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https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-020-01035-6

RESEARCH PAPER

Hot cracking tendency of flux-cored arc welding with flux-cored wires

of types Ni 6625
Stefan Burger 1 & Manuela Zinke 1 & Sven Jüttner 1

Received: 31 July 2020 / Accepted: 21 November 2020

# The Author(s) 2021

Abstract
Due to their mechanical and corrosive properties, nickel-based alloys are very important in several industrial sectors like power
stations, chemical apparatus, and the oil industry. While flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) of carbon steels often uses flux-cored
wires (FCW), the use of Ni-based flux-cored wires is industrially less common. The reasons for this include the lower degree of
recognition and the higher material costs compared to solid wires. In comparison to solid wires, flux-cored wires have some
technological benefits such as the possibility of welding without pulsed arc technology using low-cost standard mixed gases,
which has a much lower tendency to weld defects due to high penetration depth. Depending on the slag, the flux-cored wires have
a good weldability and excellent mechanical properties. Based on the self-stressed and externally stressed hot crack tests, the
basic FCW showed a higher hot cracking susceptibility, contrary to the original assumption. Even if the causes have not yet been
finally clarified, a negative influence of the comparatively high sulfur and oxygen contents in the basic FCW is suspected. The
weld metal of the solid wires showed the highest hot crack resistance.

Keywords Hot crack . Nickel alloys . Flux-cored wires . Weldability tests

1 Introduction morphology of the segregations and low melting phases influ-

ence the hot cracking. Consequently, a high number of pollut-
Welding of nickel-based alloys is often problematic because of ing elements increase the risk of hot cracking. However, inclu-
their sensitivity to the occurrence of hot cracks and lack of sions in the material can also have a favorable effect on the
fusion in the welds [1, 2]. The hot cracking behavior is known morphology of the grain boundary films and on the grain size.
to be influenced by three factors metallurgy, welding method, A finer solidification structure and the transition from film to
and structural mechanics [3]. The metallurgical causes of the the globular form of the unwanted contaminants may even
high susceptibility of segregation-induced hot cracks are mainly increase the hot crack resistance in some cases [4–6].
the low solubility and diffusion rate of polluting elements such Other reasons for the high hot crack sensitivity of Ni-based
as sulfur, phosphorus, and boron in the face-centered cubic alloys are:
lattice structure of the Ni-based alloys. The quantity and
& The high thermal expansion with low thermal conductiv-
ity, which results in larger strain and shrinkage reactions in
Recommended for publication by Commission II - Arc Welding and
Filler Metals the temperature range of hot cracking [7],
& The mostly cellular solidification of the weld metal, which sup-
* Stefan Burger ports the formation of segregation-induced hot cracks [4], and
[email protected] & Low ductility at high temperatures, which results in higher
thermal stresses [8].
Manuela Zinke
[email protected] Other typical weld imperfections of Ni-based alloys are
Sven Jüttner lack of fusion or porosities. The lack of fusion occurs because
[email protected] of the very viscous melt and the associated awkward flow and
1
wetting behavior. A sufficiently high temperature at the weld
Institute of Materials and Joining Technology, Otto von Guericke
University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
flanks has a favorable effect here [9].
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The approaches to avoid hot cracking result from the investigation, rutile FCW from two different manufacturers
abovementioned influencing factors. From a metallurgical point are used, which are marked following with P* and P**.
of view, the degree of purity of Ni-based alloys is said to have a The welding investigations were carried out with two in-
significant effect on the material and welding properties and thus verter welding power sources with the following conditions:
on the hot cracking tendency [10, 11]. With the use of basic flux-
cored wires, hot crack supporting elements such as sulfur, phos- & FCAW: spray arc, standard shielding gas ISO 14175 -
phorus, and boron react with slag and can be reduced [12, 13, M21 (Ar + 18% CO2)
17]. Furthermore, basic flux-cored wires should bring significant & GMAW pulsed arc, multi-component shielding gas ISO
benefits compared to rutile slag due to deoxidizing effects. Thus, 14175 - Z (Ar + 30% He +2% H2 + 0.05% CO2)
in the literature, a lower oxygen content in the weld metal of
basic flux-cored wires is mentioned resulting in less oxidic in- The used welding parameters are based on the setting rec-
clusions and better mechanical properties. ommendations of the respective manufacturer (Table 2).
Flux-cored wires were standardized in ISO 12153 [14]. In
comparison to solid wires, flux-cored wires have some tech-
nological benefits. In the literature [9, 15–19], these include a 2.2 Characterization of flux-cored wires
simple handling for welders, high welding process stability
even without pulsed arc technology, a large parameter win- In the first step, a fundamental material science examination of
dow, the use of low-cost standard mixed gases (M21) and the FCW was carried out by using several test methods. To
welding power sources, a very low weld oxidation, and deep determine the chemical composition of the strips and to iden-
penetration. For GMAW with solid wires, special argon and tify the filling components, an X-ray fluorescence analysis
helium multi-component mixed gases are used which contain and an EDX analysis were used at cross sections. The disad-
hydrogen (max. 2%) and a low CO2 addition of 0.05%. The vantage of this method is that individual filling components
welding of the basic FCW is carried out as in the case of the may have fallen out during the preparation of the specimens.
solid wires, preferably in the position of 1F/1G, 2F. In con- Figure 1 shows the procedure of the EDX analysis.
trast, the slowly solidifying rutile slag with the letter R allows In order to estimate the welding metallurgical processes
welding in the position 1F/1G, 2F, and 2G and in vertical during GMAW welding, it is important to investigate the
positions 3G/5G. With the fast solidifying rutile slag with shielding gas and slag reactions. With the aim of characteriz-
the letter P, it is possible to weld in all positions. ing the burning lost and pickup behavior in a comparative
This paper shall inform about research results about the hot manner, pure weld metal specimens were prepared as follows:
cracking tendency on gas-shielded arc welding with Ni-based
flux-cored wires of the type Ni 6625 with basic and rutile slag. & GTAW remelting of the filler metals using button-melt
In connection with the tendency to hot cracking, the influence technique and
of the slag characteristic on the metallurgical processes such & GMAW and FCAW of 6-layer deposit welds according to
as loss or addition of alloying elements is considered. These method D to ISO 6847 [20]
results will also be contrasted with the results of pulsed
GMAW with similar solid wires. The experimental principle of the button-melt technique is
described in [21]. For this investigation, electrode pieces are
remelted to buttons in a furnace with an inert Ar atmosphere
by using an arc. In the case of FCW, the melting process must
2 Methodology be repeated several times due to slag formation, whereas one
melting process is enough for solid wires. The 6-layer deposit
2.1 Materials and welding process welds were produced using shielding gases (M21 and Z) as
mentioned above. The determination of chemical composi-
Table 1 gives a detailed overview of the used Ni-based filler tions of buttons and pure weld metal samples was performed
and base materials and their dimensions. In the context of this by spectral analysis. In addition, the contents of oxygen,

Table 1 Overview of used base

materials and filler metals (Ø 1.2 Base materials Alloy short FCW Solid wire
mm)
(t = 5 or 12 mm) Numerical Chemical Basic B Rutile P

NiCr22Mo9Nb Ni 6625 NiCr22Mo9Nb X X X

alloy 625 (2.4856)
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Table 2 Used welding parameters for deposit welds and steep-flanked single-V butt joint

Type of arc Torch angle CTWD Gas flow rate Wire feed rate Average voltage Weld speed Average current Heat input
mm l/min m/min V m/min A kJ/mm

FCAW Spray arc Pull technique 15 18 10.0 28.0–32.0 0.5–0.6 170–220 < 0.8
GMAW Pulsed arc Push technique 15 18 8.0 30.0–33.0 0.5–0.6 150–160 < 0.8

nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur of pure weld metal samples were at which the first hot crack occurs corresponds to the critical
measured using the gas fusion analysis (GFA). The slag of the deformation speed and is directly related to the critical strain
buttons was also analyzed with EDX. Therefore, the slag of rate postulated by Prokhorov’s hot crack theory [24].
buttons had to be fixed on the sample holder with a self- Generally, the higher the critical deformation speed is, the
adhesive carbon pad (Fig. 1b). greater the hot crack resistance.
In order to determine the mass-related filling degrees, the In our investigations, the PVR test was done in two mod-
filling was mechanically separated from the strip and then ified variants highlighted in Fig. 2. In the first variant, a single
weighed. The degree of filling was then calculated as the GMAW bead was welded into a notch machined in a 5-mm-
quotient of the weight of the filling and the total mass of the thick sheet of alloy 625. With this variant, only a comparison
filler metal. Similarly, the electrode efficiency results from the of the FCW with each other makes sense because, despite
quotient of the mass of the flux-cored wire and the mass of the constant welding parameters, different heat input per length
weld metal. For this purpose, 20 g of untreated filler metal was unit can occur. The reasons are different specific material re-
remelted using the button-melt technique. After the slag was sistances of FCW as a result of the differences in the propor-
carefully removed from the button, the difference in mass tions of the metallic strip and in the filling components. With
could be determined. the aim of constant welding parameters and minimized pro-
cess influence, the PVR test was carried out by GTAW
2.3 Evaluation of the hot cracking sensitivity remelting of pure weld metal according to ISO 15792-1 [25]
of all welding consumables. The advantage of the second
The evaluation of the hot cracking tendency of the used variant is that only the influence of the chemical composition
welding consumables was carried out by using several of the weld metal on the hot cracking tendency is investigated.
methods on the basis of externally stressed and self-stressed Table 3 lists the welding parameters and the sample
welded specimens. The programmed deformation rate test dimensions.
(German: PVR test), whose test principle is described in detail In addition to the PVR test, all welds were tested for hot
in [22, 23], was used as an externally stressed hot cracking cracks as self-stressed samples shown in Fig. 3. Due to the
test. During the PVR test, the welding is overlaid by a linearly partially adheres slag, no penetrant testing is useful for the
increasing tensile deformation of a flat tensile sample in the FCW welds. For this reason, the cross sections were examined
longitudinal weld direction. The location on the PVR sample for hot cracks in a polished condition. With the aim of a better

Fig. 1 Procedure of the EDX analyses at the flux-cored wires (a) spot analysis of different filling components at the cross section, (b) area analysis (100 ×
100 [μm]) of prepared slag
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Fig. 2 Variants of the PVR test: single FCAW weld-bead (a, variant 1) and GTAW remelting of the pure weld metal (b, variant 2)

visualization of the hot cracks, a penetration test was first cross sections up to a × 500 magnification. The oxidic inclu-
carried out on the cross sections. The number of cracks sions were recorded at five different locations within the weld
(NHC) and lengths was then determined by a stereomicro- metal. The oxidic inclusions were often visible even at × 250
scope. Then, the crack lengths were summed up and related magnification. An excitation voltage of 25 kV was used for all
to a defined measuring area (LHC in μm/mm2). It should be EDX examinations. The WDX investigations of the Mo par-
noted that self-stressed samples should be evaluated as a trend ticles were carried out using REM-FIB DualBeam (FEI
because weld metal blocks cannot be manufactured identically SCIOS) and AMETEK-EDAX.
and therefore differences in the level of stress occur.

2.4 Microstructure analysis 3 Results

The XL30 FEG/ESEM from FEI/Philips was used for the 3.1 Characterization of flux-cored wires
REM-EDX examinations. To investigate the characteristic ra-
diation, the EDAX Si (Li) detector was used. The non-melted The FCW of Ni 6625 are form-fitted and only differ in the
FCW were cross-sectioned and hot-mounted in electrically con- overlap length of the strips depending on the producer (Fig. 4).
ductive material and then shown in the BSE diagram at up to × In consequence, the FCW have different cross-sectional areas
200 magnification. On the basis of the Z contrast, individual of the current-carrying strip, which suggest an influence on the
measuring points were determined in the filling, and their com- deposition rate due to the different current density. The mass-
position was determined qualitatively using EDX. As can be related degree of filling is between 18 and 24% regardless of
seen in Fig. 1, the individual measuring points were mainly the alloy type and slag and resulted in an electrode efficiency
larger particles (alloying elements). In order to examine the (mass ratio of flux-cored wire and weld metal) of 90 ± 3%.
smaller particles, adapted areas (approx. 100 μm2) were While the strips of T Ni 6625 B (basic) and T Ni 6625 P*
scanned across the surface, and their composition was also (rutile) correspond to the alloy Ni 6625 (N 06625, 2.4856), the
examined qualitatively. A quantitative examination of the fill- strips of T Ni 6625 P** (rutile) correspond to the alloy 80/20
ing components was useless due to the low informative value. (N 06003, 2.4869) (Table 4). For this reason, the missing
The REM-EDX investigations on the 6-layer deposit welds alloying elements, such as Nb, Mn, and Mo, are delivered
and on the steep flank seams were carried out on polished with the filling.

Table 3 Weld parameter of the used variants of PVR test and sample dimensions

Variant Weld Shielding gas (ISO Seam type Sheet CTWD Wire feed Average Weld Average Heat
process 14175) thickness rate voltage speed current input
mm mm m/min V m/min A kJ/mm

1 FCAW M21 Single bead 5 15 10.0 31.0 0.5 167–200 0.62–0.74

2 GTAW I1 Bead-on-plate 10 - - 12.0 0.2 180 0.65
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Fig. 3 Evaluation of self-stressed weld specimens. a 6-layer deposit GMAW weld (basic FCW). b Penetrant testing at cross section. c Steep-flanked
single-V butt weld, α = 10° (rutile FCW). d Cross section with etched (left), polished (right) surface

The slags of all FCW showed different gray values in the values of the corresponding ISO standards 12153 [14] and
backscattered electron image (BSE) on the SEM, which indi- ISO 18274 [27]. Furthermore, the results of the chemical com-
cates a variety of chemical compositions of the fillings. The position show no significant burning loss or pickup of
displayed quantitative values do not represent absolute values, alloying elements in all weldments of the flux-cored wires.
so they are only shown for qualitative comparison. In addition A minimal burning loss of Nb can be determined only in some
to the alloying elements, typical basic and rutile slag formers, flux-cored wires. This, however, does not lead to a significant
arc stabilizing, and deoxidizing elements were found. Table 5 undercut of the limit value. In [26], an influence of the Nb
gives an overview of the filling elements and their function. content on the hot crack susceptibility of Ni-based alloys
The accurate determination of the degree of basicity of the (NiCr 70/20, NiCr 70/15) is described. Since there are no
FCW is not possible without knowing the mass fraction of the significant differences in the Nb contents, no influence on
filling components. Thus, only manufacturer information on the hot cracking tendency is assumed.
basicity can be considered. The determined oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur contents of
deposit welds according to Method D to ISO 6847 are shown
3.2 Chemical compositions of filler metals in Table 7. Due to the reactions occurring during welding
between the molten slag and weldment, the weld metal of
The type Ni 6625 filler metals used show only slight differ- the FCW contains increased oxygen contents between 665
ences in the chemical composition (Table 6). For example, and 1195 ppm, which can result in an increased appearance
FCW T Ni 6625 P** has the lowest Mo, Nb, and Fe content of oxidic inclusions. The pure weldments of the basic FCW
and the highest Ni content and the T Ni 6625 P* has 2% more tend to have slightly lower values than those of the similar
Cr than other wires. With the exception of the Mo and Nb rutile FCW. Contrary to the expectations, the Charpy impact
contents of T Ni 6625 P**, all values are within the specified tests on the pure weld metal did not show any significant

Fig. 4 Cross section of different T N i 6 6 2 5 B (b a s i c ) T N i 6 6 2 5 P* ( r u t i l e) T Ni 6625 P** (r u t i l e)

FCW of type T Ni 6625

Deg r ee o f f i l l i n g (%) 23 18 24
El ec t r o d e ef f i c i en c y (%) 93 89 88
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Table 4 Chemical composition of fillings and slag of different FCW of T Ni 6625 in wt.-% (X existing)

Materials Object Ni Cr Mo Ti Si Ca Na Mg F Al Zr K Mn Nb Fe

Alloy 625 Min. 58 20 8 - - - - - - - - - - 3.2 -

Max. 71 23 10 0.4 0.4 - - - - 0.4 - - 0.5 3.8 5
T Ni 6625 Strip 65.50 21.8 8.2 0.2 0.0 - - - - - - - 0.1 3.4 -
B basic Filling X X X X - X - - X - - - - - -
Slag - 4 - 15 9 11 - 4 8 9 - 1 1 4 1
T Ni 6625 Strip 64.7 21.9 8.5 0.3 0.1 - - - - - - - 0.1 3.4 -
P* rutile Filling X - X X - - - X - - - - - - -
Slag - 20 - 50 - 2 1 3 - 3 20 - - - -
Alloy 80/20 Min. 75 19 - - 0.5 - - - - - - - - - -
Max. - 21 - - 2.0 - - - - 0.3 - - 1.0 - 1
T Ni 6625 Strip 79.6 19.9 0 0.1 0.1 - - - - - - - 0.1 0.1 -
P** rutile Filling - X X X X - - - - - - - - X -
Slag - 23 - 34 4 1 6 1 - 6 14 - - 11 -

Table 5 Overview of the filling components and their function of Ni-based FCW [29]

Alloying Slag formers (according to Boniszewski) Slag formers (according to melting point) Arc stabilizing Deoxydizing
element
Basic Rutile Fast solidifying Slow solidifying Elements Elements

Mo, Nb, Cr CaO, MgO, BaO, CaF2, Na2O, K2O, SiO2, TiO2, CaO, MgO, BaO, CaF2, Na2O, ZrO2, Na2O, CaO, MgO
Li2O, MnO, FeO Al2O3, ZrO2 Al2O3, ZrO2 K2O, FeO K2O, Li2O

advantages for the basic flux-cored wires. In contrast, the solid increased sulfur content of 0.021%, which is above the solu-
wire weldments have significantly lower oxygen contents at bility limit of 0.005% in pure nickel. The remaining nickel is
22 ppm and the highest impact toughness. No sulfur could be precipitated in NiS. The nitrogen levels show, except for T Ni
detected in the solid wires. Only the basic FCW shows an 6625 P*, no significant differences.

Table 6 Chemical compositions of pure weld metals of different filler metals—determination of carbon with GFA, remaining elements with OES
(values in wt.-%)

Filler metal Object C Mn Si Cr Mo Nb Fe Ti Ni PREN

ISO 12153 [14] Min. - - - 20 8 3.15 - - 58 -

Max. 0.1 0.5 0.5 23 10 4.15 5 0.4 -
T Ni 6625 B GTAW-Button 0.014 0.27 0.27 20.56 8.45 3.98 0.38 0.21 65.70 -
FCAW weld 0.032 0.27 0.23 20.30 8.55 3.77 0.38 0.21 66.05 49.2
T Ni 6625 P* GTAW-Button 0.025 0.01 0.36 22.11 8.67 4.30 0.57 0.12 63.68 -
FCAW weld 0.025 0.01 0.27 22.18 8.63 4.11 0.58 0.26 63.38 51.7
T Ni 6625 P** GTAW-Button 0.025 0.01 0.50 20.21 7.45 3.57 0.10 0.05 67.99 -
FCAW weld 0.018 0.01 0.36 20.55 7.34 3.11 0.16 0.09 68.25 45.4
ISO 18274 [27] Min. - - - 20 8 3.0 - - 58 -
Max. 0.1 0.5 0.5 23 10 4.2 5 0.4 -
S Ni 6625 GTAW-Button 0.006 0.01 0.07 22.20 8.20 4.15 0.14 0.21 64.67 -
GMAW weld 0.014 0.00 0.07 22.27 8.28 4.19 0.16 0.22 64.48 50.2
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Table 7 Results of the gas fusion

analysis of samples of deposit Filler Metal Contents (average) Impact toughness at 20 °C (average)
welds according to Method D to
ISO 6847 [23] Oxygen, ppm Nitrogen, ppm Sulfur, % Charpy V-notch
J

T Ni 6625 B 665 241 0.021 86

T Ni 6625 P* 1195 341 0.003 83
T Ni 6625 P** 1012 210 0.002 79
S Ni 6625 22 214 0.000 182

Fig. 5 Results of the programmed deformation rate test of variant 1 (a), variant 2 (b), and the self-stressed 6-layer deposit welds (c)

Fig. 6 Cross sections and surface of the PVR sample of different FCW and solid wires—variant 2 (sampling point: 50 mm before the end of the weld). a
T Ni 6625 B O-content=665 ppm. b T Ni 6625 P* O-content=1195 ppm. c T Ni 6625 P** O-content=1012 ppm. d S Ni 6625 O-content=22 ppm
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Fig. 7 Comparison of the

inclusions with low and oxygen
content in the weld metal. a T Ni
6625 B, oxygen content = 665
ppm. b T Ni 6625 P*, oxygen
content = 1195 ppm. c T Ni 6625
P**, oxygen content = 1012 ppm.
d S Ni 6625 (solid wire), oxygen
content = 22 ppm

3.3 Hot cracking tendency later than the outer cracks and show no significant influence of
the slag on the hot crack tendency.
For the determination of the externally visible hot cracks in the The PVR tests of the samples of the GTAW remelted pure
PVR test in variant 1 (FCAW single weld bead), the strong weldment (variant 2) could be examined for hot cracks direct-
adhering slag constituents had to be removed without damag- ly after cleaning with the help of the penetrant test and stereo-
ing the surface. Subsequent treatment of the samples with microscope due to the missing slag. The results in Fig. 5b
liquid nitrogen and simultaneous mechanical brushing made show that the solid wires have the highest hot crack. When
this possible. The detected external cracks were exclusively comparing the different types of slag, the assumed higher hot
solidification cracks. Accordingly, the weld beads of the basic crack resistance of the basic FCW could not be confirmed.
FCW have the highest tendency of the occurrence of solidifi- In addition to the formation of low-melting phases, a high
cation cracks (Fig. 5a). Subsequently, the weld beads were sulfur, oxygen, or nitrogen content also causes a high-
milled on plate-level to determine the critical deformation rate temperature gradient on the surface of the weld pool and thus
for the internal hot cracks. Accordingly, the inner cracks occur leads to the Marangoni effect. The resulting deeper and tighter

Fig. 8 EDX spectrum of mixed oxide. a T Ni 6625 B. b T Ni 6625 P**

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Fig. 9 Examination of the located

Mo particles of pure weldment of
Ni 6625. a Grey Mo particle with
hardness measuring points. b Mo
particle and crack located with
REM. c Area of EDX-mapping
and WDXS-spot. d EDX-
mapping – element overlay. e
EDX-mapping – individual view.
g Comparison of the X-ray spec-
trum of the Mo phase with a
sulfur-containing reference
sample

seams tend to accumulate contaminants in the middle of the surface of the remelted pure weld metal from FCW, which
seam due to the inward solidification and may have a negative indicates a reduced viscosity of the melt.
influence on the susceptibility to hot cracks [11, 28]. As can be Furthermore, Fig. 5c shows the result of the self-stressed
seen in Fig. 6, oxides and a dished seam were found on the investigation. It contains the number [N HC ] and the
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Fig. 10 Comparison of the resulting arcs with the optimized welding parameters from Table 2. a T Ni 6625 B. b T Ni 6625 P*. c T Ni 6625 P**. d S Ni
6625

cumulative areal length [LHC in μm/mm2] of the hot cracks the transition zone of some particles, the hardness increased
found in the cross sections. Accordingly, the basic flux-cored up to 168 HV0.1. For more detailed information, an EDX and
wires have the highest susceptibility to hot cracking, whereas a WDXS analysis were carried out highlighted in Fig. 9. This
the rutile flux-cored wires and solid wires have significantly has shown that the particle consists of pure Mo without the
fewer hot cracks in parts. The Ni 6625 solid wire showed hot suspected sulfur content. For this reason, it is assumed that the
cracks at a low level. Mo particles which were found and are introduced Mo parti-
cles in the FCW filling as alloying elements, which then only
3.4 Microstructure analysis dissolve slowly in the melting. Mo has a very high melting
point at 2623 °C and may not have completely melted in the
Figure 7 shows the correlation between high oxygen contents arc, since the arc burned upward on the strip of the FCW and
and oxidic inclusions based on the pure weld metal of the the slag may have an isolating effect shown in Fig. 10. This
steep flank seams in an exemplary manner. The EDX investi- assumption is also supported by the fact that no Mo inclusions
gations showed that the inclusions are predominantly mixed could be found in the welds with the solid wire.
oxides and occasionally micro-porosities (Fig. 8). The nitro- Table 8 summarizes the results of the self-stressed and
gen contents result from the alloy type depending on the man- externally stressed hot cracking tests. For this, a ranking of
ufacturer and show no special features. The pure weldments of the hot crack susceptibility was formed for each test method.
the basic FCW have the highest sulfur contents independent of A weighted overall rating was created for comparative evalu-
the alloy, while the solid wires have very low sulfur and car- ation of the welding consumables. Due to the undefined tech-
bon contents. nological influence on the results, the self-stressed hot crack-
We also found grey particles in the polished cross sections ing tests were each weighted with 10%. The self-stressed hot
of the steep-flanked single-V butt welds with an optical mi- cracking tests were each weighted with 40%.
croscope and carried out a measurement of hardness as can be It can be seen that the examinations correlate well with a
seen in Fig. 9a. The determined hardness values were between few exceptions. Based on the total rating, it can be concluded
117 HV0.1 and 131 HV0.1 and showed no significant differ- that the solid wire, S Ni 6625, has the highest resistance and
ences between the gray particle and the surrounding matrix. In the basic FCW has the lowest resistance to hot cracking. In

Table 8 Comparative demonstration of the self-stressed and externally stressed hot cracking test

Filler Metal Self-stressed hot cracking test Externally stressed PVR test Total rating of hot cracking

6-layer deposit welds Steep-flanked single-V butt V1: single bead V2: GTAW
joint remelting

Number of hot cracks Rating Number of hot cracks Rating vcr Rating vcr Rating

pcs. - pcs. - mm/min - mm/min - -

T Ni 6625 B 27 4 7 4 13 3 18 4 3.7
T Ni 6625 P* 5 2 3 3 19 2 25 2 2.1
T Ni 6625 P** 20 3 2 2 23 1 19 3 2.3
S Ni 6625 4 1 1 1 - - 35 1 1.0
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Table 9 Correlating of the determined oxygen and sulfur contents and the number of Mo particles, we found 2 cross sections in the pure weld metal

Filler metal Number of Mo particles Rating Oxygen content Rating Sulfur content Rating Total rating of hot cracking

pcs. - ppm - wt-% - -

T Ni 6625 B 13 (2) 4 665 2 0.021 4 3.7

T Ni 6625 P* 12 (1) 3 1195 4 0.003 3 2.1
T Ni 6625 P** 1 (0) 2 1012 3 0.002 2 2.3
S Ni 6625 0 (0) 1 22 1 0.000 1 1.0

comparison, the rutile FCW are in the middle regardless of the which has the highest sulfur and oxygen content and the
manufacturer. highest susceptibility to hot cracking. Therefore, it can be
Finally, Table 9 shows the correlation of the determined assumed that the reaction with the basic slag components (like
oxygen, the sulfur contents in the pure weld metal, and the MnO) is insufficient to remove all the hot crack supporting
number of Mo particles found in the cross sections with the sulfur from the melt. This may be due to the fact that the
hot cracking tendency. The number in brackets contains the degree of filling of the flux-cored wires is too low, so that
number of Mo particles with founded cracks as can be seen in the reactions may not be complete. Furthermore, the slow-
Fig. 9a/b. The rating also shows that there is apparently a motion videos show that the current-carrying strip melts off
correlation between the Mo particles found and the hot crack- before filling, so that the passing drop is not coated by the slag.
ing susceptibility. Since cracks were found in only around The chemical reactions (metal/slag) then only take place in the
10% of the Mo particles, the Mo particles cannot be the only relatively cold melt bath. The located Mo particles in the pure
cause for the higher hot cracking susceptibility of these FCW weld metal could be identified as a further influencing factor
compared to the solid wires. on the hot crack susceptibility because the number also corre-
With the aim of identifying low-melting phases (like NiS), lates when considering the filler metals.
an analysis of the microstructure is currently being carried out.
Acknowledgments Open Access funding enabled and organized by
Projekt DEAL. Equal thanks go to all companies, colleagues, and stu-
dents who contributed with their support, knowledge, and effort to the
4 Summary project.

Funding The authors would like to thank the AiF for funding the IGF-
The characterization of the welding consumables showed that Project IGF-No. 18.099 B / DVS No. 01.086 of the Association, Research
all flux-cored wires are form-fitted and differ only in the over- Association Welding and allied processes e.V. of the DVS, Aachener Str.
lap length. This resulted in the comparable filling degree of 172, 40223 Düsseldorf, which was part of the program to support coop-
18–24% and resulted in an electrode efficiency of 90 ± 3%. erative industrial research by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs
and Energy, following a decision of the German Bundestag.
With regard to the welding metallurgical processes at FCAW,
irrespective of the used welding consumable and shielding Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
gas, no significant burning loss and pickup of alloying ele- Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adap-
tation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as
ments occur. you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, pro-
The results of the PVR test depend on the used variant. vide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were
Nevertheless, it can be denoted that the pure weldment of made. The images or other third party material in this article are included
the solid wires has the highest hot crack resistance. This also in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a
credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's
correlates with the results of the self-stressed hot crack test. Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by
Contrary to the original assumptions, the basic FCW showed a statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain
higher tendency for the occurrence of hot cracks in the PVR permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this
experiments of variant 1 (FCAW weld bead). In contrast, the licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
GTAW remelting of the pure weld metal PVR samples of all
welding consumables showed no significant differences when
looking at the FCW.
The findings of the self-stressed and externally stressed hot
crack test almost correlate with the determined sulfur contents.
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