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Reprinted Articles from
Welding Innovation Magazine
by R. Scott Funderburk
Fundamentals of Preheat
Preheating involves heating the base
metal, either in its entirety or just the
region surrounding the joint, to a spe-
cific desired temperature, called the
preheat temperature, prior to welding.
Heating may be continued during the
welding process, but frequently the
heat from welding is sufficient to main-
tain the desired temperature without a
continuation of the external heat
source. The interpass temperature,
defined as the base metal tempera-
ture at the time when welding is to be
performed between the first and last
welding passes, cannot be permitted
to fall below the preheat temperature.
Interpass temperature will not be dis-
cussed further here; however, it will be When Should Preheat restraint or section thickness increases,
the need for preheat also increases.
the subject of a future column. Be Used?
Preheating can produce many benefi-
cial effects; however, without a working In determining whether or not to pre- What Preheat
heat, the following should be consid-
knowledge of the fundamentals
ered: code requirements, section Temperature Is
involved, one risks wasting money, or
even worse, degrading the integrity of thickness, base metal chemistry, Required?
the weldment. restraint, ambient temperature, filler Welding codes generally specify mini-
metal hydrogen content and previous mum values for the preheat tempera-
cracking problems. If a welding code
Why Preheat? must be followed, then the code gen-
ture, which may or may not be
adequate to prohibit cracking in every
There are four primary reasons to uti- erally will specify the minimum preheat application. For example, if a beam-
lize preheat: (1) it slows the cooling temperature for a given base metal, to-column connection made of ASTM
rate in the weld metal and base metal, welding process and section thick- A572-Gr50 jumbo sections (thickness-
producing a more ductile metallurgical ness. This minimum value must be es ranging from 4 to 5 in [100-125
structure with greater resistance to attained regardless of the restraint or mm]) is to be fabricated with a low-
cracking; (2) the slower cooling rate variation in base metal chemistry; hydrogen electrode, then a minimum
provides an opportunity for hydrogen however, the minimum value may be prequalified preheat of 225°F (107°C)
that may be present to diffuse out increased if necessary. is required (AWS D1.1-96, Table 3.2).
harmlessly, reducing the potential for However, for making butt splices in
cracking; (3) it reduces the shrinkage When there are no codes governing jumbo sections, it is advisable to
stresses in the weld and adjacent the welding, one must determine increase the preheat temperature
base metal, which is especially impor- whether preheat is required, and if so, beyond the minimum prequalified level
tant in highly restrained joints; and (4) what preheat temperature will be to that required by AISC for making
it raises some steels above the tem- appropriate. In general, preheat usu- butt splices in jumbo sections, namely
perature at which brittle fracture would ally is not required on low carbon 350°F (175°C) (AISC LRFD J2.8).
occur in fabrication. Additionally, pre- steels less than 1 in (25 mm) thick. This conservative recommendation
heat can be used to help ensure spe- However, as the chemistry, diffusible acknowledges that the minimum pre-
cific mechanical properties, such as hydrogen level of the weld metal, heat requirements prescribed by AWS
weld metal notch toughness.
exceed a critical value dependent on the AWS D1.1 code requires that the
the composition of the steel and the minimum preheat temperature be
restraint. This procedure is extremely established at a distance that is at
useful for high strength, low-alloy steels least equal to the thickness of the
that have high hardenability. However, thickest member, but not less than
the calculated preheat may be some- 3 in (75 mm) in all directions from the
what conservative for carbon steels. point of welding. To ensure that the
The Importance
of Interpass Temperature
“Interpass temperature” refers to the metal properties are required. The
temperature of the material in the weld AWS Position Statement is one exam-
area immediately before the second ple with regard to notch toughness,
and each subsequent pass of a multiple and there could be many others. For
pass weld. In practice, the minimum example, if a designer expects a mini-
specified interpass temperature is often mum strength level for a particular
equal to the minimum specified preheat component that could experience
temperature, but this is not required extremely high interpass temperatures
according to the definition. (i.e., due to its size or welding proce-
dures), a maximum interpass tempera-
Why Is Interpass ture should be specified. Otherwise,
the weld metal strength could be
Temperature unacceptably low.
Important? Figure 1. Balancing the variables of
A maximum interpass temperature is
Interpass temperature is just as impor- interpass temperature.
also necessary for quenched and tem-
tant as, if not more important than,
pered (Q&T) steels, such as ASTM
preheat temperature, with regard to the
A514. Due to the heat treating char-
mechanical and microstructural proper-
acteristics of the base metal, it is criti- A Delicate Balance
ties of weldments. For instance, the
cal that the interpass temperature be Particularly on sensitive base metals,
yield and ultimate tensile strengths of
controlled within limits which will help the minimum interpass temperature
the weld metal are both a function of
must be sufficient to prevent cracking,
the interpass temperature. High values
while the maximum interpass tempera-
of interpass temperature tend to It may be important to ture must be controlled to provide ade-
reduce the weld metal strength.
Additionally, higher interpass tempera-
control the maximum quate mechanical properties. To
tures will generally provide a finer grain interpass temperature maintain this balance, the following
variables must also be considered:
structure and improved Charpy V notch when certain time between passes, base metal
toughness transition temperatures.
However, when interpass temperatures mechanical properties thickness, preheat temperature, ambi-
ent conditions, heat transfer character-
exceed approximately 500°F (260°C), are required istics, and heat input from welding.
this trend is reversed. For example,
the American Welding Society (AWS)
provide adequate mechanical proper- For example, weldments with smaller
Position Statement on the Northridge
ties in the weld metal and the heat cross-sectional areas naturally tend to
Earthquake recommends that the inter-
affected zone. “accumulate” interpass temperature:
pass temperature should not exceed
as the welding operation continues,
550°F (290°C) when notch toughness
Keep in mind, however, that maximum the temperature of the part increases.
is a requirement.
interpass temperature control is not As a general rule, if the cross-section-
always required. In fact, the AWS al area is less than 20 in² (130 cm²),
Why a Maximum? D1.1-98 Structural Welding Code – then the interpass temperature will
It may be important to impose control Steel does not impose such control. tend to increase with each sequential
over the maximum interpass tempera- weld pass if normal production rates
ture when certain mechanical weld are maintained. However, if the cross-
by R. Scott Funderburk
Postweld
Heat Treatment
A Look at Input
Cooling Rate is a
Function of Heat Input
The effect of heat input on cooling rate
is similar to that of the preheat temper-
ature. As either the heat input or the
preheat temperature increases, the rate
of cooling decreases for a given base
metal thickness. These two variables
interact with others such as material
thickness, specific heat, density, and
Figure 2. The arc voltage is always lower than the machine voltage due to the
resistance of the welding cables.
Õ Õ
Yield Strength 30%
input and cooling rate:
Tensile Strength 10%
1
R∝ Percent Elongation 10%
Õ
To H
Õ
Notch Toughness (CVN) 10%, for 15 < H < 50 kJ/in
where,
Õ
50%, for 50 < H < 110 kJ/in
R = cooling rate (°F/sec or °C/sec)
Hardness 10%
Õ
To = preheat temperature (°F or °C)
H = heat input (kJ/in or kJ/mm)
* SMAW with a heat input range of 15 to 110 kJ/in.
The cooling rate is a primary factor
that determines the final metallurgical
structure of the weld and heat affected
zone (HAZ), and is especially impor- tied to the heat input, but is also signif- Welding Codes
tant with heat-treated steels. When icantly influenced by the weld bead
welding quenched and tempered size. As the bead size increases, As discussed previously, heat input
steels, for example, slow cooling rates which corresponds to a higher heat can affect the mechanical properties
(resulting from high heat inputs) can input, the notch toughness tends to and metallurgical structure in the weld
soften the material adjacent to the decrease. In multiple-pass welds, a and HAZ of weldments. The AWS
weld, reducing the load-carrying portion of the previous weld pass is Welding Codes have specific provi-
capacity of the connection. refined, and the toughness improved, sions related to heat input for this very
as the heat from each pass tempers reason. Below are the requirements
the weld metal below it. If the beads for heat input from AWS D1.1 and
How Does Heat Input are smaller, more grain refinement D1.5.
Affect Mechanical occurs, resulting in better notch tough-
Properties? ness, all other factors being even. AWS D1.1 Structural Welding
Code — Steel
Varying the heat input typically will Tests have been conducted with The AWS D1.1 Structural Welding
affect the material properties in the SMAW electrodes and procedures that Code — Steel controls heat input in
weld. The following table shows how provided heat inputs varying from 15 three areas: (1) qualified Welding
the listed properties change with kJ/in (0.6 kJ/mm) to 110 kJ/in (4.3 Procedure Specifications, (2) minimum
increasing heat input. An arrow point- kJ/mm) (Evans, 1997). This repre- fillet weld sizes and (3) quenched and
Õ
ed up, , designates that the property sents a very large heat input range, tempered steels.
increases as heat input increases. An which encompasses most applications
Õ