Key Engineering Materials Submitted: 2021-10-18

ISSN: 1662-9795, Vol. 948, pp 33-39 Revised: 2022-11-28

doi:10.4028/p-h2zpq0 Accepted: 2023-01-16
© 2023 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland Online: 2023-06-06

Analysis of Voltage, Current Density, and Welding Speed of Flux Core

Arc Welding on The Hardness and Micro-Structure of High Strength Low
Alloy (ASTM A572)
MUHAMMAD Ziyad Afkari1,a, SRI Hastuty1,b*,
MUHAMMAD Akbar Barrinaya1,c, MUHAMMAD Awwaluddin2,d,
MOCHAMAD Syaiful Anwar3,e, GAGUS Ketut Sunnardianto4,f
and FAISAL Mahmuddin5,g
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220 Indonesia
1

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok

2

1642, Indonesia
3
Research Center for Metallurgy and Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN),
Puspiptek Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, 15314, Indonesia
Research Center for Physics, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Puspiptek
4

Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, 15314, Indonesia

5
Marine Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Hasanuddin University
a
ziyadafkari.333@gmail.com, bsri.hastuty@universitaspertamina.ac.id,
c
barrinaya@universitaspertamina.ac.id, dmuhammad.awwaluddin91@ui.ac.id,
e
moch026@lipi.go.id, fgagu001@brin.go.id, gf.mahmuddin@gmail.com

Keywords: High strength low alloy, flux core arc welding, hardness, microstructure

Abstract. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Flux Core Arc Welding factors on
the mechanical properties of High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA). These selected welding parameters
were the voltage, current density and welding speed which determined the heat input. The mechanical
properties were obtained by performing the hardness test. As for the microstructure changes were
observed by metallography test. In the weld metal area, the highest hardness value of 177.8 HV was
found in sample with low heat input, followed by high heat input samples of 167.03 HV. From the
results, the hardness value is inversely proportional to the heat input. Furthermore, the metallography
test gave a result that the hardness has a strong correlation with the ratio of ferrite and pearlite. The
higher the hardness, the ratio of ferrite and pearlite was smaller.

Introduction
Manufacturing is the activity of converting raw materials into goods that are ready to be used or
consumed by humans [1]. Manufacturing activities themselves have been carried out by humans since
pre-historic times until today. In manufacturing itself, there are various types of activities that are
carried out and affect each other, such as welding.
Welding is a joint activity by melting. In practice, welding uses heat more than the melting point
of the material to melt the workpiece [2]. The types of welding also vary, depending on the needs.
Welding has several advantages in the manufacturing process compared to other processes for a
structure, such as the process is easier to work with, the resulting product can have a shape that suits
the needs of the user and the process is more economical.
Metal is one of the main materials used since the industrial revolution era. Metal materials include
various types of elements and alloys that have different mechanical, physical and chemical properties.
One type of metal that is commonly used is HSLA (High-Strength Low-Alloy). High-strength low-
alloy materials are a group of metallic materials that have better mechanical properties and corrosion
resistance than steel. This material is used in several applications that require good material strength
but with a material weight that is not too large such as in the main frame structure of a gas refinery

All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans
Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (#618492347-07/06/23,14:57:40)
34 Engineering Materials, Devices and Equipments

where the building has large dimensions and there are various kinds of heavy equipment that require
a strong structure to support the load [3].
Basically, the metal that will be subjected to the hot welding process will affect the mechanical
properties of the metal. HAZ (Heat Affected Zone) is a part of the metal itself which has a different
microstructure due to an increase in temperature during welding. The increase in temperature results
in a growth in grain size which causes the parts that are exposed to heat are softer so that they
experience a decrease in hardness and strength compared to other parts that are not exposed to heat
[4]. This can happen using any type of welding, such as Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). FCAW
has several advantages compared to other arc welding methods, such as decrease costs than GTAW
(Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) and in its use the operator skill required is not as high as SMAW
(Shielded Metal Arc Welding) or oxy-fuel. There are several variables that can affect FCAW welding,
namely welding position, type and size of filler metal, type and flow rate of shielding gas, heat
treatment before and after welding, current direction, current strength, pressure, and welding speed
which will then affect the heat input [5, 6]. In addition to the advantages, the welding process also
has disadvantages. The weakness of this process is the need for special attention to the connection
between the two metals because the strength of the connection is the value of the quality of the
resulting product [2].
Based on the study of Syarul et al. [7], it was found that the welding variable affected the results
of the tests carried out. The variables are current, voltage, and speed. These three variables affect the
penetration results during the welding process. Welding speed affects the grain boundary size whereas
the speed increases, the resulting grain boundary size gets smaller. Strong currents and voltages also
affect the hardness of the HAZ where the greater the current and voltage, the greater the grain size of
the material, which will reduce the hardness value.
Then from the same study, it can be concluded that the current, voltage, and welding speed have
an influence on the heat input that occurs during the welding process. Therefore, this study aims to
determine how the effect of high strength low alloy ASTM (American Society for Testing and
Material) A572 material which is treated by welding with the flux core arc welding method and the
welding variables are varied.

Study Literature
Welding is a metal joining technique that produces a continuous metal by partially melting the
base metal and filler metal with or without additional metal. The strength of the welded joint is
influenced by several factors, namely the welding procedure, test materials, electrodes, and the type
of connection used [8, 9]. One type of welding that is quite commonly known is FCAW.
FCAW is an arc welding process in which heat for welding is produced by an arc between the
electrode wire which is continuously filled with filler and the workpiece [10]. The advantages of
FCAW welding include high quality welds, decrease costs, and the ability to weld a wide variety of
steels. While the disadvantage is that it is used only for welding ferrous metals, especially steel and
produces a slag cover that must be removed [2].
HSLA often called micro-alloyed steel is a steel that provides better mechanical properties and
resistance than other carbon steels. This steel is an alloy steel designed to have good mechanical
properties. The yield strength of this steel is about 275 MPa. The chemical composition of HSLA
varies depending on the properties required. HSLA steel is widely used in the transmission of oil and
gas pipelines, heavy vehicles, agricultural equipment, bridges, and offshore structures. The choice of
the type of HSLA depends on the properties required, such as strength, ductility, and others. The most
important factor in selecting an HSLA is an appropriate strength-to-weight ratio [3].
ASTM A572 is one of the high-strength HSLA steels that includes standards for classes 42, 50,
55, 60, and 65. This type of steel has the form of plates, piles, and bars for applications in bolted,
welded structures, and nailed to bridges and buildings [11]. This material has many good properties,
such as good corrosion resistance, high strength and ductility, and is malleable. However, the surface
of A572 has a soft texture and is very easy to rust, so it can reduce wear conditions such as abrasive
and impact-based use [12].
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 948 35

A material has properties that characterize the strength of the material in accepting loads, energy,
and forces without causing damage. One of the important material properties to know is mechanical
properties. Mechanical properties are characteristics that indicate the resistance of a material when
subjected to mechanical loads (static or dynamic). Some of the mechanical properties of materials
such as strength, ductility, and hardness.
Tests carried out to obtain mechanical properties and detect defects or other things are called
mechanical testing. Some of the tests that are commonly carried out are tensile tests, bending tests,
and hardness tests. Hardness testing is a test used to determine the hardness of a material [15]. Another
test carried out to determine the microstructure of the material is metallography [16].

Experimental Procedure
Tools and Materials. The materials used in this research were ASTM A572 HSLA and welding flux
core E71T electrode as the filler. Then the tools used for testing were hardness testing machine, and
optical microscopes.
Methodology. In this study, the variables that varied were the value of current, voltage, and welding
speed. The voltages were kept at 15, 20, and 25 volts. The current was set at 180, 200, and 220
amperes. The welding speeds for each pass were quite varied. Therefore, those values were averaged,
and the average welding speed was used in the calculation of heat input.
The specimen was prepared by making a groove by machining. Afterwards, the welding process
by FCAW was carried out layer by layer until the groove was fulfilled.

Hardness Test. The test object was first cut to the desired size and then the surface of the test object
was smoothed by sanding gradually using sandpaper. The workpiece is then placed on a hardness test
machine and tested. The indentation on the test object is observed with an optical microscope.

Metallography Test. The test object is cut to the desired size first. Then the same as the hardness
test, the surface of the test object is smoothed by sanding gradually using sandpaper with small to
large grades. Furthermore, the test object is polished with a HNO3 solution which can then be directly
observed using an optical microscope.

Experimental Results
Specimen Heat Input Analysis. Differences in welding variables affect the welding time required
for each specimen. In addition, the gap size also caused a longer time for welding, because a larger
gap requires a slower welding speed. To remove the effect of these various welding speeds in heat
input calculation, the welding speeds were averaged.
Hardness Test Result Analysis. Tests were carried out on three areas of the weld specimen, namely
the base metal, heat affected zone, and weld metal. From the Fig.1, the hardness value of each
specimen was obtained. For sample A which has an average hardness value of 177.8 HV, and then
sample B which has an average hardness value is lower than sample A, which is 171.57 HV. Sample
C has the lowest average hardness value of 167.03 HV. It seemed that FCAW has caused the change
in hardness properties of HSLA by comparing the hardness of base metal (140 HV) and weld metal.
Sample A has the highest average hardness value and sample C has the lowest average hardness
value. This is because sample A has a low heat input value, causing the hardness value to increase.
Vice versa with sample C, which was given a high heat input, causing the hardness value to be
lowered. In accordance with the theory where the greater the heat input, the lower the hardness value
and vice versa. This is because the large heat input results in the formation of a lot of acicular ferrites
which can reduce the hardness value of a material [18].
36 Engineering Materials, Devices and Equipments

Table 1. Heat input calculation

Welding Average
Current Voltage Average Welding Heat Input
Specimen Layer Speed Heat Input
(A) (V) Speed (mm/min) (kJ/mm)
(mm/min) (kJ/mm)

1 142.18 1.14
2 133.33 1.22
A 180 15 136.67 1.19
3 125.52 1.29
4 145.63 1.11
1 148.51 1.62
2 140.19 1.71
B 200 20 143.09 1.68
3 132.16 1.82
4 151.52 1.58
1 166.67 1.98
2 155.44 2.12
C 220 25 159.07 2.08
3 145.63 2.27
4 168.54 1.96

205
Vickers Hardness (HV)

A
195
B

185 C

175

165

155
Base HAZ [L] Weld HAZ [R] Base
Metal [L] Metal Metal [R]

Fig. 1. Graph of Vickers Hardness Score

In addition, it can be seen from the graph that the area with the highest hardness value is the weld
metal area. This is because the grains undergo a crystallization and grain growth process, resulting in
an increase in grain size. This large grain size was obtained because the weld metal area received the
most heat, so it has more time to enlarge the grains.
Microstructure Analysis. This test was carried out by looking at the structure of the material at
500x magnification so that the microstructure can be seen more clearly. The parts seen with this
magnification are the weld metal, HAZ, and base metal sections.
Fig. 2 depicted base metal granules have a small and elongated shape. This shape formed during
the production process; the plate is rolled to change its shape according to the desired specifications.
This treatment makes the grain shape elongated.
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 948 37

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 2. Base metal structure: (a) Sample A, (b) Sample B, and (c) Sample C

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 3. HAZ structure: (a) Sample A, (b) Sample B, and (c) Sample C

The shape of the HAZ granules from Fig. 3 is no longer elongated after it received heat from the
welding process, so it undergoes a recrystallization process and the grain shape changes. The
difference that is quite visible for each sample was the grain size of the HAZ.

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 4. Weld metal structure: (a) sample A, (b) Sample B, and (c) Sample C

Fig. 4 depicted weld metal grains were smaller and sharper than the base metal. This is due to the
different content and heating between the weld metal and base metal. In this figure, the microstructure
of the sample material can be observed. There are two dominant phases that can be observed, namely
pearlite and ferrite. In the Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig.4, the ferrite looked bright and pearlite looked dark.
Pearlite consists of ferrite and cementite and appeared darker than ferrite only The following graph
reflects the ferrite and pearlite content in the samples.
38 Engineering Materials, Devices and Equipments

Fig. 5. Ferrites content chart

Fig. 6. Pearlite content chart

Based on Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, there was an increase in the ferrite content and a decrease in the
pearlite content as the heat input increases. This is due to the increase of heat input; the cooling rate
of the material becomes slower. The resulting effect of this process was the element carbon can
diffuse with other elements in a longer period and a wider range. This makes less pearlite formed. In
specimens A and B, the pearlite content in the HAZ region was more than in the base metal and weld
metal regions. However, this did not occur in specimen C, where the pearlite content had a downward
trend starting from the base metal, HAZ and weld metal regions.
The effect of decreasing pearlite content is a decrease in mechanical strength. It can be seen from
the results of the hardness test, where the hardness value decreased with the decreased in the amount
of pearlite. It is known that ferrite has soft and ductile properties while pearlite is stronger and harder.

Conclusions
It can be concluded that the welding parameters, namely current, voltage, and welding speed affect
the mechanical strength of the material. From the Vickers test, the result was the highest hardness
value of 177.8 HV in sample A, which was a specimen with low heat input. The lowest hardness
value of 167.03 HV was obtained from sample C which was a specimen with high heat input. The
last sample, sample B, has a hardness value of 171.57 HV, where the heat input value given is between
samples A and C. Thus, from these results it can be concluded that the hardness value will be inversely
proportional to the heat input. From the metallographic test, it was observed that the highest ferrite
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 948 39

content of 74% was found in specimen C which had the highest heat input. On the other hand, the
highest pearlite content of 36.83% was found in specimen A which had the lowest heat input. From
these results, the heat input can affect the structure of the material where the highest heat input has
the highest ferrite content and the lowest pearlite content, and vice versa. Furthermore, this ferrite-
pearlite content affects the mechanical properties of the material where the more ferrite content and
less pearlite content, the lower the mechanical strength produced, which in this case decrease the
hardness value of the material.

References
[1] Information on https://kbbi.kemdikbud.go.id/entri/manufaktur.
[2] S. Kao, Welding Metallurgy, second ed., John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2002.
[3] ASM International, Alloying: Understanding the Basics, 2nd ed. ASM International, Cleveland,
2001.
[4] S. Kalpakjian, Biomaterials – The Intersection of Biology and Material Science, Pearson
Prentice Hall, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2008.
[5] A. Aloraier, R. Ibrahim, P. Thomson, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping. 83
[2006] 394-398.
[6] B.K. Khamari, S.S. Dash, S.K. Karak, B.B. Biswal, Ironmaking & Steelmaking. 47 [2019] 844-
851.
[7] S. A. Mohamat, I. A. Ibrahim, A. Amir, A. Ghalib, Procedia Engineering. 41 [2012] 1497-1501
[8] Siswanto, Konsep Dasar Teknik Las (Teori Dan Praktik), Prestasi Pustaka, Jakarta, 2011.
[9] H. Pranata, “Pengaruh Posisi Temperatur Transient Pada Pengelasan MIG Terhadap Distorsi
Sudut Dan Sifat Mekanik Pada Alumunium 5083,”, B.S Thesis, Fac. of Eng., Dep. of
Mechanical Engineering, UMM, Malang, 2018.
[10] R. Moisa, M. Popescu, C. Opris, L. Bereteu, Annals Of The Oradea University. Fascicle of
Management and Technological Engineering. X (XX) [2011] 3.15-3.22.
[11] ASTM International, Standard Test Method for Brinell Hardness of Metallic Materials, ASTM
International, West Conshohocken, 2018.
[12] N. Srisuwan, N. Kumsri, T. Yingsamphancharoen, A. Kaewvilai, Metals. 9 [2019] 244.
[13] ASM International, Tensile Testing, 2nd ed., ASM International, Cleveland, 2004.
[14] N. Naharuddin, A. Sam, C. Nugraha, Jurnal Mekanikal. 6 [2015] 550-555.
[15] P. Sidi, M.T. Wahyudi, Jurnal Rekayasa Mesin. 3 [2012] 398-403.
[16] C. Dawam, Analisa Struktur Mikro Dan Kekerasan Pada Baja Tumpang 4,6,8 Dan Stainless
Steel, B.S Thesis, Fac. of Eng., Dep. of Mechanical Engineering, UMM, Malang, 2019
[17] C. Muthusamy, L. Karuppiah, S. Paulraj, D. Kandasami, R. Kandhasamy, Materials Research
19 [2016] 572-579.
[18] A.S. Ismail, Analisa Pengaruh Variasi Heat Input dan Temperatur PWHT terhadap Struktur
Mikro dan Sifat Mekanik pada Baja Paduan Rendah dengan Proses Pengelasan SMAW, B.S
Thesis, Fac. of Industrial Technology, ITS, Surabaya, 2015.