IWT Course Material

Module 2 Materials and Their Behaviour During Welding 2.10 - Thermomechanically treated steels

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Common properties of all fine grained steels:

Relativaly low C content 0.20% Limited no. of alloying elements. Fine grain size Good hardenablility

Fine grained steels have been developed with yields 275-700 MPa with high toughness, resistance to brittle fracture and good weldability but with significantly less C than other normalised or Q & T fine grained steels. Achieved by thermomechanical treatment. C < 0.20%.Fine grain, with precipitation hardening by microalloying with Nb, Ti,V.

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Full strength attained through reformation of grains and hardening, transformation, and recrystallisation occur one after another and partly simultaneously- optimise this process to achieve optimised material properties Thermomechanical treatment sequence of deformation and heat treatment. For TMCP steels, the mechanical properties are determined primarily by a combination of mechanical working, recovery processes, recrystallisation, and grain growth. The mechanical properties introduced to the steel through this processing route are virtually equivalent to those obtained by heat treating conventionally rolled or forged steel. TMCP involves controlled hot working and microalloyed steel compositions.

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The rough steel section is heated to a temperature regularly used for hot working operations (about 1200C). The initial hot working ("roughing") is carried out in a normal fashion, but the final hot work reduction or "finishing pass" is carried out at a lower temperature than would be used for older processes. Plastic deformation at this lower temperature promotes fine grain sizes and retards precipitation. The final hot working may continue down to temperatures below the A3 critical temperature (transformation from austenite to ferrite).

This requires heavy rolling equipment capable of deforming the steel at low hot working temperatures.
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The optimum precipitate size and dispersion is obtained when the finish rolling temperature is around 775C. The cooling which follows brings the steel to the transformation temperature range, and the austenite to ferrite transformation results in fine ferrite grains and fine dispersed precipitates. For some TMCP steels, this last stage of cooling, during which transformation is completed, is accelerated by water cooling, to give a finer grain size. Accelerated cooling can sometimes result in bainite formation as well as, or instead of ferrite formation.

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Examples are the Domex steels. Relatively low loss of hardness max. 20 HV10 & loss of strength in HAZ. Choice of consumables based on matching properties of the base metal. TMCP steels (Thermo-Mechanically Controlled Processing).

For a given strength level, a TMCP steel will have a lower alloy content than a normalised steel, and thus will be more readily weldable with regard to avoidance of HAZ HIC, and achievement of maximum hardness limits. Heat affected zone fracture toughness properties are generally better in TMCP steels than normalised steels and adequate fracture toughness can often be obtained up to higher heat inputs.

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There will be some degree of softening in the HAZs of TMCP steels after welding. Reduction in joint strength, is unusual in those that have not had accelerated cooling as part of the manufacturing process. TMCP steels that have been manufactured using an accelerated cooling method to achieve the desired properties are not generally resistant to high heat inputs, & a degradation of properties can occur on welding.

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Cooling rate in the weld region may be slower than that of production. In these steels it is important that the cooling rate is high, so that the grain size of the weld & HAZ can be maintained to give the desired properties. This is achieved by the use of moderately low heat input levels, typically 2.5 kJ/mm for 15 mm plate in these steels.

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