Temper Bead Welding

What Is It?

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

Definition

Temper Bead Welding. A weld bead

placed at a specific location in or at the
surface of a weld for the purpose of
affecting the metallurgical properties of
the heat-affected-zone or previously
deposited weld metal. (partial)

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Weld Metal and HAZ
Weld Metal

HAZ HAZ

Temper Bead
Fe-C Equilibrium Phase Diagram
Temperature
2750°F Liquid

Austenite (FCC)

Upper Transformation (A3)

1650°F

Magnetic Transformation (A2)

1350°F

Lower Transformation (A1)

Alpha Iron
(BCC) Ferrite + Carbide
% Carbon
Temper Bead
0.8%
Body-Centered Cubic

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

Face-Centered Cubic

Temper Bead
Body-Centered Cubic

Temper Bead
Face-Centered Cubic

Temper Bead
Temper Bead
Temper Bead
Fe-C Equilibrium Phase Diagram

2750°F
Liquid
Austenite
Temperature

(FCC) Solid
Upper Transformation (A3)
1650°F

Magnetic Transformation (A2)

1350°F

Lower Transformation (A1)

Alpha Iron
(BCC) Ferrite + Carbide
% Carbon
Temper Bead
0.3% 0.8
Nonequilibrium Cooling

Ac3
Furnace Cool

Oil Quench
Air Cool

Water
Quench

Temper Bead
Time
Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004
T-T-T Diagram
Austenite
AR1

Pearlite
Temperature

Austenite Bainite

Martensite Start
Martensite Finish
Time (s)
0 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Temper Bead
Quench and Temper

A3
A1
Martensite
Temperature

Rapid Cool

Time
Zones subject to hardening

Liquid
Austenite
(FCC)
Upper Transformation (A3)
Bead on plate
1350°F
Lower Transformation (A1)

Alpha Iron Ferrite + Carbide

(BCC)
Temper Bead %C
Other Zones in HAZ
1900°F Liquid

Austenite

Upper Transformation (A3)

1350°F
Lower Transformation (A1)

Subcritical Tempering/Stress-relief
Alpha Iron
Ferrite + Carbide
%C
Temper Bead 0.8%
Weld Zones (simple version)

Liquid (Cast)

Coarse Grain
Fine Grain
Intercritical
Subcritical
Tempered (PWHT)

Temper Bead
The whole bead on plate

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

Second Pass --overlapped HAZ

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

Two layers. . . . . .

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

The real thing. . . . .

Temper Bead
What is temper bead welding?

Temper Bead
What is temper bead welding?

Temper Bead
Note the depth of the
HAZ of the first pass
Where is temper bead welding used?
It was first used thousands of years ago as the
half-bead technique:
Deposit a layer of weld metal
Grind half of it off
Deposit a layer of weld metal
Grind half of it off
Deposit a layer of weld metal. . .
Until you are done. . . Or until you have
several layers of weld metal. . . then just weld
using small beads to ensure plenty of
interbead tempering
Where is temper bead welding used?
Half-bead? How do you know how much of
the weld was ground off???
Among other things, EPRI did some work in
the 1990s and found that grinding could be
eliminated by controlling heat input ratios
in successive layers.
The ratio of heat input in one layer of weld to
that of the previous layer is increased by about
50%, that optimizes the overlapping resulting in
overlapping the
Heat Input Ratio
Where is temper bead welding used?
Very prescriptive half-bead
technique was permitted in ASME
Sections III and VIII for small and
shallow in-process repairs of
components that were already heat
treated.
In 2000, ASME Section IX issued
rules for qualification of temper bead
WPSs based on the EPRI work to
replace those rules with user-
developed procedures.
QW-290 Temper Bead Welding
Used to make welds where PWHT would
normally be required. Usually for repairs,
but may be permitted for some new
construction in the future. Fully
incorporated into NBIC
Applies when permitted by construction
code
Builds on existing qualifications
Requires special control of volts, amps and
travel speed for each layer of weld metal
Basic Qualification

All WPSs shall be qualified for groove

welding in accordance with the rules
for qualification by groove welding in
QW-202 or the rules in QW-283 for
welds with buttering and QW-214 or -
216 for overlay.

Temper Bead
Upgrading Previous Qualifications

•One can upgrade an existing WPS by

welding and testing a new test coupon big
enough to do the required testing
•WPSs already qualified for temper bead
welding can be modified for use with different
temper bead variables by welding and testing
a test coupon big enough to do the required
testing.

Temper Bead
Welding Process Restrictions

Temper bead welding is limited to SMAW, GTAW,

SAW, GMAW (including FCAW) and PAW.
Manual and semi-automatic GTAW and PAW are
prohibited.
Rationale: To effectively use temper bead welding,
heat input and bead size must be controlled. In
manual GTAW and PAW, the bead size is
uncontrolled.

Temper Bead
Welding Process Restrictions

TWO EXCEPTIONS:
Manual GTAW and PAW may be used for:
• The root pass of groove welds made from one
side
• as described in paragraph QW-290.6 for making
(in-process) repairs to temper bead welds.

Temper Bead
Default Qualification Basis
Unless the construction code specifies
that impact testing is the basis for
acceptance, the qualification variables
are those listed for hardness testing. In
case of conflict with QW-250 variables,
these variables apply.
Nonessential variables always apply.

Temper Bead
Impact Tests

When specified by the applicable Section or

Design Specification, the test coupon shall
be Charpy V-notch impact tested and the
supplemental variables of QW-250
applicable to the process being qualified
shall apply.

Temper Bead
Hardness Variable QW-403.26

•An increase in the Carbon Equivalent

•IIW formula
• CE = C + Mn/6 + (Cr + Mo + V)/5 + (Ni + Cu)/15
•P-number qualified still applies

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

QW-409.29

A change in the ratios of heat input

beyond the following (See Figure QW-
462.12.):

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

Temper Bead in Groove

Temper Bead
Heat Input Ratio

An increase or decrease in the ratio of heat

input between the first tempering bead layer
and the weld beads deposited against the
base metal of more than 20% for P-1 and P-3
metals and 10% for all other P-number
metals

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Heat Input Ratio

An increase or decrease in the ratio of heat

input between the second tempering bead
layer and the first tempering bead layer of
more than 20% for P-1 and P-3 metals and
10% for all other P-number metals.

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Heat Input Ratio

the ratio of heat input between subsequent

layers shall be maintained until a minimum
of 3/16 inches of weld metal has been
deposited over the base metal

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004

Heat Input Formula
Standard Heat input measurements:

• Volts X Amps X 60 / Travel Speed or Instantaneous

Power/unit length of weld bead
• Deposit Length / Unit Length of Electrode
• Volume of weld metal = size (width X thickness) of
the weld bead

For machine or automatic GTAW or PAW, the power ratio

is measured as:

Power ratio = (Amperage X Voltage)

[(WFS/TS) X Af]
Temper Bead
Surface Temper Beads

QW-410.58
The deletion of surface temper beads or a
change from surface temper beads that
cover the weld surface to beads that are
only deposited along the toes of the weld.

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Temper Bead In Butt Weld
“Surface Temper
Beads”

Note 3: This is the distance from the edge of the

surface temper beads to the toe of the weld.

Temper Bead
Temper Bead on Plate
This layer doubles as a “Surface Temper Weld Reinforcement”

Temper Bead
© Sperko Engineering 2014
 Temper Bead applied to a
Fillet weld

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Surface Temper Bead Offset
Surface Temper Weld Bead
Offset Distance “S”

Note 3: This is the distance from the edge of the

surface temper beads to the toe of the weld.

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

QW-410.61

The distance S from the edge of the surface temper

weld reinforcing bead to the toe of the weld shall be
limited to the distance measured on the test coupon –
1/32 +1/16 inch. Alternatively, a range for S may be
established by locating surface temper beads at
various distances from the toe of the weld followed
by hardness traverses for each distance.

Temper Bead
QW-410.63 Bead Overlap

A change in visible bead overlap

beyond +15% of that qualified. (e.g., if
the qualified overlap is 50%, the
overlap range permitted is from 35 to
65%.). Bead overlap shall measured as
shown below.

Temper Bead
Visible Bead Overlap
A Direction of bead sequence
B

% Visible Overlap = (A-B)/A X 100%

Temper Bead
QW-410.62

Surface Grinding of Temper

Bead Layers
The addition or deletion of grinding such as flat topping or
half-bead removal of temper bead layers. Grinding
required to clean the surface or remove minor surface
flaws is permitted without specific qualification.

Half-bead just will not go away. . . .

Temper Bead
Temper Bead in Groove

Note 1: Weld beads shown above may be

deposited in any sequence that will result
in placement of the beads as shown

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Possible Bead Sequence 1A

Temper Bead
Possible Bead Sequence 1B

Temper Bead
Possible Bead Sequence 1C

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

Possible Bead Sequence 2

Temper Bead
Possible Bead Sequence 3

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014

In-process Repairs

In-process repairs are repairs in

which a flaw is mechanically
removed and a repair weld is made
before a joint is presented for final
visual inspection (i.e., the welder
blew it. . . . )

Temper Bead
In-process Repairs

For processes other than manual and

semi-automatic GTAW and PAW, repairs
shall be made using the parameters given
in the WPS for production temper bead
welding. Then guess what layer you are at
-- and use the parameters for the layer(s)
being fixed.

Temper Bead
In-Process Repairs

When it is necessary to make repairs

using manual or semi-automatic GTAW
or PAW, a WPS shall be prepared based
on PQRs developed for temper bead
welding using machine or automatic
GTAW or PAW respectively.
Bead size and heat input details must be
described in the WPS.
Temper Bead
Welder qualfication
Code has nothing special.
I recommend that each welder weld a
test coupon consisting of a mock-up
making beads of the size specified in the
WPS using the heat input specified in the
WPS. Only visual examination is
required.

Temper Bead
What does TB welding do?

Modifies the microstructure of the HAZ to minimize untempered

microstructures.
1)That softens hardened structures that might be present - - like
martensite.
2)Does not soften all of the microstructure – there are always local
hard spots. If “hardness” is an issue for service (e.g., H2S), TB
may not be a suitable option. Do testing.
3)For hardenable materials, the microstructure is predominately
tempered martensite which has excellent toughness.
4)Is of questionable value for low-hardenability metals
5)Residual stresses are still yield-point magnitude.
Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2014
Temper Bead Welding

Grrr . . . . Arrgh!

Temper Bead © Sperko Engineering 2004