Luís Felipe Guimarães de Souza

Nonlinear geometric influence on the mechanical behavior of shape memory alloy helical springs

This paper investigates the nonlinear geometric effect on the mechanical behavior of shape memory alloy (SMA) helical springs. First, the SMA wires are characterized, and then the design and fabrication of SMA helical springs are discussed. Experimental tensile tests are carried out to show the nonlinear geometric influence. Results show a coupling between constitutive and geometric nonlinearities that defines the spring stiffness. Two springs with different geometries are built from SMA wires to define springs with both weak and strong nonlinear geometric influence. Numerical analyses are developed, using the finite element method to confirm the general conclusions shown in our experimental observations.

Influence of Chemical Composition and Post Welding Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High Strength Steel Weld Metals

The present work is part of a wide research program which the main goal is the development of welding procedures for chain and accessories for application in mooring systems of oil platforms. In the specific case of the work in subject, the development of different covered electrodes formulations is discussed for obtaining high mechanical strength and impact toughness, of the order of 860 MPa and 50 joules at –20°C, respectively. Welded joints using the developed electrodes were prepared for evaluation of the mechanical properties, using preheat of 200°C, direct current, flat position and heat input of 1.5 kJ/mm. After welding, tensile, impact Charpy-V and hardness tests were performed in specimens removed integrally from the weld metal, both in as welded and heat treated conditions. The post weld heat treatment (PWHT) was conducted at 600°C for 1, 2 and 3 hours. The results shows that the obtained weld metals have mechanical properties higher than the minimum required for the welding of a IACS W22 R4 Grade steel, and particularly good impact properties, which indicates that the correct control of the chemical composition, particularly, of Mn-Ni balance, makes possible to achieve an adequate strength/toughness relationship for high strength steel weld metals, where the PWH is mandatory. In addition, it was verified that the increase in the time of PWHT did not promote substantial impairment on mechanical properties.

Propriedades Mecânicas e Microestruturais de Juntas Soldadas pelo Processo a Arco Submerso com Elevado Aporte Térmico

The objective of the current work is to present a study of the mechanical and microstructural properties of welded joints of carbon steel obtained from automatic submerged arc welding process with high welding energy, in order to improve productivity on the fabrication of pipes for mooring equipment. Joints of 25mm-thick ASTM A-572 Gr.50 steel were welded by a single pass of submerged arc welding process, with heat input varying from 7.8 to 14.0kJ/mm. The welded joints were evaluated through Charpy-V impact test performed at 0°C temperature, hardness test with 1 kgf load and metallographic examination, performed on samples removed from weld metal and heat affected zone (HAZ). The results showed that the welded joints presented impact toughness higher than the minimum requirements for the welding of low-alloy C-Mn steel with impact toughness requirement of 34 Joules at 0°C. A significant increase on productivity was observed, without prejudice to the mechanical properties, allowing the fabrication of pipes for oil equipment with significant reduction of production time.

Formation of Microphases and Constituents from Remaining Austenite Decomposition in API X80 Steel Under Different Processing Conditions

The main goal this work is to evaluate the occurrence of the constituents and microphases observed in as-received API X80 pipe through the microstructures transformed from rich-carbon remaining austenite obtained via heat treatments. These heat treatments comprised austenitization at 1000 °C for 30 minutes, followed by annealing at 700 °C, 623 °C, 542 °C and 462 °C for 15, 60 and 300 minutes and then cooling in water or still air. The effects of the increase in annealing parameters were: 1) the increase of microhardness values of the MA constituents and martensite islands, 2) the grain size of both ferritic phase and the martensite islands were increased, 3) the rise in the mean free path of ferrite and 4) the microstrains of samples were decreased. The cooling rates influenced significantly the transformation of carbon-rich remaining austenite to hard constituents and several microphases. After annealing at 700 °C during 60 min followed by quenching, the morphology of the MA constituents and its microhardness values were compatible for both heat-treated and as-received conditions.

Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of the Intercritically Reheated Coarse Grained Heat Affected Zone (ICCGHAZ) of an API 5L X80 Pipeline Steel

The weld thermal cycle, depending on the welding process and steel composition can reduce the toughness of the HAZ when compared with the base metal. In the intercritically reheated coarse grained HAZ (ICCGHAZ) region, microstructural transformations from coarse austenite to bainite or martensite are liable to occur. Reheating into the dual phase field temperature and subsequent cooling can lead to the formation of “microphases” commonly referred to Martensite-Austenite (MA) constituent. Due to the C enrichment of the austenite, this region is regarded as local brittle zones (LBZ) and degradation of HAZ toughness can be attributed to the formation of local brittle zones (LBZ) at the ICCGHAZ. This work will discuss the characteristics of the ICCGHAZ of two API5LX80 steels produced by thermomechanical controlled process (TMCP) without accelerated cooling using a finishing rolling temperature in the dual phase field, where the main hardening mechanisms are grain refining and precipitation. Weld thermal cycle simulation, using a Gleeble 3800®, characterised by the peak temperature (Tp) of 800oC and the cooling time from 800 to 500oC (∆t800–500) were applied in order to obtain an ICCGHAZ equivalent to a 2.5, 3 and 4kJ/mm heat input. Charpy-V tests and metallographic analysis using optical and electron microscopy were carried out to evaluate the simulated zone. The results have shown that the ICCGHAZ presented a necklace microstructure at the prior austenite grain boundaries associated with the low impact energy and the presence of the MA microconstituent.

Modeling Residual Stresses in Superduplex Stainless Steel Welded Pipes Using the Finite Element Method

Welding is a complex process where localized and intensive heat is imposed to a piece promoting mechanical and metallurgical changes. Phenomenological aspects of welding process involve couplings among different physical processes and its description is unusually complex. Basically, three couplings are essential: thermal, phase transformation and mechanical phenomena. Welding processes can generate residual stress due to the thermal gradient imposed to the workpiece in association to geometric restrictions. The presence of tensile residual stresses can be especially dangerous to mechanical components submitted to fatigue loadings. The present work regards on study the residual stress in welded superduplex stainless steel pipes using experimental and a numerical analysis. A parametric nonlinear elastoplastic model based on finite element method is used for the evaluation of residual stress in superduplex steel welding. The developed model takes into account the coupling between mechanical and thermal fields and the temperature dependency of the thermomechanical properties. Thermocouples are used to measure the temperature evolution during welding stages. Instrumented hole drilling technique is used for the evaluation of the residual stress after welding process. Experimental data is used to calibrate the numerical model. The methodology is applied to evaluate the behavior of two-pass girth welding (TIG for root pass and SMAW for finishing) in 4 inch diameter seamless tubes of superduplex stainless steel UNS32750. The result shows a good agreement between numerical experimental results. The proposed methodology can be used in complex geometries as a powerful tool to study and adjust welding parameters to minimize the residual stresses on welded mechanical components.