2011 Volume 29 Issue 4 Pages 326-334
The occurrence of ductility-dip crack in the laser overlay welds of alloy 690 to type 316L stainless steel was predicted by the mechanical and metallurgical approaches. Ductility-dip temperature ranges (DTRs) of alloy 690 laser overlay welds were estimated by Varestraint test during GTA welding. The grain boundary segregation of impurity elements such as P and S was numerically analyzed based on the non-equilibrium cosegregation theory when the welding speed and the amounts of P and S in the weld metal were varied. In accordance with the repression approximation between the DTR and the calculated grain boundary concentrations of P and S, the DTRs of alloy 690 were computed in laser overlay welding. The estimated DTR in laser overlay welds was reduced with an increase in welding speed and with a decrease in the amounts of P and S in the weld metal. Ductility-dip cracking in laser overlay welds was predicted by the plastic strain-temperature curve intersected the DTR. The plastic strain in laser overlay welding was numerically analyzed using the thermo elasto-plastic finite element method. The plastic strain-temperature curve in laser overlay welds intersected the DTR at decreased welding speed and increased (P+S) content in the weld metal. The predicted results of ductility-dip cracking in laser overlay welds were approximately consistent with experiment results. It follows that ductility-dip cracking in laser overlay welds could be successfully predicted based on the estimated DTR from grain boundary segregation analysis combined with the computed plastic strain by FEM analysis.
