It is often incorrectly assumed that quenched and tempered (Q&T) steels are hard to weld or even completely unweldable. This assumption is inaccurate as most Q&T steels have great weldability. However, extreme care must be taken to prevent cracking or loss of certain mechanical properties. A very common quenched and tempered steel is ASTM A514. […]
In our previous post we discussed categorizing cracks based on when they occur. If you missed this you can read it at Understanding Why Welds Crack: Timing. As discussed in this previous article, cracks can and should be categorized based on three criteria: Timing – did the crack occur immediately after welding (hot crack), did […]
Cracks are perhaps the only discontinuity for which there is no allowance. Most codes require that cracks be repaired. Crosscheck cracks on some hardfacing applications may be OK, but in general, if a weld cracks it’s a big problem. This problem is time consuming and costly in most cases. When you get a crack you don’t […]
Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC), also called hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC) and cold cracking, is a common welding defect when welding heavy steel sections and steels with high carbon content. If you would like to learn more about the causes of HIC read Factors Influencing Hydrogen Induced Cracking. In the above mentioned article we explained that […]
T-1, or ASTM A514 is a high strength steel which is quenched and tempered to provide yield strengths of over 100,000psi (over 690MPa). The name “T-1” is a trademark of Arcelor Mittal and not an ASTM, AISI or part of other organization’s standard numbering system. ASTM A514 is primarily used as a structural steel and […]
Our last post (Factors Influencing Hydrogen Induced Cracking) went over the factors that contribute to hydrogen-induced cracking. We will now go over how to prevent HIC from happening. If you recall, we mentioned you need all three factors to be present in order to have HIC: These factors are 1. a susceptible microstructure, 2. threshold […]
Hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) is a far too common type of failure. It is also called hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC) and delayed cracking since it does not occur right after welding, but a few hours or days after the weld has completely cooled down to ambient temperature. Cracking occurs due to a significant loss in ductility […]
