EUROSTEEL 2014, September 10-12, 2014, Naples, Italy

EFFECT OF HEAT MANAGEMENT ON THE MECHANICAL

PROPERTIES OF GMA-LASER HYBRID WELDED
HIGH STRENGTH FINE-GRAINED STEEL
Peter Schaumanna, Mareike Collmanna, Rabi Lahdob, Oliver Sefferb, Andr Springerb,
Stefan Kaierleb, Joerg Neumeyerc, Holger Schuelbec, Bernard Nackec
a

Institute for Steel Construction, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Germany

collmann@stahl.uni-hannover.de
b
Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Germany
c
Institute of Electrotechnology, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Germany

INTRODUCTION
Excellent strength properties and good weldability make the application of high strength finegrained steels (HSS) attractive for complex steel structures like bridges, offshore structures, railway
wagons, cranes, ships or pipelines. In combination with newly developed high-performance
welding processes like, e.g. gas metal arc (GMA)-laser hybrid welding, the quality and efficiency of
these structures can be further improved. These welding technologies have short cooling times
which can result in reduced strength and fatigue properties. By using inductive preheating as a
simultaneous heating method, a controlled temperature cycle over the entire welding process can be
obtained. In detail, this includes increasing the formability and toughness, controlling the hardness
and reducing the cooling rate to avoid cold cracks and unfavorable residual stresses.
1

INDUCTION ASSISTED GMA-LASER HYBRID WELDING

1.1 Preheating by induction

Nowadays, conventional heaters with oil and gas or electrical resistance heating are usually used for
preheating workpieces before welding. All of them employ the principle of heat transfer over the
surface. This principle has significant disadvantages and restrictions like, e.g. limited power
density, low heating speed, and environmental pollution. Thus, a long warm-up time is necessary,
and a concentrated heating of only the seam area is very difficult.
In comparison with conventional heating methods, induction heating offers many advantages,
which are mainly based on the principle of direct heating. Heat is transferred directly and without
contact into the material. The benefits are theoretically unlimited power density, short heating
times, high efficiency, easy and fast process control, low floor space need, high flexibility in
processing, and online processing. The inductor itself is the most important part of an induction
heating unit. For welding flat geometries, linear inductors are typically positioned along the welding
seam. Depending on the form of the heat treatment (preheating, postheating or annealing), different
inductor positions and inductor geometries can be used. In the investigations a perpendicularly
aligned inductor is used as a heat sources in the important area and along the weld flanks. Further
information on design and principle of inductive preheating for welded joints can be taken from
Neumeyer [1].
1.2 GMA-laser hybrid welding
The GMA-laser hybrid welding process combines GMA welding and laser beam welding in one
common molten zone [2], combining the advantages of both welding processes. The laser beam
welding provides a high welding speed or penetration depth, a small heat affected zone (HAZ) and
a low welding distortion, due to the high intensity of the laser radiation. The benefits of GMA
welding are a good ability to bridge gaps and edge offsets, as well as alloying of the elements using
filler wire. This combination of welding processes can be used for gaps of up to 0.4 mm, and edge
offsets of up to 2 mm, using a welding speed of 1.2 m/min for a pipeline steel X70 with a thickness
of 23 mm [3]. For joining heavy structures, the GMA-laser hybrid welding process offers
advantages regarding the production time and the consumption of filler wire material as compared
to conventional arc welding processes, e.g. submerged arc welding.

1.3 Experimental setup, materials, and parameters

For the development of the welding process a solid state laser with a maximum laser beam power of
6 kW was used. Furthermore, the experimental setup was provided with a welding current source,
which was characterized by a maximum current value of 550 A. The shielding gas was a mixture of
82 % argon and 18 % CO2 according to DIN EN ISO 14175. Before the preheating process takes
place, a separate laser welding process is used to bond the edges of the workpieces. For the
preheating process, an induction generator with a maximum power of 40 kW and an inductor with
measurements of 40 mm x 30 mm (active zone) were used. The welding process was operated as
butt joint in flat position (PA). Fig. 1 illustrates the laser processing head, the GMA torch, the
inductor and the workpiece.

laser processing head

inductor
GMA torch
welding
direction

workpiece

Fig. 1. Experimental setup with inductor, GMA torch, laser processing head and workpiece
Table 1. Mechanical properties of the investigated base materials
CEV1

S700, t = 10 mm
X70, t = 13.2 mm
S690, t = 15mm

(%)
0.41
0.32
0.48

Carbon
content
(%)
0.06
0.03
0.13

Yield
strength fy
(MPa)
751
528
755

Ultimate
strength fu
(MPa)
816
564
805

Hardness
(HV1)
290
190
270

Impact
toughness
(J)
84
460
61

Filler
material2
CrNiMo
NiMo
CrNiMo

according to IIW; 2according to DIN EN ISO 14175:2008-06

Table 2. Determined welding parameters

S700, t = 10 mm
X70, t = 13.2 mm
S690, t = 15 mm

Welding
speed
(m/min)
2.3 2.5
1.91 2.02,3
1.5

Wire feed
rate
(m/min)
13
2,3
12.5 13.51
10

Edge
Energy per unit
preparation
length
(-)
(kJ/mm)
10Y2-3mm 0.35 0.38
10Y5mm
0.40 0.50
10Y8mm
0.60 0.70

Preheating temperature
at top / root
(C)
170 / 1402; 300 / 2503
140 / 1202; 250 / 2003
150 / 1302; 280 / 2203

no preheating; using an inductive power of 220 kW and 340 kW

Table 1 summarizes the mechanical properties of the investigated steels according to their inception
certificates. The development of the welding process was performed in dependence on the steel
grade, the preheating temperature and the material thickness. A constant laser beam power of
Plaser = 6 kW was used. It was possible to achieve high quality welds within one layer for all
investigated material thicknesses from 10 mm to 15 mm. Table 2 lists the determined welding
parameters.
2

EFFECTS OF PREHEATING AND WELDING ON THE MECHANICAL

PROPERTIES

The application of HSS is connected with a proper heat management, which means the correct
balance between preheating and postheating processes and welding energy per unit length. This is

not only necessary to avoid hydrogen-induced cold cracking, but also to preserve the fine-grained
microstructure necessary for excellent strength and toughness properties.
2.1 Characteristics of the cooling time t8/5
Local, concentrated heat input during welding is characterised by high temperature gradients for
heating up and cooling down. The temperature-time courses vary, depending on the welding
conditions. Parameters with the highest influence on the result are the welding procedure and
welding parameters, the preheating temperature, the plate thickness and the weld form.
For structural steel, thermal cycles with the highest peak temperature lead to the worst mechanical
properties in the weld metal and in the heat affected zone. According to Degenkolbe et al. [4]
experience has shown that defining the cooling phase as the time range between 800C and 500C
as a single parameter t8/5 is sufficient to characterise the welding thermal cycles. Thermocouples of
type K, = 0.25 mm were applied at various distances to the weld, in order to measure the thermal
cycles during welding. Table 3 shows the summary of cooling times t8/5 and maximum hardness
values in the HAZ for different welding parameters and preheating temperatures. It is important to
note that the developed induction assisted GMA-laser hybrid welding process still has low cooling
times t8/5 in comparison to conventionally applied arc welding, where cooling times lie in a range of
10 up to 25 s[4]. However, an increased preheating temperature has a positive effect in increasing
cooling time t8/5 and decreasing hardness at the HAZ. For the material S700, the hardness in the
HAZ and weld metal is lower than the value of the base material of 290 HV1. This might indicate
coarse grain growth due to high heat input of preheating and welding.
Table 3. Measured cooling times t8/5 and hardness for different preheating temperatures
Energy per
unit length
(kJ/mm)
S700,
t = 10 mm
X70,
t = 13.2 mm
S690,
t = 15 mm

0.4
0.4 - 0.5
0.6 - 0.7

Cooling time t8/5

(s)
no
medium
preheating
preheating1
1.3
1.1
(T0 = 150C)
2.6
1.6
(T0 = 130C)
3.1
2.3
(T0 = 150C)

high
preheating2
1.7
(T0 = 270C)
3.7
(T0 = 200C)
4.5
(T0 = 250C)

Hardness HV1 (HAZ) at top / root

(HV1)
no
medium
high
preheating preheating1 preheating2
265 / 260

255 / 255

255 / 255

240 / 230

220 / 220

210 / 190

430 / 440

425 / 420

427 / 415

by using an inductive power of 20 kW and 240 kW

2.2 Influence of welding on the mechanical properties

In addition to efficient manufacturing and high weld quality, the mechanical properties regarding
ultimate and fatigue resistance as well as ductility are an important criteria to evaluate in the weld
seam, as well as the practical application of this welding process. Thus, the welding tests on S700
(t = 10 mm), and X70 (t = 13.2 mm), were accompanied by tensile and Charpy impact tests. By
varying the induction power, the effect of different preheating temperatures on the mechanical
qualities was investigated.
The main statement of tensile tests on weld seams is that as far as possible, the seam should not fail
directly in the weld. If the total rupture is in the base material the joint fulfils the normative
regulations e.g. according to DIN EN ISO 4136. For the test series of steel X70 and also S690, the
preheating temperatures did not influence the ultimate strength of the component. Failure was in the
base material, and also the elongation at the break was almost the same for each tensile test,
independent of the preheating temperature. The testing results for S700 were different. Plastic
deformability showed a high sensitivity to increased preheating temperatures. The location of
failure moved from the base material to the HAZ, and the elongation at the break was reduced
significantly by about 50 % compared to non-preheated specimens, see also Fig. 4. The failure was
due to minor deformation and showed more or less brittle behavior. This also corresponds with the
results of evaluated hardness, see Table 3.

1000
base material S700

900

stress (MPa)

800
700
40 kW

600
500

20 kW

400
300

0 kW

200

10 kW

100
0
0

10

20
strain (%)

30

Fig. 2. S700, t = 10 mm, stress strain diagram for different preheating temperatures (strain bases on the initial
extensometer length of 50 mm) (left) and location of fracture and fracture surfaces (right)

According to ISO 148 for the Charpy impact test, standard specimen sizes
(10 mm 10 mm 55 mm) were used for testing X70, and subsize specimens
(10 mm 7.5 mm 55 mm) for S700. Due to the narrow width of the heat affected zone, the
V-notched specimen was positioned at the middle axis of the weld. Two testing temperatures,
T1 = -20C and T2 = -40C were investigated. The impact energy as a means of three tests, and the
minimum of each test series are summarized in Table 4. For the series S700 an increasing impact
energy with increasing preheating temperatures can be seen. Contrary to these results, the X70
series shows a tendency of decreasing impact energies with increasing preheating temperature.
Table 4. Results of the Charpy impact test
0 kW
1

S700 ,
t = 10 mm
X70,
t = 13,2 mm

mean (J)
min (J)
mean (J)
min (J)

-20C
38
28
243
206

-40C
20
18
224
178

20 kW
-20 C
40
37
215
199

-40C
21
16
180
157

30 kW
-20 C
78
59
-

40 kW

-40C
32
28
-

-20 C
178
169

-40C
168
120

results of subsize specimen

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE PREHEATING AND WELDING PROCESS

3.1 Finite element-model

For mapping the inductive assisted GMA-laser hybrid welding, the simulation of the inductive
preheating and welding process were merged into one common simulation.
First, the temperature field of induction was calculated. The resulting node temperatures were read
out behind the inductor at an intersection in a distance of 80 mm. This data served as input for the
welding simulation. Due to different meshed models, mapping was necessary. Simulations were
carried out with the FE-program system ANSYS.
3.2 Simulation of preheating
In order to describe inductive preheating numerically and to consider the particular temperature
dependencies, an electromagnetical-thermal coupled transient simulation is necessary. The
simulation model considers different properties of the seam and calculates the resulting current
densities inside the workpiece. To verify the numerical results, physical experiments were also
executed. The temperature distribution was recorded by IR-camera and by measurements with
thermocouples. The latter results are shown in Fig. 3, on the left.
To optimize the induction heating process investigations, a numerical model and calculated
parametric studies were done. Especially the geometric and the electric conditions were analyzed to
achieve the best parameter set for the induction heating system, and therefore for the whole welding

process. Depending on the speed and the power of the induction heating, different maximum
temperatures and temperature distributions occured. The results from the numerical model and the
experimental investigations show that the perpendicular direction of the inductor and its electric and
geometric parameters enable an exact regulation of the temperature profile for the following hybrid
welding process. And it also involves higher welding speeds especially for thick steel sheets [5]. In
Fig. 3 the induction heating process for the final process parameters is shown on the right.
500
450

TE1_30

TE2_30

TE3_30

Temperature
[C]
Temperatur[C]

400
350
300
250

200

10 mm

150

2 3

100

3 mm

50
0
0

10

15

20

25

Time Zeit(nachInduktor)[s]
after induction heating [sec]

Fig. 3. Thermocouple measurement of the induction heating process (left) and simulated temperature distribution in one
half of the workpiece below and behind the inductor (right)

3.3 Simulation of the GMA-laser hybrid welding

According to Goldak et al. [6], simulation of welding can be divided into three parts: process,
microstructural and structural simulation. The results of these sub-simulations depend on each
other, and interact to solve the global problem. The distribution of the heat input into the weld is
very important in predicting an accurate molten pool size and shape. The local heat input of the
GMA-laser hybrid welding process is substituted by a double ellipsoid heat source model according
to Goldak in combination with a three-dimensional conical heat source model as mentioned by Wu
et al. [7]. The former model is widely used for modeling arc welding; the second one is preferred
for beam welding processes.

Fig. 4. Temperature-time curves for simulated and measured temperatures (X70, t = 13.2 mm, preheating 20 kW,
energy per unit length 4.4 kJ/cm) (left) and (right) simulated cooling times and resulting hardness distribution for X70,
t = 13.2 mm according equations set by Frank [9]

The input parameters were derived from the molten pool dimensions, and the distance between arc
and beam welding process. In order to modify measured and simulated temperatures, the thermal
efficiency of the welding processes were varied. The achieved agreement between simulation and
measurement can be regarded as good. An exemplary comparison of the temperature-time courses
can be seen in Fig. 4 on the left.

3.4 Derived mechanical properties

Together with the chemical composition of the base and filler wire materials, the cooling time t8/5
can be used to gather information on the mechanical properties of the weld seam. Hardness values,
ultimate and yield strength as well as impact toughness are summarised for different steel grades in
Seyffarth et al. [8]. Empirically based equations also offer the possibility for estimating strength
properties and hardness [9]. These equations were implemented in algorithm to post-process the
simulated temperature field. As an assumption the same chemical composition of filler and base
material is taken into account. The results for the cooling time t8/5 and derived hardness are shown
in Fig. 4 on the right.
4

SUMMARY

The developments of the preheating and GMA-laser hybrid welding in one process lead to high
quality welded joints for the steel grades S700, X70 and S690 in a material thickness range from 10
to 15 mm, so that the potential use of this technology could be demonstrated. The effect of various
preheating temperatures on the cooling down periods and the mechanical properties are shown
using temperature measurements, as well as tensile, notched-bar impact and hardness tests. The
effect of preheating on the mechanical properties differs for the investigated steel grades, and must
be evaluated as the case arises. For a deeper process understanding, the test results were used to
validate numerical models which connect the simulation of inductive preheating and GMA-laserhybrid welding in one holistic FE-model.
5

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The experiments were carried out in the course of the research project DOVOR with IGFNo. 16600 N, commissioned by the German Association for Steel Application (FOSTA). This
project was funded by the German Ministry for Economics and Technology (BMWi) and supported
by the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations Otto von Guericke e.V. (AiF). The
authors would like to express their gratitude for financing this project.
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