Effect of Activated Flux on the Microstructure,

Mechanical Properties, and Residual Stresses of Modified

9Cr-1Mo Steel Weld Joints
V. MADURAIMUTHU, M. VASUDEVAN, V. MUTHUPANDI, A.K. BHADURI,
and T. JAYAKUMAR
A novel variant of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding called activated-TIG (A-TIG) welding,
which uses a thin layer of activated ux coating applied on the joint area prior to welding, is
known to enhance the depth of penetration during autogenous TIG welding and overcomes the
limitation associated with TIG welding of modied 9Cr-1Mo steels. Therefore, it is necessary to
develop a specic activated ux for enhancing the depth of penetration during autogeneous TIG
welding of modied 9Cr-1Mo steel. In the current work, activated ux composition is optimized
to achieve 6 mm depth of penetration in single-pass TIG welding at minimum heat input
possible. Then square butt weld joints are made for 6-mm-thick and 10-mm-thick plates using
the optimized ux. The eect of ux on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and residual
stresses of the A-TIG weld joint is studied by comparing it with that of the weld joints made by
conventional multipass TIG welding process using matching ller wire. Welded microstructure
in the A-TIG weld joint is coarser because of the higher peak temperature in A-TIG welding
process compared with that of multipass TIG weld joint made by a conventional TIG welding
process. Transverse strength properties of the modied 9Cr-1Mo steel weld produced by A-TIG
welding exceeded the minimum specied strength values of the base materials. The average
toughness values of A-TIG weld joints are lower compared with that of the base metal and
multipass weld joints due to the presence of d-ferrite and inclusions in the weld metal caused by
the ux. Compressive residual stresses are observed in the fusion zone of A-TIG weld joint,
whereas tensile residual stresses are observed in the multipass TIG weld joint.
DOI: 10.1007/s11663-011-9568-4
 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2011

I.

INTRODUCTION

MODIFIED 9Cr-1Mo steel designated as grade P91

was developed by modifying the plain 9Cr-1Mo ferritic
steel (grade 91) with alloying addition of niobium,
vanadium, and nitrogen. P91 steel is intended primarily
for high-temperature applications including steam generators, gas turbine, chemical plants, and power plants.
High thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion
coecient coupled with enhanced resistance to stresscorrosion cracking and less susceptibility to the thermal
fatigue properties oer higher operating temperatures
and pressures, which result in improved thermal eciency of the power plants.[1,2]Modied 9Cr-1Mo steel in
normalized and tempered condition is the material of
the construction of the steam generator of 500 MWe
prototype fast breeder reactors (PFBR), which is in
advanced stage of construction in India.[3] During
V. MADURAIMUTHU, Scientic Ocer E, M. VASUDEVAN,
Head, AWPM and MP, A.K. BHADURI, Associate Director, and
T. JAYAKUMAR, Director, are with the Metallurgy and Materials
Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603
102, India. Contact e-mail: dev@igcar.gov.in V. MUTHUPANDI,
Professor, is with the Department of Metallurgical and Materials
Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli 620 015,
India.
Manuscript submitted February 7, 2011.
Article published online August 31, 2011.
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

tempering heat treatment, a dispersion of Nb(C, N)

and M23C6 is precipitated along the subgrain and prior
austenite grain boundaries. The formation of these
carbides and nitride precipitates and their stability in the
ferrite matrix enhances the mechanical properties and
make this material suitable for application in steam
generator up to 873 K (600 C).[4] Fusion welding, such
as manual metal arc welding and tungsten inert gas
welding, are the principal welding processes employed
for fabricating structural components made of modied
9Cr-1Mo steels in the power plant industry.[5] Hot-wire
narrow-gap welding has been employed for the fabrication of the steam generator of PFBR. TIG welding is
characterized by improved weld quality, generally free
from defects with good surface nish and excellent
strength. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding produces
joints as good as base metal in terms of chemical
composition, strength and service properties. Major
diculties arise in conventional TIG process when the
thickness of the joints increases. This is because of
insucient penetrability of the arc, which necessitates
either (1) application of edge preparation and use of
ller wire of appropriate composition to make multipass
weld for bridging the gap or (2) use of high-currentimmersed arc resulting in lowering of weld quality.[6]
The depth of penetration achievable in single pass
autogeneous conventional TIG welding is a major
VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012123

problem and is limited to approximately 3 mm in

stainless steel and lesser for Cr-Mo steel. Poor productivity in conventional TIG welding results from a
combination of low welding speed and deposition rate.
Also, during welding of thicker materials, several passes
are required to ll the gap. Therefore, the principal
disadvantages of conventional TIG welding lie in the
limited thickness of the materials, which can be welded
in a single pass, poor tolerance to some materials
composition, and the low productivity.
Detailed studies have been conducted over the years,
and several strategies have been adopted to improve the
depth of penetration and productivity of conventional
TIG welding process. The Paton welding institute rst
has developed uxes in the 1960s for overcoming the
preceding limitations. A novel variant of the TIG welding
process called the activated TIG (A-TIG) welding process
has been reported to overcome the limitations associated
with conventional TIG welding.[615] In this process, a
ux is applied by painting a suspension of the ux in
acetone on the joint surface prior to welding. Acetone
evaporates within a few seconds leaving a thin layer of
ux on the surface of the weld joint area. Autogenous
TIG welding is then carried out. A-TIG process can result
in an enhancement of depth of penetration up to 300 pct
in single pass without using bevel preparation as square
butt joint conguration or ller wire. Furthermore, the
mechanical properties such as tensile, creep, and soundness of the stainless steel weldment produced by A-TIG
welding are claimed to match that of the weld joints made
by conventional TIG welding process.[79] However, no
literature is available on to the development of activated
ux for Cr-Mo steels and the nature of activated uxes to
be used for welding of Cr-Mo steels and their eect on
microstructure and mechanical properties.
In the current work, the constituents of the activated
ux have been optimized to achieve enhanced depth of
penetration during autogenous TIG welding, and the
eect of activated ux on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and residual stresses of A-TIG weld joint
has been studied and compared with that of the
multipass weld joint of a modied 9Cr-1Mo steel made
by conventional TIG welding process.

II.

for 2 hours) condition. The size of the work pieces for

both 6 mm and 10 mm thickness were 250 mm
(length) 9 120 mm (width). The chemical composition
of the plates evaluated by direct reading optical emission
spectroscopy is given in the Table I.
The surfaces of the plates were cleaned with acetone
and clamped on the 25-mm-thick copper backing plate.
A specic activated ux has been developed in the
current work by mixing various metallic oxides in right
proportions and then dissolving the mixed powder in
acetone to make a paste. The ux in the form of paste
was then applied on the surfaces to be joined. The ux
was applied on the workpiece using a brush for a width
of 10 mm with joint line as the center. The ux quantity
applied on the workpiece is 4 to 5 mg/cm2. After
painting the ux, the acetone was allowed to evaporate
leaving ux on the surface before welding. Bead-onplate welds were made to study the eect of welding
current on depth of penetration, weld bead width, and
width of the heat-aected zone (HAZ). Table II presents
the range of welding parameters used in the trial runs.
In all the trials, melt-runs were made without ux and
with ux using the preceding welding process parameters. The residual fused ux layer formed on the faces of
the weld was removed by a wire brush. Transverse weld
samples were polished and etched with Villellas regent.
Weld bead geometry, i.e., the depth of penetration, bead
width, and width of HAZ, were measured using a Nikon
optical microscope. Several ux compositions were used
for performing melt run trials to determine the eect
of ux on depth of penetration before optimizing the
ux composition that produced maximum depth of
penetration.
Square-butt A-TIG weld joints were prepared for
6-mm-thick plates using the optimized multicomponent
ux in single-pass autogenous TIG welding. For a
10-mm-thick plate, a double-side TIG welding procedure was employed. The welding parameters are given in
Table III and schematic representation of welding
sequences and dimensions of the weld joint are given
in Figure 1. The photographs of the top side and back
side of the 10-mm-thick A-TIG weld joint are shown in
Figure 2.
Multipass TIG weld joints were made with V-type
groove preparation with included angle of 70 deg and
1-mm root gap. Filler wire of ER91M, 1.6 mm, made by
M/s Midhani Ltd. (Hyderabad, India) was used. The
welding parameters employed to produce multipass
welds are given in Table IV.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

The work pieces chosen were in normalized (at

1353 K [1080 C]) and tempered (at 1033 K [760 C]
Table I.

Chemical Composition (wt pct) of Modied 9Cr-1Mo Steel Chosen for the Work

Elements

Cr

Mo

Mn

Ni

Si

Nb

O2

Wt pct

0.1

8.6

1.0

0.30

0.14

0.44

0.01

0.02

0.22

0.13

0.05

200 ppm

Table II.

Welding Parameters Used to Make Bead-On-Plate Welds Using TIG Welding

Current (A)

Voltage (V)

Torch speed (mm/min)

Shielding gas (Argon, l/min)

Electrode, diameter/angle

100 to 250

13 to 14

120

10

3.2 mm/60 deg

124VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

Table III.
Current (A)

Voltage (V)

Welding Parameters Used to Make Square-Butt A-TIG Joints

Torch Speed
(mm/min)

Single pass A-TIG welding on 6-mm-thick plates

225
14
120
Double pass A-TIG welding on 10-mm-thick plates
250
14
120

Shielding Gas
(Argon, L/min)

Purging Gas
(Argon, L/min)

Electrode
Diameter/Tip Angle

Heat Input
(J/mm)

10

10

3.2 mm/60 deg

1575

10

10

3.2 mm/60 deg

1750

Fig. 1Schematic representation of double side welding of 10 mm thick plate.

Fig. 2Photograph of A-TIG double side square butt joint on 10 mm thick plates.

Table IV.
Current (A)
90

Welding Parameters Used to Make Multipass TIG Weld Joints

Voltage (V)

Torch Speed
(mm/min)

Shielding Gas,
Argon (L/min)

Purging Gas,
Argon (L/min)

Electrode Diameter/
Tip Angle

Heat Input
(J/mm)

10

80

10

10

1.6 mm/60

926

The preheating, postheating, and interpass temperatures were maintained at 573 K (300 C). The 6-mm and
10-mm weld joints required six and ten passes, respectively, for the completion of the joints.
The joints that passed radiographic inspection were
taken for residual stress measurements before postweld
heat treatment (PWHT). Postweld heat treatment was
carried out at 1033 K (760 C) for 4 hours for both the
weld joints with a heating and cooling rate of 373 K to
393 K (100 C to 120 C) per hour. Optical microscopy
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

and scanning electron microscopy were used for microstructural examination of transverse cross section of the
weld joints. The volume fraction of retained delta-ferrite
in tempered martensite was estimated using the point
count method. The chemical compositions of the inclusions were analyzed using energy dispersive analysis of
X-rays in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Weld
joints were evaluated for their joint integrity and
mechanical properties by carrying out bend test, micro
hardness prole, tensile test, and Charpy v-notch impact
VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012125

test. Specimens for the tensile test and impact tests are
made from the transverse pieces of 12-mm-wide cut from
the weld joints. Residual stress measurements were made
on the weld joints using X-ray diraction technique.[16]
The chemical composition (wt pct) of the A-TIG weld
metal of modied 9Cr-1Mo steel is given in Table V.

III.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The inuence of welding current on depth of penetration and weld bead width of the bead-on-plate welds
made with and without ux is shown in Figures 3(a) and
(b), respectively, for 6-mm-thick plates. More than
100 pct increase in the depth of penetration was
achieved in A-TIG welding compared with conventional
TIG welding for the same welding parameters, as shown
in Figure 3(a). The welding parameters that produced
full penetration on 6-mm-thick plates were identied as
225 A, 14 V, and 120 mm/min torch speed. The weld
bead width decreased by more than 100 pct in A-TIG
welds compared with that of conventional TIG welds as
shown in Figure 3(b). The enhancement in penetration
achieved in single-pass A-TIG welding has been attributed to the arc constriction caused by the activated ux.
The arc constriction eect is visible from the large
decrease in weld bead width in the case of A-TIG welds.
Arc constriction during A-TIG welding as one of the
mechanism that contributes to the enhancement in
depth of penetration has been reported widely in the
literature.[1012] Infrared thermal images of the arc
columns of the TIG and A-TIG processes showed
clearly the occurrence of arc constriction during A-TIG
welding.[6,7]

IV. MACROSTRUCTURES OF A-TIG

AND MULTIPASS WELD JOINTS
A-TIG weld joint made with a 6-mm-thick plate in
single pass exhibited a deep and narrow weld prole
(Figure 4(a)). The 10-mm-thick square butt A-TIG weld
joint, made by double-side welding procedure, showed
good overlap between the weld beads from either side
(Figure 4(b)). In general, narrow and deep weld proles
were observed in A-TIG weld joints because of arc
constriction, whereas wider and more shallow weld bead
proles were observed in individual passes of multipass
TIG weld joints (Figures 4(c) and (d)). The enhancement in depth of penetration during A-TIG welding in
the present case has been mainly attributed to arc
constriction mechanism[6,7,1012] and the eect of reversal of marangoni ow on depth of penetration may be
weak. The reversal of marangoni ow is not dominating,
and enhancing the depth of penetration in the current
case could be conrmed by absence of vortex in the weld
macrostructure of the A-TIG weld joint (Figures 4(a)
and (b)).[17,18]
V.

MICROSTRUCTURAL EVALUATION

Figure 5 shows the optical and SEM microstructures

of the base metal in the normalized and tempered
condition. Figure 5(a) shows the optical micrograph
exhibiting tempered martensite and Figure 5(b), shows
the SEM microstructure exhibiting stable precipitates
along the prior austenite grain boundaries formed
during tempering at 1033 K (760 C) for 1 hour.
Microstructures of the various regions of A-TIG and
multipass weld joints after PWHT are given in Figure 6.

Table V. Chemical Composition (wt pct) of the A-TIG Weld Metal of Modied 9Cr-1Mo Steel
Elements

Cr

Mo

Mn

Ni

Si

Nb

O2

Wt pct

0.1

9.0

1.0

0.47

0.17

0.57

<0.01

0.01

0.20

0.13

320 ppm

12

7
6

Activated flux TIG weld

5
4
3
2

Conventional TIG weld

Weld bead width, mm

Depth of penetration, mm

Conventional TIG weld

10

Activated flux TIG weld

1
80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

75

100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275

Current, amps.

Current, amps

(a)

(b)

Fig. 3Inuence of welding current on the (a) depth of penetration and (b) bead width of the welds produced by TIG and A-TIG welding.
126VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

Fig. 4Comparison of weld bead prole of (a) A-TIG single pass (6 mm thick), (b) A-TIG double pass (10-mm-thick), (c) multipass TIG
(6-mm), and (d) multipass TIG (10-mm-thick) weld joints.

Fig. 5Microstructure of modied 9Cr-1Mo steel base metal (a) tempered martensite (optical) and (b) precipitates along the austenite grain
boundaries (SEM).

In an A-TIG weld joint, the grain size of the weld metal

was slightly larger than that of the multipass weld
because of the higher peak temperature caused by the
A-TIG welding process.[19] Presence of delta-ferrite
islands in the fusion zone of A-TIG weld joint was
observed (Figure 6(a)). Nonuniform distribution of
delta-ferrite islands and carbide precipitates in tempered
martensite was observed in microstructure. Figure 6(b)
shows the fusion zone microstructure consisting of
tempered martensite in the multipass TIG weld joint.
The coarse-grained HAZ microstructure of the multipass TIG weld joint consisted of tempered martensite
and the carbide precipitates (Figure 6(d)). Figure 6(e)
shows the ne-grained HAZ microstructure of the
A-TIG weld joint, which consists of tempered martensite and the carbide precipitates. Figure 6(f) shows the
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

ne-grained HAZ microstructure of the multipass TIG

weld joint, which consists of tempered martensite and
carbides. There are two major dierences between the
A-TIG weld joint and the multipass TIG weld joint
microstructures. The A-TIG weld joint exhibits deltaferrite islands and coarser tempered martensitic structure with precipitates, whereas the delta-ferrite is absent
and the tempered martensitic microstructure with precipitates is relatively ner in multipass TIG weld joints.
Figures 7(a) through (f) compares the SEM micrographs of the various zones (weld metal, coarse-grained
HAZ, and ne-grained HAZ) of the A-TIG weld joint
with that of the multipass TIG weld joint. These
micrographs reveal the tempered martensitic microstructures with precipitation of carbides along the prior
austenitic grain boundaries. Here again, coarser fusion
VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012127

Fig. 6Metallographs of weld joints after PWHT in (a) A-TIG fusion zone, (b) multipass weld fusion zone, (c) coarse-grained HAZ of A-TIG
weld joint, (d) coarse-grained HAZ of multipass weld joint, (e) ne-grained HAZ of A-TIG weld joint, and (f) ne-grained HAZ of multipass
weld joint.

zone microstructure of the A-TIG weld joint was

observed clearly. The precipitation of carbides in the
ne grained HAZ of the A-TIG weld joint is visible
clearly in Figure 7(e).
VI.

EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES

A. Joint Integrity
Figure 8 shows the photographs of the 6-mm-thick
A-TIG weld joints subjected to root bend test. After the
test, no crack or defects are noticed on the surfaces of
the weld joint. This observation conrms that the
integrity of the weld joint is good.
B. Hardness Evaluation
A comparison of the hardness of both A-TIG and
multipass weld joints before PWHT shows that the weld
metal in the A-TIG weld joint exhibited a peak hardness
128VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012

of 424 VHN, whereas the weld metal in the multipass weld

joint exhibited a peak hardness of 383 VHN. In the
coarse-grained HAZ, both the joints exhibited similar
hardness values. Fine-grained HAZ in A-TIG weld joint
exhibited higher hardness than that of the multipass TIG
weld joint. Figure 9(a) shows the hardness proles of the
weld joints before PWHT. The dierence in the hardness
values could be attributed to a higher peak temperature
and, in turn, a faster cooling rate caused by A-TIG
welding process that could result in high carbon content in
the martensite of the A-TIG weld joint. The lower
hardness in the weld metal of the multipass TIG weld
joint could be to the result of multiple thermal cycles, as
shown by the partial tempering results. Figure 9(b)
compares the hardness variation across the A-TIG and
multipass TIG weld joints in the PWHT condition. As
both the joints exhibited a tempered martensitic microstructure in the weld metal, the hardness values were
similar across the weld metal in both the joints. In HAZ also,
similar hardness values were observed as the microstructures
in the HAZs after PWHTs were also similar.
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

Fig. 7Comparison of SEM micrographs weld metal: (a) A-TIG weld joint, (b) multipass weld joint; coarse-grained HAZ, (c) A-TIG weld joint,
(d) multipass weld joint; Fine-grained HAZ (e) A-TIG weld joint, and (f) multipass weld joint.

Fig. 8Photograph of the root bend tested A-TIG weld joint sample (a) side view (b) top view.

C. Tensile Properties
Tensile samples with 28.5-mm gauge length, 3.8-mm
gauge diameter, and 95-mm total length were fabricated
from a transverse cut section of the joint keeping the
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

weld in the center of the gauge length. Table VI shows

the strength parameters of the weld joints and base
metal. A-TIG weld joint exhibits higher tensile strength
compared to that of multipass weld joint and base metal.
VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012129

450

Weld metal

HAZ

450

BM

BM

HAZ

Weld

HAZ

BM

A-TIG weld
400

Hardness, VHN

Hardness, VHN

400
350
300

Multi-pass TIG weld

250

350
300

Multi-pass weld

A-TIG weld
250

HAZ

HAZ
200
150
-10

200

WELD

BM

-8

-6

-4

-2

BM
Weld

BM

BM

HAZ

10

150
-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

Distance in mm

Distance, mm

(a)

(b)

10

Fig. 9Hardness proles for A-TIG and multipass TIG weld joint in the (a) as-welded and (b) postwelded conditions.

Table VI. Tensile Properties for A-TIG Weld, Multipass Weld and for Base Metal
Material

Test Temperature

0.2 pct Yield

Strength (MPa)

Tensile
Strength (MPa)

Pct Elongation

Base metal

Room temperature
823 K (550 C)
Room temperature
823 K (550 C)
Room temperature
823 K (550 C)

433
327
472
340
438
365

606
384
645
405
616
407

28
36
20
25
20
27

A-TIG weld joint

Multipass weld joint

Fig. 10(a) Cross section of fractured surface of the tensile tested sample of the A-TIG weld joint. (b) SEM fractograph of the tensile tested
sample showing ductile fracture mode.

The higher strength in A-TIG weld was attributed to the

formation of harder martensite caused by faster cooling
rate. Although the martensite formation is possible in
multipass welds, martensite formed in the previous pass
would have been tempered by the successive passes. Base
metal is in the normalized and tempered condition. The
tensile-tested samples failed in the base metal region,
indicating that the weld metal is stronger than the base
metal for both the joints. The total elongation values
were comparable for both the joints, whereas the base
metal exhibited higher values. Higher strength values of
the weld joints caused the lower percentage elongation
values compared with that of the base metal. At 823 K
(550 C), the yield strength and total elongation values
130VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012

were slightly higher for multipass weld joint compared

with that of the A-TIG weld joint. This may be attributed
to the ner microstructure in multipass weld joints.
Figure 10(a) shows the fractured surface of the tensile
sample of the A-TIG weld joint, whereas Figure 10(b)
shows the fractograph of the fractured tensile sample of
the same weld joint, indicating that the sample failed in
the ductile mode.
D. Evaluation of Toughness
Subsize impact specimens with dimensions 55 mm
(length) 9 10 mm (width) 9 5 mm (thickness) were
fabricated from transverse cut section of the weld joint
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

Table VII. Impact Toughness Values for Base Metal, A-TIG

and for Multipass Weld Joints
Material Conditions

Impact Toughness
(Joules)

Base metal
A-TIG weld
Multipass weld

75
53
95

E. Residual Stress Proles Across the Conventional

TIG and A-TIG Weld Joints
Compressive residual stresses were found in the weld
metal of an A-TIG weld joint, whereas tensile residual
stresses were found in the weld metal of multipass TIG
weld joint (Figure 12). The nature of the residual stress
proles in modied 9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints were
dierent because of dierences in the balance between
the eect of shrinkage during weld solidication and the
volume expansion during martensitic transformation
between the two joints. The volume shrinkage eect
produced the tensile residual stresses in the weld metal,
whereas volume expansion during martensitic transformation produced the compressive residual stresses in the
weld metal. The volume of weld metal in the A-TIG
weld joint is considerably less and the quantity of tensile
residual stresses caused by volume shrinkage is less,
whereas the compressive residual stresses produced from
martensitic transformation is higher. Hence, the martensitic transformation eect dominates the nal residual stresses in the weld metal of the A-TIG weld joint.
Therefore, the compressive stresses are present in the
weld metal of the A-TIG weld joint. In the multipass
TIG weld joint, the volume of the weld metal is higher
and the shrinkage eect dominates over the martensitic

Multi-pass weld joint

100

Residual stress (MPa)

with the v-notch positioned at the weld center. Table VII

gives the impact toughness values for the base metal and
the weld joints after PWHT. The multipass TIG weld
joint exhibited higher impact toughness values compared with that of the A-TIG weld joint. This is
attributed to ner and well-tempered martensitic structure in the weld metal of the multipass weld joint,
whereas the A-TIG weld joint had coarser martensite
and delta-ferrite in the weld metal. A chemical analysis
by optical emission spectrometry shows that the amount
of oxygen present in the base metal was 200 ppm, in
A-TIG weld metal was 320 ppm, and in multipass TIG
weld metal was approximately 250 ppm. Inclusions
present in the weld metal of A-TIG weld joint would
have also reduced the toughness. The toughness in the
multipass weld joint was comparable with that of base
metal because of tempering by subsequent passes. To
minimize the risk of brittle fracture in modied 9Cr-1Mo
steel welds, a minimum average toughness for weld
metal of 47 J (minimum single value of 38 J) at 293 K
(20 C) has been introduced in the European specication EN 1599:1997. In the current study, A-TIG weld
joints exhibit an average toughness value of 53 J and a
minimum single value of 42 J. Therefore, the A-TIG
weld joint made in the current study is found to meet the
minimum toughness values specied as per European
specication EN 1599:1997.
Figure 11 shows the SEM fractograph of the impacttested specimens revealing brittle mode of failures and
the presence of inclusions. The ux coating on the weld
joint area was the cause of the inclusions. An energydispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis of the inclusion
conrmed that the inclusions are complex oxides that
could have also reduced the toughness values in the
A-TIG weld joint.

50
0
-50
-100

Activated flux TIG weld joint

-150
-200
-250
-300
-50 -40 -30 -20 -10

10

20

30

40

50

Distance from weld centre, mm

Fig. 12Residual stress distribution across the A-TIG and multipass
weld joints of modied 9Cr-1Mo steel.

Fig. 11(a) SEM fractograph of the v-notch impact tested specimen of the A-TIG weld joint showing cleavage fracture and presence of inclusions. (b) EDAX spectrum of the inclusion.
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B

VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012131

transformation eect and hence tensile stresses are

present in the weld metal. This is in agreement with
Deng and Murakawa[20] who reported that in modied
9Cr-1Mo steel welds, the volume change caused by
martensite transformation has a signicant inuence on
welding residual stress and it not only changes the
magnitude of the residual stress but also alters the sign
of residual stress in the weld metal.

VII.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Specic multicomponent activated ux has been

developed for autogenous TIG welding of 6 mm
thick mod.9Cr-1Mo steel plate. The increase in penetration was attributed mainly to arc constriction
though reversal of marangoni ow could have contributed to enhancement in depth of penetration.
2. A 10-mm-thick A-TIG weld joint was made by a
double-side welding procedure. The A-TIG weld
joints passed radiographic examination and bend
tests, which implies that joint integrity is adequate.
3. No dierence was found in the chemical composition
between the base metal and weld metal of the A-TIG
weld joints, except that a dissolved oxygen content of
320 ppm was observed in the weld metal because of
the activated ux.
4. The A-TIG weld joint in general exhibited coarser
tempered martensitic structure because of higher
peak temperature caused by the welding process. The
presence of nonuniform distribution of delta-ferrite
has been observed in the weld metal produced by
A-TIG welding. The multipass weld joint exhibited
tempered martensitic microstructure with carbide
precipitation.
5. The peak hardness value was higher for A-TIG weld
joint (424 VHN) compared with that of the multipass
TIG weld joint (383). Yield strength and ultimate
tensile strength values were also higher for A-TIG
weld joint compared to that of the base metal and
multipass TIG weld joint. A-TIG weld joint exhibits
similar total elongation values as that of multipass
TIG weld joint.
6. A multipass weld joint exhibited higher impact
toughness values compared with that of the base
metal and the A-TIG weld joint. The A-TIG weld
joint exhibited low-impact toughness values mainly

132VOLUME 43B, FEBRUARY 2012

because of the presence of d-ferrite and inclusions

caused by the oxide ux in the weld metal of A-TIG
weld joint.
7. The A-TIG weld joint exhibits compressive residual
stresses in the weld metal, whereas the multipass TIG
weld joint exhibits tensile residual stresses because of
the dominance of phase transformation eect in the
A-TIG weld joints.

REFERENCES
1. W.B. Jones, C.R. Hills, and D.H. Polonis: Metall. Trans. A, 1991,
vol. 22A, pp. 104958.
2. S. Spigraelli, E. Cerri, P. Bianchi, and E. Evangelista: Mater. Sci.
Technol., 1999, vol. 15, pp. 143340.
3. S.L. Mannan, S.C. Chetal, R. Baldev, and S.B Bhoje: Trans.
Indian Inst. Met, 2003, vol. 56 (2), pp. 15578.
4. E.L. Bergquist: Consumables and Welding Modied 9cr-1Mo Steel,
ESAB AB, Goteborg, Sweden, Svetsaren, 1999, vols. 12, pp. 2225.
5. R. Badev, S.L. Mannan, P.R. Vasudeva Rao, and M.D Mathew:
Sadhana, 2002, vol. 27 (5), pp. 52758.
6. M. Vasudevan: Ph.D. Dissertation, Indian Institute of Technology,
Chennai, India, 2007.
7. M. Vasudevan, A.K. Bhaduri, and R. Baldev: Development and
Evaluation of Activated Flux for TIG Welding of Type 304LN and
Type 316LN Stainless Steels, International Institute of Welding
International Congress, Chennai, India, 2008, pp. 21118.
8. M Marya: Int. J. Mech. Mater. Eng, 2006, vol. 1 (1), pp. 110.
9. J.J. Lowke, M. Tanaka, and M. Ushio: J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.,
2005, vol. 38, pp. 343845.
10. M. Tanaka, T. Shimizu, H. Terasaki, M. Ushio, F. Koshi-ishi, and
C.L Yang: Sci. Tech. Weld. Joi, 2000, vol. 5 (6), pp. 397402.
11. K.H. Tseng and C.Y. Hsu: J. Mater. Process. Tech., 2011,
vol. 211, pp. 50312.
12. T. Paskell, C. Lundin, and H Castner: Weld. J, 1997, vol. 76 (4),
pp. 5762.
13. S. Leconte, P. Paillard, and J Saindrenan: Sci. Tech. Weld. Joi,
2006, vol. 11 (1), pp. 4347.
14. P.J. Modenesi, E.R Apolinario, and J Mater: Process. Tech, 2000,
vol. 99 (13), pp. 26065.
15. M. Marya and G.R Edwards: Weld. J, 2002, vol. 81 (12), pp. 291
98.
16. P.J. Withers and H.K.D.H. Bhadeshia: Mater. Sci. Technol., 2001,
vol. 17, pp. 35565.
17. S.P. Lu, H. Fujii, M. Tanaka, and K Nogi: Trans. WRI, 2004,
vol. 33 (3), pp. 59.
18. S.P. Lu, H. Fujii, and K. Nogi: Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2004, vol. 380,
pp. 29097.
19. V. Kumar, B. Lucas, D. Howse, G. Melton, S. Raghunathan, and
L. Vilarinho: 15th Int. Conf. on the Joining of Materials (JOM 15)
and 6th Int. Conf. on Education in Welding (ICEW 6), Helsinger,
Denmark, 2009.
20. D. Deng and H. Murakawa: Comput. Mater. Sci., 2006, vol. 37,
pp. 20919.

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS B