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WELD INSPECTION LEVEL 2 COURSE

CHAPTER 6
WELDING MATERIAL, PROPERTIES
& CLASSIFICATION

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
PROPERTIES OF METALS

What is a metal?

Technically, it is an element which has the following properties:

It is solid at room temperature (mercury is an exception)
It is opaque (that is, you cant see through it)
It conducts heat and electricity
It reflects light when polished
It expands when heated, contracts when cooled
It usually has a crystalline structure

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
An alloy is a metal to which:-

another metal (or metals), or a non-metallic element such as carbon
or silicon, has been added to modify the physical or mechanical
properties of the pure metal.
iron, aluminum, titanium, and magnesium are used predominantly in
alloy form.
pure iron, in fact, is something of a laboratory curiosity.

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
PROPERTIES OF METALS CAN BE CLASSIFIED

Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Chemical Properties

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Physical characteristics are different and distinctive for every metal.
They include:

density
melting point
specific heat
thermal conductivity
thermal expansion
electrical conductivity and
corrosion resistance.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Density

Mass (weight) of a specific volume of metal.
Light metals aluminum and magnesium low density
Ferrous metal carbon steel and stainless steel high density
Density is variously expressed as
Grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm
3
),
Kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m
3
),
Pounds per cubic inch (lb./in.
3
),
Pounds per cubic foot (lb./ft.
3
).

for comparative purposes, density is often expressed as specific
gravity.



Steel
Aluminum
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION

METAL

DENSITY (lb/cu. In)
ALUMINUM
COPPER
GOLD
IRON / STEEL
MAGNESIUM
MANGANESE
MOLYBDENUM
NICKEL
TIN
TITANIUM
TUNGSTEN
ZINC
2.71
8.96
19.32
7.87
1.74
7.43
10.20.
8.90
7.30
4.54
19.30
7.13
Densities of Common
Materials


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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Melting Point

Extremely important in welding affect the fusibility of material
Temperature solid to liquid state.
Metals with low temperature welded at lower weld temperature.
At this state , metals does not have any crystalline structures.
Solid State Liquid State
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION

Specific Heat

Specific heat required to bring the metal to melting point.
Low melting material - required high specific temperature to melt.
High melting material - required low specific temperature to melt.
Factors influenced :
1. Area
2. Thermal, Electrical Conductivity
3. Joint Design
4. Chemical Composition

ALUMINIUM REQUIRED HIGHER SPECIFIC
TEMPERATURE DUE TO HIGH IN THERMAL
CONDUCTIVITY
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION

Thermal Conductivity
Is a measure of metals ability to conduct heat.
Metal good electric conductivity good in heat conductivity.
Good thermal conductivity material disperse heat easily and localize
heat is unlikely.
Poor thermal conductivity material is said easy to be welded &
distortion is likely.
Excellent conductor of heat :
Silver & copper
Poor conductor of heat :
Titanium & Manganese
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Thermal Expansion
Solids expand in all dimensions when heated and contract when
cooled.
The increase in unit length when solid is heated 1 degree is called
coefficient of linear expansion.
Aluminum has 2X thermal expansion compared to steel at same
temperature.
Thermal of expansion may vary depends on material types and area.
Large area / thick
high thermal expansion high distortion & stress

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Electrical Conductivity

Is the measure of abilitys material to conduct electricity.
Metal with low electrical conductivity - high in resistance transfer
welding current slower (heat build up).
Low conductivity may lead to distortion and stresses.
Silver
Copper
Aluminum
Lead
Tungsten
Zinc

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Corrosion Resistance

The ability of a given metal to resist corrosion.
Corrosion may reduce the tensile strength of the material.
Corrosion may caused by liquid chemicals and noxious gasses.
Chromium & nickel based alloys is less susceptible to corrosion at
elevated temperature.
Lead & aluminum are weather resistance due to protective layer
formed by oxide.
Oxide
Layer
Aluminum
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Mechanical properties shows the reaction of metal on certain forces such
as :

Tension
Compression
Torsion
Shear
Impact
Cold shaping
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Plasticity - Ease of material to be bent or molded into given
shape.
Brittleness - Tendency of a metal to break suddenly without
plastic deformation.
Malleability - Property possessed by a metal of becoming
permanently flattened or stretched by hammering or
rolling.
Ductility - Ability of material to deform plastically without
fracture.
Creep - Ability of material to withstand gradual changes in
dimension (contraction & expansion).
Hardness - Property of material to resist plastic deformation
by scratching & indentation.
Fatigue - Tendency of a metal to fail under a rapidly alternating
loading.
Elasticity - Ability of material to return to its original shape.

CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Many elements may present in steel. Alloyed steel is a steel contains
various type of chemical element such as :

Carbon ( C )
Nickel (Ni)
Chromium (Cr)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Copper (Cu)
Manganese (Mn)
Silicon (Si)
Tungsten (W)
Vanadium (V)
Aluminum (Al)

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Carbon ( C )

Key element of steel.
Major influence on strength, toughness, ductility
and hardness.
High carbon would reduce the strength &
toughness ; Increase hardness
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Ductility
Hardness
Tensile Strength
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 % Carbon
0.83 % Carbon (Eutectoid)*
Increasing the carbon content will increase the strength, but will
also increase greatly the formation of martensite in the weld.
This may now produce H
2
Cracks across weld*
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Nickel ( Ni )

Widely used in stainless steel.
Commonly for heat and corrosion resistance.
Increases strength & toughness.
In some cases the ductility would be increase.
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Chromium ( Cr )

Widely used in stainless steel.
Commonly for heat and provides basic corrosion
resistance.
Increases hardness, strength & toughness.
In some cases the ductility decrease.
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Molybdenum ( Mo )

Expensive element which has strong effect on
hardenability and high creep strength at high
temperatures.
Steels would be less susceptible to temper
brittleness.
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Copper ( Cu )

Main value is to assist in the resistance of steel to
atmospheric corrosion.

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Manganese ( Mn )

Extensively used as an alloying element has
considerable effect on its structure.
Similar affect as carbon and able to compensate
hardness & toughness.
Main element for de-oxidizing oxygen*.

*During welding - Oxygen + carbon = carbon monoxide (trapped in weld metal porosity)
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Silicon ( Si )

Small amounts of silicon present in steel.
Does not effect on the metal properties.
Main function is as a deoxidizer.


*During welding - Oxygen + silicon = prevent the formation of carbon monoxide (trap in weld
metal porosity)
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Tungsten ( W )

Element which has strong effect on hardness ,
toughness and high creep strength at high
temperatures.
Steels would be less susceptible to temper
brittleness and resistance to abrasion wear
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Vanadium ( V )

Promotes grain structure refining (welding)
Increase hardness and may also be used as a
deoxidizer.
Aluminum ( Al )

Promotes grain structure refining (steel production)
Increase hardness and may also be used as a
deoxidizer.
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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Affect on steel :
Sulphur & Phosphorous

Element which has strong effect machinability on
steel.
Always keep below 0.04% due to :

Sulphur - Hot shortness (fast cooling rate)
Phosphorous - Cold shortness (slow cooling rate)

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CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIAL
Material may be classified as :

Ferrous Metal
1. Carbon Steel - Low, Medium & High Carbon
2. Alloy Steel - Quenched, Tempered, HSLA, Cr+Moly
3. Stainless Steel - Ferritic, Austenitic & Martensitic

Non-ferrous Metal
1. Aluminum & its Alloy
2. Copper & its alloy
3. Magnesium based alloy
4. Nickel based alloy - Monel, Inconel, Incoloy, Hastealloy
5. Reactive and refractory metals Titanium, Tungsten
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Plain Carbon Steels
Steels are classified into groups as follows
1. Low Carbon Steel 0.01 0.3% Carbon
2. Medium Carbon Steel 0.3 0.6% Carbon
3. High Carbon Steel 0.6 1.4% Carbon
Plain carbon steels contain only iron & carbon as main alloying
elements, traces of Mn, Si, Al, S & P may also be present
Carbon Steel Classification
CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
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An Alloyed carbon steel is one that contains more than Iron &
Carbon as a main alloying elements.
Mainly to improve strength, hardness, and toughness.
Increase resistance to corrosion, heat and environmental damage.
Alloy steels are divided into 2 groups
1. Low Alloy Steels < 7% extra alloying elements
2. High Alloy Steels > 7% extra alloying elements
Carbon Steel Classification
CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
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Corrosion resisting steel are alloys of iron with chromium, nickel etc.
Stainless Steels can be categorized into:
Stainless Steel Classification
CHAPTER 6 WELDING MATERIALS, PROPERTIES & CLASSIFICATION
Group Elements Hardenable by
heat treatment
Magnetic
Austenitic
Austenitic
Martensitic
Ferritic

Chromium nickel manganese
Chromium nickel
Chromium
Chromium


Non Hardenable
Non Hardenable
Hardenable
Non Hardenable

No
No
Yes
Yes