This doctoral thesis summarizes the theoretical and experimental knowledge in the field of dissimilar weld joint of progressive austenitic and ferritic creep-resistant steels. The following materials were selected for the presented study: 316Ti stabilized austenitic stainless steel, martensitic 9-12 %Cr steel P92 and ferritic ODS steel MA 956. The main attention was focused on the long-term microstructural stability during high temperature exposure of heterogeneous joints of the austenite / ferrite type. The literature analysis critically evaluates the current state of knowledge in the field of microstructural stability of advanced creep-resistant steels weld joints. The practical experimental part was carried out in two directions. On the basis of the chemical composition phase equilibrium calculations were performed for each steel using the ThermoCalc software, giving the basic concepts about the dependence of the phase composition and the chemical composition of phases on temperature. In parallel with these calculations the laboratory joints 316Ti/P92 made by resistance welding and the MA 956/316Ti electron beam weld joints were prepared, analyzed in as-weld state and further annealed at different temperature conditions. Exposed joints were subjected to microstructure and phase analysis. The stability of the weld interface was mainly observed. Attention was also focused on the agreement between the calculation and experimental data in comparison with data published in the literature. Based on the calculations, experimental results and published data the suitability of the combination of materials is discussed in the thesis and reasoning about the behavior of studied weld joints during long-term high temperature exposure was formulated. Based on the results the expected degree of microstructural stability of 316Ti/P92 joint was confirmed, while the joints MA 956/316Ti were found to be unstable.

Spot friction welding (SFW) was performed on ultra high strength steel (UHSS) steel sheet commonly used in automobile manufacturing. Alloys studied included DP780, DP780EG, DP980, and DF140T sheet steel of varying thickness from 1.2 mm to 1.4 mm. Welding was accomplished using a PCBN standard tool. Weld strengths were then compared to a proposed AWS standard. Initial hardness readings were taken in cross sectioned samples. Grain structure in a SFW is presented. Resistance spot welds were created in three steels. This study focuses on the strength of SFW joints as compared to traditional resistance spot welding (RSW) in welding like materials to one another. Cycle times of SFW were also evaluated and compared to production rate cycle times of RSW.

In a bus chassis, welded connections are often preferred to other fastening techniques due to low cost and broad competence among suppliers but are usually the weakest parts due to fatigue life. Evaluation of welds is often costly in time and competence. Long iteration times are often leaving welded designs unoptimized and poorly understood by designers and engineers. The goal of this thesis is to gather knowledge about a plug-welded bracket commonly found welded to beams in bus chassis and body, aiding the design and dimensioning of such brackets. A factorial design study was performed using FEM analysis with the “Effective notch method,” revealing the effects of seven different design parameters on the stresses in the weld. A theory to analytically calculate the profile of the bracket is presented. The theory is taking the beam’s second moment of area and the bending moment into consideration, essentially tuning the bracket’s stiffness to the beam and the load situation. An improved bracket is presented, analyzed, and compared to the design study. The results show how stresses in the weld are affected by the stiffness of the bend in the bracket, the location of bolts (or other fastening technique) and the plug weld dimensions. When the weld is made to run longer along the beam, the importance of adjusting the stiffness in the bracket increases in order to balance the load throughout the whole weld. / Svetsade fästelement är ofta att föredra i ett busschassi över andra tekniker av kostnadsskäl och att en bred kompetens finns inom svets hos många underleverantörer. Men på grund av utmattning är ofta svetsade infästningar den svagaste punkten i ett chassi. Utvärdering av svetsar är kostsamt i tid och kompetens. Långa iterationstider i svetsutvärderingar lämnar ofta svetsen ooptimerad och undermåligt förstådd av designers och ingenjörer. Målet med detta arbete är att samla kunskap runt ett pluggsvetsat fästelement som ofta förekommer i busschassier och busskarosser, för att underlätta design och dimensionering av dessa fästelement. En faktoriell designstudie var utförd med FEM analys enligt ”Effective Notch” metoden för att undersöka effekten från sju olika designparametrar på spänningskoncentrationerna i svetsen. En teori för att analytiskt beräkna profilen på fästelementet presenteras. Teorin tar balkens böjtröghetsmoment och böjmoment med i beräkningen för att optimera fästelementets styvhet till balken och lastsituationen. Ett förbättrat fästelement är presenterat, analyserat och jämförd med designstudien. Resultaten visar hur spänningarna i svetsen påverkas av styvheten i den böjda delen av fästelementet, placeringen av bultar (eller annan infästningsteknik) och dimensioner på ”svetspluggen.” När svetsen är går längre längs med balken blir fästelementets styvhet allt viktigare för att kunna balansera lasten igenom det svetsade området.

This thesis examines the use of nonlinear ultrasound to evaluate sensitization, a precursor to stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steel. Ultrasonic Rayleigh surface waves are generated on a specimen; as these waves pass through sensitized material, second harmonic generation (SHG) increases. In austenitic stainless steel with oven-induced sensitization, this increase is due only to the formation of chromium carbide precipitates, key products of the sensitization process. Weld-induced sensitization specimens demonstrate additional increases in SHG, likely caused by increased residual stress and dislocation density as a result of uneven heating. Experimental data are used to calculate the acoustic nonlinearity parameter, which provides a single value directly related to the quantity of micro- and nano-scale damage present within any given sample. Using this procedure, the effects of weld- and oven-induced sensitization are compared. Results demonstrate the feasibility of using nonlinear Rayleigh waves to detect and monitor stress corrosion susceptibility of welded material.

Current manufacturing process controls are principally based only on statistical performance. The next evolution is to make physics based models combined with the state of the art sensors and actuators to control the manufacturing processes. In this paper, metal inert gas welding is used as an example of how the first steps in developing a reliable estimation technique to implement a physics based controller. The weld bead geometry will be the main focus because it is crucial to creating a quality weld. This paper uses an IR camera to generate and evaluate multiple weld bead width estimation techniques and characterizes their corresponding standard deviations. Also a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) is used to fit the temperature linescan data to fit an analytical function to the numerical data. The GMM is then used to estimate the weld bead width. Finally, the optimal linescan location is calculated to produce the best possible weld bead estimation. The result is that only one of the estimation techniques actually follows a step input and vi the optimal linescan location is 4 mm from the back of the arc. Furthermore, the GMM provides an excellent fit to the temperature linescan, but does not increase the accuracy of the estimate. / text

Super Duplex Stainless Steels have superior corrosion resistance properties and strength compared to conventional steels. However, these properties are influenced by the different phases that precipitate during the heat treatment process. The conventional way of studying the time and temperature effects on the properties and micro-structure of SDSS is to prepare many samples at different temperatures and holding times. The welding research group at Production Technology Center, Trollhättan, Sweden, has recently developed a unique heat treatment method to produce a wide range of temperature by using a stationary TIG arc heat source. It results in a graded micro-structure in a single sample at a specific time period. The accuracy of the results ob-ained from this process is highly related to the accuracy of the temperature field model next to weld pool. In this work, a model was developed by using OpenFOAM CDF code, to predict the temperature field of the super duplex stainless steel samples that have been subjected to this novel TIG arc heat treatment process. The developed model was able to capture the trend in the overall temperature field in the heat affected zone. However, there was some mismatch between the modelled and experimental temperature profiles in certain locations in the heat affected zone. Further improvements have to be done to the developed model in order to take the phase transformation effect into account. A preliminary investigation has been carried out on how to implement this in the current model and reported in the thesis.

A welding procedure specification is the document describing how a weld joint should be constructed. Arc weld processes are characterized by transient thermal behavior, leading to rapid changes in material properties and dynamic interaction between weld and base material. The objective of the project is to explore how the use of an improved CWM-platform affects representative stress and strain fields in order to assess welding procedure qualification records. Forthis project, the accumulated thermal and mechanical influences from the first run to the final run are brought forward, in one and the same meshed geometrical model. Both the thermal and mechanical material model of the platform are designed to be used for modelling of the base- and weld material,promoting the simulation of the intricate combination of the thermal, elastic,and plastic strains on the plastic strain hardening and the formation of residual stress fields. The output of the simulation is mainly weld cooling times, residual stresses, and deformations. This analysis is taken further by examining how residual stresses influence crack driving force under elastic and plastic loading. In addition, the output from the simulations can be used to assess the realism of the proposed welding parameters. The main experimental welding procedure examined comes from the IIW RSDP Round Robin Phase II benchmark project, where the main aim was to benchmark residual stress simulations. This work was found to contain many applicable challenges of a CWM-analysis project.

M. Tech. (Engineering, Industrial, Dept. Industrial Engineering and Operations management, Faculty of Engineering and Technology) Vaal University of Technology| / This research work focused on welded titanium alloy (grade 5) pipes, to ascertain if the weld joints can withstand the immediate and accumulated effects of fluid flow in (industrial) applications. Modeling of welded pipes was done using Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0. The cylindrical pipe models were of 206,375mm inner and 219,075mm outer diameter respectively; made of Ti6Al4V material. Three models were made: one of unwelded pipes, another with a seam weldment and the third with a circumferential weld. The welds were modeled as autogenous gas tungsten arc welding and the models included calculated heat affected zones. The pipes were modeled with a flowing fluid under pressure exerted evenly on all sides of the pipe walls (circumference). The boundary conditions were such that the pipe ends were supported as if the pipe were continuous. Stress and strain analysis on the pipe models were performed by the Finite Element Method using Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0. The results of the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) indicated that stress vary very negligibly along the pipe. A comparison of the FEA modeling results to the analytically determined value of the stress showed very low or zero percentage deviation.

Weld quality is essential when manufacturing fatigue-loaded structures. Defective welds are problematic, causing increased lead times, repairs and breakdowns. Over- processing as a result of unnecessary safety margins and poor quality is another issue, leading to a more expensive process and heavier products. Knowledge about what variation in weld quality can be expected in the process enables more efficient problem solving and use of resources. Reduced variation equals increased quality. Consequently, reduced variation is both a manufacturer and customer gain. This thesis studies in what way variation in welding production can be mapped and presented, to guide towards the right improvement actions. A literature study addresses welding, weld quality, measurement methods and variation. Two empirical studies using laser scanning equipment along with staff interviews will then be conducted to develop the method to capture variation in welding. In the journey towards machine learning and elimination of operator decisions, knowledge and understanding of variation in the process is necessary. Concrete results of the empirical studies gave new and valuable information to the company. Further, the method to map, analyse and display variation was believed to be useful in several ways, both at the case company but also at other plants. The results show that knowledge about variation could have a large financial effect. By identifying the areas of over-processing and deficient quality, the process can be optimized to increase productivity. While technical issues such as equipment to collect data can be barriers, soft issues like competence, a common understanding, and visualisation of variation seem just as essential.

Foram estudadas as propriedades de fadiga em dois grupos de soldas de alta resistência e baixa liga com diferentes composições microestruturais. As soldas do grupo A apresentaram microestruturas compostas de ferrita acicular, ferrita alotriomórfica e ferrita de Widmanstätten, com limite de escoamento de aproximadamente 460 MPa, enquanto que as soldas do grupo B apresentaram microestruturas compostas de martensita de baixo carbono, bainita e ferrita acicular, com limite de escoamento de aproximadamente 850 MPa. A partir do ensaio de trincas longas, foi obtida a taxa de crescimento por ciclos de carregamento, da/dN, de da/dN=1,18·10-12·DeltaK2,91 e da/dN=1,34·10-11·DeltaK2,64, respectivamente para as soldas dos grupos A e B. Como pode ser observado a partir destas equações, a taxa de crescimento foi mais alta para o grupo B. Da análise do fechamento da trinca pode ser concluído que o principal fator determinante de uma menor taxa de propagação para as soldas do grupo A foi a plasticidade desenvolvida pela estrutura. Dos ensaios de trincas curtas foi observado que no caso das soldas do grupo A, uma vez nucleada a trinca, esta se propagava até o colapso do corpo de prova. Para as soldas do grupo B foi observado que não bastava a existência de uma trinca para que esta se propagasse até a fratura total do corpo de prova e que o fator controlador foi a granulomentria associada a uma determinada composição microestrutural. / The fatigue properties of two groups of high strength low alloy steel weld metals with different microstructural composition were studied. Weld metals from group A presented microstructures composed of acicular ferrite, Widmanstätten ferrite and allotriomorphic ferrite, with yield strength of 460 MPa. Weld metals from group B exhibited a microstructural composition of low carbon martensite, bainite and acicular ferrite, with a yield strength of 850 MPa. The fatigue crack growth per cycle of loading, da/dN, for weld metals from groups A and B is obtained from the relationships, da/dN=1,18·10-12·DeltaK2,91 and da/dN=1,34·10-11·DeltaK2,64, respectively. As can be seen from these equations, the crack growth rate was higher for group B. From the crack growth closure analysis, it may be concluded that the lower crack growth rate obtained for weld metals from group A was mainly due to the higher crack tip plasticity developed in this type of microstructure. From the short crack fatigue tests, it was observed for weld metals from group A, that once a crack was nucleated, it propagated until the testpiece plastic collapsed. For weld metals from group B, it was observed that the existence of a crack was not sufficient to cause the complete testpiece failure, and the association of the grain size with the local microstructure was the main factor controlling the failure process.