Multi-pass Gas Metal Arc Welding Research Articles

The effect of heat input in multi-pass GMAW of S960QL UHSS based on weaving and stringer bead procedure on microstructure and mechanical properties of HAZ

Quenched and tempered S960QL (yield strength ≥ 960 MPa) ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) thick plates were joined by multi-pass robotic gas metal arc welding (GMAW) using weaving and stringer bead techniques. The effects of microstructural changes in heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the joint on toughness and hardness were examined. Weaving and stringer bead techniques applied for the multi-pass welding procedure altered average peak temperatures and exposure time to those temperatures. Mechanical properties of HAZs were evaluated by utilizing notch impact and hardness tests, and these results were correlated with microstructural characterizations using optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). Prior austenite grain (PAG) coarsening occurred because of increased exposure time to peak temperature in coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ) of the W-5 (weaving pass) joint. CGHAZs at the face pass, which have not been subjected to a second thermal cycle, have the highest hardness in both joints. Hardness of SCHAZ and CGHAZ of S-12 joint was 7% and 1% higher compared with W-5 joint, respectively. Weld metal hardness of W-5 joint was 15% lower than that of S-12 joint. Both joints not only fulfilled the requirements of minimum 50 J per EN ISO 10025-6 at −20 °C but exceeded this limit by 50% (W-5) and 200% (S-12). Lateral expansions for impact toughness specimens were around 17.5% for S-12 joint, whereas it was 4% for W-5 joint. Since HAZ in the S-12 (stringer bead) joint is narrow compared with the one in the W-5 joint, impact toughness values were higher with the S-12 joint due to the locations of the notches of the impact specimens.

A methodology for multipass gas metal arc welding of shipbuilding steel plates with different thicknesses

A methodology for multipass gas metal arc welding of shipbuilding steel plates with different thicknesses

Dynamic Modeling of Weld Bead Geometry Features in Thick Plate GMAW Based on Machine Vision and Learning

Weld bead geometry features (WBGFs) such as the bead width, height, area, and center of gravity are the common factors for weighing welding quality control. The effective modeling of these WBGFs contributes to implementing timely decision making of welding process parameters to improve welding quality and enhance automatic levels. In this work, a dynamic modeling method of WBGFs is presented based on machine vision and learning in multipass gas metal arc welding (GMAW) with typical joints. A laser vision sensing system is used to detect weld seam profiles (WSPs) during the GMAW process. A novel WSP extraction method is proposed using scale-invariant feature transform and machine learning. The feature points of the extracted WSP, namely the boundary points of the weld beads, are identified with slope mutation detection and number supervision. In order to stabilize the modeling process, a fault detection and diagnosis method is implemented with cubic exponential smoothing, and the diagnostic accuracy is within 1.50 pixels. A linear interpolation method is presented to implement sub pixel discrimination of the weld bead before modeling WBGFs. With the effective feature points and the extracted WSP, a scheme of modeling the area, center of gravity, and all-position width and height of the weld bead is presented. Experimental results show that the proposed method in this work adapts to the variable features of the weld beads in thick plate GMAW with T-joints and butt/lap joints. This work can provide more evidence to control the weld formation in a thick plate GMAW in real time.

Effect of inclusions on microstructure and mechanical behavior of multi-pass welded naval grade steel

This paper assesses the metallurgical characteristics and mechanical properties of multi-pass gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of micro-alloyed steel DMR 249-A. The prime objective was to carry out a comparative study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints produced by the two types of welding. A high volume of larger sized inclusions in GMAW contributed to inferior mechanical properties. The coarse-grained part of the heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) showed a lower microhardness. Fracture always occurred in the heat-affected zone, and it is believed that it is associated with CGHAZ. GTAW joints showed low tensile residual stress, higher hardness, and tensile strength. GTA weldment also showed superior impact toughness at sub-zero temperature (–60 °C). Mn-containing inclusions were seen in GTA weldments; it is believed that they promote the formation of acicular ferrite. This is believed to be responsible for the superior mechanical properties of GTA weldments. The microstructural analysis of the two weldments revealed the presence of a higher volume fraction of acicular ferrite in the GTAW. All in all, GTAW joint was found to perform better than GMAW joint.

Effects of shielding gas on GMAW of 10Ni5CrMoV HSLA steel using high Cr-Ni austenitic wire

The composition of shielding gas was investigated for gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of the 10Ni5CrMoV steel using high Cr-Ni austenitic wire. Adding CO2 into the inert shielding gas can improve the arc stiffness and reduce the incomplete fusion of sidewall. The optimal shielding gas of 40%Ar + 58%He + 2%CO2 was applied into multi-layer multi-pass GMAW of 10Ni5CrMoV steel with austenitic wire. No welding porosity, incomplete fusion and cracks were found in the welding joint. The chemical composition of the deposited metal reached the requirement for forming austenite weld. The highest hardness of welding joint was less than 350 HV and no obvious hardening tendency occurred in the welding joint. The tensile test and impact test indicated that the multi-layer multi-pass welding joint of 10Ni5CrMoV steel using austenitic wire had excellent comprehensive mechanical properties.

Effect of multiple thermal cycles on metallurgical and mechanical properties during multi-pass gas metal arc welding of Al 5083 alloy

Multi-pass gas metal arc welding was carried out for Al 5083 alloy plate with thickness 30 mm. During multi-pass welding of thick plate, the former welding pass experienced multiple thermal cycles that came from subsequent welding passes. This work focused on the effect of thermal cycle on metallurgical characteristics and mechanical properties. Different from what had long been recognized that welding thermal cycle was harmful, the results indicated that multiple thermal cycles caused the partial transition from columnar grains to equiaxed grains, which finally contributed to the refinement of microstructure. Increased precipitated particles resulted in the improvement of strengthening effect. These beneficial effects of microstructure and precipitated phase led to the increase of micro-hardness and the improvements of tensile strength and ductility. As the progress of welding process, overall properties of the welded joint improved. Conclusion could be made that appropriate thermal cycles were beneficial during multi-pass welding of Al 5083 alloy.

Study of MA Effect on Yield Strength and Ductility of X80 Linepipe Steels Weld

Multipass GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) welding was used to join X80 linepipe materials using two weld metals of slightly different compositions. Welding wires with diameters of 0.984 and 0.909 mm were used while applying the same heat input in each pass. The slight difference in the wire diameters resulted in different HAZ microstructures. The microstructures in the doubly reheated HAZ of both welds were found to contain bainite-ferrite. However, etching also revealed a difference in martensite-austenite (MA) fraction in these reheated zones. The MA exhibited twice the hardness of ferrite when measured by nanoindentation. Tensile testing from the reheated zone of both welds revealed a difference in yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the transverse weld specimens. In the reheated zone of weld A, (produced with a 0.984 mm wire) a higher fraction of MA was observed, which resulted in higher strength but lower elongation compared to weld B. The ductility of weld A was found severely impaired (to nearly half of weld B) due to formation of closely spaced voids around the MA, along with debonding of MA from the matrix, which occurs just above the yield stress.

Modeling of Temperature Field during Multi-Pass GMAW Surfacing or Rebuilding of Steel Elements Taking into Account the Heat of the Deposit Metal

This paper proposed an analytical model for describing the temperature field of multi-pass arc weld surfacing. The temperature field is described analytically assuming a bimodal volumetric model of the heat source and a semi-infinite body model of the (rebuilt) workpiece. The suggested analytical solution takes into account the temperature changes caused not only by the direct heat of an electric arc, but also by the heat of the applied weld (melted metal of electrode). The solution considers temperature increments caused by overlaying consecutive welding sequences and by self-cooling of areas previously heated. Computations of the temperature field are carried out during the multi-pass gas metal arc welding (GMAW) surfacing of a steel plate. The results are presented in the form of transient and maximum (achieved in whole welding process) temperature distributions in the element’s cross-section, as well as thermal cycles at the selected point.

Hybridization of filler wire in multi-pass gas metal arc welding of SA516 Gr70 carbon steel

ABSTRACTIn the present investigation, multi-pass gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of SA516 Gr70 carbon steel was carried out by different filler wires such as solid, metal cored and flux cored, wherein, other process parameters were kept constant. The hybrid approach of multi-pass filler wires was applied to obtain three different welds. The root pass was filled by a solid wire for all three cases while the subsequent filler pass was applied through solid, flux-cored and metal cored filler wires, respectively. Metallographic, mechanical and metallurgical analyses such as macrograph study, optical microscopy, tensile testing and hardness variations were performed to address the quality of weld. The results revealed that defect-free sound welds were produced by the hybrid approach of different filler wires in multi-pass GMAW. Overall cost and time reduction can be achieved through hybrid filler welds, without affecting their mechanical strength. Angular distortion was reported minimum at hybrid weld of solid and metal cored filler wire. Maximum reinforcement with higher penetration was observed at weld of solid and metal cored filler wire. Impact toughness was reported higher in case of hybrid weld of solid and flux cored filler wire. Higher macro hardness was reported at weld of solid and flux cored filler wire.

Comparison of microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-narrow gap laser and gas-metal-arc welded S960 high strength steel

The microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties, including micro-hardness, tensile properties, three-point bending properties and Charpy impact toughness at different test temperatures of 8mm thick S960 high strength steel plates were investigated following their joining by multi-pass ultra-narrow gap laser welding (NGLW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) techniques. It was found that the microstructure in the fusion zone (FZ) for the ultra-NGLW joint was predominantly martensite mixed with some tempered martensite, while the FZ for the GMAW joint was mainly consisted of ferrite with some martensite. The strength of the ultra-NGLW specimens was comparable to that of the base material (BM), with all welded specimens failed in the BM in the tensile tests. The tensile strength of the GMAW specimens was reduced approximately by 100MPa when compared with the base material by a broad and soft heat affected zone (HAZ) with failure located in the soft HAZ. Both the ultra-NGLW and GMAW specimens performed well in three-point bending tests. The GMAW joints exhibited better impact toughness than the ultra-NGLW joints.

Multipass pulsed current gas metal arc welding of P91 steel

Conventional gas metal arc welding of modified 9Cr–1Mo steels referred to as P91 steels is considered difficult due to loss of alloying elements and degradation of weld joint properties. In comparison to the conventional process, pulsed current gas metal arc welding allows more accurate control of heat input per unit length and electrode deposition and, thus, can be more suitable for the joining of P91 steel. A detailed experimental study is therefore undertaken to examine the roles of welding current, speed and groove angle in the weld bead profiles and joint properties in multipass pulsed current gas metal arc welding of 12 mm thick P91 steel. The results show that the joint properties are strongly influenced by the heat input per unit length and the groove angle. A groove angle of 75° and an appropriate choice of process conditions resulted in fairly acceptable bead profiles and joint properties.

Effect of Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) Parameters on Wear Behavior of Heat Affected Zone of HSLA Steel Plates

ABSTRACTThe wear phenomenon may occur for a variety of work conditions in the material. It causes losses in terms of time and costs in the components which are used for heavy machinery due to its re-pair or even replacement. It is important to select suitable materials that exhibit high-quality weldability and resistance to abrasive wear such as the high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel grade 950A. Therefore, it is necessary to study the wear behavior of this kind of steel after components are joined by multi-pass gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process, specifically on the heat affected zone (HAZ). The aim of this research was to evaluate wear resistance by pin on disc test and hardness on heat affected zone of HSLA steel plates with thickness of 14 mm joined by using GMAW process varying different parameters as wire feed speed and voltage. The influence of microstructural features such as carbide precipitation on wear behavior and hardness was investigated using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that microstructure is modified by the heat input of the welding process, affecting the material properties and causing more susceptibility to wear on the welded area.

Fatigue Cracking of Hybrid Plasma Gas Metal Arc Welded 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel*

Abstract Contrary to other keyhole welding applications on duplex stainless steels, a proper cooling time and a dilution were achieved during hybrid plasma gas metal arc welding that provided sufficient reconstructive transformation of austenite without sacrificing its high efficiency and productivity. Simultaneous utilization of keyhole and metal deposition in the hybrid welding procedure enabled us to get an as-welded 11 mm-thick standard duplex stainless steel plate in a single pass. Metallographic examination on hybrid plasma-gas metal arc weldments revealed only primary austenite in ferrite matrix, whereas in addition to reconstructive transformation of primary austenite during solidification, secondary austenite was also transformed in a displacive manner due to successive thermal cycles during multi-pass gas metal arc welding. On the one hand, secondary austenite provided barriers and retarded the crack propagation during the tests in laboratory air. On the other hand, chromium and molybdenum depletion in the neighborhood of secondary austenite precipitates yielded relatively high crack propagation rates in multi-pass weldments under chloride attack.

Influence of multipass pulsed gas metal arc welding on corrosion behaviour of a duplex stainless steel

This work focuses the effect of secondary austenite (γ2) on corrosion resistance of welded joints. The welded joints were obtained by pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P) with three different heat inputs. Each joint and their respective sub-regions through thickness were characterised by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results were correlated with double loop electrochemical potentiodynamic reactivation (DL-EPR) and sulphide stress corrosion tests. The results suggest a good agreement between the DL-EPR and the four point bending tests. It was also verified that the simple presence of γ2 does not necessarily gives rise to loss of corrosion resistance.

Numerical and Experiment Study of Residual Stress and Strain in Multi-Pass GMA Welding

There must selection an optimal of welding parameter and condition that reduces the risk of mechanical failures on weld structures.The residual stress and welding deformation have the large impact on the failure of welded structures.To achieve the required precision for welded structures, it is required to predict the welding distortions at the early stages.Therefore, this study uses 2DFinite Element Method (FEM) to predict residual stress and strain on thick SS400 steel metal plate. A birth and death technique is employed to control the each weld pass welding. Gas Metal Arc (GMA) welding experiment is also performed with similar welding condition to validate the FE results.The simulated and experiment results provide good evidence that heat input is main dependent on the welding parameter and residual stress and distortions are mainly affected by amount on heat input during each weld-pass.

Numerical calculation of residual stress development of multi-pass gas metal arc welding

In various applications, welding-induced residual stresses have a substantial impact on the integrity of welded constructions. Tensile residual stress can promote stress-corrosion cracking, brittle fracture, and reduces the fatigue life in service, as well as influences component design due to critical stress concentrations within the component.In the present paper, a six bead multi-pass gas metal arc weld of 20mm thick structural steel S355J2+N is experimentally and numerically investigated. The studies include transient 2D and 3D numerical calculations which consider temperature-dependent material properties, phase transformations, “thermal” tempering, transformation plasticity, volume change due to phase transformation, an elastic–plastic material model, and isotropic strain hardening. The experimentally determined and calculated residual stresses are in a good agreement. Furthermore, the influence of the preheat and interpass temperature on welding-induced residual stresses is shown in the present investigation.

Numerical calculation of residual stress development of multi-pass gas metal arc welding under high restraint conditions

During welding, residual stresses build-up created by the steep thermal gradient that occurs in the weld zone from localized heating and cooling, and phase transformations appearing in low-alloyed structural steel is inevitable. Welding of rather simple test plates do not cover the actual structural effects, which have to be considered during real component welding. However, the resulting welding-induced residual stress state is highly influenced by the structural characteristics, i.e. restraint conditions, of the welded construction. Therefore, a unique large-scale testing facility providing a specific shrinkage restraint while welding and subsequent cooling was used for the present investigations. Hereby, a six bead multi-pass gas metal arc weld of 20mm thick structural steel S355J2+N was welded under shrinkage restraint. The residual stresses were experimentally and numerically investigated, and compared to an analysis of plates welded under force-free support and free shrinkage conditions.The experimentally determined and calculated residual stresses using both 2D and 3D numerical models are in a good agreement. Furthermore, the influence of a shrinkage restraint on the residual stress distribution is both experimentally and numerically shown for the present test set-up.

Fatigue crack growth of bainitic rail steel welds

The objective of the present study is to develop and evaluate novel weld repairs of bainitic rail steel defects, such as detail fracture, induced by in service loading. Slots were machined in the bainitic rail steel to simulate the removal of service defects. Multipass gas metal arc welding was used to fill and repair the slots. Three-point bend tests of the parent and welded steels revealed that the flexural weld efficiency was 75%. Fatigue crack propagation (FCP) tests were performed on specimens from the welded joints and compared with the parent materials to determine the mechanical integrity of the slot repairs. The fatigue lifetime and FCP kinetics were similar for the parent and slot welded bainitic steels, indicating similar resistance to FCP. The fatigue fracture surface morphology of the parent and welded bainitic rail steels both revealed mostly a ductile fracture mechanism in all the three FCP stages.