Properties of fusion

welds
630.432 Part 2 Lecture 3
Based on lectures by John Taylor

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Fusion welding v casting
 Weld must adhere to mould wall
 Heat is added continually to welds
• High temperature gradient
 Welds solidify much faster than
castings
 In welds, the surface shape is
constant
 There is strong mixing of weld
pools
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 Definition of weldability
The capacity of a material to be
welded under the imposed
fabrication conditions into a
specific, suitably designed
structure & to perform
satisfactorily in intended service
 (ANSI / AWS A3.0)

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Factors affecting weldability
 Weldability is often considered to be
a material property, however the
effect of other variables should not
be ignored
 Design of weldment
 Choice of welding process
 Its service conditions

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The effects of material properties
 Melting & vaporisation temperatures
 Electrical & thermal properties
• Conductivity, expansion coefficient, thermal
capacity, latent heat
 Affinity of weld metal for O, N & H
• Susceptibility to porosity, embrittlement or
wetting problems
 Presence of a surface film on base metal
• Oxide, paint or metallic surface coating

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The effects of welding procedure
 Selection of welding process and
its conditions
 Consumables designed to match
base material properties as closely
as possible & avoid weld defects
 Needs to consider service
conditions of the weld

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 Service environment
 Extreme environments
• Corrosive
• Low temperature (brittle failure)
• High temperature (oxidation, creep)
• Others (wear, fatigue, nuclear)

 The more extreme the environment

• The more difficult it is to find suitable materials
• The more restricted the welding procedure
becomes to avoid service failure

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 Weld properties
 Weld metal has different
composition & thermal history to
base metal
 Welding heat modifies adjacent
base metal (HAZ)
 Weld microstructure and HAZ affect
weld mechanical properties
 Variation in strength, ductility &
corrosion resistance across welds
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 Fusion weld
structure

Weld preparation
Fusion line Toe

Base Weld metal

HAZ HAZ
metal

Penetration Penetration bead

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Thermal gradients in HAZ

Cooling rate depends on:

•Heat sink
•Heat input
•Temp. of the base metal

Fusion line Time

Fusion line + 2mm
Fusion line + 5 mm
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 HAZ structure
 Three zones: overheated, refining,
transition
 Zone size and microstructure depend on
peak temperature and temperature
gradients
 High cooling rate, can cause
metallurgical problems (martensite)
 Superimposed HAZs in multipass welds
 Welding failures often originate from HAZ

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Multipass fusion weld

Last weld run

Previous weld run

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Weld defects Classification
 Internal (not seen with the naked eye)
 External (seen with the naked eye)

 Operator-induced (lack of skill)

 Metallurgical (incorrect selection of
materials or welding procedure)

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 Welding Defects
Porosity
Gas bubbles entrapped
in weld metal

Incomplete fusion
Preparation edge or
between runs

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 Welding Defects
Inclusions
Slag or other matter
entrapped in weld

Defective profile
Lack of penetration, overlap,
undercut

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 Welding Defects
Misalignment
Fault of poor workmanship

Excess reinforcement
Too much weld metal added
(too large electrode, too slow,
too low amps)

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Solidification
 Also called Hot
cracking cracking
 Inclusions with low
melting temperature
 Contraction strains
cause rupture of the
weld at the point
where the last
material solidifies
• Solidification range
• Weld pool size &
shape

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Hydrogen-induced cracking
 Contributing factors:
hydrogen, tensile
stresses, susceptible
microstructure
 Occurs at the weld
toes or near the fusion
zone
 Can be controlled by:
• Eliminating moisture
• Reducing the cooling
rate
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Residual stress & distortion
 Uneven heating leads to constrained
thermal expansion
 At completion of the weld thermal cycle,
the weldment either distorts or if
restrained will contain residual stress
 Residual stress fields are complex, but
stresses as high as yield often occur
 Stresses may need to be removed by a
stress relief heat treatment

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 Distortion in
Residual stress a one-sided
in a butt weld fillet weld

s
sx

Compression 0 Tension

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Causes of weld defects
 Poor design of joint
• Lack of access to make weld
 Mistakes by welder
• Lack of skill
• Poor placement of weld metal
• Inadequate cleaning
 Incorrect welding procedure
 Incorrect selection of materials
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 Defects identification
 Visual inspection (incorrect weld size,
poor penetration, undercut, surface
porosity and cracks)
 Liquid penetrant (cracks, lack of
penetration)
 Radiography (inclusions, porosity, or
lack of fusion or penetration)
 Ultrasonic method (cracks, inclusions,
porosity)

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Weld detailing
Standardized nomenclature

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 Welding positions - plate

Flat Horizontal Vertical Overhead

(1G) (2G) (3G) (4G)
Up or Down

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 Welding positions - pipe

Axis vertical Axis horizontal Axis inclined 45°

2G 5G 6G

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 Joint types
Configuration of members being joined

Butt Tee

Edge

Lap Corner

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 Weld Types

Butt weld
Fillet weld

Plug & slot welds Fillet weld in a lap joint

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 Joint and Weld combinations

Corner joint Corner joint Corner joint

Fillet weld Butt weld Butt and fillet welds

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 Butt welds
 Best quality
 High weld preparation cost
 Lower stress concentration
 Easier ultrasonic testing or
radiography

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 Butt joint types
Square edge closed butt (<3mm)

Square edge open butt (3-6 mm)

1.5-3 mm root gap Higher thickness with a backing strip

Single V butt (<12 mm)

1-2 mm root gap

Double V butt (12-38mm)

2 mm root face
2 mm root gap
 V Butt weld terms
Fusion face Included angle

Bevel angle

t More
3mm

Lack of
Throat
Root face penetration
thickness
Root
gap
 V Butt weld types

Single vee Double vee

Single bevel

Backed butt (permanent or temporary)

Fatigue life, crevice corrosion
Single V Butt weld
(several runs from one side)
Reinforcement
Toe Toe

Root run
Penetration bead

Face
Toe Toe Double V Butt weld
(several runs,
alternating sides)
Toe Toe
Face
 J & U Preparations

Root radius
Land
U butt

Alternative to V butt
•More expensive
•Plates up to 25mm
•Less weld metal needed
Double U butt

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 Fillet weld terms

Toe
Weld face

Toe
Root Throat
thickness
Gap

Apparent leg length

Fillet welds
 Simple & cheap to assemble &
weld
 Stress concentrations at toes &
root
 Notch at root (fatigue, toughness)
 Critical dimension is throat
thickness
 Root gap affects throat thickness
 Radiography & ultrasonic testing is
of limited use
 Large fillets use a lot of weld metal
& therefore are uneconomic

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 Preparation for welding
 Standard preparations
AS1554, AWS D1.1, ANSI B31.3
 Surface preparation
Must be free of oil, grease, paint, rust, mill
scale and metallic coatings
 Edge preparation
Square, beveled, curved
 Weather conditions
Temperature >20C, no moisture, no wind

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 Welding conditions
 Choice of welding technique
 Electrode selection (material, size)
Depends on parent material and its thickness

 Amperage selection
• Printed on the electrode
• Thin plates - low amps, deep penetration -
high amps
• Too low amps cause penetration defects
• Too high amps cause undercutting and
spatter
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 AS1101.2 drawing symbols

OTHER SIDE

Tail Reference line

ARROW SIDE
Weld type – symbol Arrow points to weld
Weld size - number location

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Typical AS1101.2 symbols

6mm
CJP
6

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Single V butt joints
Melt -through
 Access to one side only
0.5 • Pipe & hollow section butt
joints
 Visible root reinforcement
 Height of reinforcement can
be specified
 High skill required
 Special welder qualification
 Inside is difficult to inspect

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