An innovative pulsed current arc welding technology for armor steel: Processes, microstructure, and mechanical properties

Abstract

This study presents a novel pulsed current arc welding technology, specifically pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding (PC-GTAW), single and double pulse gas metal arc welding (SP/DP-GMAW), and dual process welding (D-process). This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of these welding techniques for armor steel weldments. This research focused on investigating the welding processes, resulting microstructures, and mechanical properties of welded joints. Based on the macrography analysis, it was determined that the weldments exhibit no signs of porosity, inclusions, or inadequate penetration. This finding substantiates the optimum settings for the weldment production process. The weldment optical microstructure, fusion, and heat-affected zone were examined in the weld interface. The microstructural properties of the FZ include δ-ferrite, austenite, bainite, and acicular martensite. The HAZ has a bainite-untempered martensite microstructure. The chemical composition and variations across the weldment (base, weld and HAZ) were identified. The grain borders contained greater quantities of Cr, Ni, Mn, Si, and Mo than those of the grain cores. EBSD revealed average weld zone grain sizes of 17.7 µm, 32.6 µm, 30.8 µm, and 24.6 µm for PC-GTAW, SP-GMAW, DP-GMAW, and D-Process, respectively.Furthermore, the hardness measurements showed a progressive transition across different regions. Additionally, the D-Process-fabricated material exhibited a maximum ultimate tensile strength of 872 MPa and an elongation of 4%. The mechanical properties exhibited by this new process variant exceed those of other weldments, indicating its potential for fabricating armor steel. The impact toughness demonstrated superior performance in all the weldments. Within this context, the new use of pulsed current advanced welding methods has shown the ability to generate welded parts of exceptional quality.