Morphological evolution of HAZ microstructures in low carbon steel during simulated welding thermal cycle

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Joints Depending on the Process Used

Today, numerous design solutions require joining thin-walled sheets or profiles as the traditional methods of welding with a consumable electrode in gas shielding, most often used in production processes, do not work well. The reason for this is that a large amount of heat is supplied to the joint, causing numerous welding deformations, defects, and incompatibilities. Moreover, the visual aspect of the connections made more and more often plays an equally crucial role. Therefore, it is important to look for solutions and compare different joining processes in order to achieve production criteria. The paper compares the properties of a 1.5 mm thick steel sheet joined by the manual and robotic MAG 135 and 138 welding process, manual and robotic laser welding, CMT welding with the use of solid or flux-cored wire, and butt welding. The macro- and microstructure, as well as the microhardness distribution of individual regions of the joints, were analyzed depending on the type of joining technology used. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of individual zones of joints were investigated with the use of a digital image correlation system. On the basis of the obtained test results, it was found that the joints made by the processes of manual laser welding and butt welding were characterized by a very regular weld shape, the smallest joint width, and greater grain refinement compared to other analyzed processes. Moreover, this method was characterized by the narrowest zone of hardness increase, only 3 mm, compared to, e.g., a joint made in the process of robotic welding CMT, for which this zone was more than twice as wide. Furthermore, the heat-affected zone for the joints made in this way, in relation to the welds produced by the MAG 135/138 method, was, respectively, 2 and 2.7 times smaller.

Effect of the Cooling Rate of Thermal Simulation on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Low-Carbon Bainite Steel by Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding

A new kind of low-carbon bainite steel with excellent strength and toughness was developed, serving as the bogie of the next-generation high-speed train. However, the softening of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in laser-arc hybrid welding (LAHW) needs to be overcome. In this study, the effect of the cooling rate of the LAHW process on the microstructure and mechanical properties in the HAZ was explored via thermal simulation. The results showed that with increased cooling rate, the grain size increased, the content of lath martensite decreased, and the lath bainite gradually changed to a granular shape in the thermal simulation specimen. With the decrease in the cooling rate, i.e., with the increase of t8/5, the strength–toughness matching of the material showed a downward trend. The thermal simulation specimen with a t8/5 of 6~8 s had higher strength and good toughness, which can be considered a potential welding parameter reference. The content of martensitic austenite (M-A) constituents was the main factor that determined the strength and toughness of the joint. During the tensile test, the axial force caused the material to tighten, and the transverse stress as obvious in the part of the M-A constituents that are prone to microcracks and many defects, resulting in cracks, paths, and multi-component layers in the center. As a result, the thermal cycle specimens had mixed fracture characteristics.