Papers by Author: M.O.H. Amuda

Abstract: Other than grain coarsening, the loss of corrosion resistance in ferritic stainless steel (FSS) welds due to intergranular precipitation of chromium carbides restricts the use of the alloy for structural application. The use of cryogenic cooling offers dual opportunities for the control of weld geometry and grain structure in FSS. This results in improved mechanical properties but the effect on carbide precipitation was not investigated. In this paper, the effect of heat flux, welding speed and flow rate of cryogenic liquid on carbide precipitation in 16% chromium FSS welds are discussed. The use of cryogenic cooling reduces the size of the sensitized zone but this is not significantly affected by the flow rate of the cryogenic fluid. Compared to the conventional welding, the cryogenic cooling increases the cooling rate and reduces the martensite content in the high temperature heat affected zone (HTHAZ) by about 20%. This results in wider ditched-structure in welds made with flow rates lower than 0.052L/min. Cryogenic cooling produces more ditched weld microstructure revealed by electrolytic etching in oxalic acid; however, the structure is acceptable since no single grain boundary is completely surrounded by ditches.

Abstract: Grain refinement in medium chromium ferritic stainless steel weld was attempted via elemental (aluminum) powder pre-placement technique prior to melting under a TIG torch. A Box-Behnken experimental design was adopted with current, travel speed and the amount of aluminum powder added as the process factors for producing weld pool. The resolidified weld tracks were characterized using microscopy, microhardness and mechanical testing. The degree of grain refinement achieved was evaluated using a scaling index known as Grain Refinement Index (GRI). The findings showed that the GRI is influenced by the concentration of the aluminum powder introduced into the melt pool. Furthermore, high GRI does not necessarily translate to better mechanical properties relative to the conventional weld. This suggests that the grain size effect might not be the only factor influencing the property of weld metal. However, weld track treated with 0.08mg/mm² of aluminum powder exhibited about 20% improvement in properties relative to the conventional weld made under the same energy conditions.

Abstract: Studies on the weldability of ferritic stainless steel grades suggests that low heat input rate and better heat transfer dynamics are appropriate for the control of grain size and microstructural feature in thin sections. However, the optimal welding conditions to achieve combination of such characteristics are yet to be established. In the present investigation, AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel is TIG welded using energy input between 0.205 and 2.05kj/mm and characterized in terms of microstructure and hardness. The microstructural characterization of the welds with varying heat input rates suggests the presence of interdendritic martensite in the fusion zone and grain boundary martensite in the HAZ in conjunction with some intermetallics in varying proportion. The hardness values across the welds indicate that grain growth and the presence of intermetallics are minimized when welded with increased heat input rates that permits transformation within the dual phase regions. The study provided a new insight into the contribution of heat input rate in the production of unwanted weld microstructural features and assisted in the design of methods and techniques for tailoring weld microstructures with optimum properties.

Abstract: In this work, the preliminary result on the effect of cryogenic cooling on grain growth in weld is reported. Ferritic stainless steel weld produced under TIG torch in argon environment is cooled in liquid nitrogen. The weld structure is characterized using LOM, SEM and EDX spectroscopy. The results suggest that cryogenic cooling reduced the weld width within 2% to 5% and HAZ to 39% relative to those cooled in normal condition. This ensures that the area of the base metal affected and exposed to the weld thermal cycle is reduced and hence probably generates less metallurgical distortion. The cryogenic cooling also generated 14% to 36% grain refinement compared to welds cooled in normal condition.

Abstract: The effect of casting temperature, cooling rate in silica bound molding sand and modifier additions on tensile, ductility and hardness properties Al-Cu binary alloy is presented. The study revealed that casting at high cooling rate and low casting temperatures with sufficient addition of ferro-silicon not exceeding the limited concentration for solubility improve mechanical properties of castings. The study also indicated that casting temperature greater than 7000C expanded the liquidussolidus solidification line leading to multiple phase formation which in-turn affect the final microstructure. Casting temperature of 7000C, addition of modifier in amount up to 200g and rapid cooling rate optimized the mechanical properties. The microstructure in this condition consists of equiaxed grains with spot presence of CuAl2 intermetallics which probably is responsible for the increased tensile strength and marginal change in ductility.

Abstract: The ferritic stainless steel is a low cost alternative to the most often adopted austenitic stainless steel due to its higher strength, better ductility and superior corrosion resistance in caustic and chloride environments. However, the application of ferritic steel is limited because of poor ductility and notch impact toughness of its weld section with differential grain structures. Several techniques have been explored to control the grain features of the weld to minimize these problems. In the present effort, a review of these options in relation to the degree of grain refinement in ferritic stainless steel weld is conducted in order to have a better understanding about the grain refining phenomenon in the weld microstructure. So far, the most effective technique is found to be the pulse AC TIG welding which can produce weld with mechanical properties equivalent to 65% to those of the base metal. The refinement in this process occurred through dendrite fragmentation and grain detachment in the weld pool producing small-grained microstructures with a large fraction of equiaxed grains. However, in friction welding process where heat input and heat transfer are effectively controlled, the strength can be as high as 95% of the parent metal. This suggests that the total energy input for welding and heat transfer phenomenon mainly control the development of microstructural feature in the weld pool and hence the strength.