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Welding Inspection

Heat Treatments
Course Reference WIS 5

Heat Treatment of Steels


All heat treatments are basically cycles of three elements

Heating
Holding (soaking)
Cooling
Post weld heat treatments are used to change the properties of
the weld metal, controlling the formation of structures
Pre heat treatments are used basically to increase weldabilty,
control expansion and contraction forces during welding.

Heat Treatments
The relevant variables for heat treatment process, which
must be carefully controlled are as follows.

The heating rate


Temperature attained
The time at the attained
temperature (soak time)
Cooling rate

Heat Treatment of Steels


The basic heat treatments are:

Annealing

Normalising

Hardening

Tempering

Stress relieving

Pre-heating

The method of applying the heat to the material may vary from
procedure to procedure. e.g flame, electrical resistance and
furnaces

Heat Treatments
Annealing
Temperature:
Temperature 920oC hold for sufficient time
Cooling:
Cooling Furnace cool to 650oC then cool down in air
Result:
Result Produces a very soft, low hardness material
suitable for cold working or machining operations.
Decreases toughness and lowers yield stress
Normalising
Temperature: 920oC hold for sufficient time
Cooling: Slow cool in air
Result: Relieves internal stresses improves mechanical
properties and increases toughness, grain refinement.

Heat Treatments
Quench Harden
Temperature:
Temperature 920oC hold for sufficient time
Cooling:
Cooling Fast cool, quench in water, oil.
Result:
Result Hardens carbon steels. After this
treatment the material is very hard and highly
stressed. The material is brittle but with high
tensile strength.
Tempering
Temperature: 250 to 680oC hold for sufficient
time
Cooling:
Cooling Slow cool in air
Result:
Result Relieves residual stresses improves
mechanical properties and increases
toughness, may also be used to reduce
hydrogen levels

Heat Treatments
Stress Relief
Temperature:
Temperature 550 to 680oC hold for sufficient time
Cooling:
Cooling Slow cool in air.
Result:
Result Relieves residual stresses improves mechanical
properties and increases toughness, may also be used to
reduce hydrogen levels
Post Hydrogen Release
Temperature: Approximately 250oC hold up to 10 hours
Cooling:
Cooling Slow cool in air
Result:
Result Relieves residual hydrogen

Pre Heat
We can preheat metals and alloys when welding for a
number of reasons. Primarily we use most pre-heats to
achieve one or more of the following:
1. To control the structure of the weld metal and HAZ on
cooling
2. To improve the diffusion of gas molecules through an
atomic structure.
3. To control the effects of expansion and contraction.
Preheat controls the formation of un-desirable microstructures that
are produced from rapid cooling of certain types of steels.
Martensite is an undesirable grain structure very hard and brittle it
is produced by rapid cooling form the austenite region.

Pre Heat
Preheat temperatures are arrived by taking into
consideration the following:

The heat input


The carbon equivalent (CE)
The combined material thickness
The hydrogen scale required (A, B, C, D)

Pre Heat Comparison Chart


200

Combined material thickness

180
160

175

150

125

100

75

50 20

140
120
100
80
60
40

20

0.43 0.45 0.47 0.53 0.55

0
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Heat input

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Pre Heat
Advantages of preheat
Slows down the cooling rate, which reduces the risk of
hardening
Allows absorbed hydrogen a better opportunity of
diffusing out, thereby reducing the risk of cracking
Removes moisture from the material being welded
Improves overall fusion characteristics
Lowers stresses between the weld metal and parent
material by ensuring a more uniform expansion and
contraction

Methods of Measuring Pre Heat


Temperature indicating crayons (Tempil sticks)
Thermocouples or touch pyrometers
At intervals along of around the joint to be welded
The number of measurements taken must allow the inspector
to be confident that the required temperature has been
reached
In certain cases the preheat must be maintained a certain
distance back from the joint faces
If a gas flame is being used for preheat application the
temperature should be taken form the opposite side to the
heat source
If this is not possible time must be allowed before taking the
preheat temperature e.g 2 mins for 25mm thickness

Questions
QU 1. How can the levels of hardness be controlled in the
HAZ?
QU 2. What is the maximum recommended heat treatment
temperature for steel weldments?, state which heat
treatments may be considered when maximum toughness
is required
QU 3. What are the four main considerations for determining
preheat temperatures, and as a welding inspector which
factors require inspection when applying pre-heat to a
carbon steel joint to be welded?
QU 4. What factors need to be checked/controlled during a heat
treatment process
QU 5. Which heat treatment process is required when maximum
ductility is required for example for extensive cold working
operations.

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