Hydrogen Embrittlement Susceptibility of Gas Metal Arc Welded Joints from a High‐Strength Low‐Alloy Steel Grade S690QL

Abstract

Herein, the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility of base material and gas metal arc welds from a high‐strength low‐alloy steel grade S690QL by slow strain rate test (SSRT) with in situ hydrogen charging is investigated. To investigate the influence of welding process parameters on the HE susceptibility of welded joints, gas metal arc welds in multilayer technique with two different heat inputs are conducted. The results reveal a considerable loss of fracture elongation for all hydrogen‐charged specimens when compared with the uncharged reference conditions. If the higher heat input is chosen, the required minimum yield strength in the weld metal (WM) is not achieved. It is remarkable that this WM also revealed increased HE susceptibility as measured by the relative elongation loss, despite its higher ductility associated with the lower strength level. In combination with hydrogen measurements and fracture surface analysis, the crack propagation mechanisms and related HE mechanisms are intensively discussed.

Corrosion behavior of the high‐strength low alloy steel welded joint in natural seawater

“…[1,2] The use of HSLA steels in welded structures can significantly reduce the consumption of resources and production costs. [3] Many studies focused on the development of high-performance welding consumables, new welding processes and welding parameter adjustment in pursuit of optimal mechanical properties of HSLA welded joints. [4] Lan et al analyzed the influence of microstructure aspects on the impact toughness of weld metal (WM) and heat-affected zone (HAZ) with different heat inputs to optimize the welding system of HSLA welded joint.…”

“…[ 2 ] Christ et al have found the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of gas metal arc welded joints from a HSLA steel grade S690QL. [ 3 ] Zhu et al have found that the microstructural variations along WM, HAZ, and BM caused galvanic corrosion in the welded sample. [ 9 ] Wint et al have investigated the corrosion behavior of a HSLA welded joint in 0.017 M NaCl solution.…”