Role of Bead Sequence in Underwater Welding

The Influence of Tuff Particles on the Properties of the Sintered Copper Matrix Composite for Application in Resistance Welding Electrodes

This paper presents modern copper-matrix composite materials in which volcanic tuff particles are used as a reinforcing phase. The aim of the research was to determine the optimal shares of volcanic tuff additive based on such criteria as softening temperature, relative density, electrical conductivity, and hardness. The properties of the produced and tested composites allowed us to determine the usefulness of this type of material for resistance welding electrodes. To confirm the assumptions made, preliminary investigations of the durability and behavior of electrodes made of the tested material during the processes of welding non-alloy steel sheets were carried out. As a result of the research, it was discovered that the addition of 5% tuff produces the best results in this type of composite. It was found that for the sample with a 5% share of tuff, a high softening point above 600 °C was obtained, high hardness after densification at the level of 62 HRB, and high relative density of approximately 95% and very good conductivity at the level of approximately 45 MS/m. The conducted tests did not show any electrode wear different from the commonly used alloys for resistance welding.

Development of Laser Welding and Surface Treatment of Metals

This Special Issue on Development of Laser Welding and Surface Treatment of Metals contains as many as twenty-two research articles mainly related to the application of lasers, but also on other welding processes that may be competitive to laser technologies under specific conditions. Despite the introduction of lasers for material processing in the 1960s, the continuous development of laser devices also leads to the development and expansion of laser technology applications. This Special Issue is a compendium of knowledge in the field of fusion welding, the manufacturing of surface layers and coatings with increased wear resistance and tribological characteristics, as well as corrosion resistance and the characterization of coatings and surface layers. The topics of the presented research articles include aspects related to laser welding (eight articles), especially technological conditions, the properties of different types of joints, and analytical and numerical aspects of modelling the laser heat sources. The second dominant issue concerns laser cladding and laser surface treatment of different ferrous and nonferrous metallic and composite materials (six articles). In addition, there are interesting results of the study of fusion welding under forced cooling of the deposit or underwater conditions (four articles), results on the characterization of wear resistance coating produced by different technologies that can be competitive for laser cladding (three articles), and an original study on local strengthening of the thin-walled structure by laser treatment (one article). This Special Issue provides very wide and valuable knowledge based on theoretical and empirical study in the field of laser and fusion welding, laser and related coating technologies, characterization of coatings, and wear phenomena.

Induction Heating in Underwater Wet Welding-Thermal Input, Microstructure and Diffusible Hydrogen Content

Hydrogen-assisted cracking is a major challenge in underwater wet welding of high-strength steels with a carbon equivalent larger than 0.4 wt%. In dry welding processes, post-weld heat treatment can reduce the hardness in the heat-affected zone while simultaneously lowering the diffusible hydrogen concentration in the weldment. However, common heat treatments known from atmospheric welding under dry conditions are non-applicable in the wet environment. Induction heating could make a difference since the heat is generated directly in the workpiece. In the present study, the thermal input by using a commercial induction heating system under water was characterized first. Then, the effect of an additional induction heating was examined with respect to the resulting microstructure of weldments on structural steels with different strength and composition. Moreover, the diffusible hydrogen content in weld metal was analyzed by the carrier gas hot extraction method. Post-weld induction heating could reduce the diffusible hydrogen content by −34% in 30 m simulated water depth.

Analysis of the Mixing of Filler and Base Materials in Arc-Welded Single-Bead Surface Welds Using an EDXS Method

This article deals with an analysis of mixing and determines the admixing rate of a base S355 steel plate in single-bead surface welds by measuring the chemical composition using a plane-scan energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) on metallographic cross-sections. The results show that obtaining a larger number of EDXS measurements does not necessarily lead to obtaining a more accurate admixing rate. Due to the ever-present segregations that are generally near the base material, the disadvantage of this method is the subjective influence of the SEM operator on the estimated admixing rate. To obtain relevant results, a sufficiently wide area of well-mixed melt, including segregations, must be analyzed. This study showed that by using a sufficiently large number of appropriately selected sites with a sufficiently large surface area, it is possible to estimate the admixing rate from the chemical composition with an accuracy of ≥96% for the geometrically determined admixing rate D = 30%. From several equations, the best result showed an equation which is the arithmetic mean of the two different arithmetic means and in which the artificial influencing factor of the segregations of the base material is taken into account. With this equation, the same value of admixing rate, D = 30%, was obtained using the comparative geometric method.

Metallurgy and Mechanism of Underwater Wet Cutting Using Oxidizing and Exothermic Flux-Cored Wires

This paper considers the metallurgical processes of dissociation, ionization, oxidation, deoxidation, and dissolution of oxides during underwater wet cutting. A multiphase mechanism of underwater wet cutting consisting of working and idle cycles of the electrical process in a pulsating vapor gas bubble is proposed. A model of arc penetration into metal due to metal oxidation and stabilization of the arc by the inner walls of a narrow kerf is proposed. For underwater cutting of 10 KhSND, 304L steel, CuAl5, and AlMg4.5Mn0.7 alloy, we provide a principle of modeling the phase composition of the gas mixture based on high oxygen concentration, improving ionization, enthalpy, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity of plasma through the use of a mixture of KNO₃, FeCO₃ and aluminum. The method of improving the thermophysical properties and ionization of plasma due to the exothermic effect when introducing Fe₃O₄, MoO₂, WO₂ oxides and Al, Mg, Ti deoxidizers is proposed. Although a negative effect of refractory slag was revealed, it could be removed by using the method of reducing surface tension through the ionic dissolution of refractory oxides in Na₃AlF₆ cryolite. In underwater cutting of 10 KhSND and 304L, the steel welding current was 344–402 A with a voltage of 36–39 V; in cutting of CuAl5 and AlMg4.5Mn0.7 alloy, the welding current was 360–406; 240 A, with a voltage of 35–37; 38 V, respectively, with the optimal composition of flux-cored wire: 50–60% FeCO₃ and KNO₃, 20–30% aluminum, 20% Na₃AlF₆. Application of flux-cored wires of the KNO₃-FeCO₃-Na₃AlF₆-Al system allowed stable cutting of 10KhSND, AISI 304L steels, and CuAl5 bronze with kerf width up to 2.5–4.7 mm.

Phase Structure Evolution of the Fe-Al Arc-Sprayed Coating Stimulated by Annealing

The article presents the results of research on the structural evolution of the composite Fe-Al-based coating deposited by arc spray with initial low participation of in situ intermetallic phases. The arc spraying process was carried out by simultaneously melting two different electrode wires, aluminum and low alloy steel (98.6 wt.% of Fe). The aim of the research was to reach protective coatings with a composite structure consisting of a significant participation of FexAly as intermetallic phases reinforcement. Initially, synthesis of intermetallic phases took place in situ during the spraying process. In the next step, participation of FexAly fraction was increased through the annealing process, with three temperature values, 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C. Phase structure evolution of the Fe-Al arc-sprayed coating, stimulated by annealing, has been described by means of SEM images taken with a QBSD backscattered electron detector and by XRD and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) investigations. Microhardness distribution of the investigated annealed coatings has been presented.

Effect of Welding Sequence and the Transverse Geometry of the Weld Overlay on the Distribution of Residual Stress in the Weld Overlay Repair of T23 Tubes

Water-wall tubes are important components in power plants and are used to absorb the heat from the boilers, and they often fail prematurely due to corrosion, erosion, and fatigue during service. To repair the defects, weld overlay repair is often adopted by forming a compressive stress area around the susceptible area to prevent the cracks from propagating. In order to obtain reasonable process parameters of weld overlay repair, a study combining experiments and numerical simulations was performed to investigate the welding residual stress distribution on the repaired area with different welding repair methods. The results reveal that a compressive stress area is generated on the repaired area after the repair, and a center-to-outside welding sequence is better than either a right-to-left welding sequence or an outside-to-center welding sequence when overlaying a one-layer weld; with an increase in the number of weld layers, the compressive stress area of the repaired area is expanded, and the stress level is increased, which results from the upward movement of the compressive stress area of the subsequent-overlaying layer and the superposition of the compression areas of the subsequent-overlaying layer and previous-overlaying layer, respectively. In addition, the number of the weld passes of each layer should be not less than four with the center-to-outside welding sequence.

Investigation of Welds and Heat Affected Zones in Weld Surfacing Steel Plates Taking into Account the Bead Sequence

In this paper, the experimental investigation results of the bead sequence input on geometry, structure, and hardness of surfaced layers after multi-pass weld surfacing are analyzed. Three S355 steel plates surfaced by GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) were tested with three different combinations of six beads. The geometric, structural, and hardness analysis was carried out in the cross-section of the plates in the middle of the welded layers. The dimensions of padded layers, fusion and heat-affected zone, as well as the individual padded weld were evaluated. On the basis of metallographic samples, qualitative and quantitative structure analysis was performed. Hardness measurements in surfacing welds and heat-affected zones in the tested cross-sections of the surfacing layers were carried out. A comparative analysis of structure and hardness, taking into account the thermal implications of the bead sequence, allowed for the formulation of conclusions. Comparative studies have shown differences in properties between heat-affected zones (HAZ) for individual surfacing sequences. These differences were mainly in the dimensions of the surfacing layers, the share of structural components, as well as the uniformity of hardness distributions. Finally, the most favorable sequence in terms of structure and hardness distribution, maximum hardness, and range of hardness has been indicated.

Underwater Local Cavity Welding of S460N Steel

In this paper, a comparison of the mechanical properties of high-strength low-alloy S460N steel welded joints is presented. The welded joints were made by the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process in the air environment and water, by the local cavity welding method. Welded joints were tested following the EN ISO 15614-1:2017 standard. After welding, the non-destructive—visual, penetrant, radiographic, and ultrasonic (phased array) tests were performed. In the next step, the destructive tests, as static tensile-, bending-, impact- metallographic (macroscopic and microscopic) tests, and Vickers HV10 measurements were made. The influence of weld porosity on the mechanical properties of the tested joints was also assessed. The performed tests showed that the tensile strength of the joints manufactured in water (567 MPa) could be similar to the air welded joint (570 MPa). The standard deviations from the measurements were—47 MPa in water and 33 MPa in the air. However, it was also stated that in the case of a complex state of stress, for example, bending, torsional and tensile stresses, the welding imperfections (e.g., pores) significantly decrease the properties of the welded joint. In areas characterized by porosity the tensile strength decreased to 503 MPa. Significant differences were observed for bending tests. During the bending of the underwater welded joint, a smaller bending angle broke the specimen than was the case during the air welded joint bending. Also, the toughness and hardness of joints obtained in both environments were different. The minimum toughness for specimens welded in water was 49 J (in the area characterized by high porosity) and in the air it was 125 J (with a standard deviation of 23 J). The hardness in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) for the underwater joint in the non-tempered area was above 400 HV10 (with a standard deviation of 37 HV10) and for the air joint below 300 HV10 (with a standard deviation of 17 HV10). The performed investigations showed the behavior of S460N steel, which is characterized by a high value of carbon equivalent (CeIIW) 0.464%, during local cavity welding.

Study on Hydrogen Diffusion Behavior during Welding of Heavy Plate

For the multi-layer and multi-pass welding process of the heavy plate, the hydrogen diffusion behavior was numerically simulated to study the effect of solid-state phase transition (SSPT) on the hydrogen diffusion in the thickness direction, and the influence of the residual stress-induced diffusion after SSPT. The calculation results were compared with the experimental results. The comparison shows that the distribution of hydrogen concentration in the direction of thickness was in good agreement. The position with the most severe cold cracking sensitivity was located at a 20-30 mm depth from the top surface in this article. After welding, the hydrogen concentration in this position was kept at a high level for a long time under the effect of the size-constraint effect of the heavy plate and the existence of welding residual stress gradient. In addition, the SSPT reduced the residual stress level of weld metal (WM) significantly, increased that of the heat affected zone (HAZ), and the hydrogen was redistributed under the influence of stress. In the process of phase transformation, the parameters of hydrogen diffusion property of the material changed dramatically in a short time, the hydrogen diffusion coefficient increased in order of magnitude, and the solubility decreased in order of magnitude. This directly led to the upward diffusion of hydrogen in WM, and produced a self-gathering effect. For a welded joint of heavy plate, the self-gathering effect between passes was effective in the short-range and ineffective in the long-range.

Effect of the water depth on the hydrogen content in SMAW wet welded joints

Hydrogen-induced cold cracking is a huge challenge in underwater wet welding. In the present study, the influence of water depth on the diffusible and residually stored hydrogen content is investigated for the case of underwater wet shielded metal arc welding. The welding is carried out in a simulated water depth of 5, 20, 40, and 60 m with four stick electrodes specifically developed for underwater wet welding. The influence of the welding current, the arc voltage and the electrode’s composition on the diffusible hydrogen content are considered. To obtain reproducible welding conditions, a fully automated multi-axis welding system is used inside a pressure chamber. The water depth is simulated by setting the internal pressure up to 6 bar, equivalent to 60 m water depth. A large amount of samples are analysed and statistical method are used to evaluate the results. The results show a significant reduction of the diffusible hydrogen and an increase of residual hydrogen in the joining zone with increasing water depth.

Heat Source Models in Numerical Simulations of Laser Welding

The article presents new possibilities for modifying heat source models in numerical simulations of laser welding processes conducted using VisualWeld (SYSWELD) software. Due to the different power distributions and shapes of a laser beams, it was necessary to propose a modification of heat source models and methods of defining the heat introduced into a welded material in the case of simulations of welding processes using solid-state and high-power diode lasers. A solution was proposed in the form of modification of predefined heat source models in the case of simulations of welding processes using solid-state disc lasers and high-power diode lasers (HPDL). Based on the results of metallographic tests and the acquisition of thermal cycles of real laser welding processes, the process of calibration and validation of the proposed models of heat sources depending on the type of device used as well as the obtained shapes of fusion beads was carried out. The purpose and assumptions of this approach towards creating heat sources were also reported, comparing exemplary stresses and cumulative plastic strain distributions for the calculation variant using a standard and modified heat source model.

Investigating the Advantages of Ultrasonic-assisted Welding Technique Applied in Underwater Wet Welding by in-situ X-ray Imaging Method

In this study, the effects of ultrasonic on melt pool dynamic, microstructure, and properties of underwater wet flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) joints were investigated. Ultrasonic vibration enhanced melt flow and weld pool oscillation. Grain fragmentation caused by cavitation changed microstructure morphology and decreased microstructure size. The proportion of polygonal ferrite (PF) reduced or even disappeared. The width of grain boundary ferrite (GBF) decreased from 34 to 10 μm, and the hardness increased from 204 to 276 HV. The tensile strength of the joint increased from 545 to 610 MPa, and the impact toughness increased from 65 to 71 J/mm² due to the microstructure refinement at the optimum ultrasonic power.

Underwater In Situ Local Heat Treatment by Additional Stitches for Improving the Weldability of Steel

In this paper the influence of in situ local heat treatment performed by additional stitches on the weldability of high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) S355J2C+N steel was tested. The investigated steel is characterized by high susceptibility to cold cracking. It is necessary to find a method to improve the quality of welded joints. The local heat treatment was applied as an effect of bead-on plate welding made on the face of a Tekken test joint. The specimens were made by the use of covered electrodes in the water environment. For testing weldability, Tekken test specimens were made. Then, the different number of the pad welds with different overlapping were laid on the face of the tested welds. Non-destructive (NDT) visual and penetrant tests were undertaken. During the NDT, imperfections like shape mistakes and spatters were found. Then, metallographic macro- and microscopic testing were performed. The macroscopic observations proved that water environment can generate imperfections like cracking and pores. However, for specimens with additional stitches the number of imperfections decreased. Microscopic tests proved that the proposed technique affected the structure of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). The specimens without the application of additional stitches are characterized by brittle bainitic and martensitic structure. Specimens, in which the additional stitches were applied, contain tempered martensite, fine ferrite and fine pearlite in their HAZ. It was also observed that the number of cracks decreased for in situ local heat-treatment specimens. The final step was Vickers HV10 hardness measurement. These measurements confirmed previous results. The heat from additional stitches affected the steel by significantly decreasing the hardness by 80–100 HV10. The results of experiments showed that the heat from pad welds provided microstructural changes in heat-affected zones and a decrease in the susceptibility to cold cracking, which results in improvement in the weldability of HSLA steel in wet welding conditions.

The Abrasive Wear Resistance of Coatings Manufactured on High-Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) Offshore Steel in Wet Welding Conditions

Some marine and offshore structure elements exploited in the water cannot be brought to the surface of the water as this will generate high costs, and for this reason, they require in-situ repairs. One of the repair techniques used in underwater pad welding conditions is a wet welding method. This paper presents an investigation of the abrasive wear resistance of coatings made in wet welding conditions with the use of two grades of covered electrodes—an electrode for underwater welding and a commercial general use electrode. Both electrodes were also used for manufacturing coatings in the air, which has been also tested. The Vickers HV10 hardness measurements are performed to demonstrate the correlation in abrasive wear resistance and the hardness of each specimen. The microscopic testing was performed. For both filler materials, the coatings prepared in a water environment are characterized by higher resistance to metal–mineral abrasion than coatings prepared in an air environment—0.61 vs. 0.44 for commercial usage electrode and 0.67 vs. 0.60 for underwater welding. We also proved that in the water, the abrasive wear was greater for specimens welded by the general use electrode, which results in a higher hardness of the layer surface. In the air welding conditions, the layer welded by the electrode for use in the water was characterized by a lower hardness and higher resistance to metal–mineral abrasion. The microstructure of the prepared layers is different for both the environment and both electrodes, which results in abrasive wear resistance.

Computational Techniques in Numerical simulations of arc and laser welding processes

The article presents a comparison of modern computational techniques used in numerical analyses of welding processes. The principles of the “transient” technique calculations with a moving heat source, the “macro-bead” (MBD) technique, with an imposed thermal cycle on a selected weld bead section and the “local–global” approach with shrinkage calculation technique were described. They can be used, depending on the variant chosen, both for individual, simple weld joints and those made of many beads or constructions containing dozens of welds and welded elements. Differences in the obtained results and time needed to perform calculations with four different calculation examples of single and multipass arc and laser beam welding processes were presented. The results of calculations of displacements and stresses distributions in the welded joints using various computational techniques were compared, as well as the calculation times with the described techniques. The numerical analyses in the SYSWELD software package have shown the differences between the described computational techniques, as well as an understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of using each of them. This knowledge allows preparing an efficient and fast optimization of the welding processes, often aimed at minimizing deformations in the first place, as well as detection of potential defects of both simple and complex welded structures. In general, the possibilities and flexibility of modern numerical calculation software have been presented.

Structure Investigation of Titanium Metallization Coating Deposited onto AlN Ceramics Substrate by Means of Friction Surfacing Process

The article presents selected properties of a titanium metallization coating deposited on aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics surface by means of the friction surfacing method. Its mechanism is based on the formation of a joint between the surface of an AlN ceramics substrate and a thin Ti coating, involving a kinetic energy of friction, which is directly converted into heat and delivered in a precisely defined quantity to the resulting joint. The largest effects on the final properties of the obtained coating include the high affinity of titanium for oxygen and nitrogen and a relatively high temperature for the deposition process. The titanium metallization coating was characterized in terms of surface stereometric structure, thickness, surface morphology, metallographic microstructural properties, and phase structure. The titanium coating has a thickness ranging from 3 to 7 μm. The phase structure of the coating surface (XPS investigated) is dominated by TiNxOy with the presence of TiOx, TiN, metallic Ti, and AlN. The phase structure deeper below the surface (XRD investigated) is dominated by metallic Ti with additional AlN particles originating from the ceramic substrate due to friction by titanium tools.