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Microstructure and mechanical properties of ultralow carbon high-strength steel weld metals with or without Cu-Nb addition

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Abstract

Two types of ultralow carbon steel weld metals (with and without added Cu-Nb) were prepared using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) to investigate the correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metals. The results of microstructure characterization showed that the weld metal without Cu-Nb was mainly composed of acicular ferrite (AF), lath bainite (LB), and granular bainite (GB). In contrast, adding Cu-Nb to the weld metal caused an evident transformation of martensite and grain coarsening. Both weld metals had a high tensile strength (more than 950 MPa) and more than 17% elongation; however, their values of toughness deviated greatly, with a difference of approximately 40 J at −50°C. Analysis of the morphologies of the fracture surfaces and secondary cracks further revealed the correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties. The effects of adding Cu and Nb on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld metal are discussed; the indication is that adding Cu-Nb increases the hardenability and grain size of the weld metal and thus deteriorates the toughness.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. FRF-AT-19-002), the Domain Foundation of Equipment Advance Research of the 13th Five-year Plan (No. 61409220121), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51971031).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xing-hai Yang, Zi-dong Wang, Kai-xuan Chen & Jun-wei Qin

  2. State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xiao-hua Chen & Shi-wei Pan

  3. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China

    Da-yong Li

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  1. Xing-hai Yang
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Correspondence to Xiao-hua Chen or Zi-dong Wang.

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Yang, Xh., Chen, Xh., Pan, Sw. et al. Microstructure and mechanical properties of ultralow carbon high-strength steel weld metals with or without Cu-Nb addition. Int J Miner Metall Mater 28, 120–130 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2159-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2159-0

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