Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints

Dou, Zhiyang; Lyu, Yatong; Li, Hangwei; Wang, Ziheng; Pan, Leyi; Yang, Chao; Li, Junwan; Zuo, Pengpeng; Jin, Senlin

doi:10.3390/met16091035

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Open AccessArticle

Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints

by

Zhiyang Dou

¹,

Yatong Lyu

¹,

Hangwei Li

¹,

Ziheng Wang

¹,

Leyi Pan

¹,

Chao Yang

¹,

Junwan Li

²

,

Pengpeng Zuo

^1,*,†

and

Senlin Jin

^3,*,†

¹

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China

²

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China

³

Technology Innovation Center of Graphene Metrology and Standardization for State Market Regulation, National Institute of Metrology (NIM), Beijing 100029, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Metals 2026, 16(9), 1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16091035 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 19 August 2026 / Revised: 8 September 2026 / Accepted: 15 September 2026 / Published: 17 September 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure and Mechanical Property Improvement of Welded Metal Joints (2nd Edition))

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Abstract

4Cr13 martensitic stainless steel is widely used for plastic molds, but welding repair can produce heterogeneous weld/HAZ microstructures and a strength–toughness trade-off. This study evaluates how filler-wire composition and post-weld heat treatment affect the mechanical performance of repaired 4Cr13 steel. TIG welding was performed using high-molybdenum (HM), low-carbon (LC), and base-metal (BM) wires, followed by either post-weld tempering or quenching and tempering. Post-weld quenching and tempering reduced the hardness gradient and improved the overall hardness uniformity. The average weld-metal hardness followed HM > BM > LC, while the BM joint showed the smallest hardness variation because its nominal composition matched that of the base metal. After quenching and tempering, the tensile strengths of the HM, LC, and BM joints reached 1299.5, 1315.6, and 1300.0 MPa, respectively, compared with 1290.8 MPa for the similarly treated base metal. The corresponding impact energies were 58.9, 116.3, and 36.8 J, with LC showing the highest toughness. Fracture observations were consistent with these mechanical-property differences. The results demonstrate that filler-wire composition and post-weld heat-treatment route should be selected jointly according to the required balance of hardness uniformity, strength, ductility, and impact toughness, providing an experimental basis for repair-welding process selection for 4Cr13 steel.

Keywords: 4Cr13 steel; filler wire composition; welded joints; post-weld heat treatment; mechanical properties

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MDPI and ACS Style

Dou, Z.; Lyu, Y.; Li, H.; Wang, Z.; Pan, L.; Yang, C.; Li, J.; Zuo, P.; Jin, S. Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints. Metals 2026, 16, 1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16091035

AMA Style

Dou Z, Lyu Y, Li H, Wang Z, Pan L, Yang C, Li J, Zuo P, Jin S. Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints. Metals. 2026; 16(9):1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16091035

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dou, Zhiyang, Yatong Lyu, Hangwei Li, Ziheng Wang, Leyi Pan, Chao Yang, Junwan Li, Pengpeng Zuo, and Senlin Jin. 2026. "Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints" Metals 16, no. 9: 1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16091035

APA Style

Dou, Z., Lyu, Y., Li, H., Wang, Z., Pan, L., Yang, C., Li, J., Zuo, P., & Jin, S. (2026). Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints. Metals, 16(9), 1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16091035

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Effects of Filler Wire Composition and Post-Weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 4Cr13 Steel Welded Joints

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