The Effect of Repeated Post-Weld Heat Treatment On Low-Carbon Steel ASTM A216WCB
The Effect of Repeated Post-Weld Heat Treatment On Low-Carbon Steel ASTM A216WCB
The Effect of Repeated Post-Weld Heat Treatment On Low-Carbon Steel ASTM A216WCB
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Technical Note
Abstract
The subject of this study is the effect of repeated post-weld heat treatment on valves made of low-carbon steel, ASTM
A216WCB. Post-weld heat treatment is a common technique used to alleviate detrimental stresses induced in the
vicinity of the weld as a result or the weld process. This investigation was set out to characterise the effect of such heat
treatments in the bulk material away from the weld site if carried out as part of a regular industrial maintenance routine.
By exposing the steel to varying numbers of heat treatments up to a maximum of 20 cycles and performing tensile
testing, hardness tests and metallographic analysis, it was possible to quantitatively assess the mechanical properties of
the material. The objective was to determine whether the materials properties were altered beyond the requirements of
the applicable standard for the alloy. A 3.7 C/min ramp rate and a hold temperature of 615 C 15 C were used for
each heat treatment cycle. The study found that A216WCBs hardness decreased by 6%, to 141 Hv after 20 heat
treatment cycles. Tensile tests showed that there was a decrease in yield strength of 2.98%, to 300.6, while ultimate
tensile strength fell by 6.9% to 483.3 MPa after 20 cycles. The ultimate tensile strength values were approaching those
listed in the material standard for A216WCB, whereas yield strength values were well within the minimum specified by
the standard.
Keywords
Low-carbon steel, A216WCB, post-weld heat treatment, mechanical properties, analysis of variance
Date received: 25 September 2013; accepted: 13 March 2014
Introduction
Low-carbon steels such as ASTM A216WCB are particularly suited to use in high-temperature service
components that may be fabricated or repaired with
fusion welding techniques. Often due to the nature of
the use of ASTM A216WCB, there is a need for repair
of the component. This may be achieved by using
techniques such as metal active gas welding to replace
the loss of parent material as a result of erosion
processes in elbows, Ts and valves.
The heat-aected zone (HAZ) around the weld site
will experience elevated temperatures during the welding process, which if heated above the lower critical
temperature (&723 C) can cause microstructural
changes. Furthermore, during cooling, tensile stresses
are generated in the weld material with corresponding
compressive stresses in the base material. These stresses can reach levels equal to the yield strength of the
material.1 Post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) is frequently utilised to alleviate such stresses: by heating
and holding the material below the lower critical
DArcy et al.
523
Many investigators have looked at the eects of various processing techniques on the microstrcture of
low-carbon steel810 but these steels were highly
alloyed with other elements such as chromium and
nickel. ASTM A216WCB has been previously characterised in response to a failure of a value at a
nuclear power plant.11 It was found that a soaking
temperature of 650 C for 2 h provided optimal relief
conditions for AISI 1020.12,13
This study will attempt to build on the previously
mentioned work by presenting the eects of repeated
PWHT for ASTM A216WCB. The tensile properties
of A216WCB, as calculated by the 0.2% proof stress
method, are given in its standard as14:
. Tensile strength: 485655 MPa;
. Yield strength (min): 250 MPa.
524
The initial grain size measured was 13.8 mm, and samples having undergone 20 heat treatment cycles had a
mean grain size of 14.1 mm.
The trend for hardness is easier to determine. It can
be seen from Figure 2(b) that the hardness of the
material has decreased over the 20 cycles. In fact,
the hardness decreases from initial value of 150 Hv
to 141 Hv, representing a 6% decrease.
There is a clear trend and an overall decrease in the
yield strength of 2.98% over the range of heat
Standard
Actual
(0.01)
Carbon, max
Manganese, max
Phosphorous, max
Sulphur, max
Silicon, max
Specified residual elements
Copper, max
Nickel, max
Chromium, max
Molybdenum, max
Vanadium, max
0.30
1.0
0.04
0.04
0.60
0.212
0.901
0.019
0.011
0.70
0.30
0.50
0.50
0.20
0.03
0.023
0.112
0.216
0.027
0.001
Figure 2. (a) Mean grain sizes; (b) mean hardness values; (c) mean yield strength; (d) mean UTS values. Error bars are 95%
confidence intervals.
DArcy et al.
525
Conclusions
With a decrease in yield strength and hardness, it
would be expected to indicate an increase in grain
size; however, in this case, it has been shown that
there was no signicant observable change in grain
size. A possible explanation for this would be that
the PWHT allowed recovery and some recrystallisation which has reduced the strength of the material.
The Vickers hardness values obtained proved both
accurate and statistically signicant. Hardness was
found to fall in a relatively linear manner of &6%
over 20 heat treatment cycles. Over 20 heat treatments, tensile tests veried that there was a decrease
of 2.9% in yield strength to 300.9 MPa, while UTS fell
by 6.9% to 483.3 MPa, both of which were statistically signicant. It can thus be concluded that stressrelieving heat treatments if carried out on multiple
occasions do reduce the strength and hardness of
ASTM A216WCB but not below the lower level of
the ASTM standard up to 20 cycles.
Funding
This work received nancial support from Aughinish
Alumina Ltd.
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