2015 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 39s-43s
Solidification cracking occurs as a result of thermal strain and solidification behavior that is determined by welding conditions, especially welding speed. Brittle temperature range (BTR), an important index for evaluating solidification cracking, is used to quantity the effect of welding speed on susceptibility to solidification cracking. However, measurement of BTR using Trans-Varestraint test during laser welding has rarely been studied. The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of welding speed on solidification cracking susceptibility in type 310S stainless steel using Trans-Varestraint test during laser welding. Solidification cracking and ductility-dip cracking were distinguished by observing fracture surfaces. Compared with traditional Trans-Varestraint test carried out for gas tungsten arc welding, the number of solidification cracks and total crack lengths during laser welding were lower; however, the number density of solidification cracks and total crack length per bead width during laser welding were higher. Both of these values had a tendency to first increase and then decrease slightly with increasing welding speed: the maximum values occurred at approximately 1.5 m/min. Temperature profiles at 0.2 and 1.0 m/min during laser welding were measured by an optical-fiber radiation thermometer combined with in-situ observation using a high-speed camera. BTR was measured using the center crack length along the heat flow in the welding direction. BTR at 1.0 m/min was less than that at 0.2 m/min during laser welding because the maximum crack length appeared at the side of molten pool at welding speeds greater than 1.0 m/min.
