Yong-Jun Oh

Microstructure and fatigue resistance of high strength dual phase steel welded with gas metal arc welding and plasma arc welding processes

This study presents the microstructure and high cycle fatigue performance of lap shear joints of dual phase steel (DP590) welded using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and plasma arc welding (PAW) processes. High cycle fatigue tests were conducted on single and double lap joints under a load ratio of 0.1 and a frequency of 20 Hz. In order to establish a basis for comparison, both weldments were fabricated to have the same weld depth in the plate thickness. The PAW specimens exhibited a higher fatigue life, a gentle S-N slope, and a higher fatigue limit than the GMAW specimens. The improvement in the fatigue life of the PAW specimens was primarily attributed to the geometry effect that exhibited lower and wider beads resulting in a lower stress concentration at the weld toe where cracks initiate and propagate. Furthermore, the microstructural constituents in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the PAW specimens contributed to the improvement. The higher volume fraction of acicular ferrite in the HAZ beneath the weld toe enhanced the PAW specimen’s resistance to fatigue crack growth. The double lap joints displayed a higher fatigue life than the single lap joints without changing the S-N slope.

The effect of non-metallic inclusions on the fracture toughness master curve in high copper reactor pressure vessel welds

Abstract The fracture toughness of two high copper reactor pressure vessel welds having low upper shelf energy was evaluated in accordance with the master curve method of ASTM E1921. The resultant data were correlated to the metallurgical factors involved in the brittle fracture initiation to provide a metallurgical-based understanding of the master curve. The tests were performed using pre-cracked Charpy V-notched specimens and the master curve was made with an average of T 0 values determined at different temperatures. In all specimens, the cleavage fracture initiated at non-metallic inclusion ranging from 0.7 to 3.5 μm in diameter showing a scatter with the specimens and testing temperatures. Temperature dependency of the triggering particle size was not found. The fracture toughness ( K J C ) was inversely proportional to the square root of the triggering inclusion diameter ( d i ) at respective temperatures. From this relationship, we determined median K J C values which correspond to the average value of triggering inclusion diameter of all tested specimens and defined them as a modified median K J C ( K ′ J C (med) ). The obtained K ′ J C (med) values showed quite smaller deviation from the master curve at different temperatures than the experimental median K J C values. This suggests that the master curve is on the premise of a constant dimension of key microstructural factor in a material regardless of the testing temperature. But the inclusion size at trigger point played an important role in the absolute position of the master curve with temperature and the consequent T 0 value.

Interpretation of high-temperature tensile properties by thermodynamically calculated equilibrium phase diagrams of heat-resistant austenitic cast steels

High-temperature tensile properties of three heat-resistant austenitic cast steels fabricated by varying W, Mo, and Al contents were interpreted by thermodynamically calculated equilibrium phase diagrams of austenite, ferrite, and carbides as well as microstructural analyses. A two-step calculation method was adopted to cast steel microstructures below the liquid dissolution temperature because the casting route was not an equilibrium state. Thermodynamically calculated fractions of equilibrium phases were well matched with experimentally measured fractions. Ferrites existed at room and high temperatures in both equilibrium phase diagrams and actual microstructures, which has not been reported in previous researches on austenitic cast steels. In the W2Mo1Al1 steel, 38% and 12% of ferrite existed in the equilibrium phase diagram and actual microstructure, respectively, and led to the void initiation and coalescence at ferrites and consequently to the serious deterioration of high-temperature strengths. The present equilibrium phase diagrams, besides detailed microstructural analyses, effectively evaluated the high-temperature performance by estimating high-temperature equilibrium phases, and provided an important idea on whether ferrite were formed or not in the heat-resistant austenitic cast steels.

Replacement of Ni by Mn in High-Ni-Containing Austenitic Cast Steels used for Turbo-Charger Application

High-temperature tensile properties of austenitic cast steels fabricated by replacing Ni by Mn in a 20 wt pct Ni-containing steel were investigated. In a steel where 8 wt pct Ni was replaced by 9.2 wt pct of Mn, 17.4 and 9.8 pct of ferrite existed in equilibrium phase diagrams and actual microstructures, respectively, because a role of Mn as an austenite stabilizer decreased, and led to deterioration of high-temperature properties. When 2 to 6 wt pct Ni was replaced by 2.3 to 6.9 wt pct Mn, high-temperature properties were comparable to those of the 20 wt pct Ni-containing steel because ferrites were absent, which indicated the successful replacement of 6 wt pct Ni by Mn, with cost reduction of 27 pct.