Correlations of Mechanical Properties and Microstructure at Specific Zones of Welded Joint of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steels

This paper presents experimental testing of the mechanical characteristics and properties of samples made of high-strength low-alloy steel with two different multi pass V grove butt welded joint. Two sample groups are tested: the root pass is made by manual metal arc welding process for the former and metal inert gas welding process for the latter. Other passes of those multi passes welded joints are made by metal active gas welding process. Further, the research included analyses of the experimentally obtained mechanical properties and load response of the samples in correlations to microhardness distribution and microstructural state at specific zones of the welded joints. Since both the chemical composition and microstructural state of high-strength low-alloy steel originate from special production processes their nature must be fully understood. Accordingly, the nature of the steels should directly impact not only the selection and definition of welding but the design process of mechanical constructions, too. From the practical aspect, mechanical characteristics and properties as well as load response of welded joints are crucial. But, sensitivity of those steels to inadequate welding technology and improper parameters or filler metal is high. On the other side, design codes and recommendations are not yet fully developed and precise. Results obtained in this research implicate that even small changes of welding technology causes the change of characteristics itself. Consequently, the steels development must be accompanied with the improvement of the welding processes and design modifications.