Abstract
Supermartensitic stainless steels with 15Cr-6Ni- 2Mo-1Cu and 135 ksi minimum yield strength (15Cr- 135 SMSS) offer high strength and good toughness through a complex hierarchical microstructure of nanoscale precipitates, tempered martensite, and reverted austenite. Upon welding and postweld heat treatment, substantial changes to heat-affected zone microstructure and hardness may occur. Here, we reveal spatially heterogeneous microstructure and microhardness in the HAZ of 15Cr-135 SMSS; correlate these changes to measured phase transformation temperatures; and demonstrate that HAZ hardness changes depend strongly on postweld heat treatment (PWHT) temperatures. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PWHT may lead to undesired reductions in base metal yield strength and formulate a design guide for PWHT that quantifies the trade-offs in desired reductions of HAZ hardness with undesired changes to base metal yield strength. These findings have important practical implications for welding procedure design and qualification.
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