Students were asked to evaluate and report on the following material/ material combinations in terms of the weldability for

a new project. 1. SANS 50025-6 grade S690QL1.

Material Characteristics SANS 50025-6 Grade S690QL1 High Yield Structural Steel Heat Treated by Quench and Temper Good welding and Bending Process Microstructure is tempered Martensite Designation: S = Structural Steel 690 = minimum yield strength (MPa) Q = Quenching & Tempering L = Low notch toughness testing temperature Chemical Composition Grade C Si Mn P S N B Cr Cu Mo Nb Ni Ti V Zr S690QL 0.20 0.80 1.70 0.025 0.015 0.015 0.0050 1.50 0.50 0.70 0.06 2.0 0.05 0.12 0.15

Weldability Problems/Issues
HICC (Hydrogen Induced Cracking) caused by hydrogen from welding processes, a susceptible microstructure, and tensile stresses loaded onto the weld joints. The hydrogen diffuses into the highly stressed and hardened part of the weld joint. Solidification Cracking caused by thermal shrinkage in the weld pool before solidification as a result of thermal stresses due to welding. This is also caused by over-restraint during welding and occurs in the weld metal mostly as a centerline crack. This is also caused by an imbalance in current and travel speed. Lamellar Tearing caused by high localized stress in the base material. Rolled plate with low ductility is particularly susceptible to lamellar tearing.

Mitigation of Various Weldability Issues

HICC (Hydrogen Induced Cracking) - Preheat Material before welding using the IIW Formula for Carbon Equivalent CE = C + Mn + Cr + Mo + V + Ni + Cu
6 5 15

0.20 + 1.70 + (1.50+0.70+0.12)+ (2.0+0.50) 6 5 15 CE = 1.1% PH = 450 1.1-0.42 PH = 371C Pre-Heat Temperature

Do not restrain the weld joint too much Use Low Hydrogen Welding processes if possible Use Low Hydrogen Filler Consumable such as E 7018 (ensure to follow the manufacturers handling and storage procedures) Control of preheat ensures that unwanted brittle phases of martensite are not formed during cooling All welding to be performed in adherence to a WPS Post Weld Heat Treatment following recommended time frames specified by Code of Manufacture Post weld heat treatment is performed to ensure that the stresses in the weldment are reduced, lower the hardness and to increase the toughness.

Solidification Cracking - Balance the ratios between current, heat input and travel speed - Preheat the joint as above - Choose a filler that has Nb, Ph, S and Mn as alloying elements to increase the solidification rate - Ensure a consistent root gap by clamping and restraining - Do not over-restrain joint - Post Weld Heat Treat as per Code guidelines - Multipass welding may also cause REHEAT CRACKING which is similar to Solidification Cracking, as a result of long soak times Find a good balance between preheat and interpass temperature Lamellar Tearing Review and consider better joint design Preheat thick sections of plate Use smaller and thinner weld beads Even out the sizes of weld beads Use stringer beads instead of weaving UT to check for inherent plate defects

2. P92 to X20CrMoNiV11
Material Characteristics X20CrMoNiV11 Creep Resistant Steels/Materials X20 is usually for service temperatures around 530C In addition to high creep strength, other material properties like hardenability, corrosion resistance, and weldability are also evident These steels are heat treated to produce a martensitic structure and tempered to improve the impact strength at low temperatures and to improve the ductility Molybdenum in solid solution reduces the creep rate of steel very effectively. It slows the coagulation and coarsening (Ostwald ripening) of carbides during high-temperature service. The best results in terms of elevated-temperature strength are obtained by quenching and tempering to produce a microstructure consisting of upper bainite.

P92 P92 Steel is based on adding about 1.8% Mo W elements and reduces trace elements and adds elements such as B developed a new 9% Cr martensitic steel, welded steel with similar performance and P91

Chemical Composition Grade C Si Mn P S N B Cr Cu Mo Nb Ni Ti V Zr X20CrMoNiV11 0.20 0.80 1.70 0.025 0.015 0.015 0.0050 12.5 0.50 1.0 0.06 0.8 0.05 0.30 0.15 0.07- 0.50 0.30- Max Max 0.03- 0.001- 8.50- 0.50 0.30- 0.04- Max Max 0.15- 0.15 P92
0.13 Max 0.80 0.60 70 0.010 0.010 0.015 0.07 0.006 9.50 0.60 0.09 0.40 0.01 0.25

These steels are also susceptible to HICC and need to be mitigated in a similar fashion as presented in the example above. - Work out CE and PH temperature as per IIW Formulae - Preheat Temperature should be around 400-550C - Restrict the Maximum interpass temperature to 289C - PWHT According to guidelines in Code of Construction/Manufacture - The steel must be cooled below 100 C to allow formation of martensitic transformations and then post weld heat treat to temperatures between 760C and 780C.