Abstract
Recently, a new, vanadium alloyed welding consumable with a minimum yield strength of 1100 MPa was developed. The mechanical properties of welding consumables for gas metal arc welding are usually classified by producing and testing all-weld metal samples, which are typically a multipass weld. Chemical and microstructural fluctuations of a vanadium alloyed all-weld metal sample on a macro- and microscale and their influence on the local mechanical properties were investigated. On a macroscale, hardness mappings show a pattern of hard and soft zones which can differ up to 60 HV. Despite the existence of these fluctuations, undersized Charpy V-notch tests revealed no significant difference between the last weld bead and the underlying ones. It is explained how vanadium and its tendency to form precipitates affect both the hardness inhomogeneity and the toughness homogeneity. On a microscale, segregations of several alloying elements and significant grain size fluctuations were found. Their influence on fluctuations of the mechanical properties is discussed as well.
Highlights
High-strength steels are frequently welded by gas metal arc welding with matching welding consumables to produce components with a high load bearing capacity and a comparatively low weight
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the existence of chemical and microstructural inhomogeneities in this type of martensitic multipass weld metal and to clarify their influence on the mechanical properties of the weld
For an assessment of hardness fluctuations in the multipass welds, several hardness mappings were conducted over the whole weld metal, and the results are exemplarily shown on one obtained map
Summary
High-strength steels are frequently welded by gas metal arc welding with matching welding consumables to produce components with a high load bearing capacity and a comparatively low weight. In order to classify the mechanical properties of the welding consumable itself, the production of all-weld metal samples according to DIN EN ISO 15792-1 is required. This sample design (and especially the buffering) eliminates influences from the chemical composition of the base material and should lead to a chemical composition of the weld metal which is only influenced by the chemical composition of the filler wire
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