Quantification of Residual Stress Relief by Heat Treatments in Austenitic Cladded Layers

Abstract

The effect of the heat treatment on the residual stresses of welded cladded steel samples is analyzed in this study. The residual stresses across the plate’s square sections were determined using complementary methods; applying diffraction with neutron radiation and mechanically using the contour method. The analysis of the large coarse grain austenitic cladded layers, at the feasibility limits of diffraction methods, was only made possible by applying both methods. The samples are composed of steel plates, coated on one of the faces with stainless steel filler metals, this coating process, usually known as cladding, was carried out by submerged arc welding. After cladding, the samples were submitted to two different heat treatments with dissimilar parameters: one at a temperature of 620 °C maintained for 1 h and, the second at 540 °C, for ten hours. There was some difference in residual stresses measured by the two techniques along the surface of the coating in the as-welded state, although they are similar at the welding interface and in the heat-affected zone. The results also show that there is a residual stress relaxation for both heat-treated samples. The heat treatment carried out at a higher temperature showed sometimes more than 50% reduction in the initial residual stress values and has the advantage of being less time consuming, giving it an industrial advantage and making it more viable economically.

Experimental Study on the Process of Submerged Arc Welding for Nickel-Based WC Flux-Cored Wire on Descaling Roll

“…Descaling roll is a key component of steel rolling production, which is prone to wear and corrosion failure due to high pressure water erosion, billet dynamic impact and high temperature wear for a long time [1,2]. It is necessary to build a protective layer on the descaling roll surface for strengthening treatment to improve the service life for the descaling roll to meet the needs of low cost and high-quality rolling production [3,4].…”