Properties of fusion welds

EF420 Lecture 4 John Taylor

Welding v casting
Weld must adhere to mould wall Heat is added continually to welds

High temperature gradient

Welds solidify much faster than castings In welds, the surface shape is constant There is strong mixing of weld pools

Fusion weld structure

Fusion line

Weld preparation

Base metal

Weld metal

HAZ

HAZ

Thermal gradients in HAZ

Temperature

Fusion line Fusion line + 2mm Fusion line + 5 mm

Time
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HAZ structure
High peak temperature High temperature gradient

Variable cooling rate

Superimposed HAZs in multipass welds Welding stresses affect transformation

Multipass fusion weld

Last weld run

Previous weld run

Weld properties
Weld metal has different composition & thermal history to base metal Welding heat modifies adjacent base metal (HAZ) Variation in strength, ductility & corrosion resistance across welds

Welding procedure
Selection of process conditions & consumables for a weld Designed to match base material properties as closely as possible & avoid weld defects Needs to consider service conditions of the weld

Definition of weldability
The capacity of a material to be welded under the imposed fabrication conditions into a specific, suitably designed structure & to perform satisfactorily in intended service.
(ANSI / AWS A3.0)

Factors affecting weldability

Weldability is often considered to be a material property, however the effect of other variables should not be ignored. Design of weldment Its service conditions Choice of welding process

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Material properties
Melting & vaporisation temperatures Electrical & thermal properties

Conductivity, expansion coefficient, thermal capacity, latent heat Susceptibility to porosity, embrittlement or wetting problems Oxide, paint or metallic surface coating
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Affinity of weld metal for O, N & H

Presence of a surface film on base metal

Service environment
Extreme environments

Corrosive Low temperature (brittle failure) High temperature (oxidation, creep, embrittlement) Others (wear, fatigue, nuclear) The more difficult it is to find suitable materials The more restricted the welding procedure becomes to avoid service failure

The more extreme the environment

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Welding Defects
Cracks

In weld metal or HAZ Gas bubbles entrapped in weld metal

Porosity

Incomplete fusion (interrun or at preparation edge) Inclusions

Slag or other matter entrapped in weld Under-weld, over-weld, lack of penetration, overlap, undercut
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Defective profile

Causes of weld defects

Poor design of weldment

Lack of access to make weld

Mistakes by welder

Lack of skill Poor placement of weld metal Inadequate cleaning

Poor welding procedure

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Weld defects

Slag inclusion

Wormhole porosity Incomplete fusion

Overlap

Solidification cracking
Contraction strains cause rupture of the weld at the point where the last material solidifies.

Solidification range Weld pool size & shape

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Residual stress & distortion

Uneven heating leads to constrained thermal expansion At completion of the weld thermal cycle the weldment either distorts or if restrained will contain residual stress Residual stress fields are complex, but stresses as high as yield often occur Stresses may need to be removed by a stress relief heat treatment
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Residual stress in a butt weld

sy s
X sx s X
Compression
sy

sx s
0 Tension

Tension

X
Compression

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Weld detailing

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Weld positions - plate

Flat (1G)

Horizontal (2G)

Vertical (3G) Up or Down

Overhead (4G)
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Welding positions - pipe

Axis vertical 2G

Axis horizontal 5G

Axis inclined 45 6G

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Weld details
Joints - Arrangements of members being joined

Butt, tee, lap, corner, flare

Welds - Geometry of weld detail selected to make the joint

Butt, fillet, plug & slot

Joint types

Butt

Tee

Edge Lap Corner

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Weld types
Butt weld

Between mating members Best quality High weld preparation cost Easy preparation Asymmetric loads, lower design loads Modified fillet welds in lap joints, using holes through one member
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Fillet weld

Plug & slot welds

Fillet welds
Simple & cheap to assemble & weld Stress concentrations at toes & root Notch at root (fatigue, toughness) Critical dimension is throat thickness Root gap affects throat thickness Radiography & ultrasonic testing is of limited use Large fillets use a lot of weld metal & therefore are uneconomic

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Fillet weld terms

Toe

Weld face

Toe

Root
Gap

Throat thickness

Apparent leg length

Butt welds
Types:

Double welded butt Permanent or temporary backing Single welded butt

Lower stress concentration Easier ultrasonic testing or radiography Expensive preparation

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Butt weld types

Single vee can be single or double welded

Single bevel

Double vee

Backed butt (permanent or temporary)

Butt weld terms

Fusion face
Included angle Bevel angle

Reinforcement
Toe Root face Root gap

Root run

Toe

Weld preparation dimensions

Compromise

Weld cross sectional area

Cost Ease of welding (risk of defects)

Standard preparations

AS1554, AWS D1.1, ANSI B31.3

Fabricators risk

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Single welded butt joints

Access to one side only

Pipe & hollow section butt joints

Root run forms inside surface High fit-up tolerances required High skill required

Special welder qualification

Root may be contaminated Inside is difficult to inspect

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J & U Preparations

U preparation

Root radius
Land

Double U butt
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AS1101.2 drawing symbols

OTHER SIDE
Tail ARROW SIDE Arrow points to weld location Reference line

Weld type symbol

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Typical AS1101.2 symbols

6mm 6 CJP

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