The Effects of Filler Metal Transformation Temperature on Residual Stresses in a High Strength Steel Weld

Abstract

Residual stress in the vicinity of a weld can have a large influence on structural integrity. Here the extent to which the martensite-start temperature of the weld filler metal can be adjusted to engineer the residual stress distribution in a bainitic-martensitic steel weld was investigated. Three single-pass groove welds were deposited by manual-metal-arc welding on 12 mm thick steel plates using filler metals designed to have different martensite-start temperatures. Their longitudinal, transverse, and normal residual stress distributions were then characterized across the weld cross section by neutron diffraction. It was found that tensile stresses along the welding direction can be reduced or even replaced with compressive stresses if the transformation temperature is lowered sufficiently. The results are interpreted in the context of designing better welding consumables.