The effect of post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel joints obtained by melting electrode inert gas-shielded welding (MIG welding) was systematic studied. A total of two post-weld heat treatment processes are proposed, i.e., post-weld annealing treatment (PWAT) with temperature/time of 1100 ℃/1 h and subsequent furnace cooling and post-weld solution treatment (PWST) with temperature/time of 1100 ℃/1 h and subsequent water quenching, which were compared with the case of post-weld non-treatment (PWNT). Following annealing treatment at 1100°C, the joint tensile strength dropped by 6.6 % (from 845.46 MPa to 789.85 MPa), while its elongation at break increased by 40.87 % (from 29.80 % to 41.98 %). The significant increase in plasticity was due to the significant elimination of weld stresses in the joints after annealing. Moreover, the stresses in the weld metal of the PWST joints were instead significantly elevated and the carbides were solidified, which resulted in the lower strength. When post-weld heat treatment was applied, the impact toughness of the joints was lower than when untreated. This was primarily due to the greater percentage of the low-angle grain boundaries and the precipitation of MC-type carbides. Consequently, post-weld annealing treatment was an effective method to further enhance the strong plasticity of new twinning-induced plastic steel joints.
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