Service Life Issues

A major problem associated with repair welding of service removed components is the possibility of

temper embrittlement. Temper embrittlement refers to the decrease in notch toughness of alloy steels

when heated in, or cooled slowly through, a temperature range of 400C to 600C. Temper

embrittlement can also occur as a result of isothermal exposure in this temperature range, and is
caused by the presence of impurities such as antimony, phosphorous, tin, and arsenic.

Furthermore, low alloy steel welds are potentially susceptible to hydrogen-induced stress corrosion

cracking (HSCC) and hydrogen embrittlement following repair and in a range of environmental

conditions. As would be expected from a hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon, material susceptibility

increases with increasing hardness, and hence control of the problem in practice is based largely on

the avoidance of unacceptably hard microstructures. Even though the developed temper bead repair

procedure may limit the hardness within generally acceptable limits to avoid SCC, there is a possibility

of localised hard regions. Significant residual stress also may be present in the repaired location,
which could make the repair location susceptible to SCC.

It remains to be determined how temper bead repair welds perform when compared with more
conventional repair methods.

Despite the possibility that non-PHWT methods of repair can offer acceptable microstructure and

adequate mechanical properties where they are permitted, there are still concerns over service life

when applied in an industrial environment. Repaired locations can show significant residual stresses,

which can have a detrimental effect on service life, including fatigue and corrosion fatigue
performance in the repaired region.

Data

Currently there is limited quantified data on the performance of both types of repair in typical service
environments, which means that selecting the most appropriate repair route can be challenging