| Abstract Scope |
Electric resistance welding (ERW) is a widely used, high speed joining process (operating at tens of meters per minute) that requires no filler material or shielding gas. During welding, the strip edges are heated to near melting temperatures and forged together, expelling liquid metal. This process results in the formation of a thin decarburized layer along the bond line, typically 10 to 40 µm thick, with significantly reduced strength, often around half that of the surrounding material.
This work presents an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) framework for estimating carbon diffusivity parameters and predicting phase constituents in ERW welded steel pipes, spanning a range of steel chemistries and thermal processing conditions. A series of strategically designed experiments (DOEs) were structured to map predicted microstructural attributes with key processing variables, including alloy composition, thermal exposure, and cooling rates, parameters reflective of actual manufacturing conditions.
The selected steel chemistries represent common grades used in pipe production, ensuring broad relevance of the developed models. Thermal profiles capture through thickness heat soaking and realistic cooling scenarios encountered in industrial settings. The resulting dataset enables robust microstructural modeling and provides critical insights into the evolution of weld properties.
This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of process structure property relationships, with particular focus on carbon diffusion behavior in the weld joint and the role of annealing in restoring ERW weld strength. |