Testing of Welds

Shaju K. Albert
Materials Joining Section
Materials Technology Division
Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
Kalpakkam 603 102

Weldability evaluation

Composition
Hardness
Mechanical Properties
Weldability Tests
Field Tests or Self Restraint Tests
Externally restraint Test

Hardness as an indicator of
weldability in steels

For cold cracking : >350 VHN in HAZ

material is susceptible
Hardness an indirect indicator or
strength and ductility
High hardness indicate
susceptibility to brittle fracture
Heat treatment condition can be
judged from the hardness
For sour gas application, hardness of
the HAZ and weld metal limited to
22 Rc

Hardness related to microstructure which

is a function of composition and cooling
rate

Weldability tests

Self restraint tests

Restraint inherent in
the joint design
No external loading
As cracking occurs the
stresses relieve and
cracking stops
Simulate the actual
fabrication condition
Go-no go test

Externally restraint tests

Restraint is applied
externally
Possible to measure the
load, stress or strain
Restraint is not
released when cracking
occurs
Possible to quantify the
susceptibility in terms
or the restrain masured

Examples

Self restraint test

Cold cracking
Controlled thermal
severity test
Y-groove test
Hot cracking
Lehigh Restraint test
Lamellar Tearing
Z-type window test

External restraint test

Cold cracking
Implant test
Hot cracking
Varestraint test
Gleeble
Lamellar tearign
Short transverse
tensile test
Reheat cracking
PREVEW Test

Field Tests to evaluate Cold Cracking

Controlled thermal severity test
Two plates clamped
together with a bolt
through a hole in the
centre of the each plate.
One plate is square and
the other is oblong,
slightly wider, and about
three times the liength of
the square plate. Two
anchor welds provide
further restraint

Field Tests to evaluate Cold Cracking

Cruciform Test

Field Tests to evaluate Cold Cracking

Y-groove Test

Preparation of Ygroove test and

examination for
cracks

Gap-bead on plate (G-BOP) test to evaluate

susceptibility of weld metal to hydrogen assisted
cracking
Specimen
without
slots

Specimen
with
0.75mm
slots

150o C Preheat: heat tinted region

Cracked during testing

A bead on plate weld is made over the

gap of two clamped plates and waited
for 24hrs. Gap acts as a stress raiser
and facilitate cracking.

200o C Preheat No heat tinted

zone; hence no Cracking during
testing

Laboratory Test: Implant test to

evaluate cold cracking susceptibility
Lower critical
Stress (LCS) below
which no fracture
of cracking occurs
is determined as a
function of HD
content in the
electrode, chemical
composition, heat
input, preheat
temperature etc.

Implant testing machine

Determination of LCS and study of

variation of LCS wih preheat temperature

Determination of LCS for

test weld prepared without
preheating

Variation of LCS with

preheat temperature

Le-high cracking test : to study

effect of restraint

Cracking test for austenitic SS

consumable qualification

Circular fillet weld test, Circular

groove test and Tubing weld cracking
test

Double Fillet Weld Test Hot

Cracking

Varestraint Test Hot cracking

Laboratory Test -PREVEW Test

(Petroleum Refinery Vessel Evaluation of
Weldability)
Specimen is preloaded into
device at selected stress
level using 3-point
bending.
Entire device is loaded into
a furnace with selected test
temperature
Specimen can be either
fillet or butt
Crack initiation and
propagation behavior are
examined as a function of
test time

Field test to evaluate Lamellar Tearing

Z-type Window Test

Through thickness test : to evaluate

susceptibility to lamellar tearing

Laboratory Test: Gleeble: a versatile

equipment to simulate HAZ and study
weldability _ hot cracking and reheat
cracking

Simulation of Reheat Cracking in

Gleeble

Performance evaluation tests : Test

for temper embrittlement
Typical Step Cooling
1100 F (593 C) /1 hr,

followed by furnace cool to

1000 F (538 C) /15 hrs, followed by furnace cool to
975 F (524 C) /24 hrs, followed by furnace cool to
925 F (496 C) /60 hrs, followed by furnace cool to
875 F (468 C) /100 hrs, followed by furnace cool to
600 F (315 C) /0 hrs,
followed by air cool

Performance evaluation tests :

Intergranular corrosion tests

ASTM STANDARDS
A 262 PRACTICE A TO F
These are chemical tests, destructive in
nature, no quantification, interpretation of
results left to the user

Practice A -- Oxalic Acid Etch Test

Practice B -- Ferric Sulphate - Sulphuric Acid Test
Practice C -- Nitric Acid Test
Practice D -- Nitric - Hydrofluoric Acid Test
Practice E -- Copper Copper Sulphate Sulphuric Acid Test
Practice F -- Copper - Copper Sulphate - 50%
Sulphuric Acid Test

G 108
These are electrochemical tests, non-destructive
in nature, quantification exists

Performance evaluation tests :

H2S Stress corrosion cracking test

Medium
3000 ppm H S
2
in
5% NaCl
solution
Stress
Fraction of Y.S.

Performance evaluation tests :

Dissimilar joints between austenitic
stainless and Cr-Mo steels in service

Performance evaluation Brittle fracture

25

12.7

12.7

Crack Starter
Weld Bead
50 1

6.4

25
65

130 10

65

Drop weight test: To determine nil ductility transition TN

Bend test to evaluate integrity and

ductility of the weld

Jigs for guided bend and wrap

around bend tests

Specimens for mechanical tests from

weld joints

Fillet Weld Test

Shear Strength of the weld = P/(Ixa)

P = Load, I = Length of Fillet Sheare

Evaluating Spot Welds

Shear Test
Tensile Test

Diffusible hydrogen

Diffusible hydrogen
Hydrogen that is free to diffuse at ambient
temperature and hence move to locations of
defects of stress concentration and hence
contribute to cracking

Hydrogen atoms that are not free (trapped) do not

diffuse and hence do not contrbute to cracking

Hydrogen diffusing out of the weld joint at

ambient is a reliable measure of the
diffusible hydrogen content
Duration for collection of hydrogen diffusing
our from the weld is important
Reported in ml/100g of weld metal at STP

MEASUREMENT OF DIFFUSIBLE
HYDROGEN
MERCURY METHOD
GLYCERIN METHOD

MANOMETER

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
Thermal conductivity

MASS SPECTROMETRY
e/m ratio

STEPS IN THE MEASUREMENT

DEPOSITION OF WELD METAL

COOLING TO AVOID LOSS OF
HYDROGEN
CLEANING
HOLDING THE SPECIMEN AT SPECIFIED
TEMPERATURE IN A CHAMBER TO
COLLECT THE EVOLVED HYDROGEN
MEASURENENT OF EVOLVED HYDROGN

Preparation of specimen for

diffusible hydrogen measurement

ISO method for

diffusible
hydrogen
measurement
using Y-tube
Hydrogen
evolved from the
sample for 72 h
is collected over
a column of
mercury (45 C)

BIS method of
diffusible
hydrogen
measurement

Glycerin method
evolution time 48
h at ambient
temperature

Gas chromatography method

Advantage
Measurement can be
carried out at high
temperature and
hence measurement
time can be reduced
(150-400C)
Correlation has to be
established with
other measurement
to ensure only

COMPARISON OF MERCURY AND

GC METHODS
MERCURY METHOD
Most widely used
Less expensive
Contamination of
mercury
Health hazard in
handling
Time consuming

GAS CHORMATOGRAPHY
Sensitive to low levels of
diffusible hydrogen
Not affected by other
gases evolved from the
sample
Possibility of reducing the
measurement time
Costly
Not widely used in
welding industry

GLYCERIN METHOD
USE A SINGLE SPECIMEN (12x25x125 mm)
EVOLUTION IS DONE AT 450c FOR 48h
LOWER VALUES THAN MERCURY METHOD

H D ( Mercury ) 1.562 H D ( Glycerin ) 1.453 (BIS)

H D Mercury 1.27H D Glycerin 2.19 (JIS)
DISSOLUTION OF HYDROGEN IN GLYCERIN
ABSORPTION OF MOISTURE