Assessment of Mechanical and Metallurgical Properties of Thermally Aged Electron Beam Welded AISI 321 Stainless Steel

Abstract:

Electron beam welding produces very narrow and deep penetration therefore it finds application where welding of thick materials is required. AISI 321 is susceptible to intergranular corrosion when it is used in high temperature and harsh conditions, owing to the Titanium depletion in the weld zone. However, the heat affected zone formed in electron beam welding extends to a narrow region across the weld pool. In the present study electron beam welding of austenitic 321 stainless steel is done to examine the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the joints. Microhardness tests along and across the weld bead were carried out. Tensile and impact tests were performed to analyze mechanical properties. The microstructures of the weld zone, fusion zone and base metals were also captured. Skeletal ferrites were seen in the weld metal. The aging treatment of 700°C for 24 hours which resulted in a change in morphology of the grains from skeletal to vermicular and promoted the formation of Ti-rich carbides on the grain boundaries. The maximum impact toughness at sub-zero temperature i.e. -40°C was recorded as 129.3 J in as-welded samples and it got reduced to 119.5 J after aging treatment. The average ultimate tensile strength was 582 N/mm² and it got decreased to 481 N/mm² after aging treatment.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 1160)
• Pages: 93-102
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.1160.93
• Online since: January 2021
• Authors: Ajay Sharma*, Sandeep Singh Sandhu, Vineet Kumar
• Keywords: AISI 321 Stainless Steel, Electron Beam Welding, Mechanical Properties, Metallurgical Properties, Thermal Aging

References

[1] S. Mohan Kumar and N. Siva Shanmugam, Studies on the weldability, mechanical properties and microstructural characterization of activated flux TIG welding of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel,, Mater. Res. Express, vol. 5, no. 10, (2018).

DOI: 10.1088/2053-1591/aad99f

[2] M. S. Ghazani and B. Eghbali, Characterization of the hot deformation microstructure of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel,, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 730, p.380–390, Jul. (2018).

DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2018.06.025

[3] A. Pardo, M. C. Merino, A. E. Coy, F. Viejo, M. Carboneras, and R. Arrabal, Influence of Ti, C and N concentration on the intergranular corrosion behaviour of AISI 316Ti and 321 stainless steels,, vol. 55, p.2239–2251, (2007).

DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2006.11.021

[4] M. Nabahat, K. Ahmadpour, and T. Saeid, Effect of ultrasonic vibrations in TIG welded AISI 321 stainless steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties,, Mater. Res. Express, vol. 5, no. 9, (2018).

DOI: 10.1088/2053-1591/aad662

[5] M. Alali, I. Todd, and B. P. Wynne, Through-thickness microstructure and mechanical properties of electron beam welded 20 mm thick AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel,, Mater. Des., (2017).

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2017.05.080

[6] M. B. Leban and R. Tisu, The effect of TiN inclusions and deformation-induced martensite on the corrosion properties of AISI 321 stainless steel,, Eng. Fail. Anal., (2013).

DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2013.06.021

[7] S. Nakhodchi, A. Shokuhfar, S. A. Iraj, and B. G. Thomas, Evolution of temperature distribution and microstructure in multipass welded AISI 321 stainless steel plates with different thicknesses,, J. Press. Vessel Technol. Trans. ASME, vol. 137, no. 6, (2015).

DOI: 10.1115/1.4030367

[8] D. Karthik and S. Swaroop, Effect of laser peening on electrochemical properties of titanium stabilized 321 steel,, Mater. Chem. Phys., (2017).

DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2017.02.022

[9] B. S. S. Yilbas, M. Sami, J. Nickel, a. Coban, and S. a. M. A. M. Said, Introduction into the electron beam welding of austenitic 321-type stainless steel,, J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 82, no. 1–3, p.13–20, (1998).

DOI: 10.1016/s0924-0136(97)00485-8

[10] Y. Zhang, T. Wang, S. Jiang, B. Zhang, Y. Wang, and J. Feng, Microstructure evolution and embrittlement of electron beam welded TZM alloy joint,, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, (2017).

DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2017.05.076

[11] W. Bing, L. Jinwei, and T. Zhenyun, Study on the Electron Beam Welding Process of ZTC4 Ti- tanium Alloy,, (2014).

[12] ASTM E8, ASTM E8/E8M standard test methods for tension testing of metallic materials 1,, Annu. B. ASTM Stand. 4, no. C, p.1–27, (2010).

DOI: 10.1520/jte20190549

[13] ASTM E 23-12c, Standard Test Methods for Notched Bar Impact Testing of Metallic Materials,, Standards, vol. i, p.1–25, (2013).

[14] American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), Standard Test Method for Microindentation Hardness of Materials - ASTM E384,, ASTM Stand., vol. 14, p.1–24, (2002).

DOI: 10.1017/s1431927603443547

[15] A. Y. Kina, V. M. Souza, S. S. M. Tavares, J. A. Souza, and H. F. G. de Abreu, Influence of heat treatments on the intergranular corrosion resistance of the AISI 347 cast and weld metal for high temperature services,, J. Mater. Process. Technol., (2008).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.08.011

[16] J. Swaminathan, R. Singh, M. K. Gunjan, and B. Mahato, Sensitization induced stress corrosion failure of AISI 347 stainless steel fractionator furnace tubes,, Eng. Fail. Anal., (2011).

DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2011.07.015

[17] K. D. Ramkumar, A. Chandrasekhar, A. K. Singh, S. Ahuja, A. Agarwal, N. Arivazhagan, and A. M. Rebel, Comparative studies on the weldability, microstructure and tensile properties of autogeneous TIG welded AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel with and without flux,, J. Manuf. Process., (2015).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2015.09.008

[18] K. S. Guan, X. D. Xu, Y. Y. Zhang, and Z. W. Wang, Cracks and precipitate phases in 321 stainless steel weld of flue gas pipe,, Eng. Fail. Anal., (2005).

DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2004.05.008

[19] A. H. I. Mourad, A. Khourshid, and T. Sharef, Gas tungsten arc and laser beam welding processes effects on duplex stainless steel 2205 properties,, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 549, p.105–113, (2012).

DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2012.04.012

[20] K. Guan, X. Xu, H. Xu, and Z. Wang, Effect of aging at 700 °C on precipitation and toughness of AISI 321 and AISI 347 austenitic stainless steel welds,, Nucl. Eng. Des., (2005).

DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2005.06.006