WELDABILITY OF LOW ALLOYED QUENCHED AND TEMPERD STEELS

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08/06/2004

Weldability of Q+T steels

Introduction
QUENCHED AND TEMPERED steels are designed especially for welded construction and fabrication. They are furnished from steel producers in the heat treated condition Yield strengths range from 350 to 1000 MPa) depending on
their chemical composition Thickness type of heat treatment.

The heat treatment for most of these steels consists of austenitizing, quenching, and tempering. A few are given a precipitationhardening (i.e., aging) treatment following hot rolling or some other thermal treatment.
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Weldability of Q+T steels

Metallurgy
The carbon content of quenched and tempered steels generally does not exceed 0.22% for good weldability. The other alloying elements are carefully selected to provide the most economically heat-treated steel with the desired properties and acceptable weldability:
Microalloyng elements (Al, Ti, V, Ti, Zr, Nb) Quenching elements (Cr, Mo, Cu, Ni) Small quantities of Boron, 5 to10 ppm, in order to reduce grain size.

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Chemical composition EN 10137-2

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Tensile properties EN 10137-2

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Toughness EN 10137-2

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Chemical composition EN 10028-6

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Tensile properties EN 10028-6

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Toughness properties - EN 10028-6

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Weldability of Q+T steels

ASTM designations

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Commercial designations
T1 (grades T1, T1A, T1B e T1C)
US Steel patented, is classified as
ASTM A514 structural ASTM A517 pressure equipment

HY
US Navy specification used for submarines Good toughness properties at low temperature

USS Skipjack, 1965

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Chemical composition

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Weldability
Cold cracking
The metallurgical structure is a non-equilibrium structure Hydrogen must be as low as possible Preheat temperature must be properly selected

Hot cracking
Susceptivity is generally low Some phenomena may occur depending on Ni content

Lamellar tearing
The heat treatment generally guarantees good properties
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Weldability of Q+T steels

Weldability
To obtain the same properties of the material after welding:
Low heat input Low preheat temperature Low interpass temperature

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Weldability - PWHT
The mechanical properties of the welded steel or the weld metal itself may be adversely affected by a stress relief. The alloying elements can cause adverse effects when the weldment is postweld heat- treated:
A PWHT in the temperature range of 510 to 650 C, with slow cooling speeds, may decrease the toughness of the weld metal and the HAZ. Reheat cracking can occur when weldments of many high-strength steels are heated above about 510 C. Intergranular cracking may take pIace in the coarse-grained region of the weld HAZ.
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CS Cr 3,3 Mo 8,1V 3
The precipitation of carbides during stress relaxation at elevated temperature alters the delicate balance between resistance to grain boundary sliding and resistance to deformation within the coarse grains in the HAZ. CS Is a Reheat Cracking parameter proposed by Nakamura Reference value is 0

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Weldability - PWHT
With any of the quenched and tempered steels, a postweld stress-relief heat treatment should be used only after assurance that worthwhile benefits can be achieved and possible harmful effects can be tolerated. Stress relief is desirable for some applications when:
Dimensional stability must be maintained during close tolerance machining, The weld is susceptible to stress corrosion after cold forming or welding.

If postweld stress relief is required, the temperature must not exceed that used for tempering the steel. A temperature about 30 to 60C lower than the tempering temperature is desirable to avoid lowering the strength of the steel.
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Weldability of Q+T steels

Weldability Temper Beads

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Filler Metals- MMAW: EN 757

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Filler Metals- MMAW: EN 757

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Filler Metals GMAW: EN 12564

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Weldability of Q+T steels

Filler Metals - MMAW: EN 757

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