Microstructure and Hydrogen Induced Failure Mechanisms in Iron-Nickel Weldments

Fenske, Jamey A.

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Description

Title

Microstructure and Hydrogen Induced Failure Mechanisms in Iron-Nickel Weldments

Author(s)

Fenske, Jamey A.

Issue Date

2011-01-14T22:47:57Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Robertson, Ian M.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Robertson, Ian M.

Committee Member(s)

• Johnson, Duane D.
• Zuo, Jian-Min
• Sofronis, Petros

Department of Study

Materials Science & Engineerng

Discipline

Materials Science & Engr

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Hydrogen embrittlement
• dissimilar metal welds
• iron-nickel (Fe-Ni) welds
• butter weld
• M7C3 carbides
• Failure
• IN 625 - nickel-base superalloy
• low alloy steel, AISI 8630, F22

Abstract

A recent series of inexplicable catastrophic failures of specific subsea dissimilar metal Fe-Ni butter welds has illuminated a fundamental lack of understanding of both the microstructure created along the fusion line as well as its impact on the hydrogen susceptibility of these interfaces. In order to remedy this, the present work compares and contrasts the microstructure and hydrogen-induced fracture morphology of AISI 8630-IN 625 and F22-IN 625 dissimilar metal weld interfaces as a function of post-weld heat treatment duration. A variety of techniques were used to study details of both the microstructure and fracture morphology including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. For both systems, the microstructure along the weld interface consisted of a coarse grain heat-affected zone in the Fe-base metal followed by discontinuous martensitic partially-mixed zones and a continuous partially-mixed zone on the Ni-side of the fusion line. Within the partially mixed zone on the Ni-side there exists a 200 nm-wide transition zone within a 20 μm-wide planar solidification region followed by a cellular dendritic region with Nb-Mo rich carbides decorating the dendrite boundaries. The size, area fraction and composition of the discontinuous PMZ were determined to be controlled by uneven mixing in the liquid weld pool influenced by convection currents produced from the welding procedure. The virgin martensitic microstructure produced in these regions is formed as consequence of a both the local composition and the post-weld heat treatment. The local higher Ni content results in these regions being retransformed into austenite during the post-weld heat treatment and then virgin martensite while cooling to room temperature. Although there were differences in the volume of the discontinuous partially mixed-zones, the major difference in the weld metal interfaces was the presence of M7C3 precipitates in the planar solidification region. The formation of these precipitates, which were found in what was previously referred to as the “featureless-zone,” were determined to be dependent on the carbon content of the Fe-base metal and the duration of the post-weld heat treatment. A high density of these ordered 100 nm-long by 10 nm-wide needle-like precipitates were found in the AISI 8630-IN 625 weldment in the 10 hour post-weld heat treatment condition while only the initial stages of their nucleation were evident in the F22-IN 625 15 hour post-weld heat treatment specimen. The study of the fractured specimens revealed that the M7C3 carbides play a key role in the susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement of the Fe-Ni butter weldments. The fractures initially nucleate along the isolated Fe-base metal – discontinuous partially mixed zone interfaces. The M7C3 carbides accumulate hydrogen and then provide a low energy fracture path between the discontinuous partially mixed zones leading to catastrophic failure. The result is a fracture morphology that alternates between flat regions produced by fracture along the discontinuous partially mixed zones and cleavage-like fracture regions produced by fracture along the ordered carbide matrix interfaces.

Graduation Semester

2010-12

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/18371

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© 2010 by Jamey Alan Fenske. All Rights Reserved

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