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Study on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Welding Alloys and Steels

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Materials Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2024) | Viewed by 6736

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bernd Wolter

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Guest Editor

Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Interests: process monitoring and control; nondestructive evaluation (NDE); steels; material characterization; artificial intelligence

Dr. Benjamin Strass

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing IZFP, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Interests: non-destructive testing (NDT); process monitoring; joining; welding; microstructure; mechanical properties

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Welding alloys and steels are widely used in a variety of industries and applications. The microstructure and mechanical properties of these materials are affected by the properties of the base material and the welding process itself. During welding, a material’s microstructure can be changed, which can have implications for the mechanical properties of the welded joint. For example, high-carbon steels are more prone to forming martensite, which can lead to reduced toughness. Nickel-based alloys are often used in high-temperature applications. However, they can be difficult to weld due to their high melting points and tendency to form brittle microstructures if not welded properly. These examples show that understanding the microstructure and mechanical properties of welding alloys and steels is crucial in producing high-quality welds. Overall, this is a broad and diverse field with many important research topics, such as welding process optimization, materials selection, material characterization, mechanical testing, weld defect analysis, as well as corrosion and wear resistance. Contributions to this Special Issue should address new findings in these research topics. The editors would especially appreciate papers that reference the application of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and of artificial intelligence (AI) in welding.

Dr. Bernd Wolter
Dr. Benjamin Strass
Guest Editors

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Keywords

alloys (welding)
artificial intelligence
steels
microstructure
mechanical properties

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 11104 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

FEM-Based Conductive Heat Transfer Analytical Description of Solidification Rate and Temperature Gradient during Lateral Laser Beam Oscillation Welding of Aluminum Alloy

by Jason Cheon, Cheolhee Kim, Sanghoon Kang and Minjung Kang

Materials 2024, 17(13), 3248; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133248 - 2 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1425

Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing the finite element method (FEM)-based conductive heat transfer (CHT) analysis simulation to determine temperature gradients and solidification rates at the solid–liquid interface during laser beam oscillation welding. By comparing experimental observations with FEM-based CHT analysis, the underlying microstructural evolution and grain formation during welding were examined. FEM-based CHT enables the calculation of temperature gradients (G) and solidification rates (R), offering insights into the formation of equiaxed structures, which are crucial for suppressing hot cracking. Columnar-to-equiaxed structure transition thresholds, such as G/R and G³/R, accurately predict the emergence of fully equiaxed grain structures, validated by electron backscatter diffraction. This research provides valuable insights into temperature gradients and solidification rates in oscillation welding, guiding process design for achieving refined equiaxed structures and minimizing hot cracks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Welding Alloys and Steels)

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17 pages, 12044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Tribological Properties of DIN 16MnCr5 Steel after Duplex Gas-Nitriding and Pack Boriding

by Rafael Carrera Espinoza, Melvyn Alvarez Vera, Marc Wettlaufer, Manuel Kerl, Stefan Barth, Pablo Moreno Garibaldi, Juan Carlos Díaz Guillen, Héctor Manuel Hernández García, Rita Muñoz Arroyo and Javier A. Ortega

Materials 2024, 17(13), 3057; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133057 - 21 Jun 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1321

Abstract

DIN 16MnCr5 is commonly used in mechanical engineering contact applications such as gears, joint parts, shafts, gear wheels, camshafts, bolts, pins, and cardan joints, among others. This study examined the microstructural and mechanical properties and tribological behavior of different surface treatments applied to DIN 16MnCr5 steel. The samples were hardened at 870 °C for 15 min and then quenched in water. The surface conditions evaluated were as follows: quenched and tempered DIN 16MnCr5 steel samples without surface treatments (control group), quenched and tempered DIN 16MnCr5 steel samples with gas-nitriding at 560 °C for 6 h, quenched and tempered DIN 16MnCr5 steel samples with pack boriding at 950 °C for 4 h, and quenched and tempered DIN 16MnCr5 steel samples with duplex gas-nitriding and pack boriding. Microstructure characterization was carried out using metallographic techniques, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties were assessed through microhardness and elastic modulus tests using nanoindentation. The tribological behavior was evaluated using pin-on-disc tests following the ASTM G99-17 standard procedure under dry sliding conditions. The results indicated that the surface treated with duplex gas-nitriding and pack boriding exhibited the highest wear resistance and a reduced coefficient of friction due to improved mechanical properties, leading to increased hardness and elastic modulus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Welding Alloys and Steels)

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13 pages, 5300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Mg Addition on Inclusions in the Welding Heat-Affected Zone of Pressure Vessel Steels

by Yan Liu, Wenguang Zhang, Kai Wang and Anna Du

Materials 2023, 16(23), 7369; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16237369 - 27 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1092

Abstract

With the development of the pressure vessel industry, high-energy wire welding has a great future. However, this means higher demands on the weldability of pressure vessel steels. Controlling inclusions via oxidative metallurgy is a reliable method of improving the weldability of pressure vessel steels. Hence, in this paper, experimental steels with different Mg element mass fractions were prepared using vacuum metallurgy. Simulated welding for high-heat input welding was carried out using the Gleeble-2000 welding thermal simulation test machine. The inclusions in the welding heat-affected zone (HAZ) in the experimental steels were observed using an optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The compositions of the inclusions were analyzed using an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The research results indicated that the addition of Mg could increase the number density of the inclusions in the welding HAZ. With the addition of Mg from 0 to 5 wt.%, the total number density of the inclusions increased from 133 to 687 pieces/mm^2, and the number density of the inclusions with a size of 0–5 μm² increased from 122 to 579 pieces/mm². The inclusions in the experimental steel welding HAZ with Mg elements were mainly elliptical composite inclusions composed of (Mg-Zr-O) + MnS. Moreover, MnS precipitated on the surface of the Mg-containing inclusions in the welding HAZ. Intragranular acicular ferrite (IAF) nucleation was primarily induced via the minimum lattice mismatch mechanism, supplemented with stress-strain energy and inert interface energy mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Welding Alloys and Steels)

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24 pages, 21637 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure, Texture, and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Spot-Welded AA5052-H32: Influence of Tool Rotation Rate

by Mohamed M. Z. Ahmed, Mohamed M. El-Sayed Seleman, Ibrahim Albaijan and Ali Abd El-Aty

Materials 2023, 16(9), 3423; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16093423 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2112

Abstract

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) of similar AA5052-H32 joints has numerous benefits in shipbuilding, aerospace, and automotive structural applications. In addition, studying the role of tool rotation speed on the microstructure features, achieved textures, and joint performance of the friction stir spot-welded (FSSWed) joint still needs more systematic research. Different FSSWed AA5052-H32 lap joints of 4 mm thickness were produced at different heat inputs using three tool rotation speeds of 1500, 1000, and 500 rpm at a constant dwell time of 2 s. The applied thermal heat inputs for achieving the FSSW processes were calculated. The produced joints were characterized by their appearance, macrostructures, microstructures, and mechanical properties (hardness contour maps and maximum tensile–shear load) at room temperature. The grain structure and texture developed for all the FSSWed joints were deeply investigated using an advanced electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) technique and compared with the base material (BM). The main results showed that the average hardness value of the stir zone (SZ) in the welded joints is higher than that in the AA5052-H32 BM for all applied rotation speeds, and it decreases as the rotation speed increases from 500 to 1000 rpm. This SZ enhancement in hardness compared to the BM cold-rolled grain structure is caused by the high grain refining due to the dynamic recrystallization associated with the FSSW. The average grain size values of the stir zones are 11, 9, and 4 µm for the FSSWed joints processed at 1500, 1000, and 500 rpm, respectively, while the BM average grain size is 40 µm. The simple shear texture with B/-B components mainly dominates the texture. Compared to the welded joints, the joint processed at 500 rpm and a 2 s duration time attains the highest tensile-shear load value of 4330 N. This value decreases with increasing rotation speed to reach 2569 N at a rotation speed of 1500. After tensile testing of the FSSWed joints, the fracture surface was also examined and discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Welding Alloys and Steels)

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