 M o steel
vessels is to improve the toughness properties of the weld metal to the same
extent that has been achieved successfully with the base metal.
The first important step is to reduce
the level of the residual elements of the
weld metal as low as possible. However,
this is not the only measure of toughness
properties. After exposure within the critical range of temperature for a long time,
the weld metal will have an overall lower
quality level than the comparable clean
steel, since the improvement is only gradual and not fundamental. This is due to a
wide field of interacting effects, which
must also be considered at the same
time, Based on experience it is necessary
to consider the following variables which
are discussed further elsewhere in this
paper:
1. Chemical composition with emphasis on residual elements.
2. Heat treatment.
3. Basicity of the electrode coating for
shielded metal arc welding and flux for
submerged arc welding.
4. Grain size and welding techniques.

Step Cooling Embrittling Treatment

of the Test Material
Before discussing the different interacting effects, it is useful to briefly describe
the conditions for the long-time exposure
of the test material that is normally used
to simulate the service behavior of the
steel or weld metal. The extent of embrittlement depends on exposure time and
temperature. SAE 3140 type steel is an
example Fig. 1. Each curve of the diagram in Fig. 1 represents a certain transition temperature. The diagram shows

WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT 1123-s

1200
1100

1-

zUJ

CL

o
_l

Ui

>
UJ
Q

LL
o

a 1000
13
-JJ

fc 900

D.

cr

e
CD

I
O

800"
700

0.1

1,0
10
100
Isothermal Embrittling Time

Fig. 1 Isothermal embrittlement

phenomenon (Ref. 1)

of the steel SAE 3140 exemplifying

500 hours

the temper

embrittlement

Table 1Specifications for the "Step Cooling" Embrittling Treatment Formulated by General
Electric, C. F. Braun and Standard Oil of California
Exposure time, h

Temperature.

Rate of cooling, F/h

CE

C F. Braun

SOCAL

CE

C. F. Braun

SOCAL

1100
1000
975
925
875
600

1
15
24
60
125

1
15
24
60
100

1
15
24
60
100

10
10
10
5
50
Air cool ng

10
10
10
5
50
Air cooling

10
10
10
10
50
Air cooling

160

cn
i_

**

120

QJ

C
0)

- a -

..--""

'

,<*"

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>

..Type 2

ar

.-v >Type1
-

P'

80

Q.H-

s s

e^

40

_-n'

- ~~~y

,<

^m'

4? \A
s

""^+6

\f

-.40
o
a

o
a

-20

0
+20 +40 +60
Test temperature F

+80

10h/1275F
1 0 h / 1 2 7 5 F + step cooling

Fig. 2 Charpy impact curves of the weld metals of two E9015-B3 electrodes with different levels
of residual elements

1 2 4 - s | M A Y 1983

that, for the same effect, the exposure

time can be shortened if the embrittling
treatment temperature corresponds to
the reversing point of the respective
curves. For this reason, a so-called "step
cooling" treatment has been formulated
by General Electric as well as C. F. Braun
and Standard Oil of California (SOCAL)
Table 1.
The small differences between each
treatment shown in Table 1 refer only to
the cooling rate from 925 to 875 F (496
to 468 C) and to the exposure time at
875 F (468 C). The extent of the
resulting embrittlement is not influenced
by these unimportant deviations. In Fig. 1
the SOCAL "step cooling" treatment is
indicated by a dash line in order to show
its trend compared to the different
embrittlement curves. The "step cooling"
line does not exactly follow the reversing
points of these embrittlement curves due
to the fact that the SAE 3140 Ni-Cr
alloyed steel exhibits a slightly different
although similar embrittlement behavior
compared to the 2'/4 Cr-1 M o steel.
However, the data show very impressively that, after 200-300 hours, the
"step cooling" treatment produces the
same extent of embrittlement at a much
longer isothermal exposure at any temperature.
Interacting Variables and Their
Effects
Influence of Chemical Composition and
Heat Treatment
As previously mentioned, it is absolutely necessary to provide a very low level
of residual elements. However, in the
case of the weld metal, this precaution is
but one of many others if temper embrittlement is to be prevented. Figure 2
shows t w o pairs of Charpy impact curves
(before and after step cooling) for t w o
different E9015-B3 electrodes. Weld metal from the type 1 electrode was deposited to a previous standard with a normal
amount of impurities. The weld metal of
the type 2 electrode has a very low level
of residual elements, but the electrode
coating is also standard. The weld metal
compositions for both types, including
the J-factor, are shown in Table 2. The
welding parameters are also given in the
same table.
Despite the extremely clean weld metal from the type 2 electrode, the
improvement of the Charpy-impact values after step cooling is relatively small. In
this case, the 40 ft-lb (54J) transition
temperature is about - 4 F ( - 2 0 C).
This is higher than the transition temperature of a comparable clean steel which
must be lower than - 2 0 F ( - 2 9 C).
The postweld heat treatment of the
weld metal before step cooling was 10
hours (h) at 1275 F (691 C). Based on
prior experience, the results were not
negatively influenced by this treatment,
since the optimum range for the temper-

ing o f 2'/4 C r - 1 M o w e l d metal is 1 2 5 0 1300 F ( 6 7 7 - 7 0 4 C). Leaving this range

of o p t i m u m P W H T t e m p e r a t u r e s , it must
b e e x p e c t e d that t h e r e will b e a loss o f
toughness d u e t o t h e i n c o m p l e t e t e m p e r ing at a subcritical t e m p e r a t u r e o n t h e
o n e h a n d and t h e m o r e coarse grained
m i c r o s t r u c t u r e as a result of e x c e e d i n g
the advised t e m p e r a t u r e . F u r t h e r m o r e ,
w e h a v e f o u n d that t h e w e l d metal
toughness can b e i m p r o v e d b y p r o l o n g ing the p o s t w e l d heat t r e a t m e n t w i t h i n
the o p t i m u m t e m p e r a t u r e range.
M e r e l y r e d u c i n g the u n f a v o r a b l e residual elements d o e s not i m p r o v e t h e
impact p r o p e r t i e s t o a sufficient level.
O t h e r influencing factors must b e conside r e d . T h e results o f extensive e x p e r i ments in o u r R & D d e p a r t m e n t hint at the
manganese c o n t e n t of t h e w e l d metal as
being o n e of these factors. H o w e v e r ,
results p o i n t in a d i r e c t i o n that is o p p o s i t e
f r o m that implied b y the W a t a n a b e f o r mula. W e l d metal f r o m the electrodes
(Table 2) is characterized b y a manganese
c o n t e n t o f a b o u t 0.6%; this is relatively
l o w (i.e. complies w i t h t h e A W S specification f o r E9015-B3 electrodes). Furtherm o r e , this l o w M n c o n t e n t also leads t o a
c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y l o w J-factor. H o w e v e r , it
must be n o t e d that the (-factor w a s
originally i n t r o d u c e d in o r d e r t o describe
the e m b r i t t l i n g b e h a v i o r o f the base m e t al a n d not o f the w e l d m e t a l .
For the base m e t a l , W a t a n a b e conside r e d manganese as a c o s e g r e g a t e w i t h
t h e residual elements. Using the W a t a n a b e f o r m u l a f o r t h e base m e t a l , it is
necessary t o k e e p it w i t h i n a limited
range. H o w e v e r , in the case of t h e w e l d
metal, manganese d o e s n o t cosegregate
d u e t o rapid solidification a n d subsequent
high c o o l i n g rates. T h e r e f o r e , t i m e f o r
extensive diffusion t o the grain b o u n d aries is short, a n d it is n o t necessary t o
limit the manganese c o n t e n t t o t h e same
e x t e n t as in t h e case of t h e base metal.
Practical e x p e r i e n c e s h o w s that the
toughness o f t h e w e l d metal can be
i m p r o v e d if the manganese c o n t e n t is
increased u p t o 0 . 7 - 1 . 0 % d u e t o t h e
increased f o r m a t i o n of acicular ferrite in
the m i c r o s t r u c t u r e .
In a d d i t i o n , the increase in manganese
c o n t e n t p r o v i d e s e v e n m o r e advantages.
T h e most i m p o r t a n t o n e is t h e increased
h o t tensile s t r e n g t h , plus b e t t e r w e l d i n g
b e h a v i o r o f the e l e c t r o d e and t h e t e n d e n c y t o w a r d f e w e r discontinuities and
slag inclusions in the w e l d m e t a l . W i t h this
in m i n d , it w o u l d appear p r u d e n t t o use
the J-factor f o r t h e specification of
w r o u g h t steel c o m p o s i t i o n a n d t o use
a n o t h e r f o r m u l a f o r the specification of
the w e l d m e t a l .
In 1970 Bruscato (Ref. 3) f o r m u l a t e d an
embrittling factor w i t h o u t incorporating
the element manganese. It considers only
the critical residual elements a c c o r d i n g t o
the following formula:

Table 2Weld Metal Analysis and Welding

Conditions Relating to the Results Given in
Fig. 2

Table 3Weld Metal Analysis Relating to

Results Given in Figs. 3 and 4, %

Weld metal analysts,

Type 1
electrode
C
Si
Mn
Cr
Mo
Cu
Ni
P
S
As

0.06
0.26
0.58
2.26

0.07
0.29

0.96
0.04
0.03

0.94
0.04
0.04
0.006
0.007

0.60

0.016

Sn
V
l-Factor
Welding

0.013
0.003
0.006
0.01

0.006
0.002
0.007

193

116

0.01

4.0 X 350
Flat
170
23
10

26
390
10 h at
1275F

10 P + 5 Sb + 4 Sn + As

x=-

Ni
P
S
As
Sb
Sn
V

(-factor
Bruscato-factor

135
12.6

0.03
0.010
0.009
0.004
0.002
0.003

0.01

the u n a v o i d a b l e t e m p e r e m b r i t t l e m e n t .
The necessary metallurgical action is t o
increase t h e basicity of t h e e l e c t r o d e
c o a t i n g (Ref. 13-19); t h e residual elements
must b e k e p t l o w as r e c o m m e n d e d p r e viously. T h e results o f this measure are
s h o w n in Fig. 3.
T h e 4 0 ft-lb (54 )) transition t e m p e r a ture after step cooling is, in this case, 53
F ( - 4 7 C) a n d is c o m p a r a b l e w i t h the
b e h a v i o r of the l o w residual steel. T h e
corresponding
weld
metal
analysis,
including J-factor and Bruscato e m b r i t t l e m e n t factor, is s h o w n in Table 3. Postw e l d heat t r e a t m e n t a n d w e l d i n g c o n d i tions are the same as s h o w n in Table 2.
Since e l e c t r o d e coating basicity has a
significant influence o n the toughness, it
w o u l d b e helpful if the d e g r e e o f basicity
c o u l d b e d e f i n e d by a generally applicable f o r m u l a . As y e t , t h e best a p p r o a c h is
given b y the Boniszewski (Ref. 14 a n d 15)
f o r m u l a that summarizes t h e influence o f
the different ingredients as f o l l o w s :

conditions:

Electrode size, mm
Welding position
Current, A
Voltage, V
Length of bead
deposited, in.
Heat input, kj/in.
Interpass temperature, F
PWHT

0.06
0.25
0.79
2.36
1.04
0.02

2.18

0.017

Sb

Type 2
electrode

C
Si
Mn
Cr
Mo
Cu

100

T h e different elements are expressed

in p p m . F u r t h e r m o r e , the Bruscato f o r mula has the a d v a n t a g e that n o t only
p h o s p h o r u s a n d tin but the o t h e r influencing elements, including a n t i m o n y a n d
arsenic, are c o n s i d e r e d . This should p r o v i d e a b e t t e r a p p r o a c h f o r describing t h e
embrittling b e h a v i o r of t h e w e l d metal
(Ref. 12).
Increased Basicity of the Electrode Coating
for Shielded Metal Arc Welding
T h e r e c o m m e n d e d increase in t h e
manganese c o n t e n t is n o t the p r i m a r y
measure t o e m p l o y in o r d e r t o p r e v e n t
temper embrittlement of the 2 ' / i Cr-1
M o w e l d metal. M o r e i m p o r t a n t l y , t e m p e r e m b r i t t l e m e n t of this a n d similar
alloys c a n n o t really b e e x c l u d e d ; it can
only be c o n t r o l l e d w i t h i n a limited b u t
a c c e p t a b l e range.
An
important
requirement
is
to
increase the C h a r p y impact values b e f o r e
step cooling (after p o s t w e l d heat treatment) t o t h e highest achievable level. T h e
c o n s e q u e n c e of this measure is that the
impact values after step c o o l i n g will b e
characterized b y a remarkably high level
despite a partial loss of toughness d u e t o

C a O + M g O 4- CaF 2 +
Na20 + K20 +
Vi ( M n O + FeO + BaO)
B =
S i 0 2 + T i 0 2 + Vi
(Al203 + Zr02)
w h e r e all oxides a n d CaF 2 are expressed
in m o l e fractions.
The p r o b l e m w i t h this f o r m u l a is that it
gives t o o m u c h w e i g h t t o the nonbasic
ingredient fluorspar (CaF 2 ) w h i c h is a d d e d
as a neutral salt a n d used t o r e d u c e the
high melting p o i n t o f the basic slag.
T h e r e f o r e , the d e g r e e of basicity calculated b y the Boniszewski f o r m u l a c a n n o t
b e c o n s i d e r e d as absolutely c o r r e c t ; this
makes it v e r y difficult t o c o m p a r e the
actual basicity o f different m a n u f a c t u r e d
e l e c t r o d e coatings.
In the case o f t h e special t y p e of elect r o d e s h o w n in Fig. 3, t h e calculated
d e g r e e of basicity is 2.8. This high d e g r e e
o f basicity is the main key t o understanding
t h e high impact values at l o w t e m p e r a tures, e v e n after step c o o l i n g . D u e t o the
significant a m o u n t of basic ingredients, the
slag absorbs m o r e of the small spherelike
S i 0 2 particles o u t of the liquid w e l d metal
than in n o r m a l cases. Since t h e rest o f the
n o n - e x t r a c t e d S i 0 2 influences the impact
values t o a v e r y high d e g r e e , it should be
k e p t as l o w as possible.
T h e a m o u n t o f included S i 0 2 can b e

W E L D I N G RESEARCH S U P P L E M E N T 1125-s

160

even with the use of an extremely clean

electrode. A further requirement is to
minimize the pickup of residual elements
from the flux; one of the most important,
phosphorus, must be maintained as low
as possible.
If these preconditions are fulfilled,
weld metal toughness can be expected
to be as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, the
40 ft-lb (54)) transition temperature was
- 4 9 F ( - 4 5 C) after step cooling. The
corresponding figures according to the
formula T-, + 3 X AT were - 6 3 -I- 3 X
14 = 21 "F. The chemical compositions
of the electrode and weld metal, including J-number and Bruscato embrittling
factor, are indicated in Table 4; welding
and PWHT conditions are also shown in
the table.
Results comparable to those in Fig. 5
have been confirmed by using other
heats of electrode and lots of flux based
on the same requirement for weld metal
purity and flux basicity.
Flux basicity used is 2.8 according to
the Boniszewski formula. The corresponding oxygen content of the weld
metal was also about 0.030%. This solution for successful submerged arc weld
metal behavior when using a single electrode can also be utilized with the tandem-arc technique. The Charpy impact
values before and after step cooling are,
in this case, slightly lower due to the
higher heat input but will exceed all
present requirements.

-L
>a

cn

^x>

120

^<+*

(_

CD
C

--U

"o 3= 80
o

/
/

*/

Q.

T, - 6 2

AO

/ *

/"

'^T,-53

-80

---"'

-60

-AO -20
0 +20 +A0
Test temperature F

+60

+80

E9015-B3
o

before

after step cooling

% . 3-Charpy impact curves of the weld metal of an impro ved E9015-B3 electrode with increased
coating basicity

expressed by the oxygen content of the

weld metal; thus, this value may also be
seen as an expression of the real basicity
of the electrode coating. In this case, the
oxygen content of the weld metal was
about 0.030%.
Referring to the Charpy impact curves
of Fig. 3, it can be noted that, besides the
40 ft-lb (54J) transition temperature, there
is another approach common in specifications for materials to resist temper
embrittlement. This is to use the formula,
Ti + f (AT) = maximum
temperature
where T-| is the 40 ft-lb (54J) transition
temperature before step cooling and AT
is the shift of the curve due to step
cooling (AT = T 2 - T^.
The formula recommended by C. F.
Braun is the most critical one. Braun uses
a multiplicator of AT which is 3 and the
maximum temperature 100 F (38 C). In
the case of Fig. 3, the above mentioned
equation has to be evaluated by using the

following values: Ti = 63 F; T2 = 53
F; AT = 10 F; 1~ + 3 X AT = - 3 3 F.
The result is, in this case, even a negative
value due to the extremely low transition
temperature before step cooling and due
to the relatively small shift after step
cooling.
Figure 4 supplements the information
for covered electrodes with increased
basicity by providing corresponding
graphs for lateral expansion and shear
fracture.

The results are shown in Fig. 6 where

the electrode wire heat and the lot of flux
were the same as in Fig. 5. For tandemarc welding, it is necessary to keep the
welding variables within a reasonable
range. The tandem arc welding conditions are shown in Table 5 and can be
used as recommendation for shop-floor
welding.

Increased Flux Basicity to Guarantee

Successful Submerged Arc Welding

With the submerged arc process, it is

also necessary to increase the basicity of
the flux (Ref. 13-19). Otherwise it would
not be possible to raise the level of
Charpy impact values after step cooling,

Influence of Grain Size and Welding

Technique

Grain size and the percentage of fine

grained microstructure are also very

125
160

100

\
-

'1

i.

\ a\
a

50

25

\
\

75
- '

m/ /

-60

^
/'

\ _U
1 1'' >~
1 '"
<Q

.-
.*"-'
.-~* _.

50

\ yr'*

A \

//

-40

25 s?
c

--B

75

-~^
.

|
o
o
*

o^O

80

>''

e~

*^ ^^
E=B

-20
0
+20 +40
+60
Test temperature F

,o-.-."

120

100 <"

+80

r*

40

TT

-63

-80

before

after step cooling

Fig. 4 Lateral expansion and shear fracture relating to the Charpy

impact curves of Fig. 3

126-s | MAY 1983

<****

/-T2-4

'
-60

-40 -20
0
+20 +40
Test temperature F

+60

+80

Submerged-Arc Welding

E9015-B3
o

o"

'

- ,,-

"
-y

before

after step cooling

Fig. 5 Charpy impact curves of the 2'A Cr-1 Mo weld metal deposited
by single electrode submerged arc welding

Table 4Solid Electrode and

All-Weld-Metal Analyses As Well As
Welding Conditions Relating to Figs. 5
and 6

" O

- ^

-40

0.11
0.08
0.52
2.53
0.97
0.05
0.02
0.005
0.006
0.004
0.002
0.003
0.01

Mn
Cr
Mo
Cu
Ni
P
S
As
Sb
Sn
V
Hactor
Bruscatofactor
Welding

0.08
0.21
0.82
2.33
0.95
0.09
0.02
0.007
0.009
0.004
0.002
0.003
0.01
103
9.6

conditions

Electrode diameter, mm
Current (DC, electrode
positive), A
Voltage, V
Travel speed, ipm
Heat input, 42 kj/in .
Interpass temperature, F
PWHT

Weld
metal

Solid
electrode

Si

S i 80

Chemical Composition, %

,'
.' /*

4.0
550
30
24
42
390
10 h at 1275 F

important factors if the Charpy impact

values of the weld metal are to be
pushed to the highest level. Due to the
fact that the primary grains, after solidification, are partially refined by each following pass during welding, the extent of
this refinement influences the weld metal
properties. Thus, the geometry of each
single bead has to be considered as a
decisive factor of influence, since the
extent of refinement depends directly on
the thickness of each bead or, in other
words, on its resultant width-to-thickness
ratio. The thinner the weld passes, the
larger are the areas which are refined by
each following weld pass. For this reason,
it is very important to adhere closely to
proper welding procedure.
With shielded metal arc welding, best
results are to be expected if the welding
can be carried out in the flat position. In
this case the thickness of the single weld
passes will normally have the right dimension of approximately 2 mm (0.08 in.) if
the diameter of the electrodes is not
larger than 5.0 mm (0.2 in.) and if the
welding speed is not too low. The 2 mm
(0.08 in.) thickness is also a good recommendation for all other shielded metal arc
weldments. If this is not exceeded, optimum Charpy impact curves can be
expected for each respective type of
electrode. The level of these curves is, of
course, dependent on the quality of electrodes available from each manufacturer.

-20
0 +20 40 *60
-est temperature F

+80

Tandem-Arc Welding
o

befo'e

after step cooling

Fig. 6 - Charpy impact curves of the 2 'A Cr-1

Mo weld metal deposited by tandem-arc
welding

Clearly, it is much more difficult to

approach the 2 mm (0.08 in.) single weld
pass thickness in the vertical-up (3C) or
other restrictive positions. If it can be
approached by a specific weaving technique, nearly the same toughness properties can be expected as in the flat position. If not, the results tend to scatter in a
very wide range depending on the extent
of how far the recommended single weld
pass thickness is exceeded.
The following test results demonstrate
the beneficial influence of the proposed
welding technique. Figure 7 shows four
different microstructures produced with
type E9015-B3 4 mm (0.16 in.) diameter
electrodes; the welding parameters are
indicated in Table 6.
Test A was welded in the flat position
(1G), test B in the vertical-up position (3G)
but with the same single bead thickness;
C and D were welded purposely with
thicker passes, adopting a welding technique that is normally preferred by the
welders. Due to their previous education,
welders generally control heat input and
do not concern themselves with the
thickness of the beads. The heat input is
much less important, since it mainly influences the primary microstructure while
the single weld pass thickness influences
the extent of the subsequent grain refinement. Thus, the increased heat input by
applying the weaving technique has no
negative effect on the toughness properties of the weld metal; this is because it
will not reverse the advantage of the
grain refinement, based on this special
kind of welding technique.
The graphs in Fig. 8 show the Charpy
impact values at 0, - 2 0 and - 4 0 F ( - 1 8 ,

Fig. 7 Microstructure of 4 weld metals of an

E9015-B3 electrode deposited in different
welding techniques
- 2 9 and - 4 0 C) after postweld heat
treatment for 10 h at 1275 F (691 C).
Under the conditions of test B, the results
of the vertical-up position almost match
those of the flat position. As shown, this
modified welding technique has a distinct advantage over the normal welding

Table 5Welding Conditions Relating to Fig. 6

Electrode diameter, mm
Current
Amperage, A
Voltage, V
Travel speed, ipm
Heat input, kj/in.
Interpass temperature, F
Electrode distance, in.

4.0
AC each electrode
600 each electrode
32 each electrode
28
83
390
1

WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT 1127-s

Table 6-- W e l d i n g Conditions Relating to the Microstructures of Fig. 7 and Charpy Impact Values of Fig. 8

Test
Test
Test
Test
ta)

Electrode
diameter,
mm

Position

Amperage, A

Voltage, V

Heat input
kj/in.

Number of
layers'*1

4.0
4.0
4.0
4.0

1 C
3 G
3G
3 G

175
140
140
140

23
23
23
23

27
50
35
43

10
10
7
5

A
B
C
D

The thickness of the base metal was 20 m m (0.79 in.)

ments h a v e t o b e limited b y specifying

l o w m a x i m u m values. T h e influencing
elements are p h o s p o r u s , arsenic, a n t i m o ny and tin. In the case o f manganese,
there is an adverse influence if its c o n t e n t
is kept as l o w as in the w r o u g h t steel. T h e
r e c o m m e n d e d range f o r the w e l d metal
is 0 . 7 - 1 . 0 % M n .

ii"

-50

-40

-30
-20
-10
Test temperature F

+10

A
C

Fig. 8-Dependence
values on different
stress relieving

of the Charpy impact

welding techniques after

t e c h n i q u e in the vertical-up position. This

is the only feasible w a y t o get high
C h a r p y V - n o t c h values at v e r y l o w t e m peratures.
T h e same influence o f t h e single w e l d
pass g e o m e t r y must b e considered f o r
s u b m e r g e d arc w e l d i n g . It is necessary t o
d e f i n e t h e right w e l d i n g conditions. For
optimum performance, a maximum of
550 A should b e j u d g e d as a s h o p - f l o o r
guideline, n o t t o be e x c e e d e d w i t h o u t
s t r o n g reasons. T h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g v o l t age should b e a p p r o x i m a t e l y 3 0 V. T h e
travel speed should b e at least 20 i p m
(8.47 m m / s ) .
If f o r any reason the
amperage
exceeds 550 A , the v o l t a g e must also be
increased in o r d e r t o k e e p the same ratio
b e t w e e n w i d t h and thickness of each
b e a d . O f course, the v o l t a g e must b e
decreased if t h e s u b m e r g e d arc w e l d i n g
is carried o u t w i t h a l o w e r a m p e r a g e . As
previously m e n t i o n e d , Tables 4 a n d 5
give a useful r e c o m m e n d a t i o n f o r any
shop-floor welding.

Conclusions
The toughness p r o p e r t i e s o f 2 !4 C r - 1
M o w e l d metal after step c o o l i n g can be
i m p r o v e d t o t h e same level that can be
r e a c h e d f o r w r o u g h t steel, if the f o l l o w ing conditions are fulfilled:
1. T h e a m o u n t

128-s | M A Y

1983

of

the residual ele-

2. T h e best t e m p e r a t u r e range for the

P W H T is 1 2 5 0 - 1 3 0 0 F ( 6 7 7 - 7 0 4 C).
T h e C h a r p y impact values can b e
i m p r o v e d b y p r o l o n g i n g t h e t i m e of
PWHT.
3. T h e grain r e f i n e m e n t of each single
b e a d is o p t i m i z e d if its thickness is n o t
greater than 2 m m (0.08 in.). In the case
of shielded metal arc w e l d i n g , it is relatively easy t o fulfill this r e q u i r e m e n t in t h e
flat position. Vertical-up w e l d i n g requires
a w e a v i n g t e c h n i q u e despite the higher
heat input. For s u b m e r g e d arc w e l d i n g , it
is necessary t o o p t i m i z e t h e w e l d i n g c o n ditions.
4. O n e o f t h e most i m p o r t a n t m e t a l lurgical actions is t o increase the basicity
of the e l e c t r o d e c o v e r i n g a n d o f the
S A W flux t o the highest d e g r e e and h a v e
it c o m p a t i b l e w i t h the w e l d a b i l i t y requirements.
U n d e r these conditions, at least 4 0 ft-lb
(54 J) can b e g u a r a n t e e d b y a safe margin
f o r t h e w e l d metal at - 2 0 F ( - 2 9 C)
after step c o o l i n g . This is t r u e f o r b o t h
shielded metal arc a n d s u b m e r g e d arc
welding.
References
1. Jaffe, L. D., and Buffum, D. C. 1950.
Isothermal temper embrittlement. Transactions
of ASM 42: 604 to 618.
2. McMahon, Jr., C. J. 1967. Temper brittlenessan interpretative review.
American
Society for Testing and Materials: 127 to
167.
3. Bruscato, R. 1970. Temper embrittlement
and creep embrittlement of 2Vi Cr-1 M o
shielded metal arc weld deposits. Welding
journal 49(4): 148-s to 156-s.
4. Swift, R. A. 1973. Temper embrittlement
of pressure vessel steels. Welding
journal
52(2): 52-s to 68-s.

5. Watanabe, J., Shindo, J., Murakami, J.,

Adachi, T., Ajiki, S., and Miyar, K. 1974. Temper Embrittlement of 2'A Cr-1 Mo Pressure
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engineering conference, Dallas, Texas.
6. Wada, T., and Hagel, W . C. 1974. Effect
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2V4 Cr-1 M o Steel. Metallurgical Transactions
A. vol. 7.A: 1419 to 1426.
7. Baumert, K. L, and Polk, C. |. 1976.
Temper embrittlement studies on 2 Vi Cr-1
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10. Bruck, C. H., and Sims, J. E. Techniques
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Minutes of the "46th Mid Year API Refining
Meeting" held at Chicago, May 13, 1981.
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2'A Cr-1 Mo Heavy Wall Pressure Vessel.
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WRC monograph, chapter IV, p. 32.
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Slag-metal interactions in arc welding. WRC
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N. F. 1969. Notch toughness of commercial
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Metal Construction and British Welding lournal: 128 to 129.
16. Ito, Y., Nakaniski, M., and Katsumoto,
N. 1976. Effect of CaF2 on toughness of weld
metal. The Sumitomo Search 16.
17. North, T. H., Bell, H. B Noviki, A., and
Craig, I. 1978. Slag/metal interaction, oxygen
and toughness in submerged arc welding.
Welding /ournal 57 (3):63-s to 75-s.
18. Eagar, T. W. 1978. Sources of weld
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76-s to 80-s.
19. Chai, C. S., and Eagar, T. W. 1982. Slag
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232-s.