To improve ductility of the welded joint of B-added austenitic stainless steels, postweld annealing effect has been studied. Gas Tungsten Arc (GTA) welds of AISI 304-B3 stainless steel plates were annealed either at 700--1100~ for l hour or at 1100~ and 1200~ for l--7 hours. Bending test of the welds in as-welded and annealed conditions resulted in cracks propagated along the welds' fusion line except the one annealed at 1200"C, which revealed no cracks. Tensile elongations of the as-welded and annealed welds at the temperature up to 1000oC were only a half value of the base metal, whereas the welds annealed at 1200~ had fully recovered the original elongation of the base metal. Charpy impact test result exhibited the same tendency with annealing temperature. Elongated and accicular morphology of F-(Cr, Fe)2B eutectic phase at the Partially Melted Heat Affected Zone (P.M.HAZ) of welds seemed to be responsible for the poor ductility of the welds. The welds annealed at 1200~ for various durations, on the other hand, showed fully spheroidized eutectic phases at the P.MHAZ with its size increased with annealing durations, suggesting that postweld annealing at the temperature as high as 1200~ is required for the welds to have ductility matching that of base metal.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.