Barry Robinson SAFE Presentation 2
Barry Robinson SAFE Presentation 2
Barry Robinson SAFE Presentation 2
Barry Robinson
0272864722
[email protected]
1
Too often, the welder and those responsible for the
welder’s actions are unaware of the importance of basic
heat treatment understanding in making a successful long-
lasting weld on high-strength or high-hardened steels.
Step 1. Hardening
Steel is hardened by heating to approx 850degC
“Cherry-red” to change the structure to “Austenite”.
The hot steel is then cooled quickly, usually quenched
in a liquid.
In the picture below you can clearly see the white band of brittle
martensite in the Bisalloy80. But take note that the ‘mild steel’ 1020
material also has a small amount in it.
Small cracks can form in hard brittle martensite:
So after Quenching (making the steel hard and
brittle by creating quenched martensite), the heat-
treater must always Temper the steel, thus
changing the dangerous Quenched Martensite into
the most desirable structure: ‘Tempered
Martensite’
The fact that we observe untempered martensite in the HAZ points to either a
poor weld procedure, the procedure not being followed, or the shaft being
welded without a weld procedure. Just look at these hardness test results…..
A General, best-practice welding guide
for hardened Wear Steel & GET Parts.
1. Ensure clean weld surfaces & the correct weld preps
2. Lightly tack the parts in position. Caution*
3. PREHEAT the welding area to 150-250degC.
4. Fully weld the parts together with correct wire or rods.
5. When welding is finished, cover the welded area with
a welding blanket to allow SLOW COOLING.
6. Once cooled, heat the area up again to approx.
30degC lower than the tempering temp of the lowest
tempered part, cover with a welding blanket to allow
slow cooling again. This is the POST HEAT treatment
which has now softened the brittle HAZ and hopefully
de-stressed your steel & the welds, significantly
reducing the risk of failure/cracking.
Barry Robinson
0272864722
[email protected]