WELDING HEAT TREATMENT

Nasrizal Mohd Rashdi

Senior Lecturer
Welding & Quality Inspection
Universiti Kuala Lumpur
INTRODUCTION

Welding process generally involved melting and

subsequently cooling.
Thermal cycle of welding will cause distortion or
residual stress.
Since basic causes of the weld failure are found
in thermal behaviour (cycle), so application of
heat treatment is important.
THERMAL CYCLE
TYPES OF WELDING HEAT TREATMENT

Divided into:
Before welding
During welding

After welding
WELD HEAT TREATMENT CHART
PRE HEATING

Involve heating the base metal, either in entirety

or just the region surrounding the joint, to a
specific temperature, prior to welding
Specific temperature is call preheat temperature.
FOUR BASIC REASONS

1. Slow the rate of cooling, especially below about

800C in the HAZ.
Reduce the temperature differential between the
weld pool and the surrounding base metal.
Produce more ductile structure (reduce hardening)
Reduce the risk of cracking
The fastest cooling is achieved
with welding without preheating,
with addition of a small share of
bainite, mainly martensite is
formed (curve 1,).
A simple heating before welding
without additional stopping time
lowers the cooling rate according to
curve 2.
If the material is hold at a
temperature above MS during
welding (curve 3), then the
martensite formation will be
completely suppressed
2. Control the diffusion rate of hydrogen in a
welded joint.
Promote diffusion of hydrogen out of steel structure
harmlessly.
3. Reduce thermal stresses
Thermal strains are set up as the molten weld pool
cools.
Preheat can control the level of strain by reducing
temperature differentials (especially high strain joint)
and reducing cooling rate.
4. Compensation for heat losses.
Thicker section steels with high thermal conductivity
may need preheat during welding to ensure fusion.
, ,H
Without Preheat
With Preheat

800 p
H0
500
Ms Hp
Mf p
100

tR(800/500) Time (s)

tR( m/100)
 Preheat is expensive and should be applied only
when it is essential to complete a joint
satisfactorily.
Used of a higher preheat temperature than
necessary is a costly.
If preheat is required, the correct temperature
must be decide for effective result.
WHEN SHOULD PREHEAT
To determine need or not preheat, the following
should be consider
Code requirements
Section thickness
Base metal chemistry
Restraint
Ambient temperature
Filler metal hydrogen content
Previous cracking problem
 If a welding code must be followed, then the code
generally will specify the minimum preheat
temperature for a given base metal, welding
process and section thickness.
Minimum value may be can increased if
necessary
BS2633:1987
ASME B31.1:1990
 If no codes governing the welding, one must
determine whether preheat required, and if so,
what preheat temperature appropriate.
In generally no preheat required for low carbon
steel less than 1 in (25mm) thick.
CARBON EQUIVALENT (CE)
The preheat temperatures suggested for several
ranges of the CE
Carbon Equivalent Suggested Preheat
Temperature
Up to 0.45% optional

0.45% to 0.60% 200 to 400OF

Above 0.60% 400 to 700OF

Carbon equivalent

Obtained by carbon content, the alloying element

contents, each being assigned a coefficient taking
account of the role played by element in HAZ.
Formula CE

CE = C% + Mn% + Cr% + Mo% + V% + Cu% + Ni%

6 5 15

Carbon steel
CE = C% + (Mn%)/6
Thickness of
Thickest Part SELECTED STEEL TYPES
(inches)
Non-Hydrogen Hydrogen Controlled Process
Controlled (SMAW with basic electrodes, FCAW with CH
Processes electrodes, GMAW, SAW)

CSA G40.21 CSA G40.21 CSA G40.21 CSA G40.21

38 W&WT 38 to 55 60 to 70 100Q &
44 W & WT W & WT W & WT 100QT

ASTM A36 ASTM A36 ASTM A572 Gr ASTM A514

A572 Gr 42, A572 Gr 42, 60, 65
50,60 50 A633, Gr E
A633 Gr A,C,D

Up to None None None None

Over to 1 150F 50F 150F 125F
Over 1 to 2 225F 150F 225F 175F
Over 2 300F 225F 300F 225F

Extracted from CSA Standard W59

COMBINE THICKNESS

t1
t2
t1 t2
t2 t3

t1

tc = t 1 + t2 tc = t1 + t2 tc = t1 + t2 + t3
COMBINE THICKNESS

Combined thickness associated with heat flow.

High tc value show higher heat flow

Higher heat flow may produce a lot of martensite

structure.
POST HEATING

Term given to an extension of preheat on

completion of welding to maintain the same or an
increase temperature.
Post heating, means heating of the weldment
immediately after the weld is made.
Different from other treatments made after the
weld cools such as stress relieving, tempering,
and annealing.
 Postheat is most often used on the highly
hardenable steels such as carbon-manganese
steels and low alloy steels, CE more than 0.60% .
Reduce the risk of hydrogen cracking.

Postheat is rarely used alone; it is almost always

used in conjunction with preheat.
POST WELD HEAT TREATMENT
Commonly referred as stress relief.
Principle
As temperature is raised, the yield stress and elastic
modulus around the weld is unable to support the initial
level of the residual stresses, which are relieved by plastic
deformation.
Works only if present dislocations able to move.
The relaxing of residual stress depends on temperature
and time for any given material.
Temperature below A1 line.
 PWHT is the process of reheating a weld to
below the lower transformation temperature at a
controlled rate, holding for specific time and
cooling a controlled rate.
WHY NEED PWHT?

Development of residual stresses approaching or

even exceeding the yield stress is possible when
welding thick sections.
Effectof fatigue and stress corrosion cracking
problem.
WHEN SHOULD PWHT

To determine need or not PWHT, the

following should be consider
Code requirements
Section thickness
Service environment
Alloy materials
Filler metal hydrogen content
Previous cracking problem
BENEFITS PWHT
Improving the diffusion of hydrogen out of weld
metal.
Softening the HAZ and thus improving
toughness.
Improving dimensional stability during
machining.
Improving the resistance to stress corrosion
cracking.
Reducing the effects of cold work.
SIDE EFFECTS OF PWHT

Reduce the tensile strength

Reduce yield strength.

Reduce the hardness.

Reheat (PWHT) cracking.

Nickel base alloys
NORMALISING

Involved high temperature than PWHT, typically

850-950C for ferritic steel which is above upper
critical line (A3).
Cooling takes place in still air which result in a
refinement of the metallurgical grain size
compare with the condition before normalizing.
The finer grain size leads to increased yield
strength and better resistance to fracture.