Effect of Interpass Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Weld Metal of 690 MPa HSLA Steel

Abstract

690 MPa grade HSLA steel has wide application in engineering, such as mechanical equipment and oceanographic platform. Qualified joint is crucial for structure safety. Many factors, such as preheating temperature and interpass temperature, welding heat input and plate thickness, may influence the welding thermal cycle so that microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metal are changed. In this paper, the effect of interpass temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metal of 690 MPa grade steel are studied. Gas metal arc welding method was used to weld the joint. Four interpass temperatures, 80°C, 120°C, 160°C and 200°C are adopted during welding. Optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) were used to analyze the microstructure of weld metal. Tensile test and impact test were used to measure its mechanical properties. Research results show that the weld metal are composed of lath bainite and granular bainite. M-A constituents are found on grain boundary and inside grains. The shape and size of bainite structure and M-A constituent are detailed. The distribution and quantity of residual austenite are also detected. The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties is discussed. Experiment results show that when interpass temperature is 80°C the yield strength and impact toughness are higher than the other three cases.