M Ghosh

Effect of Structural Heterogeneity on In Situ Deformation of Dissimilar Weld Between Ferritic and Austenitic Steel

AbstractnLow-alloy steel and 304LN austenitic stainless steel were welded using two types of buttering material, namely 309L stainless steel and IN 182. Weld metals were 308L stainless steel and IN 182, respectively, for two different joints. Cross-sectional microstructure of welded assemblies was investigated. Microhardness profile was determined perpendicular to fusion boundary. In situ tensile test was performed in scanning electron microscope keeping low-alloy steel-buttering material interface at the center of gage length. Adjacent to fusion boundary, low-alloy steel exhibited carbon-depleted region and coarsening of matrix grains. Between coarse grain and base material structure, low-alloy steel contained fine grain ferrite-pearlite aggregate. Adjacent to fusion boundary, buttering material consisted of Type-I and Type-II boundaries. Within buttering material close to fusion boundary, thin cluster of martensite was formed. Fusion boundary between buttering material-weld metal and weld metal-304LN stainless steel revealed unmixed zone. All joints failed within buttering material during in situ tensile testing. The fracture location was different for various joints with respect to fusion boundary, depending on variation in local microstructure. Highest bond strength with adequate ductility was obtained for the joint produced with 309L stainless steel-buttering material. High strength of this weld might be attributed to better extent of solid solution strengthening by alloying elements, diffused from low-alloy steel to buttering material.

Effect of Stress Relief Annealing on Microstructure & Mechanical Properties of Welded Joints Between Low Alloy Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel

Two types of welded joints were prepared using low alloy carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel as base materials. In one variety, buttering material and weld metal were Inconel 82. In another type, buttering material and weld metal were Inconel 182. In case of Inconel 82, method of welding was GTAW. For Inconel 182, welding was done by SMAW technique. For one set of each joints after buttering, stress relief annealing was done at ~923xa0K (650xa0°C) for 90xa0minutes before further joining with weld metal. Microstructural investigation and sub-size in situ tensile testing in scanning electron microscope were carried out for buttered–welded and buttered–stress relieved–welded specimens. Adjacent to fusion boundary, heat-affected zone of low alloy steel consisted of ferrite–pearlite phase combination. Immediately after fusion boundary in low alloy steel side, there was increase in matrix grain size. Same trend was observed in the region of austenitic stainless steel that was close to fusion boundary between weld metal-stainless steel. Close to interface between low alloy steel-buttering material, the region contained martensite, Type-I boundary and Type-II boundary. Peak hardness was obtained close to fusion boundary between low alloy steel and buttering material. In this respect, a minimum hardness was observed within buttering material. The peak hardness was shifted toward buttering material after stress relief annealing. During tensile testing no deformation occurred within low alloy steel and failure was completely through buttering material. Crack initiated near fusion boundary between low alloy steel-buttering material for welded specimens and the same shifted away from fusion boundary for stress relieved annealed specimens. This observation was at par with the characteristics of microhardness profile. In as welded condition, joints fabricated with Inconel 82 exhibited superior bond strength than the weld produced with Inconel 182. Stress relief annealing reduced the strength of transition joints and the reduction was maximum for specimen welded with Inconel 82.

Three-Dimensional Thermomechanical Simulation and Experimental Validation on Failure of Dissimilar Material Welds

Dissimilar material weld joints, consisting of low-alloy steel and 304LN austenitic stainless steel (SS), have critical application in boiling water reactors in the nuclear industry. It was predicted that phase transformation adjacent to the fusion boundary and stress distribution across the transition joint play a key role in the structural degeneration of these welds. Quantitatively, to evaluate their contribution, two different joints were considered. One was fabricated with buttering material 309L SS (M/S Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Hyderabad, India), and the other was produced with buttering material IN182 (M/S Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Hyderabad, India). Base materials remained the same for both. Thermomechanical simulation on dissimilar material welds was performed using finite-element modeling to predict the thermal effect and stress prone area. Temperature-dependent thermal and structural properties were considered for simulation. Simulation results were compared with microstructural characteristics, and data were obtained from the in-situ tensile test. Simulation results exhibited that stress was at maximum in the buttering material and made the zone weaker with respect to adjacent areas. During the validation of results, it was observed that failure occurred through buttering material and endorsed the inference. The variation in mechanical properties of the two welds was explained considering the effect of thermal state and stress distribution.

High-Temperature Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior in HAYNES 282: Influence of Initial Microstructure

We present the low-cycle fatigue behavior of a new nickel-based superalloy in the temperature range of 650xa0°C to 760xa0°C. Two initial microstructures having different precipitate distribution has been chosen for this. Low-cycle fatigue behavior of these two microstructures has been characterized using mechanical parameters. These parameters include cyclic anisotropy, plastic strain accumulation and back stress evolution. The deformation response has been substantiated by detailed electron microscopy studies. A deformation mechanism map illustrating defect activity at various testing conditions has been constructed based on the microscopy results.

Experimental and Computational Investigation of Structural Integrity of Dissimilar Metal Weld Between Ferritic and Austenitic Steel

The structural integrity of dissimilar metal welded (DMW) joint consisting of low-alloy steel and 304LN austenitic stainless steel was examined by evaluating mechanical properties and metallurgical characteristics. INCONEL 82 and 182 were used as buttering and filler materials, respectively. Experimental findings were substantiated through thermomechanical simulation of the weld. During simulation, the effect of thermal state and stress distribution was pondered based on the real-time nuclear power plant environment. The simulation results were co-related with mechanical and microstructural characteristics. Material properties were varied significantly at different fusion boundaries across the weld line and associated with complex microstructure. During in-situ deformation testing in a scanning electron microscope, failure occurred through the buttering material. This indicated that microstructure and material properties synergistically contributed to altering the strength of DMW joints. Simulation results also depicted that the stress was maximum within the buttering material and made its weakest zone across the welded joint during service exposure. Various factors for the failure of dissimilar metal weld were analyzed. It was found that the use of IN 82 alloy as the buttering material provided a significant improvement in the joint strength and became a promising material for the fabrication of DMW joint.