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Solidification of plasma TIG-welded N-alloyed austenitic CrMnNi stainless steel

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Abstract

In this study, the type of solidification of an austenitic stainless steel during plasma tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding was investigated. The stainless steel Fe-17Cr-7Mn-4Ni-(0.12–0.19)N, concentration in wt.%, was studied in hot-rolled condition with a δ-ferrite fraction less than 5 vol.%. The investigated steel could be successfully welded without filler metal. The steel had an increased Mn content and a lowered Ni content to reduce alloying costs. To verify the solidification type after welding, microstructural investigations are performed using light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and hardness measurements. Moreover, the microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscope using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Based on the EBSD measurements, it was possible to elucidate the solidification process. In the present alloy system, the primary solidification of the weld seam according to Scheil-Gulliver model was calculated, taking the fast diffusing N into account. The Scheil-Gulliver model predicted primary ferritic (body-centered cubic, BCC) solidification. After solidification of approx. 84% solid phase, the austenite (face-centered cubic, FCC) is formed via eutectic reaction and the residual melt solidified as austenite. The theoretically determined solidification type agrees with the experimentally observed microstructure. In addition, susceptibility to solidification cracking was investigated, for which no evidence was found in the studied microstructure.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to project partner H. Butting GmbH & Co. KG (Knesebeck, Germany) for welding of the steels. Thanks are due to Dr.-Ing. M. Hauser (Institute of Iron and Steel Technology, TU Bergakademie Freiberg) for the support and calculation with Thermo-Calc software. Thanks are also due to Prof. Dr.-Ing. U. Prahl and Dipl.-Ing. F. Hoffmann (Institute of Metal Forming, TU Bergakademie Freiberg) for forging and hot rolling the steels.

Funding

The investigations were carried out in the TP T5 transfer project as part of the Collaborative Research Center 799 (project number 54473466). This work is financially supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Iron and Steel Technology, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Leipziger Str. 34, 09599, Freiberg, Germany

    C. Quitzke, C. Schröder, O. Volkova & M. Wendler

  2. Institute of Materials Engineering, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Gustav-Zeuner-Str. 5, 09599, Freiberg, Germany

    M. Mandel & L. Krüger

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  1. C. Quitzke
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  2. C. Schröder
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  4. L. Krüger
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  6. M. Wendler
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Christina Schröder; formal analysis and investigation: Caroline Quitzke; visualization: Caroline Quitzke; writing—original draft: Caroline Quitzke; writing—review and editing: Christina Schröder, Marcel Mandel, Lutz Krüger, Olena Volkova, Marco Wendler; validation: Caroline Quitzke, Christina Schröder, Marcel Mandel, Lutz Krüger, Olena Volkova, Marco Wendler; supervision: Marco Wendler; project administration: Lutz Krüger, Olena Volkova, Marco Wendler.

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Correspondence to C. Quitzke.

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Quitzke, C., Schröder, C., Mandel, M. et al. Solidification of plasma TIG-welded N-alloyed austenitic CrMnNi stainless steel. Weld World 66, 2217–2229 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-022-01353-x

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