Abstract
Filler metals play an important role in reducing the weld cracking in nickel-based superalloys. In order to improve the welding conditions of IN939 superalloy, a wide range of solid solutions and age-hardenable filler metals were investigated in this study. Five solid solutions (HAYNES 230, IN625, IN617, HASTELLOY X, HAYNES 25) and two precipitation-strengthened alloys (IN718, HAYNES C-263) were used as filler metal to weld IN939 superalloy via gas-tungsten-arc welding. Microstructural studies were performed using optical microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed that IN939 alloy is susceptible to liquation cracking in the heat-affected zone. In addition, the primary γ′ particles had grown into “ogdoadically diced cubes” of about of 2 μm in side length. The microstructure of the weld pool made with various filler metals was observed to be made up of fine spherical γ′ particles with a diameter of about 0.2 μm. The study of mechanical properties and thermodynamic behavior of the weld showed that the filler metals with lower concentrations of (Al + Ti + Nb + Ta + Mo + W) than the base metal can effectively attenuate the PWHT cracking. We found that optimal IN939 alloy weld performance can be achieved using HAYNES C-263 as filler metal, followed by IN617 and then IN625.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S.P. Gadewar, P. Swaminadhan, M.G. Harkare, and S.H. Gawande, Experimental Investigation of Weld Characteristics for a Single Pass TIG Welding with SS304, Int. J. Eng. Sci. Technol., 2010, 2(8), p 3676–3686
A. Thakur, Microstructural responses of a nickel-base cast IN-738 superalloy to a variety of pre-weld heat-treatments, Dissertation, Manitoba University, Winnipeg, 1997
J.C. Lippold, S.D. Kiser, and J.N. DuPont, Welding Metallurgy and Weldability of Nickel-Base Alloys, Wiley, Hoboken, 2011
T.A. Tejedor, R. Singh, and P. Pilidis, Modern Gas Turbine Systems, Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy, New Delhi, 2013
T. Gibbons and R. Stickler, IN939: Metallurgy, properties and performance, High Temperature Alloys for Gas Turbines 1982, Springer, London, 1982
C. Cutler and S. Shaw, The interrelationship of γ′ size, grain size and mechanical properties in IN-939, a cast nickel-base superalloy, the 5th International Conference, Strength of Metals and Alloys, Aachen, 1979, p 1357–1362
A. Athiroj, P. Wangyao, F. Hartung, and G. Lothongkum, Low heat Input Welding of Nickel Superalloy GTD-111 with Inconel 625 Filler Metal, Mater. Test., 2018, 60(1), p 22–30
S. Cherif and B. Zakaria, Effect of Welding Current on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Welded Ni-Base Superalloy INC738LC, World J. Eng., 2018, 15(1), p 14–20
R. Sidhu, N. Richards, and M. Chaturvedi, Effect of Aluminium Concentration in Filler Alloys on HAZ Cracking in TIG Welded Cast Inconel 738LC Superalloy, Mater. Sci. Technol., 2005, 21(10), p 1119–1131
K. Nishimoto, H. Mori, S. Kawaguchi, M. Toyoda, and K. Tsukimoto, Development of Filler Metal for Welding of Nickel-Base Superalloy IN738LC by Mathematical Programming Method, Weld World, 2002, 46(9-10), p 19–28
O. Ola, O. Ojo, and M. Chaturvedi, Role of Filler Alloy Composition on Laser Arc Hybrid Weldability of Nickel-Base IN738 Superalloy, Mater. Sci. Technol., 2014, 30(12), p 1461–1469
K. Banerjee, N. Richards, and M. Chaturvedi, Effect of Filler Alloys on Heat-Affected Zone Cracking in Preweld Heat-Treated IN-738 LC Gas-Tungsten-Arc Welds, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 2005, 36(7), p 1881–1890
R. Sidhu, N. Richards, and M. Chaturvedi, Effect of Filler Alloy Composition on Post-Weld Heat Treatment Cracking in GTA Welded Cast Inconel 738LC Superalloy, Mater. Sci. Technol., 2008, 24(5), p 529–539
S. Kou, Welding Metallurgy, Wiley, Hoboken, 2003
A. Thakur, N. Richards, and M. Chaturvedi, On Crack-Free Welding of Cast Inconel 738, Int. J. Join. Mater., 2003, 15(5), p 21–25
O. Ola, O. Ojo, and M. Chaturvedi, On the Development of a New Pre-weld Thermal Treatment Procedure for Preventing Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) Liquation Cracking in Nickel-Base IN 738 Superalloy, Philos. Mag., 2014, 94(29), p 3295–3316
R. Ricks, A. Porter, and R. Ecob, The Growth of γ′ Precipitates in Nickel-Base Superalloys, Acta Metall., 1983, 31(1), p 43–53
M. Doi, T. Miyazaki, and T. Wakatsuki, The Effect of Elastic Interaction Energy on the Morphology of γ′ Precipitates in Nickel-Based Alloys, Mater. Sci. Eng., 1984, 67(2), p 247–253
H.B. Aaron and G.R. Kotler, Second Phase Dissolution, Metall. Trans., 1971, 2(2), p 393–408
K.C. Chen, T.C. Chen, R.K. Shiue, and L.W. Tsay, Liquation Cracking in the Heat-Affected Zone of IN738 Superalloy Weld, Metals, 2018, 8(6), p 387
M. Nathal, R. Mackay, and R. Garlick, Temperature Dependence of γ-γ′ Lattice Mismatch in Nickel-Base Superalloys, Mater. Sci. Eng., 1985, 75(1-2), p 195–205
M.A. Gonzalez Albarran, D. Martinez, E. Diaz, J.C. Diaz, I. Guzman, E. Saucedo, and AMa Guzman, Effect of preweld heat treatment on the microstructure of heat-affected zone (HAZ) and weldability of Inconel 939 superalloy, J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 2014, 23(4), p 1125–1130
J.C. Lippold, J.W. Sowards, G.M. Murray, B.T. Alexandrov, and A.J. Ramirez, Weld Solidification Cracking in Solid-Solution Strengthened Ni-Base Filler Metals, in Hot Cracking Phenomena in Welds II., 2008, Springer, p 147–170
A.T. Hope and J.C. Lippold, Development and Testing of a High-Chromium, Ni-Based Filler Metal Resistant to Ductility Dip Cracking and Solidification Cracking, Weld Word, 2017, 61(2), p 325–332
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge help from the Niroo Research Institute (NRI) for providing the required research facilities.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kazempour-Liasi, H., Tajally, M. & Abdollah-Pour, H. Effects of Filler Metals on Heat-Affected Zone Cracking in IN-939 Superalloy Gas-Tungsten-Arc Welds. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 1068–1079 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04617-z
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04617-z