Abstract
A study was made to examine the effects of postweld heat treatment(PWHT) on the toughness and microstructures in the weld heat affected zone(HAZ) of Cu-bearing HSLA-100 steel. The Gleeble thermal/mechanical simulator was used to simulate the weld HAZ. The details between toughness and PWHT of HAZ were studied by impact test, optical microscopy(O.M.), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). The decrease of HAZ toughness in single thermal cycle comparing to base plate is ascribed to the coarsed-grain formed by heating to 1350.deg.C. The increase of HAZ toughness in double thermal cycle comparine to single thermal cycle is due to the fine ferrite(.alpha.) grain transformed from austenite(.gamma.)formed by heating to .alpha./.gamma. two phase region. Cu precipitated during aging for increasing the strength of base metal is dissolved during single thermal cycle to 1350.deg.C and is precipitated little on cooling and heating during subsequent weld thermal cycle. It precipitates by introducing PWHT. Thus, the decrease of toughness in triple thermal cycle of $T_{p1}$ = 1350.deg.C, $T_{p2}$ = 800.deg.C and $T_{p3}$ = 500.deg.C does not occur owing to the precipitation of Cu. The behaviors of Cu=precipitates in HAZ is similar to that in base plate. PWHT at 550.deg.C shows highest hardness and lowest toughness, whereas PWHT at 650.deg.C shows reasonable toughness, which improves the toughness of as-welded state.state.
