Martensite Fraction Research Articles

Microstructure development of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel during laser powder bed fusion and heat treatment

Herein, the effect of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) parameters on the microstructure development of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel and the relationship between the as-built and heat-treated microstructures were characterized using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The optimal energy density for the steel was determined to be 100–150 J/mm3. The microstructure of the as-built steel was found to be mainly composed of coarse and columnar δ-ferrite grains and fine martensite grains. δ-ferrite was formed through rapid solidification, while martensite was formed in the heat-affected zone during LPBF. A higher energy density and scan strategy with a 67 deg. rotation in each layer were found to be suitable for obtaining a higher area fraction of martensite because they can provide a larger heat-affected zone compared with a lower energy density and a 90 deg. rotation. Tempering reduced the hardness via recovery of martensite and enhanced the precipitation of M23C6 carbide at martensite, while the microstructural morphology in the as-built condition was maintained. The typical as-built microstructure disappeared after the normalizing treatment, while the size of the prior austenite grains was affected by the as-built microstructure. In-situ EBSD observation of the phase transformation behavior during normalization revealed that martensite became fine prior austenite grains, while δ-ferrite became coarse prior austenite grains. From these results, the effects of energy density and scan strategy on microstructure development were identified not only for LPBF but also during the normalizing and tempering heat treatments.

Deformation behavior and formability of friction stir processed DP600 steel

Abstract The effect of friction stir processing (FSP) on the formability of DP600 steel was experimentally investigated and the basic relationships between biaxial deformation behavior and FSP-induced evolutions in microstructural and mechanical properties were established. FSP formed a microstructure that consists of lath martensite with increased volume fraction compared to as-received (AR) microstructure that mainly consisted of well-distributed fine martensite particles in a ferrite matrix. Consequently, AR yield strength (301 MPa) and ultimate tensile strength (621 MPa) increased to about 811 and 1054 MPa, respectively. This strength enhancement achieved accompanied by adequate uniform elongation and elongation to failure values of 6.3 and 13.0%, respectively. Under biaxial loading conditions, good strain hardenability of the AR DP600 steel brought about a large membrane stretching regime leading to high punch force for biaxial flow. After FSP, both punch displacements within the membrane stretching regime decreased due to the increased volume fraction of lath martensite leading to higher cracking tendency. In result, cup depth and peak punch force of FSPed DP600 decreased from 8.7 mm and 33.2 kN to 7.1 mm and 28.1 kN, respectively. The obtained results simply indicate that FSP can be employed to enhance the strength of dual-phase steels with a reasonable level of formability.

Effect of intercritical quenching on microstructure and properties of DP980 steel

The increase in the number of cars leads to an increase in energy consumption, so the trend of automotive lightweight is more and more obvious, and DP steel with its excellent strength and plastic fit, high-cost performance, and other advantages in a long time is still the main material with high strength and high performance for automobiles. The effect of quenching temperature and soaking time on the microstructure and properties of DP980 steel in the critical quenching and tempering process was studied. The results show that martensite structure occurs when the quenching temperature is 760°C, and the volume fraction of martensite is 32% when the quenching temperature is 780°C. At 720°C to 780°C, the product of strength and ductility of DP980 steel increases with the increase of quenching temperature. The focus of future work is to find the appropriate quenching temperature and the Soaking time, on the basis of reaching the strength requirements, to get the best comprehensive mechanical properties.

Effect of Mg remelting and mechanical hooks of steel on the mechanical and fatigue responses of resistance element welded AZ31/DP780 joints: Experimental, FEM and thermodynamic calculation studies

This study focuses on the fatigue fracture response and microstructure behavior of a resistance element weld (REW) in assembling AZ31B magnesium alloy and dual phase (DP) 780 plates. With the increase of the welding current the prior austenite grain size (PAGS) increased, which resulted in a decrease in the fraction of an alpha prime martensite at the welding interface and had little influence on the dual phase at the welding interface. It is clear that the formation of a suitable hook accompanied by the phase transformation between S20C elements and DP780 steels at the interface can have a positive effect on the mechanical properties. However, the Mg melting and the formation of a partially melted zone (PMZ) affected the elongation decrease significantly. Furthermore, the insufficient penetrations of the welding interface, the severe melted Mg and the formation of porosities in the PMZ were fatal to the strength and fatigue performance. Morphologies and microstructure characteristics including phases of the REWed joint were quantitatively analyzed by electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) and thermodynamic calculation by coupling the phase diagrams (CALPHAD) method, respectively. The experiment results were incorporated into the finite element method (FEM) to numerically elucidate their effects against mechanical responses including fatigue behaviors. The results explained why the mechanical strength, fatigue endurance, and fracture modes are radically different for joint morphologies and microstructure developments.

Ultrastrong and ductile synergy of additively manufactured H13 steel by tuning cellular structure and nano-carbides through tempering treatment

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of H13 steel fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) with subsequent tempering treatment were systematically examined. It was found that the microstructure of the as-SLMed H13 samples consisted of cellular structures, lath martensite and high-volume fraction of retained austenite. After tempering at 600 °C for 1 h, the nanoscale Cr23C6 particles were detected at the boundaries of the partially dissolved cellular structures. The fine grains, the retained cellular structures, and the formation of Cr23C6 carbides significantly improved the mechanical properties of the H13 steel. A superior mechanical properties, including the yield strength (YS) of 1647 ± 29 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 2013 ± 35 MPa and elongation (El) of 4.1 ± 0.3% have been achieved in the SLMed H13 steel after tempering at 600 °C for 1 h. With the increase of tempering temperature to 700 °C, the cellular structures were completely dissolved and the high number density of coarse Cr23C6 carbides were formed, which led to the decrease of UTS at 1083 ± 21 MPa, while the elongation was significantly improved to 12.3 ± 1.2% due to the recovery of dislocation density and the decomposition of martensite in the H13 steel.

Yielding behavior of triplex medium Mn steel alternated with cooling strategies altering martensite/ferrite interfacial feature

• Solute segregation at various interfaces characterized atomically in triplex medium Mn steel. • Two cooling strategies produced different martensite/ferrite interfaces for distinct yielding behavior. • Density and mobile ability of dislocations near martensite/ferrite interfaces determine yielding behavior. In this paper, we report the influence of cooling processes on the yielding behavior of a medium Mn steel (MMS) with triplex microstructure, i.e. austenite (γ), ferrite (α) and as-quenched martensite (α'). After the intercritical annealing (IA) at both 725 ℃ and 750 ℃, the steel was subjected to the two cooling processes, i.e. air cooling (AC) and water quenching (WQ). It exhibits the discontinuous yielding after the AC following the IA at 750 ℃ while the continuous yielding after the WQ. Compared with WQ process, both the dilatometry and the microstructural examinations show that the AC process leads to lower M s temperature, larger retained austenite (RA) fraction and less martensite, the latter is always companied with geometry necessary dislocations (GNDs) generated near the α/α' interfaces. Considering the complexity of nanosized tri-phases in this steel, the presence of martensite with key features in the resultant specimens was systematically examined by atom probe tomography (APT) on the samples prepared by the specific target lift-out method. The APT results directly revealed the C/Mn co-segregation at the α'/α interfaces in the AC samples but not in WQ samples. The numerical simulation results further suggest that the segregation of C and Mn at the α'/α interfaces may be due to different mechanisms. We conclude that the yielding of triplex MMS is determined by both the quantity of GNDs generated near the α/α' interfaces, which increases with martensite fraction, and the extent of their immobilization resulting from the interfacial segregation of solute atoms when the presence of martensite is sufficient. WQ tends to suppress the discontinuous yielding of MMS since the rapid cooling may promote more martensite formed with the increasing quantity of GNDs and prevent the interfacial segregation of both C and Mn.

Electroplastic effect at tension in TRIP steel

The paper presents the results of a study of electroplastic effect in metastable high-alloyed austenitic-martensitic steel in strip form with the thickness of 0.3 mm during plastic deformation with current of different modes and regimes. Choice of the research material is due to manifestation of the TRIP effect in it, caused by martensitic transformation during deformation. The ratio of volume fractions of austenite and martensite in the steel before deformation was 50:50. Deformation behavior of the steel was studied by stress-strain curves and mechanical properties at room temperature in static tension with current by short single pulses of large density, as well as multipulse current with frequency of 1000 Hz and direct current. Microstructure in the initial, before tension, state was investigated by optical and transmission microscopy. It consists of large equiaxed grains of austenite and twinned martensite up to 80 µm in size. Phase composition of the steel before and after tension with and without current was studied by X-ray diffraction. Tensile deformation without current promotes martensitic transformation and increases the volume fraction of martensite from 50 to 82 %. The introduction of single current pulses does not influence the TRIP effect, causes power surges and confirms the occurrence of electroplastic effect. Current mode has a strong influence on manifestation of the TRIP effect, suppressing it at multipulse and direct current and causing a sharp decrease in tensile strength, yield stress, and elongation to failure. Tension with current stabilizes the austenite and reduces content of the formed martensite up to 72 % in multi-pulse mode and up to 50 % when using direct current.

Effect of Laser Traverse Speed on the Metallurgical Properties of Fe-Cr-Si Clads for Austenitic Stainless Steel Using Directed Energy Deposition

This study investigated the microstructural and compositional behavior of Fe-Cr-Si clads produced in stainless steel (STS) 316 L with a decreased laser traverse speed using directed energy deposition (DED). The substrate of all specimens was mostly composed of austenite, while the clad region consisted of the δ-ferrite, martensite, and a small amount of retained austenite. The reduced heat input by increasing the laser traverse speed resulted in decreased dilution of the Ni component and the substrate’s unmixed zone, resulting in a gradual decrease (16−1%) in the face-centered cubic (FCC: austenite) phase of the clad region. In addition, in the clad region composed of body-centered cubic (BCC), the fraction of martensite decreased, but the fraction of the δ-ferrite increased by decreasing the heat input. The reason for this was that dense martensite was formed in the entire clad region owing to a sufficient cooling rate for phase transformation and dilution of the Ni component in the 12 mm/s specimen with the highest heat input. Therefore, to predict the corrosion and wear characteristics of the Fe-Cr-Si multilayer clad manufactured in STS316L, the formation of martensite by the dilution of the Ni component should be sufficiently considered.

Effect of Quenching Temperature on the Strengthening Mechanism of Low‐Carbon Microalloyed Quenching and Partitioning Steel

Herein, the microstructures of the low‐carbon microalloyed quenching and partitioning (Q–P) steels are multiphase with ferrite (F), martensite (M), and retained austenite (RA) at different quenching temperatures (QTs), i.e., 140, 180, 240, and 300 °C. The volume fraction of fresh martensite (FM) increases from 8.6% to 61.4%, but the tempered martensite (TM) decreases from 49.7% to 0% with the QT increase. Meanwhile, the size of the precipitates (Nb, Ti)C tends to increase, whereas the fraction of the precipitates decreases first and then increases. With the increase of the QT, the yield strength (YS) decreases, the tensile strength (TS) increases, and the elongation first increases and then decreases. Additionally, the strengthening mechanism of Q–P steel is quantitatively analyzed in terms of F, M, RA, and precipitation strengthening. This study shows that F makes the same contribution to YS for the tested steels. The major strengthening mechanism of the Q–P steel is contributed by M, which accounts for about 43.7% to 56.0% of total YS. RA greatly influences the plasticity of Q–P steel and provides little to YS. With an increase in QT, the precipitation strengthening values first decrease and then increase.

Polarization contrast neutron imaging of magnetic crystallographic phases

Non-destructive characterization methods to observe phase transformations and thus, gain insights to transformation mechanisms in representative volumes are key for the development of advanced materials and manufacturing. Conventional methods are constrained to the surface and small sizes, thus, access to the bulk often implies tedious destructive approaches and hinders in-situ observations of phase evolution. In this work, we introduce a non-destructive technique that overcomes key limitations prevailing today for mapping the spatial distribution of magnetic phases in bulk materials. The use of polarized neutrons, being sensitive to sub-percent fractions of ferromagnetic phases and able to penetrate centimeter sized samples, enables micrometer-scale spatial and second-scale time resolutions. We demonstrate ex-situ and in-situ quantitative mapping of magnetic phases, in particular the evolution of martensite induced by uniaxial- and biaxial deformation in metastable 304 steel. The quantitative results obtained during in-situ deformation testing prove polarization contrast neutron imaging to be particularly effective in detecting small fractions of martensite. Especially during early stages of deformation where neutron diffraction, which in contrast does not provide full field spatial resolution, fails. The short exposure times and high sensitivity renders the method well suited for rapid 3D tomographic mapping and/or operando investigations of phase distributions.

Effect of segregation on the microstructure and properties of a quenching and partitioning steel

• Mn segregation decreases ferrite and increases secondary martensite fraction in the Q&P steel. • Mn segregation causes a lower fraction and stability of retained austenite in the Q&P steel. • Mn segregation degrades the strength and ductility of the Q&P steel due to insufficient TRIP effect. Effect of alloying element segregation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an intercritically annealed quenching and partitioning steel is experimentally studied. Phase constitution of the segregation band and matrix was compared to elucidate the effect of Mn enrichment on the relevant phase transformation processes and the stability of retained austenite. Tensile specimens including and excluding the segregation band were carefully prepared to reveal the effect of segregation on the mechanical properties. The present study provides direct evidence of the influence of segregation on the microstructure and demonstrates the harmful effect of Mn segregation on both the strength and ductility in the studied quenching and partitioning steel.

Deformation-Induced Martensitic Transformation in Laser Cladded 304 Stainless Steel Coatings.

There are only a few cost-effective solutions for coating applications in combined mechanical loading and corrosive environments. Stainless steel AISI 304 has the potential to fill this niche, showing excellent corrosion resistance while utilizing the deformation-induced phase transformation from γ-austenite to α’-martensite, which results in an increase in strength. However, it is not known whether this can occur in laser cladded material. Therefore, laser cladded AISI 304 coatings in as-cladded condition and after heat treatment at 1100 °C for 60 min were investigated before and after bending deformation, by means of light microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. It was shown that due to the dendritic microstructure accompanied by an inhomogeneous distribution of the main alloying elements (Cr and Ni), no deformation-induced phase transformation occurred in the as-cladded coating. The applied approach with subsequent solution heat treatment at 1100 °C for 60 min resulted in a homogeneous γ-austenite microstructure, so that a deformation-induced martensitic transformation (DIMT) could occur in the coatings. However, the volume fraction of martensite that had been formed locally at individual shear bands was rather low, which can be possibly attributed to the high Ni content of the feedstock, stabilizing the γ-austenite microstructure. This study shows the possibility of exploiting the DIMT mechanism in heat-treated laser-cladded AISI 304 coatings.

Friction and wear of AISI 304 by the SiC ball and its monitoring via Barkhausen noise emission

This study deals with the friction and wear of AISI 304 austenitic steel by the SiC ball. The surface state in the affected region was investigated as a function of the time duration of the friction process due to a single ceramic spherical SiC ball tip in a reversible linear motion under a load of 10 N (ball-on-flat test method). Only minor alterations in the loaded region could be found in the initial phase of friction, which was followed by an abrupt increase in the size of the wear track produced. Wear tracks were investigated in terms of their size, residual stress state, phase composition, delamination, and chemistry. Due to the phase transformation from austenite to martensite, the magnetic Barkhausen noise technique was also employed, and its sensitivity to alterations arising during friction and wear was investigated. It was found that magnetic Barkhausen noise was sensitive to the volume fraction of strain-induced martensite. Moreover, pronounced surface oxidation could be detected in the region of surface delamination, in contrast to the initial phase of friction.

Effect of ultra-fast heating on microstructure and mechanical properties of cold-rolled low-carbon low-alloy Q&P steels with different austenitizing temperature

We performed ultra-fast heating (150 °C/s) quenching and partitioning (Q&P) processes to a cold-rolled low-carbon low-alloy steel. Adjusting the annealing temperature, we obtained two types of ferrite-containing Q&P steels with different matrix structure, i.e., martensitic matrix and ferritic matrix. The effect of ultra-fast heating on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties was analyzed, compared with the samples treated with conventional heating rate (10 °C/s). We also investigated the strain partition and fracture behaviors, basing on in-situ tensile tests under SEM. Results show that ultra-fast heating can significantly increase the A c1 and A c3 temperatures, and extend the temperature span of intercritical zone. It can also delay the complete recrystallization of deformed ferrite and promote the austenite nucleation, which leads to the structure refinement of the sample with martensitic matrix, improving both the strength and ductility. The increase of austenite nucleation rate and the incomplete recrystallization of deformed ferrite jointly promote the austenite transformation, which results in a distinct increase of martensite islands fraction in the sample with ferritic matrix, leading to its obvious increase of tensile strength and decrease of ductility. Strain partition is an important factor affecting the TRIP effect in ferrite-containing Q&P steels. For the sample with a martensitic matrix, retained austenite mainly possesses a film-like morphology and exists between martensite laths. The relatively high mechanical stability of retained austenite films and low local strain in martensitic regions result in the weak TRIP effect. The retained austenite in the sample with a ferritic matrix mainly distributes among ferrite grains and exhibits a blocky morphology. The relatively low mechanical stability of blocky retained austenite and high local strain in ferrite jointly enhance the TRIP effect. • Ultra-fast heating delays ferrite recrystallization. • Ultra-fast heating restrains martensite tempering. • Ultra-fast heating results in grain refinement of martensitic matrix. • Strain partition is a crucial factor controlling TRIP effect. • Main ductility origin is compatible deformation of matrix structures.

Ballistic Resistance of Steel with the Structure of a Natural Ferrite-Martensitic Composite

Introduction. For steel armor materials, it is important to reduce the thickness and, consequently, the metal consumption of the protective structure. The previously developed class of materials with the structure of a natural ferrite-martensite composite (NFMC) has characteristics that favor the inhibition of crack development under impact loads and has prospects as an armor material.Problem Statement. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the possibility of using NFMC materials for armor protection devices based on the results of ballistic resistance tests under a high-power concentrated impact (a projectile flying at a hyper-high speed).Theoretical Part. The study of ballistic resistance was carried out on samples of steel 14G2 processed according to various modes. The samples had the shape of plates and a square grid on the surface. Simulation tests of the impact of heat-strengthened dowels from a powder-actuated tool and firing of military small arms at the testing site from an SVD sniper rifle and an AK-74 assault rifle with machine loading ammunition were carried out. The results of simulation tests showed a clear advantage of steel with the NFMC structure. The comparison of the results of firing with military small arms has showed that the ballistic resistance of steel with the NFMC structure depends on the ratio of the volume fractions of ferrite and martensite, which cause different thicknesses of the ductile and strong components of the composite. The highest resistance was observed for a sample with an NFMC structure processed according to the regime: quenching 730°C and tempering 180°C.Conclusions. Steels treated for the NFMC structure can provide effective protection for military personnel with a lower material consumption of armor protection devices, which is due to a special method of braking destruction during a high-power local impact. Thus, the practical application of the developed class of natural composite materials seems promising for obtaining an armor plate with a thinner thickness, which helps to reduce the weight of combat vehicles, increase their mobility and reduce fuel consumption.

Mesoscopic numerical study on ductile fracture in TRIP steel under reverse loading

The aim of this study is to elucidate the fracture mechanism of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel under reverse loading using a ductile damage simulation method. First, the fracture limit of a TRIP steel under the reverse path is experimentally investigated and compared with the results of a dual-phase (DP) steel without a retained austenite. In both steels, the reduction in fracture strain by compressive pre-strain is smaller than that by tensile pre-strain. The difference between the effects of tensile and compressive pre-strain is even larger in the TRIP steel than in the DP steel. These results are analyzed via numerical calculations using a model that extends the ductile damage theory proposed by Ohata et al. to account for the microstructural changes caused by martensitic transformation. The results indicate that the development of damage in the TRIP steel strongly depends on the fraction and distribution of the hard martensite generated by the transformation. Moreover, when TRIP steels are subjected to compressive pre-strain, martensitic transformation occurs less likely than when they are subjected to tensile pre-strain. This leads to less heterogeneity and less void formation within the microstructure. As a result, the fracture strain decrease in TRIP steel due to compressive pre-strain is smaller than that in DP steel.

Time-Dependant Microstructural Evolution and Tribological Behaviour of a 26 wt% Cr White Cast Iron Subjected to a Destabilization Heat Treatment

By employing destabilization heat treatments (HT), it is possible to create microstructures possessing different fractions of carbides, martensite, and austenite, which lead to varying tribological responses in abrasion-resistant high-chromium white cast irons. In the current work, the destabilization temperature was kept constant at 980 °C, whereas the time was varied from 0 to 90 min. As a result, the microstructure of the 26 wt% Cr white cast iron had a mixture of M23C6 secondary carbides (SC), martensite, and a decrease in the amount of retained austenite (RA) with increasing destabilization holding time. The microstructures as well as their tribological characteristics were evaluated by combining confocal laser scanning microscopy, SEM, XRD, and EBSD, together with dry-sliding linear reciprocating wear tests. Results show that the volume fraction of SC were statistically comparable in samples destabilized for 0 and 90 min, although the average size was almost two-fold in the latter. This had direct implications on the wear properties where a decrease of up to 50% in the wear rate of destabilized samples compared to the non-treated material was observed. Furthermore, the sample with the lowest increase in the matrix hardness (~ 20% higher than non-treated), showed the highest wear resistance. This was attributed to a favourable distribution of the RA (~ 10%) and SC volume fraction (~ 5%), in combination with the harder martensitic matrix. Finally, the results obtained from this study shed light on the ability to alter the HT parameters to tune the microstructure depending upon the application prerequisite.Graphical

Scale-up fabrication of gradient AGS in austenitic stainless steels achieves a simultaneous increase in strength and toughness

Simultaneous strengthening and toughening of austenitic stainless steel are of great importance in safety-critical applications. Gradient structured steels have thus attracted significant interest as they can achieve unprecedented strength and toughness synergy. However, the traditional fabrication process of gradient metals is relatively complex and limited to small depths of gradient. In this contribution, we have developed a novel processing route consisting of inhomogeneous rolling and annealing to fabricate a large gradient profile (∼5 mm) in the austenite grain size. The fabricated bulk gradient austenitic steel exhibits higher tensile strength (∼690 MPa) and Charpy impact energy (11.8 J) compared with the uniform-grain-size structural steel (∼650 MPa and 10.9 J, and ∼580 MPa and 11.3 J for fine grained (FG) and coarse grained (CG) steels). The deformation mechanisms of the bulk gradient austenitic steel were further explored. The combined contribution of the hetero-deformation induced (HDI) strengthening and transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect results in the ideal work-hardening capability and tensile strength of the gradient austenitic steel. Thanks to the deep gradient, the fraction of deformation-induced martensite decreases along the fabricated gradient. The pronounced TRIP effect near the coarse-grained V-notch improves the crack initiation energy (Ei), while the less martensite formed in the fined-grained interior raises the crack propagation energy (Ep). This study provides new insights into the circumvention of the strength-toughness trade-off and the fabrication of gradient structured steels with a large gradient profile.

Load partitioning behavior in a metastable austenitic stainless steel subjected to pre-deformation below and above Md temperature: Experimental and modeling studies

A physics-based model coupling the evolution of dislocation density in the austenite and strain-induced martensite phases with composite flow strength and kinetics of martensite transformation was developed to describe ambient temperature uniaxial tensile deformation behavior of mill annealed and pre-deformed 304 SS. The applicability of the model was evaluated by fitting the experimental stress-strain data and validated with the experimentally estimated dislocation density in the austenite phase of the steel. The modeling results revealed that the initial microstructure of the steel significantly influences the dislocation accumulation and annihilation rates as well as the load partitioning between austenite and martensite phases. Despite a lower initial dislocation density than the pre-deformed conditions, the mill annealed condition revealed a higher capacity (approximately two orders of magnitude) for dislocation accumulation in the austenite phase. The initial volume fraction of strain-induced martensite phase and the initial dislocation density of pre-deformed 304 SS are governed by the degree of pre-deformation and pre-deformation temperature, either below or above Md temperature (where Md is defined as the temperature above which plastic deformation does not result in austenite to martensite transformation). It is observed that storage, as well as annihilation rates in the austenite phase, are higher for the steel having a higher initial volume fraction of martensite and dislocation density. Though the pre-deformation altered the evolution of martensite volume fraction, the steel exhibited a minor variation in dislocation accumulation capability in the martensite phase for different conditions.

Evaluation of Phase Transformation Strain and Its Influence on Residual Stress Generation in Laser Welded Ti–6Al–4V Alloy

Abstract The assessment of welding-induced residual stress is always of significant interest due to its adverse effect on the structural stability and mechanical performance of the welded structure. Incorporation of intricate phenomena, in particular, thermal gradient, phase development, volumetric dilation, and phase transformation strain during FE modelling, not only acts as a reliable method for residual stress calculation but also serves as a directive to reduce tensile residual stress in a weldment which is sensitive to the selection of materials. In order to investigate the same for continuous and pulse laser-welded Ti–6Al–4V alloy, the sequentially coupled thermal–metallurgical–mechanical models are established. The internal state-dependent variables (SDVs) are implemented to capture the growth of phase evolved during diffusionless β → α′ transformation using Koistinen–Marburger (K–M) theory in the cooling cycle. The role played by a phase transformation induced strain on the generation of residual stress is systematically investigated. The volumetric dilation and associated phase fraction form the basis for the estimation of phase transformation strain in the present study. The accomplishment of highest martensitic fraction (∼95%) produced a phase transformation strain of 7.95 × 10−3 in pulse mode of operation. As a result, reversal of residual stress from tensile to compressive is perceived for pulse laser-welded specimen. Similarly, a sign of enriched martensitic transformation is noticed that puts the weld surface into a compression state and mitigates the overall tensile residual stress. The assumption of diffusional phase transformation during heating cycle and non-diffusional transformation during cooling phase in laser welding is more appropriate to predict the residual stress using thermal–metallurgical–mechanical model.