Mechanical testing

Job knowledge72:
Notched bar or impact testing. Part II
The previous article looked at the method of Charpy-V impact testing and the
results that can be determined from carrying out a test. This next part looks at
the impact testing of welds and some of the factors that affect the transition
temperature such as composition and microstructure. Within such a short article,
however, it will only be possible to talk in the most general of terms.
Welding can have a profound effect on the properties of the parent metal and
there may be many options on process selection, welding parameters and
consumable choice that will affect impact strength.
Many application standards therefore require impact testing to be carried out on
the parent metal, the weld metal and in the heat affected zone as illustrated in
Fig.1 which is taken from BS PD 5500 Annex D. The standards generally specify a
minimum impact energy to be achieved at the minimum design temperature and
to identify from where the specimens are to be taken. This is done in order to
quantify the impact energy of the different microstructures in the weld metal and
the HAZs to ensure that, as far as possible, the equipment will be operating at
upper shelf temperatures where brittle fracture is not a risk.

Fig.1. PD5500 App D. location of Charpy specimens
in weld HAZ


These application standards may be supplemented by client specifications that
impose additional and more stringent testing requirements, as shown in Fig.2
taken from an oil industry specification for offshore structures.



Fig.2. Offshore client requirements
The positioning of the specimens within a weld is extremely important both in
terms of the specimen location and the notch orientation. A specimen positioned
across the width of a multi-pass arc weld will probably include more than one
weld pass and its associated HAZs. Quite a small movement in the position of the
notch can therefore have a significant effect on the impact values recorded during
a test. Positioning a notch precisely down the centre line of a single pass of a
submerged arc weld can give extremely low impact values!
Testing the heat affected zone also has problems of notch position since in a
carbon or low alloy steel there will be a range of microstructures from the fusion
line to the unaffected parent metal. Many welds also use a 'V' preparation as
illustrated above and this, coupled with the narrow HAZ, means that a single
notch may sample all of these structures. If the impact properties of specific areas
in the HAZ need to be determined then a 'K' or single bevel preparation may be
used.
The standard specimen is 10mm x 10mm square - when a weld joint is thicker
than 10mm the machining of a standard size specimen is possible. When the
thickness is less than this and impact testing is required it becomes necessary to
use sub-size specimens.
Many specifications permit the use of 10mm x 7.5mm, 5mm and 2.5mm thickness
(notch length) specimens. There is not a simple relationship between a 10mm x
10mm specimen and the sub-size specimens - a 10mm x 5mm specimen does not
have half the notch toughness of the full size test piece. As the thickness
decreases the transition temperature also decreases, as does the upper shelf
value, illustrated in Fig.3 and this is recognised in the application standards.



Fig.3. Effect of size on
transition temperature and
upper shelf values
In a carbon or low alloy steel the lowest impact values are generally to be found
close to the fusion line where grain growth has taken place.
Coarse grains generally have low notch toughness, one reason why heat input
needs to be controlled to low levels if high notch toughness is required.
For example, EN ISO 15614 Pt. 1 requires Charpy-V specimens to be taken from
the high heat input area of a procedure qualification test piece and places limits
on any increase in heat input. Certain steels may also have an area some distance
from the fusion line that may be embrittled so some specifications require impact
tests at a distance of 5mm from the fusion line.
Charpy-V tests carried out on rolled products show that there is a difference in
impact values if the specimens are taken parallel or transverse to the rolling
direction. Specimens taken parallel to the rolling direction test the metal across
the 'grain' of the steel and have higher notch toughness than the transverse
specimens - one reason why pressure vessel plates are rolled into cylinders with
the rolling direction oriented in the hoop direction.
In a carbon or low alloy steel the element that causes the largest change in notch
toughness is carbon with the transition temperature being raised by around 14C
for every 0.1% increase in carbon content.
An example of how this can affect properties is the root pass of a single sided
weld. This often has lower notch toughness than the bulk of the weld as it has a
larger amount of parent metal melted into it - most parent metals have higher
carbon content than the filler metal and the root pass therefore has a higher
carbon content than the bulk of the weld.
Sulphur and phosphorus are two other elements that both reduce notch
toughness, one reason why steel producers have been working hard to reduce
these elements to as low a level as possible. It is not uncommon for a good
quality modern steel to have a sulphur content less than 0.005%.
Of the beneficial elements, manganese and nickel are possibly the two most
significant, the nickel alloy steels forming a family of cryogenic steels with the 9%
nickel steel being capable of use at temperatures down to -196C. Aluminium is
also beneficial at around 0.02% where it has the optimum effect in providing a
fine grain size.
Lastly, let us have a brief look at some of the other factors that can affect the
impact values. These are concerned with the quality of the specimen and how the
test is conducted.


It goes without saying that the specimens must be accurately machined, the
shape of the tip of the notch being the most important feature. A blunted milling
cutter or broach will give a rounded notch tip and this in turn will give a false,
high impact value. Checking the tip radius on a shadowgraph is one simple way of
ensuring the correct tip shape. Correct positioning of the specimen on the anvil is
most important and this can be done using a specially designed former.
The last point concerns the testing of specimens at temperatures other than at
room temperature. When testing at sub-zero temperatures the length of time
taken to remove the specimen from the cooling bath, position it on the anvil and
test it is most important. EN875 requires this to be done within five seconds
otherwise the test piece temperature will rise making the test invalid - referring
back to the impact energy vs temperature curve in the previous article will show
why.
Relevant Specifications
BS 131 Part 4 Calibration of Impact Testing Machines for metals.
BS 131 Part 5 Determination of Crystallinity
BS 131 Part 6 Method for Precision Determination of Charpy-V Impact Energy
BS 131 Part 7 Specification for Verification of Precision Test Machines
EN 875 Destructive Tests on Welds in Metallic Materials - Impact Tests
EN
10045
Part 1 Test Method
EN
10045
Part 2 Verification of Impact Testing Machines
ASTM E23-O2A Standard Test Methods for Notched Bar Impact Testing of Metallic
Materials.














This article was written by Gene Mathers.
Copyright 2004 TWI Ltd
Information and advice from TWI and its partners are provided in good faith and based, where appropriate,
on the best engineering knowledge available at the time and incorporated into TWI's website in
accordance with TWI's ISO 9001:2000 accredited status. No warranty expressed or implied is given
regarding the results or effects of applying information or advice obtained from the website, nor is any
responsibility accepted for any consequential loss or damage.