archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722

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Original Research Article

A brief study on d-ferrite evolution in dissimilar P91

and P92 steel weld joint and their effect on
mechanical properties

Chandan Pandey a,*, Manas Mohan Mahapatra b, Pradeep Kumar a,

Nitin Saini a, Jayant Gopal Thakre a, R.S. Vidyarthy a, H.K. Narang c
a
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttrakhand 247667,
India
b
School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751013, India
c
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492010, India

article info abstract

Article history: Ferritic/martensitic 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb steel also designated as ASTM A335 used in construction
Received 26 September 2017 of several components of power plants operating in temperature range of 600–650 8C. In
Accepted 2 December 2017 present investigation, dissimilar weld joint of P91 and P92 steel were prepared using the
Available online 21 December 2017 autogenous tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding and multi-pass gas tungsten arc welding
(GTAW) process. A comparative study was performed on evolution of d-ferrite patches in
Keywords: weld fusion zone and heat affected zones (HAZs) of welded joints. The evolution of d-ferrite
A-TIG patches was studied in as-welded and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) condition. PWHT
GTAW was carried out at 760 8C for tempering time of 2 h and 6 h, for both A-TIG and GTA weld
Hardness joints. It was observed that presence of higher content of ferrite stabilizer in P92 steel
Charpy toughness promote the formation of d-ferrite patches in weld fusion zone as well as HAZs. To study the
d-Ferrite effect of welding process and PWHT, Charpy V impact energy and microhardness tests were
performed. For microstructure characterization, field-emission scanning electron micro-
scope (FESEM) and optical microscope were utilized.
© 2017 Politechnika Wrocławska. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

the weldability of P91 steel is a serious issue. It has been

1. Introduction
Modified 9Cr-1Mo (P91) steels are developed as first wall and
blankets structure of ITER test modules [1]. In present years,
reported that, compared to that of weld, a higher creep rupture
life of P91 base metal is observed regardless of the arc welding
process and heat treatment used [2]. It occurs due to presence
of non-equilibrium structure in heat affected zone (HAZ). The

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: chandanpy.1989@gmail.com (C. Pandey), manasfme@gmail.com (M.M. Mahapatra),
kumarfme@gmail.com (P. Kumar), nit030078@gmail.com (N. Saini).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2017.12.002
1644-9665/© 2017 Politechnika Wrocławska. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.
714 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722
non-equilibrium structure formed because of high heating and
cooling rate in the weld thermal cycle. P91 steel can be welded
by any of the commonly used arc welding processes such as
manual metal arc welding (MMA), gas tungsten arc welding
(GTAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), electron beam
welding (EBW), and submerged arc welding (SAW) [3–5]. A lot of
efforts have been made to develop P91 and P92 steel electrode
that provide optimum strength and toughness to weldments.
The initial problem faced during welding of P91 steel is
selection of matching filler wire/rod that provide optimum
composition in weld fusion zone. Composition of Ni and Mn in
filler wire required more attention due to their strong influence
on temperature Ac1, Mf, and Ms. In P91 base metal, maximum
1%(Ni + Mn) is allowed. For 1.4% (Ni + Mn), Mf temperature
decreased lower than 200 8C (preheat temperature) that led to
formation of retained austenite in filler metal. Santella et al. [6]
reported a numerical equation to calculate the Ac1 temperature
based on Mn and Ni contents. The equation is given below:
Ac1 ð CÞ ¼ 854:50:643:91ðMn þ NiÞ90:4ðMn þ NiÞ2 (1)
Increase in Ni and Mn content in filler metal decrease the
Ac1 for weld metal. The V and Nb are the other elements in filler
wire that affects the mechanical properties of weld fusion
zone. Arivazhaga et al. [7] studied the effect of V + Nb content
in weld fusion zone on Charpy toughness of weld fusion zone.
Higher Charpy toughness was observed for the low V + Nb
content in weld zone. Fusion welding process introduces the
heterogeneity in microstructure by its nature. Single phase
tempered martensitic structure in P91 weld zone provides
optimum strength and toughness compared to two phase of
tempered martensite and d-ferrite. In P91 weldments, forma-
tion of d-ferrite in weld fusion zone lead to reduction in
mechanical properties of weldments. A schematic evolution of
sub-zone in multi-pass welded P91 joint is shown in Fig. 1.
As per Schaeffler diagram, high chromium and low nickel
equivalent in the composition of base metal and weld zone
might be also promote the formation of d-ferrite [8,9]. The d-ferrite
formation occurs during the unconventional mechanical and
thermal treatment. Formation of d-ferrite are reported commonly
in P91 and P92 steel welds joint. In autogenous tungsten inert gas
(TIG) welding process, composition of base metal, heat input and
cooling rate plays an important role in d-ferrite formation while in
multi-pass gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process, cooling
Fig. 1 – Schematic evolution of sub-zones in P91 weld joints (CGHAZ: coarse heat affected zone; FGHZA: fine grain heat
affected zone; ICHAZ: inter critical heat affected zone).
rate, filler composition, heat input and number of passes play an
important role in deciding the formation of d-ferrite.
The d-ferrite formation in weld fusion zone have a
noticeable effect on mechanical properties. d-Ferrite formation
in P91 steel weldments are generally reported at highest peak
temperature [10,11]. The region exposed at temperature more
than 1200 8C leads the formation fine prior austenite grains
(PAGs) because of d-ferrite nucleation on preferential sites of
prior austenite grain boundaries (PAGBs). The d-ferrite
nucleation limits the growth of austenite and resulting in
fine PAGs formation. Chandravathi et al. [11] reported that
formation of soft d-ferrite in microstructure led to reduction in
hardness. Schafer [9] studied the effect of d-ferrite formation
on tensile properties and observed that d-ferrite upto 8% have
no any significant effect on the strength. However, a different
opinion was reported related to effect of d-ferrite on toughness
and ductility. Some author(s) [10,11] have reported positive
effect of retained d-ferrite on toughness while others [12]
emphasize the negative influence. Schafer [9] reported that
combined effect of d-ferrite and brittle 'dendritic' carbides of
M23C6 types (M  65%Cr + 30%Fe + rest) reduced the toughness
by encapsulate the d-ferrite. However, pure and soft d-ferrite
increased the toughness and ductility. Anderko et al. [13] have
also reported the negative influence of d-ferrite on impact
toughness of fusion zone. Presence of d-ferrite in base metal,
weld zone or HAZ have found a negative influence on creep
strength of P91 steel [14,15]. Presence of d-ferrite accelerated
the recovery rate of martensite and growth rate of intermetal-
lic phase like laves phase (Fe2W or Fe2Mo) and ultimately
reduced the creep and fatigue strength of steel.
In present case, effect of A-TIG and GTAW welding process
on d-ferrite evolution have been studied for as-welded and
PWHT condition. PWHT was performed at 760 8C for varying
tempering time of 2–6 h. The welded samples were character-
ized using the Charpy V impact energy test, hardness test and
field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). For
phase analysis X-ray diffraction analysis was performed.
2. Experimental methodology and material
Creep strength ferritic/martensitic P91 and P92 steel were
supplied in normalized and tempered condition, as per
manufacturer. Normalizing was performed at 1040 8C for
40 min, followed by air cooling and then tempered at 760 8C
 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722 715

for 2 h and finally air cooled. Schematic microstructure evolution
during the normalizing and tempering process is shown in Fig. 2.
Normalizing was performed to develop the martensitic
microstructure with high dislocation density. Tempering
process leads to tempering of martensite with evolution of
precipitate that enhance the stability of microstructure. During
the normalizing, fine Nb-rich MX precipitates are reported to be
undissolved [16], as shown in Fig. 2. Evolution of coarse Fe, Mo
and Cr-rich M23C6 type precipitates and fine V and Nb-rich MX
precipitates occur during the tempering process [17]. Other
precipitates that observed in P91 and P92 steels are M7C3 [M:Fe,
Mn, Cr], M3C,Cr2N and Fe7W6 [18,19]. Chemical composition of
as-received P91 and P92 steel is shown in Table 1 [5]. Mechanical
properties of P91 and P92 steel are given in Table 2.
For autogenous tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding, plates
of dimension 150 mm  100 mm  5 mm were prepared with-
out edge preparation. Plates are surface ground on faces to
make the intimate contact during the butt welding of plates.
The A-TIG welding was performed on fully automated
machine in flat (1 G) position. For A-TIG welding process, heat
input was 1.75 kJ/mm.
For GTAW plate of thickness 8 mm with conventional
groove weld design were utilized. Preheating of plates were
performed at 250 8C by using the flame heating while inter-
pass temperature during the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)
process was maintained in range of 200–250 8C. For GTAW
process, heat input varies in range of 0.504–0.655 kJ/mm.
Composition of GTAW filler wire and weld zone for both A-TIG
and GTA welds are given in Table 1. The process parameters
for A-TIG process and GTAW root and filling pass are depicted
in Table 3. Table 4 shows the welding process details for A-TIG
and GTA welding process.
After the completion of welding post weld heating was
performed at 250 8C for 60 min to remove the diffusible
hydrogen content. After post weld heating, post weld heat
treatment (PWHT) was performed at 760 8C for varying time of
2–6 h. For the microstructure characterization, polished
sample etched in Vilella's reagent (1 g picric acid, 5 ml
hydrochloric acid, and 100 ml ethanol). For microstructure
characterization, field emission scanning electron microscope
(FESEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and optical
microscope were utilized. Microhardness tests were performed
on microhardness tester at load of 500 g and dwell time of 10 s.
Charpy toughness tests were performed on standard sub-size
specimen (55 mm  10 mm  5 mm) as per ASTM E-23. Notch
was made at the center of the weld fusion zone.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. As-received material and mechanical properties
Typical micrographs of 'as-received' P91 and P92 steel are
shown in Fig. 3(a) and (b), respectively. Microstructure consists

Fig. 2 – Schematic microstructure evolution during normalizing and tempering process.

Table 1 – Chemical composition of P91 pipe, AWSER90S-B9 (9CrMoV-N) filler wire, and weld metal (wt.%) [5].
Element Chemical composition (wt.%)

C Mn Cr Si Mo V Nb Ni S Ti W B Cu Fe
P91 steel 0.12 0.54 8.48 0.28 0.95 0.18 0.05 0.35 0.011 0.012 <0.001 – 0.06 Rest
P92 steel 0.11 0.58 9.09 0.48 0.42 0.24 0.073 0.30 0.003 – 1.87 0.03 Rest
Filler metal 0.12 0.50 8.83 0.30 0.90 0.20 0.06 0.50 0.019 0.001 – – – Rest
A-TIG weld 0.16 0.45 8.90 0.29 0.95 0.23 0.06 0.30 0.010 <0.002 <0.01 – 0.05 Rest
GTA weld 0.11 0.52 8.28 0.28 0.87 0.20 0.04 0.44 0.019 <0.002 <0.001 0.05 Rest

Table 2 – Mechanical properties of P91 and P92 steel in as-received condition [18,20].
Material Yield strength (MPa) Tensile strength (MPa) Elongation (%) Hardness (HV) Charpy V impact energy (J)
P91 steel 475  25 715  15 20  2 247  5 200  8
P92 steel 530  10 678  10 23  2 227  4 198  8
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Table 3 – Parameters used for making P91 weldment by GTAW process [5].
Process No. of layerCurrent (I) ampsVoltage (V) voltsTravel speed (T) (mm/min)Arc efficiencyAvg. heat input (kJ/mm)
GTAW root pass 1 110 12 135 0.70 0.410
GTAW filler pass 1–5 120–130 14–18 140–150 0.70 0.504–0.655
A-TIG – 230 14–15 80 0.70 1.75

Table 4 – Summary of welding process used in weld preparation [5].

Parameters A-TIG GTAW
Electrode EW-2%Th EW-2%Th
Electrode tip angle 608 608
Polarity DCEN, water cooled torch DCEN, water cooled torch
Shielding gas Commercially pure argon (99.9%) Commercially pure argon (99.9%)
Weld groove No Groove angle: 758, root height: 1.5 mm, root gap: 1.5 mm
Arc gap 3 mm 3 mm

Fig. 3 – Microstructure of P91 steel and P92 steel in 'as-received' condition (a) P91 steel, (b) P92 steel, (c) X-ray diffraction
analysis.

of martensite equiaxed laths, lath blocks, prior austenite grain
boundaries (PAGBs), and lath boundaries. The stability of
tempered microstructure is derived from the precipitates that
decorated along the PAGBs, lath blocks, lath packets and inside
the intra-lath region. Precipitates located along the boundaries
and lath packets having size in range of 50–140 nm are
confirmed as Cr, Fe and Mo-rich M23C6 carbide precipitates
while spherical fine precipitates having size in range of 20–
45 nm are confirmed V and Nb-rich MX type precipitates [3,21].
Coarse M23C6 precipitates enhance the creep strength of
material by pinning the movement of subgrain boundaries and
PAGBs while fine MX precipitates impede the movement of
dislocations and provide the precipitation hardening [22].
Higher density of precipitates along the PAGBs are clearly
observed from the micrographs. M23C6 precipitates derive
during the tempering process, as shown in Fig. 2. Nb-rich fine
MX precipitates remain undissolved during the austenitizing
process and other V and Nb-rich MX precipitates evolve during
the tempering process [23]. X-ray diffraction analysis also
confirm the presence of M23C6 and MX precipitates in P91 and
P92 steel. Cr, Fe and Mn-rich M7C3, and Cr2N phase are also
observed in diffraction analysis.
3.2. Microstructure of weld fusion zone and FGHAZ in as-
welded condition
Macrostructure of A-TIG and GTAW welds joint is shown in
Fig. 4 [5]. Micrographs of dissimilar weld joints for A-TIG and
 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722
GTAW process are shown in Fig. 5. In A-TIG process, weld
fusion zone exhibited the d-ferrite patches beside the area of
untempered lath martensite. The d-ferrite have observed
different size and shape. In P91 side fine grain heat affected
zone (FGHAZ), typical columnar lath morphology is observed
inside the lath packets of prior austenite grain boundaries
(PAGBs). The d-ferrite patches of small size is also observed in
FGHAZ. Higher heat input in A-TIG process results in
dissolution of precipitates but some coarse M23C6 precipitates
and fine Nb-rich MX precipitates remain undissolved [24]. In
P92 side FGHAZ, microstructure shows the similar behavior as
P91 side FGHAZ except the PAGBs in P92 side are observed
more clearly. Lath blocks and packets are also clearly seen
inside the PAGBs. For GTAW process, weld fusion zone is
characterized with typical columnar lath morphology with
small area of d-ferrite patches. In FGHAZ of P91 and P92, coarse
undissolved M23C6 precipitates are observed. The presence of
precipitates in FGHAZ is attributed to lower heat input in
GTAW process that is not sufficient to dissolve the precipitates
completely. In GTAW, FGHAZ also exhibited the equiaxed
laths due to auto-tempering of previous pass from the
subsequent pass. The d-ferrite patches are observed to be
missing in both P91 and P92 FGHAZ. The optical micrograph of
A-TIG weld fusion zone also confirms the presence of ferrite
patches, as shown in Fig. 6(a) and (b) [5]. In GTA welds, weld
Fig. 4 – Macrostructure of weld joints for (a) A-TIG, (b)
GTAW.
Fig. 5 – Microstructure in A-TIG weld joint (a) FGHAZ P91 side, (b) weld zone, (c) FGHAZ P92 side; microstructure in GTAW joint
(d) FGHAZ P91 side, (e) weld zone, (f) FGHAZ P92 side.
717
fusion shows the untempered columnar laths with different
spatial orientation, as shown in Fig. 6(c).
3.3. Microstructure evolution during PWHT
Micrographs of weld fusion zone and FGHAZ for A-TIG and
GTA welds joint after the PWHT of 2 h are shown in Fig. 7. The
ferrite content was still observed in weld zone. Hence, it can be
stated that PWHT did not affect the ferrite content. The PWHT
have not observed a significant effect on the weld fusion zone
microstructure except the evolution of precipitates along the
grain boundaries and inside intra-lath region. The ferrite
region are observed to be free from any type of precipitates.
The grain size of weld fusion zone showed a minute change
and it decreased from 64  25 mm to 62  8 mm. Evolution of
precipitates were also occurred un FGHAZ but at the same time
grain coarsening and undissolved precipitates coarsening
were also occurred. In as-welded condition, grain size for
FGHAZ P91 and FGHAZ P92 were measured to be 36  13 mm to
28  7 mm, respectively. After the PWHT of 2 h, reformation of
grains resulted a negligible reduction in grain size and it was
measured 35  15 mm to 22  6 mm for FGHAZ P91 and FGHAZ
P92, respectively. For GTA welds joint grain size was measured
to be very less. In as-welded condition, it was 16  6 mm to
12  7 mm for FGHAZ P91 and FGHAZ P92, respectively. However,
grain coarsening was noticed in FGHAZ after the PWHT of 2 h
and grain size was measured 26  6 mm to 24  7 mm for FGHAZ
P91 and FGHAZ P92, respectively. Uniform grain size in FGHAZ of
P91 and P92 side shows the uniformity in microstructure along
the dissimilar GTA welds joint. In A-TIG welds coarse grains of
weld and FGHAZ in as-welded condition are attributed to higher
heat input as compared to GTA welds.
Secondary electron micrographs of weld zone and FGHAZ
for A-TIG and GTA welds are shown in Fig. 8. The d-ferrite
patches are clearly observed in A-TIG welds zone, as shown in
Fig. 8(b). The ferrite boundaries and PAGBs are observed to be
decorated with coarse precipitates while inside the ferrite
region, no precipitates are observed. AT higher magnification,
718 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722

Fig. 6 – (a) Microstructure of A-TIG weld fusion zone in low and high magnification (a) and (b), respectively; (c) weld fusion
zone of GTA welds.

Fig. 7 – Optical micrographs for A-TIG welds after the PWHT of 2 h (a) FGHAZ P91 side, (b) weld zone, (c) FGHAZ P92 side; GTA
welds after the PWHT of 2 h (d) FGHAZ P91 side, (e) weld zone, (f) FGHAZ P92 side.

distribution and morphology of precipitates are shown. It
confirmed the coarse globular shape precipitates along the
lath blocks and PAGBs while fine MX precipitates in size order
of 20–35 nm, inside the matrix region. In GTA welds, weld zone
shows the columnar lath morphology without any presence of
ferrite patches. The precipitates are observed to be along the
lath blocks or lath boundaries. In FGHAZ, for A-TIG welds joint
both columnar and equiaxed lath are observed. In P91 side,
precipitates are observed along the PAGBS and lath blocks. The
ferrite patches are observed to be absence due to lesser weight
percentage of ferrite stabilizer in P91 steel. In P92 side FGHAZ,
small areas of d-ferrite patches besides the lath martensite are
observed, as shown in Fig. 8(c). In GTA welds, both P91 and P92
side FGHAZ show the clear absence of ferrite patches. The
columnar lath morphology was also observed to be missing.
The equiaxed lath with PAGBs and precipitates are observed,
 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722 719

Fig. 8 – Micrographs of weld zone and FGHAZ for A-TIG welds joint (a) FGHAZ P91 side, (b) weld zone, (c) FGHAZ P92 side;
micrographs of weld zone and FGHAZ for GTA welds joint (d) FGHAZ P91 side, (e) weld zone, (f) FGHAZ P92 side.

Fig. 9 – Schematic change in microstructure of weld zone and FGHAZ during welding, after the welding, and after the PWHT.

as shown in Fig. 8(d) and (f). The change in microstructure of
FGHAZ and weld fusion zone during the weld thermal cycle
and after the PWHT are shown in schematic Fig. 9 [25].
After the PWHT of 6 h, micrographs of A-TIG and GTAW
joints are presented in Fig. 10. It was observed that d-ferrite did
not respond to PWHT and it remained in the microstructure, as
shown in Fig. 10(b) and (c). The grain size of fusion zone also
remain constant after the PWHT of 6 h (62  31 mm). However,
heterogeneity in grain size was observed to be increased.
PWHT at 6 h resulted in uniform grain formation in FGHAZ for
both P91 (42  18 mm) and P92 side (41  19 mm). In GTA weld
joint, columnar lath morphology retained in the microstruc-
ture. However, near the fusion boundary along the P92 side,
few patches of d-ferrite were observed, as shown in Fig. 10(g).
The grain size of FGHAZ does not show much significant
difference after the PWHT of 6 h. It was measured to be 27  9 mm
to 25  8 mm for FGHAZ P91 and FGHAZ P92, respectively. Hence,
it can be stated that for A-TIG weld joint uniformity in
microstructure was obtained after the 6 h of PWHT. However,
in GTA weld joint it was observed after the 2 h of PWHT.
3.4. d-Ferrite evolution and microhardness
The dissimilar weld joint of P91 and P92 steel has been
prepared in two different conditions. The composition of weld
fusion zone are predicted in Table 1. The ferrite forming
tendency is calculated form the Schneider formula which is
most commonly used for the 9–12% Cr ferritic steels and other
720 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722

Fig. 10 – Optical micrographs for A-TIG welds after the PWHT of 6 h (a) FGHAZ P91 side, (b) weld zone at 200T, (c) weld zone at
500T (d) FGHAZ P92 side; GTA welds after the PWHT of 6 h (e) FGHAZ P91 side, (f) weld zone, (g) Fusion boundary of P92 side,
(h) FGHAZ P92 side.

high Cr steels [26]. It is calculated by taking the difference of

chromium equivalent (Creq) and nickel equivalent (Nieq). It is
given by Eq. (1) [27]:

Ferrite factor ðFFÞ ¼ Cr þ 2Si þ 1:5Mo þ 5V þ 1:75Nb

þ 0:75WNi0:5Mn30C25N0:3Cu
(2)

FF was calculated to be 6.18 and 7.08 for A-TIG and GTA

welds. Oñoro [27] had reported that for such low FF (<8.5), it is
difficult to form the ferrite parches. Although, in some studies
having FF lower than proposed limit, showed the formation of
d-ferrite [13].
In present study, d-ferrite patches are still observed for such
low FF in A-TIG welds. In A-TIG welds, volume fraction of
d-ferrite contents was measured 0.60% while in FGHAZ of P92
side, 0.25% of volume fraction of ferrite content was observed.
In GTA welds having higher FF than A-TIG welds, no ferrite
patches was observed in weld fusion zone and FGHAZ. However,
0.10% of volume fraction of ferrite content was observed near the
fusion boundary of P92 side. In A-TIG welds, higher heat input,
wide solidification range, and higher weight percentage of ferrite
stabilizer (Si: 0.29; Nb: 0.06; V: 0.23) lead to formation of d-ferrite.
However, in GTA welds slow cooling rate, narrow solidification
range and lower weight percentage of ferrite stabilizer (Si: 0.28;
Nb: 0.04; V: 0.20) might be the cause of absence of d-ferrite
patches. The formation of ferrite patches in FGHAZ along the P92
side might be the cause of higher weight percentage of ferrite
stabilizer like W in P92 steel as compared to P91 steel.
Variation in hardness of A-TIG and GTA weld joints for
different heat treatment condition is shown in Fig. 11. The
heterogeneity in hardness of A-TIG weld zone is occurred
mainly due to presence of soft-ferrite patches while in GTA
welds it occurs mainly due to auto-tempering of martensite. In
as-welded condition, higher hardness is attributed to untem-
pered lath martensite. A continuous reduction in heterogeneity
was noticed after the PWHT. Effect of PWHT at 7608C for 2 h is
also presented by Pandey et al. [5]. The minimum variation in
Fig. 11 – Variation in hardness of A-TIG and GTA weld in as-
welded and PWHT condition.
hardness was noticed for PWHT of 6 h. The effect of soft ferrite
zone formation reduces the overall hardness of the weld fusion
zone. In A-TIG welds, the peak hardness of weld fusion zone
was measured to be 490 HV while in GTA welds it was 469 HV.
The peak hardness in A-TIG weld zone is attributed to higher
weight percentage of carbon (C) in weld zone due to high heat
input in single pass. However, the average hardness of weld
fusion zone was measured to be 436  23 HV, and 442  18 HV
for A-TIG and for GTA welds. The reduction in average hardness
is attributed to formation of soft d-ferrite patches. The variation
in hardness of d-ferrite patches is shown in Fig. 12.
After the PWHT of 2 h, average hardness of weld fusion
zone were measured to be 269  20, and 260  15 HV for A-TIG
and GTA welds, respectively. The reduction in hardness is
attributed to tempering of martensite and reduction in solid
solution hardening due to evolution of precipitates. After the
PWHT of 6 h, average hardness of weld fusion zone were
measured to be 243  15, and 243  10 HV for A-TIG and GTA
 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722
Fig. 12 – Variation in hardness of soft d-ferrite zone.
Table 5 – Charpy toughness results.
Weld zone As-welded
Hardness (HV) Charpy toughness (J) Hardness (HV) Charpy toughness (J) Hardness (HV) Charpy toughness (J)
A-TIG 490 20 269
GTAW 469 42 260
welds, respectively. A considerable lowering in hardness was
noticed after the PWHT of 6 h.
3.5. Charpy toughness
Variation in Charpy toughness value of weld fusion zone along
with the hardness are depicted in Table 5. From Table 5, it is
clear that, A-TIG welds exhibited the poor Charpy toughness
as compared to GTA welds. In as-welded condition, poor
Charpy toughness is attributed to untempered lath martens-
ite. In GTA welds, higher Charpy toughness is observed mainly
due to auto-tempering of brittle martensite. To avoid the
brittle fracture of in P91 and P92 steel weldments, a minimum
average toughness for weld zone was recommended about 47 J
(minimum single value of 38 J) as per EN 1599:1997. In present
case, A-TIG and GTA weld exhibit the Charpy toughness value
lower than the minimum required value of 47 J. To meet the
minimum required Charpy toughness value PWHT is con-
ducted. After the PWHT of 2 h, both A-TIG and GTA welds
attained the minimum required Charpy toughness value but
still A-TIG welds shows the poor Charpy toughness. The PWHT
effect on Charpy toughness is also presented by Pandey et al.
[5]. After the PWHT of 6 h, both the weld joints have attained
the minimum required Charpy toughness value successfully.
Higher V and Nb content in A-TIG weld (Table 1) might be
the possible cause of poor Charpy toughness value than the
GTA welds [28]. The packet size of lath martensite also affect
the toughness value of weld fusion zone. Fine packet size
results in higher toughness while coarse packet size leads to
poor toughness value because stress concentration to occur
ahead of a crack tip. After the PWHT of 2 h and 6 h, weld
fusion zone of A-TIG welds showed the coarse packet size of
tempered martensite laths. That results in poor Charpy
721
PWHT-2 h PWHT-6 h
48 243 58
60 243 76
toughness. In GTA welds, fine grains lead to higher
precipitation of M23C6 type carbide precipitates along the
boundaries that results in higher Charpy toughness of GTA
welds fusion zone. Hence, higher content of V and Nb and
poor response to tempering leads to higher tempering
duration of 6 h for A-TIG welds than GTA welds. Schafer [9]
had also reported that combined effect of d-ferrite and brittle
'dendritic' carbides of M23C6 types (M  65%Cr + 30%Fe + rest)
reduced the toughness by encapsulate the d-ferrite.
4. Conclusions
 P91 and P92 steel plate of thickness 5 mm were welded
successfully using autogenous tungsten inert gas (A-TIG)
welding process and plates of 8 mm thickness were welded
using the multi-pass gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)
process.
 A-TIG and GTAW process were found a noticeable effect on
microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of P91
and P92 dissimilar weld joints.
 In A-TIG weld joint, coarse martensitic microstructure was
formed due to high peak temperature as compared to GTA
welds joint. The coarse grain in fine grained heat affected
zone (FGHAZ) and coarse martensitic microstructure in weld
zone are attributed to high peak temperature of 1.07 kJ/mm
in A-TIG process.
 In as-welded condition, volume fraction of d-ferrite in weld
zone and FGHAZ of P92 side were measured to be 0.60 and
0.25%, respectively. The d-ferrite patches have observed no
any response to PWHT.
 The peak hardness measured in A-TIG weld zone was much
higher than GTA weld zone due to higher C content in A-TIG
722 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 18 (2018) 713–722
weld zone. However, average hardness was GTA weld was
higher than A-TIG weld zone due to formation of soft d-ferrite
patches. The hardness was observed to be decreased con-
tinuously with increase in PWHT duration due to reduction in
solid solution hardening and tempering of martensite.
 The uniform grain structure in FGHAZ was observed for both
P91 and P92 side after 2 h of PWHT in GTA weld and 6 h of
PWHT for A-TIG welds.
 In as-welded condition, A-TIG weld zone showed the mini-
mum Charpy toughness because of higher weight percentage
of V and Nb and presence of d-ferrite patches. However, GTA
weld showed higher Charpy toughness value as compared to
A-TIG due to auto-tempering by multi-pass process.
 To meet the minimum specific requirement Charpy tough-
ness value (47 J) as per the EN: 1557:1997 specification, GTA
welds required the PWHT of 2 h at 760 8C while A-TIG
required 6 h, at same temperature.
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