Spät-miozäne bis quartäre Vulkanite der vulkanischen Front und der Back-arc Region der Zentralen Vulkanischen Zone in den Anden weisen eine weite Spannbreite von delta 11B Werten (+4 bis &ndash;7 &permil;) and Borkonzentrationen (6 bis 60 ppm) auf. Die positiven delta 11B Werte der Vulkanite der vulkanischen Front zeigen eine Beteiligung einer 11B-reichen Komponente am Aufbau der andinen Vulkanite, die am wahrscheinlichsten aus Fluiden der alterierten ozeanischen Kruste der abtauchenden Nazca-Platte stammt. Diese Beobachtung macht einen alleinigen Ursprung der untersuchten Laven aus der kontinentalen Kruste und/oder dem Mantelkeil unwahrscheinlich. Der Trend zu systematisch negativeren delta 11B Werten und kleineren B/Nb Verhältnissen von der vulkanischen Front zum Back-arc wird als Resultat einer Borisotopenfraktionierung einhergehend mit einer stetigen Abnahme der Fluidkomponente und einer relativ konstanten krustalen Kontamination, die sich durch relativ gleichbleibende Sr, Nd und Pb Isotopenverhältnisse ausdrückt, interpretiert. Weil die delta 11B Variation über den andinen vulkanischen Bogen sehr gut mit einer modellierten, sich als Funktion der Temperatur dynamisch verändernden, Zusammensetzung des Subduktionszonenfluides übereinstimmt, folgern wir, dass die Borisotopenzusammensetzung von Arc-Vulkaniten durch die sich dynamisch ändernde delta 11B Signatur eines Bor-reichen Subduktionsfluides bestimmt ird. Durch die Abnahme dieses Subduktionsfluides während der Subduktion nimmt der Einfluss der krustalen Kontamination auf die Borisotopie der Arc-Vulkanite im Back-arc zu. In Anbetracht der Borisotopenfraktionierung müssen hohe delta 11B Werte von Arc-Vulkaniten nicht notwendigerweise Unterschiede in der initialen Zusammensetzung der subduzierten Platte reflektieren.<br /> Eine Dreikomponenten Mischungskalkulation zwischen Subduktionsfluid, dem Mantelkeil und der kontinentalen Kruste, die auf Bor-, Strontium- und Neodymiumisotopendaten beruht, zeigt, dass das Subduktionsfluid die Borisotopie des fertilen Mantels dominiert und, dass die primären Arc-Magmen durchschnittlich einen Anteil von 15 bis 30 % krustalem Materiales aufweisen. / Late Miocene to Quaternary volcanic rocks from the frontal arc to the back-arc region of the Central Volcanic Zone in the Andes show a wide range of delta 11B values (+4 to -7 &permil;) and boron concentrations (6 to 60 ppm). Positive delta 11B values of samples from the volcanic front indicate involvement of a 11B-enriched slab component, most likely derived from altered oceanic crust, despite the thick Andean continental lithosphere, and rule out a pure crust-mantle origin for these lavas. The delta 11B values and B concentrations in the lavas decrease systematically with increasing depth of the Wadati-Benioff Zone. This across-arc variation in delta 11B values and decreasing B/Nb ratios from the arc to the back-arc samples are attributed to the combined effects of B-isotope fractionation during progressive dehydration in the slab and a steady decrease in slab-fluid flux towards the back arc, coupled with a relatively constant degree of crustal contamination as indicated by similar Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios in all samples. Modelling of fluid-mineral B-isotope fractionation as a function of temperature fits the across-arc variation in delta 11B and we conclude that the B-isotope composition of arc volcanics is dominated by changing delta 11B composition of B-rich slab-fluids during progressive dehydration. Crustal contamination becomes more important towards the back-arc due to the decrease in slab-derived fluid flux. Because of this isotope fractionation effect, high delta 11B signatures in volcanic arcs need not necessarily reflect differences in the initial composition of the subducting slab. <br /> Three-component mixing calculations for slab-derived fluid, the mantle wedge and the continental crust based on B, Sr and Nd isotope data indicate that the slab-fluid component dominates the B composition of the fertile mantle and that the primary arc magmas were contaminated by an average addition of 15 to 30 % crustal material.

Magnesium alloys are of interest to the automotive industry because of their high specific strength and potential to reduce vehicle weight and fuel consumption. In order to incorporate more magnesium components into automotive structures, efficient welding and joining techniques must be developed. Specifically, a method of making butt-joint welds must be found in order to use sheet magnesium alloys in the form of tailor-welded blanks for structural applications. The existing welding processes each have disadvantages when applied to magnesium alloy sheet. The double-sided arc welding (DSAW) process has been shown to produce high quality welds in aluminum alloy sheet, for tailor-welded blank applications. The DSAW process has not yet been applied to AZ31B magnesium alloy, which has thermo-physical and oxide forming properties similar to those of aluminum alloys. Therefore, this research explores the weldability of AZ31B magnesium alloy, using the DSAW process. Experimental, butt-joint configuration welds were made in 2 mm thick AZ31B-H42 magnesium alloy sheet. Acceptable welds have been produced using welding speeds ranging from 12 mm/s to 100 mm/s and welding powers from 1.6 kW to 8.7 kW. The influence of these parameters on the appearance, geometry, mechanical properties and microstructure of the resulting welds was investigated. Optimal appearance, geometric profile and mechanical properties were obtained at the lowest welding speeds and powers. Under these conditions, mechanical properties of the weld metal were equivalent to those of the fully annealed (0-temper) base metal. However, progressive deterioration in appearance, geometry and mechanical properties occurred at higher welding speeds. The deterioration in mechanical properties was associated with 2 microstructural defects that were observed at higher welding speeds: 1) the formation of larger amounts of Mg17Al12 -phase particles, at the grain boundaries, and 2) the formation of solidification shrinkage micro-porosity at these same inter-granular locations. This research demonstrates that the DSAW process is capable of producing acceptable quality, butt-joint welds in AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet at welding speeds up to 100 mm/s. However, in order to achieve the highest quality welds, low welding power, and, low welding speed, should be used. The highest quality welds were produced at welding speeds of 12 mm/s.

This study shows in Twain's Joan a mosaic work of French history and American folk humor. It points to Twain as an unacknowledged historian and scholar who, despite his biases and misgivings from his previous books and from his sources, fashioned Joan's story for an American audience while he stayed abroad in Florence and Paris with his family. The study focuses upon the historical and literary merits of Twain's Joan through a detailed analysis of Twain's notations in his French and English sources (Berkeley). It shows that Twain as Louis de Conte, chronicler and minstrel, faithfully retold Joan's story from his sources. Twain's Joan of Arc represents the literary, historical, and religious achievement of an unacknowledged American scholar who showed an outstanding youth of character, integrity, and purity.Throughout the narrative in his book, Twain reflected Joan's page and secretary Louis de Conte as his persona in the dual role of chronicler and minstrel. Twain extended another dual role to his second narrator, the Paladin as entertainer and troubadour. Early in the story, Twain as Conte brought out the events of the Hundred Years' War which led to the betrayal of the French nation and the exile of the French Dauphin by the Treaty of Troyes. Conte retold these events as chronicler and minstrel from Gower and Sepet, notations at Berkeley. Other sources such as Fabre, Sepet, Wallon among others were either used or consulted. The study points and according to his notations in these sources. It is in his dual role that Conte narrated Joan's mission from her household to Vaucouleurs, Chinon, Orleans, Rheims, and St. Denis--covering Books I and II, from Chabannes's book and occasionally from Sepet's with key episodes from Michelet's Joan, according to Twain's notations at Berkeley.Conte retold the events at Chinon, Orleans, Patay, and Paris among others as a chronicler of history, but as minstrel he interwove the narrative with humor or sorrow in a rhythmic pattern of repetitions that imitated the style of the Chansons de Geste. The pattern is noticeable in the narration of the battle scenes at Orleans, Jargeau, and Patay, including the repetition of Joan's wounds in each encounter. Moreover, Twain as the Paladin reflected the minstrel of the Chansons de Geste who entertained the townspeople of Orleans with yarns substituted for the boastful French "gabs" used by knights to boost up their morale on the eve of battles. Twain later raised the role of the Paladin to a troubadour of Joan's era who praised the heroine in a lyrical poem, or Rondeaux, in the style of Charles d'Orleans, a poet of that era.This study shows that Twain used several French and English sources for Book III in which he dealt chiefly with the trial and death of Joan. Twain used three significant sources for the trial at Rouen; namely, Gower, Msgr. Ricard, and Michelet--according to the out Michelet's biases and misgivings. Hence the study mentions the out, however, that when there seemed to be a debatable viewpoint between Msgr. Ricard and Michelet, Twain favored Michelet as the final arbitrator. The study refers the serious reader or scholar to the critic Gustave Rudler who in his works on Michelet's Joan has pointed two different versions of Michelet's Joan, one written when Michelet was sympathetic towards the Church and the other (1873) as he turned anticlerical. Twain used the 1873 edition with its biases!The study points out that at the outset of the trial at Rouen Twain did not condemn the whole Catholic Hierarchy. Twain as Conte, chronicler and minstrel, merely caricatured evil men in Church positions who sought power and wealth first even at the expense of an innocent young girl. Conte showed that Joan at Rouen was a victim in the hands of the unscrupulous Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, who--according to Gower--had been bribed with the office of Archbishop of Rouen by Cardinal Winchester of England with the stipulation that Cauchon obtained from the trial Joan's excommunication as a witch and her death at the stake. Twain as Conte reflected well established traditions in French history and official documents in which Pierre Cauchon has been held as the main culprit, for he alone had the power to save or condemn Joan, according to Regine Pernoud-a reputable modern French historian. Conte as minstrel could hardly miss the opportunity of inventing puns based upon the French connotation of the man's name, because Cauchon indeed had shown himself an evil man. Moreover, ever since the Trial of Rehabilitation or retrial of Joan of Arc, Bishop Cauchon has been upheld by at least two Popes in their condemnation of that man. Instead, the Popes have honored Joan as a saint!The study shows that Twain held in contempt the French King and his courtiers, the French Clergy, and the French nation for having abandoned their national heroine to the enemy without even attempting to raise a ransom for her deliverance! Twain as Conte also questioned the "real motives" for the King's endeavors towards the Retrial of Joan since he had forgotten the maid for twenty years. Despite Twain's biases in several parts of the book, the study shows Twain's Joan as a serious work of an unacknowledged scholar for a virtuous youth--St. Joan of Arc!

Recent developments in material joining, specifically arc-welding, have increased in scope and extended into the aerospace, nuclear, and underwater industries where complex geometry and hazardous environments necessitate fully automated systems. Even traditional applications of arc welding such as off-highway and automotive manufacturing have increased their demand in quality, accuracy, and volume to stay competitive. These requirements often exceed both skill and endurance capacities of human welders. As a result, improvements in process parameter feedback and sensing are necessary to successfully achieve a closed-loop control of such processes. <br ><br /> One such feedback parameter in gas-metal arc welding (GMAW) is acoustic emissions. Although there have been relatively few studies performed in this area, it is agreed amongst professional welders that the sound from an arc is critical to their ability to control the process. Investigations that have been performed however, have been met with mixed success due to extraneous background noises or inadequate evaluation of the signal spectral content. However, if it were possible to identify the salient or characterizing aspects of the signal, these drawbacks may be overcome. <br ><br /> The goal of this thesis is to develop methods which characterize the arc-acoustic signal such that a relationship can be drawn between welding parameters and acoustic spectral characteristics. Three methods were attempted including: Taguchi experiments to reveal trends between weld process parameters and the acoustic signal; psycho-acoustic experiments that investigate expert welder reliance on arc-sounds, and implementation of an artificial neural network (ANN) for mapping arc-acoustic spectral characteristics to process parameters. <br ><br /> Together, these investigations revealed strong correlation between welding voltage and arc-acoustics. The psycho-acoustic experiments confirm the suspicion of welder reliance on arc-acoustics as well as potential spectral candidates necessary to spray-transfer control during GMA welding. ANN performance shows promise in the approach and confirmation of the ANN?s ability to learn. Further experimentation and data gathering to enrich the learning data-base will be necessary to apply artificial intelligence such as artificial neural networks to such a stochastic and non-linear relationship between arc-sound and GMA parameters.

This thesis explores two infinite families of self-complementary arc-transitive graphs: the familiar Paley graphs and the newly discovered Peisert graphs. After studying both families, we examine a result of Peisert which proves the Paley and Peisert graphs are the only self-complementary arc transitive graphs other than one exceptional graph. Then we consider other families of graphs which share many properties with the Paley and Peisert graphs. In particular, we construct an infinite family of self-complementary strongly regular graphs from affine planes. We also investigate the pseudo-Paley graphs of Weng, Qiu, Wang, and Xiang. Finally, we prove a lower bound on the number of maximal cliques of certain pseudo-Paley graphs, thereby distinguishing them from Paley graphs of the same order.

Dual-phase (DP) sheet steels have recently been used for automotive manufacturing to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel economy. Dual-phase steels offer higher strength without reduced formability when compared to conventional high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels and so thinner gauge DP sheet steel can be used to meet the same design requirements. The DP steel microstructure is comprised of dual-phase mixture hard martensite particles, which provide strength, in a soft ferrite matrix, which provides ductility. Fusion welding processes, such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW), are used to join DP sheet steels; however, the heat input from fusion welding can cause the martensite islands to decompose into softer islands of tempered martensite. This can reduce the joint efficiency and cause premature localized necking in the region where tempered martensite forms. The weldability of coated 1.65 mm Cr Mo DP600 (dual-phase 600 MPa) sheet steel welded using the pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P) process was assessed. Processes with a range of GMAW P weld heat inputs were developed to make full penetration bead-on-plate welds that had similar bead geometry. The range of weld heat input was between 193 J/mm and 347 J/mm. Uniaxial transverse weld tensile tests of welds that were made at high heat input fractured in the heat affected zone (HAZ), welds that were made at low heat input fractured in the base metal (BM), which is most desirable, and at intermediate welding heat inputs, fracture locations were mixed. Heat input was compared to corresponding weld HAZ half-width measurements and it was shown that as heat input increased, HAZ half-width increased as well; this followed an expected linear trend. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was not diminished in specimens that exhibited BM fracture and 100% joint efficiency was achieved. Welded DP600 specimens that failed in the HAZ had minimal (< 5%) reduction of UTS. During the welding process development phase, the same range of heat input was used to make bead-on-plate full penetration welds onto coated 1.80 mm HSLA (high strength low alloy) sheet steel to assess its weldability. It was found that all of the welds fractured in the BM during uniaxial transverse weld tensile testing and, therefore, had achieved 100% joint efficiency. It was shown that by increasing the strength grade of DP sheet steel to DP780 and DP980, 100% joint efficiency was not retained. To better understand why high heat input welding caused HAZ fracture, low heat and high heat input welds that had consistently fractured in the BM and HAZ, respectively, were used to assess the differences between BM and HAZ fracture mechanisms. Fractographic analysis of BM and HAZ fracture surfaces of the dual-phase steels showed that fracture had occurred due to micro-void coalescence for both types of failure; however, the HAZ fracture had greater reduction of cross-sectional area and the surface had more numerous and smaller shear tearing ledges. Examination of the microstructure showed that there were decomposed martensite islands in the region the HAZ fracture; these likely increased ductility and led to a more significant tri-axial stress state. However, decomposed martensite was also found in the HAZ of welds that had BM fracture. The low and high heat input welds had similar reduction of martensite percentage (~3 – 4%) in the subcritical (SC) region of the HAZ; immediately below the Ac1 temperature where transformation from a BCC ferrite to FCC austenite occurs. Each weld HAZ was assessed with an average through-thickness microhardness (ATTH) profile. Four distinct regions of hardness were identified: hard intercritical (IC), which was formed by heating between Ac1 and Ac3 temperatures, soft subcritical (S SC), hard subcritical (H SC), and base-metal (BM). The width of the S-SC was slightly larger (~10%) for the HAZ fracture weld; however, the degree of softening (~8 – 11 VHNATTH/200g) compared to BM hardness was similar for both. It appeared that HAZ fracture could be shifted to the BM by reducing the width of the S SC so that the surrounding hard IC (+40 – 50 VHNATTH/200g) and H-SC (+5 – 10 VHNATTH/200g) could support the S SC and prevent a tri-axial stress state from developing; this is similar to increased strength of brazed joints caused by optimal gap width. Using this knowledge base, new welds were made onto different sheet thickness (1.20 mm and 1.80 mm) Cr-Mo DP600 sheet steels and onto higher strength grades of 1.20 mm Cr-Mo DP780 and 1.20 mm Mn –Si DP980 sheet steels. These were compared with the heavily studied 1.65 mm Cr Mo DP600 sheet steel described above. The 1.80 mm DP600 sheet steel (welded with the same range of heat input) fractured in the BM during all uniaxial transverse weld tensile tests; this was caused by a 4% increase in sheet thickness. The majority of thinner 1.20 mm welds fractured in the HAZ; there was one BM fracture for the DP600 sheet steel. Only the DP980 had a significant drop in UTS (~28%), and the DP600 and DP780 approached 100% joint efficiency (based on the UTS). The same distinct regions of hardness were observed for Cr Mo DP600 and Cr-Mo DP780. The Mn Si DP980 did not exhibit an H SC and had a significantly wider S SC (~80% wider) when compared to welds of similar heat input and sheet thickness. This suggested that the presence of an H SC region could improve joint efficiency. It also suggested that material chemistry played an important role in reducing the extent of softening during welding; however, the martensite percentage for the DP600, DP780, and DP980 were different (approximately 7.5%, 20%, and 46%, respectively) and this could also have affected the observed S SC widths. It was concluded that GMAW-P welded DP600 sheet steel shifted from a HAZ fracture to a more desirable BM fracture location during uniaxial transverse weld tensile testing as the S-SC region of hardness was narrowed. A narrow S-SC was supported by the adjacent hard IC and H-SC regions, which limited diffuse necking in the vicinity of the S-SC region. Diffuse necking continued to thin out material in the BM region, where there was a greater reduction in cross-sectional area prior to the onset of localized necking, and, therefore, the BM entered a state of higher stress than the S-SC and failed once it reached UTS. This was not observed for a higher strength grade of DP780 sheet steel, which had higher degree of softening, because, diffuse necking was not sufficient to reduce the BM cross-sectional area and hence the level of stress in the S-SC reached the UTS before the UTS was reached in the BM.

CAD objects are geometrical descriptions of physical scenes from the real world. Ray tracing is used to project the objects onto a pixel screen. A lit and a shadow zone are formed according to the direction of the incoming field (light) and the orientation of the pixel screen. The arc length along the surface of the object, from the shadow boundary to a point in the lit zone, is computed by means of numerical integration. The arclengths corresponding to two orthogonal directions that are aligned with the pixels on the pixel screen are computed and used for interpolation to obtain the arc length for all directions. A number of simulations for various CAD geometries are made using a ray-tracer implemented in FORTRAN 90.

Recent developments in material joining, specifically arc-welding, have increased in scope and extended into the aerospace, nuclear, and underwater industries where complex geometry and hazardous environments necessitate fully automated systems. Even traditional applications of arc welding such as off-highway and automotive manufacturing have increased their demand in quality, accuracy, and volume to stay competitive. These requirements often exceed both skill and endurance capacities of human welders. As a result, improvements in process parameter feedback and sensing are necessary to successfully achieve a closed-loop control of such processes. <br ><br /> One such feedback parameter in gas-metal arc welding (GMAW) is acoustic emissions. Although there have been relatively few studies performed in this area, it is agreed amongst professional welders that the sound from an arc is critical to their ability to control the process. Investigations that have been performed however, have been met with mixed success due to extraneous background noises or inadequate evaluation of the signal spectral content. However, if it were possible to identify the salient or characterizing aspects of the signal, these drawbacks may be overcome. <br ><br /> The goal of this thesis is to develop methods which characterize the arc-acoustic signal such that a relationship can be drawn between welding parameters and acoustic spectral characteristics. Three methods were attempted including: Taguchi experiments to reveal trends between weld process parameters and the acoustic signal; psycho-acoustic experiments that investigate expert welder reliance on arc-sounds, and implementation of an artificial neural network (ANN) for mapping arc-acoustic spectral characteristics to process parameters. <br ><br /> Together, these investigations revealed strong correlation between welding voltage and arc-acoustics. The psycho-acoustic experiments confirm the suspicion of welder reliance on arc-acoustics as well as potential spectral candidates necessary to spray-transfer control during GMA welding. ANN performance shows promise in the approach and confirmation of the ANN?s ability to learn. Further experimentation and data gathering to enrich the learning data-base will be necessary to apply artificial intelligence such as artificial neural networks to such a stochastic and non-linear relationship between arc-sound and GMA parameters.

This thesis explores two infinite families of self-complementary arc-transitive graphs: the familiar Paley graphs and the newly discovered Peisert graphs. After studying both families, we examine a result of Peisert which proves the Paley and Peisert graphs are the only self-complementary arc transitive graphs other than one exceptional graph. Then we consider other families of graphs which share many properties with the Paley and Peisert graphs. In particular, we construct an infinite family of self-complementary strongly regular graphs from affine planes. We also investigate the pseudo-Paley graphs of Weng, Qiu, Wang, and Xiang. Finally, we prove a lower bound on the number of maximal cliques of certain pseudo-Paley graphs, thereby distinguishing them from Paley graphs of the same order.

Dual-phase (DP) sheet steels have recently been used for automotive manufacturing to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel economy. Dual-phase steels offer higher strength without reduced formability when compared to conventional high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels and so thinner gauge DP sheet steel can be used to meet the same design requirements. The DP steel microstructure is comprised of dual-phase mixture hard martensite particles, which provide strength, in a soft ferrite matrix, which provides ductility. Fusion welding processes, such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW), are used to join DP sheet steels; however, the heat input from fusion welding can cause the martensite islands to decompose into softer islands of tempered martensite. This can reduce the joint efficiency and cause premature localized necking in the region where tempered martensite forms. The weldability of coated 1.65 mm Cr Mo DP600 (dual-phase 600 MPa) sheet steel welded using the pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P) process was assessed. Processes with a range of GMAW P weld heat inputs were developed to make full penetration bead-on-plate welds that had similar bead geometry. The range of weld heat input was between 193 J/mm and 347 J/mm. Uniaxial transverse weld tensile tests of welds that were made at high heat input fractured in the heat affected zone (HAZ), welds that were made at low heat input fractured in the base metal (BM), which is most desirable, and at intermediate welding heat inputs, fracture locations were mixed. Heat input was compared to corresponding weld HAZ half-width measurements and it was shown that as heat input increased, HAZ half-width increased as well; this followed an expected linear trend. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was not diminished in specimens that exhibited BM fracture and 100% joint efficiency was achieved. Welded DP600 specimens that failed in the HAZ had minimal (< 5%) reduction of UTS. During the welding process development phase, the same range of heat input was used to make bead-on-plate full penetration welds onto coated 1.80 mm HSLA (high strength low alloy) sheet steel to assess its weldability. It was found that all of the welds fractured in the BM during uniaxial transverse weld tensile testing and, therefore, had achieved 100% joint efficiency. It was shown that by increasing the strength grade of DP sheet steel to DP780 and DP980, 100% joint efficiency was not retained. To better understand why high heat input welding caused HAZ fracture, low heat and high heat input welds that had consistently fractured in the BM and HAZ, respectively, were used to assess the differences between BM and HAZ fracture mechanisms. Fractographic analysis of BM and HAZ fracture surfaces of the dual-phase steels showed that fracture had occurred due to micro-void coalescence for both types of failure; however, the HAZ fracture had greater reduction of cross-sectional area and the surface had more numerous and smaller shear tearing ledges. Examination of the microstructure showed that there were decomposed martensite islands in the region the HAZ fracture; these likely increased ductility and led to a more significant tri-axial stress state. However, decomposed martensite was also found in the HAZ of welds that had BM fracture. The low and high heat input welds had similar reduction of martensite percentage (~3 – 4%) in the subcritical (SC) region of the HAZ; immediately below the Ac1 temperature where transformation from a BCC ferrite to FCC austenite occurs. Each weld HAZ was assessed with an average through-thickness microhardness (ATTH) profile. Four distinct regions of hardness were identified: hard intercritical (IC), which was formed by heating between Ac1 and Ac3 temperatures, soft subcritical (S SC), hard subcritical (H SC), and base-metal (BM). The width of the S-SC was slightly larger (~10%) for the HAZ fracture weld; however, the degree of softening (~8 – 11 VHNATTH/200g) compared to BM hardness was similar for both. It appeared that HAZ fracture could be shifted to the BM by reducing the width of the S SC so that the surrounding hard IC (+40 – 50 VHNATTH/200g) and H-SC (+5 – 10 VHNATTH/200g) could support the S SC and prevent a tri-axial stress state from developing; this is similar to increased strength of brazed joints caused by optimal gap width. Using this knowledge base, new welds were made onto different sheet thickness (1.20 mm and 1.80 mm) Cr-Mo DP600 sheet steels and onto higher strength grades of 1.20 mm Cr-Mo DP780 and 1.20 mm Mn –Si DP980 sheet steels. These were compared with the heavily studied 1.65 mm Cr Mo DP600 sheet steel described above. The 1.80 mm DP600 sheet steel (welded with the same range of heat input) fractured in the BM during all uniaxial transverse weld tensile tests; this was caused by a 4% increase in sheet thickness. The majority of thinner 1.20 mm welds fractured in the HAZ; there was one BM fracture for the DP600 sheet steel. Only the DP980 had a significant drop in UTS (~28%), and the DP600 and DP780 approached 100% joint efficiency (based on the UTS). The same distinct regions of hardness were observed for Cr Mo DP600 and Cr-Mo DP780. The Mn Si DP980 did not exhibit an H SC and had a significantly wider S SC (~80% wider) when compared to welds of similar heat input and sheet thickness. This suggested that the presence of an H SC region could improve joint efficiency. It also suggested that material chemistry played an important role in reducing the extent of softening during welding; however, the martensite percentage for the DP600, DP780, and DP980 were different (approximately 7.5%, 20%, and 46%, respectively) and this could also have affected the observed S SC widths. It was concluded that GMAW-P welded DP600 sheet steel shifted from a HAZ fracture to a more desirable BM fracture location during uniaxial transverse weld tensile testing as the S-SC region of hardness was narrowed. A narrow S-SC was supported by the adjacent hard IC and H-SC regions, which limited diffuse necking in the vicinity of the S-SC region. Diffuse necking continued to thin out material in the BM region, where there was a greater reduction in cross-sectional area prior to the onset of localized necking, and, therefore, the BM entered a state of higher stress than the S-SC and failed once it reached UTS. This was not observed for a higher strength grade of DP780 sheet steel, which had higher degree of softening, because, diffuse necking was not sufficient to reduce the BM cross-sectional area and hence the level of stress in the S-SC reached the UTS before the UTS was reached in the BM.