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Remedies for hydrogen-embrittlement on Grade-91 steel weld joint during long delay in PWHT

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Abstract

This paper discusses the effect of different combinations of preheating and post-heating on the corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement of Grade-91 steel weld joint in the as-welded condition. Though these welds are subjected to post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), there could be long delay in executing this, especially in the case of fabrication of large components, and during this delay, the welds in as-welded conditions are prone to environmental degradations like hydrogen embrittlement and different forms of corrosion. Though recommended minimum preheating and post-heating conditions are already known for welding of this class of steels, marginally increasing the temperature of preheating and post-heating or increasing the duration of post-heating can permit longer delay in the post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), without increasing the risk of environmental degradation. With this objective, a set of thirteen single-V multi-pass gas tungsten arc weld joints of Grade-91 steel fabricated with different preheating and post-heating combinations. Results indicated a significant reduction in residual tensile stresses in the weld metal and reversing into compressive stresses upon preheating and post-heating at 300 °C. Moreover, diffusible hydrogen content and corrosion rate decreased significantly with the preheating and post-heating. However, there are no significant variations in the microstructure, mechanical properties, and hydrogen embrittlement with preheating and post-heating. This study proved that the risk of embrittlement in Grade-91 steel welds due to an indefinite delay in PWHT could be minimized by combined preheating and post-heating.

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Funding

The study was financially supported by the Board of Research in Nuclear Science (BRNS), Government of India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India

    D. Sunilkumar, Harish Chandra Dey & Shaju K. Albert

  2. Mohamed Sathak A. J. College of Engineering, Siruseri, Chennai, 603 103, India

    Hasan Shaikh

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  1. D. Sunilkumar
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  2. Hasan Shaikh
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  3. Harish Chandra Dey
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  4. Shaju K. Albert
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Correspondence to Shaju K. Albert.

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Sunilkumar, D., Shaikh, H., Dey, H.C. et al. Remedies for hydrogen-embrittlement on Grade-91 steel weld joint during long delay in PWHT. Weld World 65, 833–844 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-021-01084-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-021-01084-5

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