{"title":"Evaluating hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility in pipeline steel welds","authors":"F. Romero Consuegra, B. T. Alexandrov","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02425-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02425-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The objective of this study was to investigate the applicability of the delayed hydrogen cracking test (DHCT), standardized as AMPP TM21453, for evaluating hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility in pipeline steel welds. A comparative analysis of the HE mechanisms induced by the DHCT and the slow strain rate test (SSRT) was performed by quantifying the mechanical energy of crack nucleation and propagation in failures induced by these tests. The DHCT applies a static tensile load below the material yield strength (YS) in an electrochemically generated atomic hydrogen environment. Test results of X65 PSL2 steel welds demonstrated that the DHCT generates low-energy HE failures, associated with brittle QC and IG mechanisms, and can differentiate the effects of microstructure and weld profile-induced stress concentration on HE susceptibility. SSRT, performed in atomic hydrogen, induced brittle failures at plastic strains below 2%, showing potential application for evaluating HE susceptibility in pipeline welds for strain-based design service. Analysis of published results from SSRT in high-pressure gaseous hydrogen revealed that the related failure mechanism absorbs mechanical energy of up to three orders of magnitude higher than the DHCT. This was attributed to the large magnitude of plastic strain generated at loading above the material UTS, which is necessary for absorbing a sufficient amount of hydrogen to initiate HE failures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 11","pages":"5647 - 5659"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40194-026-02425-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149188909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation of mechanical failure and abrasive wear behaviour of FeCoCrNiMo HEA cladding deposited on AISI 1050 steel by the TIG welding process","authors":"Sumit Rana, Lalit Thakur, Navneet Arora","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02428-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02428-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>High-entropy alloy (HEA) claddings are being actively considered to improve the mechanical and wear performance of engineering steels. Still, little is known about their mechanical failure and abrasive wear behaviour when deposited using cost-effective TIG welding. In this paper, the mechanical response, failure modes or wear behaviour of FeCoCrNiMo HEA claddings deposited on AISI 1050 steel are studied. Three HEA-cladded samples (specimens 1, 2 and 3) produced under varying TIG welding conditions were selected based on earlier work by the authors and carefully examined to gain insight into how changes in processing parameters affect mechanical and abrasive wear behaviour. Under varying TIG welding conditions, three clad samples with maximum, optimum and minimum hardness were prepared and tested using three-point bending tests, dry sand rubber wheel abrasion tests and detailed microstructural characterisation using SEM, EDS, XRD and 3D surface profilometry. The flexural strength of the optimised sample was a maximum of 1234.12 at 3.78% strain, and the volume loss was a minimum of 71.76 mm<sup>3</sup> at 3.78% strain. The volume loss was the lowest, at 71.76 mm<sup>3</sup>, attributed to the homogeneous microstructure and a balanced, ductile hardness. Contrastingly, flexural strength and severe abrasive damage in the low-hardness sample were reduced by 31.9 per cent, due to the low interfacial bond strength and microstructural flaws. The fractographic and wear analysis showed that the common failure and wear mechanisms are crack initiation, crack deflection, micro-grooving, ploughing and delamination. The findings reveal that with adequate control of doublet TIG welding parameters, it is possible to produce FeCoCrNiMo HEA claddings with high mechanical integrity and wear resistance, suitable for challenging surface engineering tasks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 11","pages":"5661 - 5677"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149188964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancement of wear resistance of EN8 steel via AISI316 cladding with titanium carbide reinforcement using wire arc additive manufacturing","authors":"Ranbir Singh Rooprai, Vikrant Singh, Jagtar Singh, Anuj Bansal, Anil Kumar Singla","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02420-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02420-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates the enhancement of EN8 steel’s wear resistance through AISI316 cladding and its reinforcement with 5 wt.% titanium carbide (TiC) using the wire arc additive manufacturing-cold metal transfer (WAAM-CMT) process. The TiC addition significantly improved microhardness and grain refinement, as confirmed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). These microstructural advancements correlate with a notable reduction in material loss under abrasive conditions. The TiC-reinforced composite (AST5) exhibited a lower wear rate in dry sliding and slurry abrasion tests as compared to uncoated EN8 steel. These findings endorse TiC-reinforced AISI316 as a promising surface engineering solution for high-wear agricultural applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 11","pages":"5631 - 5646"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149188996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paul Schilling, Tim Ungethüm, Paul Sanderbrand, Hans Christian Schmale
{"title":"Investigation of a multi-cathode TIG arc process for additive manufacturing applications","authors":"Paul Schilling, Tim Ungethüm, Paul Sanderbrand, Hans Christian Schmale","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02414-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02414-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates a novel tungsten inert gas double-electrode (TIG-DE) welding process with integrated coaxial hot-wire feeding for additive manufacturing applications. By combining arcs generated by multiple cathodes with independent wire preheating, the process aims to overcome the limitations of conventional single-electrode TIG systems, particularly with respect to directional dependence and limited deposition rates. A custom-built demonstrator system was used to systematically analyze the arc behavior, weld bead formation, and process stability under various parameter conditions. Arc pressure measurements confirmed the isotropy of the arc shape under optimized electrode configurations. Blind seam trials in orthogonal directions revealed minimal geometric deviations, verifying the directional independence of the process, which is a major advantage over conventional processes. The integration of an ohmic preheating unit enabled stable wire feeding at high speeds and significantly reduced eccentricities of the weld bead. Compared to the cold-wire TIG process, the hot-wire process exhibited a broader process window and higher productivity, with deposition rates exceeding 1 kg h<span>(^{-1})</span> and seam height deviations consistently below 1 mm. These findings highlight the capability of the developed process to enable geometrically consistent and directionally independent layer buildup, providing a robust foundation for further development of wire-based additive manufacturing using TIG technology.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 8","pages":"3473 - 3484"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40194-026-02414-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148695488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Magnetic pulse-assisted semi-solid brazing of copper-aluminum tubes: solid-liquid interface and defect formation","authors":"Jiawang Zhang, Shangyu Huang, Zhenghua Meng, Jianhua Hu, Zhenglei Rui","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02416-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02416-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study develops a coupled finite element method-smoothed particle hydrodynamics (FEM-SPH) model to elucidate interfacial evolution mechanisms during magnetic pulse-assisted semi-solid brazing (MPASSB) of copper-aluminum tubular joints. Through an integrated numerical-experimental approach, we systematically examined the interdependent effects of impact parameters (velocity <i>v</i>, angle <i>θ</i>) and filler metal characteristics (apparent viscosity <i>μ</i>, spatial distribution) on interfacial morphology development. Key findings reveal that impact parameters (<i>v</i>, <i>θ</i>) predominantly govern interfacial waveform attributes: both wavelength and amplitude exhibit positive correlations with increasing impact velocity and angle. Reduced filler metal viscosity (<i>μ</i> < 41.7 Pa·s) promotes interfacial wave formation and vortex generation, while increased filler-copper spacing enhances copper-side waveform definition. Experimental validation through parametric brazing trials confirmed the synergistic effects of <i>v</i> and <i>μ</i> on interfacial wave dimensions. Microstructural analysis demonstrates aluminum-side porosity originates from particle entrapment in semi-solid filler metal, where enhanced fluidity facilitates pore migration. Conversely, copper-side porosity arises from oxide residue accumulation, mitigated through viscosity optimization. High-strain-rate collision dynamics generate sequential jetting phenomena: primary jets induce interfacial mixing while re-entrant jets establish periodic waveform patterns through cyclic material interaction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 7","pages":"3123 - 3139"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mariia Rashkovets, Vito Denora, Nicola Contuzzi, Fulvio Lavecchia, Giuseppe Casalino
{"title":"Influence of spot time on solidification behavior in cold gas tungsten arc welding of copper–stainless steel joints","authors":"Mariia Rashkovets, Vito Denora, Nicola Contuzzi, Fulvio Lavecchia, Giuseppe Casalino","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02419-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02419-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Welding copper to stainless steel is inherently challenging due to their contrasting thermophysical properties and the immiscibility of the Cu–Fe system. This study introduces a novel Cold Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (CGTAW) technique, featuring reduced heat input and controlled arc shutdown, to improve the quality of dissimilar copper–stainless steel joints. A full-factorial experimental design evaluates the effects of spot time, welding speed, and takt time on material intermixing and defect formation. Results show that spot time critically influences fluid flow and weld pool stability, while takt time and welding speed modulate the intensity of mixing and defect development. Complete arc shut-off mitigates solidification cracking and porosity by promoting rapid solidification and minimizing copper dilution. The microstructure shows steep concentration gradients with spherical γ-phase inclusions in the fusion zone. The shape and arrangement of these inclusions are primarily influenced by fluid flow during welding. The mechanical performance primarily depends on the balance in the distribution and shape of the γ-phase within the welds. These insights underscore the role of thermal cycles and fluid dynamics in determining weld quality in CGTAW. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 11","pages":"5619 - 5630"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. B. Winther, N. M. Bauer, M. Faß, J. Baumgartner, J. H. Andreasen, J. Schjødt-Thomsen
{"title":"Non-proportional fatigue stress criteria in welded joints: a design code perspective","authors":"N. B. Winther, N. M. Bauer, M. Faß, J. Baumgartner, J. H. Andreasen, J. Schjødt-Thomsen","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02378-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02378-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Welded joints often exhibit a significant reduction in fatigue life when subjected to non-proportional (NP) multiaxial loading conditions. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate how current design codes account for NP fatigue and whether their assessment criteria remain adequate. This study examines five NP fatigue life assessment methods from major design codes: IIW [1], DNV [2], ASME [3], FKM [4] and BSI [5] using a database of 22 experimental studies involving NP fatigue in welded steel joints. The evaluation is based on two structural stress assessment approaches derived from finite element analysis: the fine hotspot stress method, as recommended by IIW, DNV, FKM, and BSI, and the equivalent(-equilibrium) structural stress method (E(E)SS) method as proposed by ASME. These are also compared to two benchmark nominal stress-based criteria: maximum principal stress and von Mises stress. The results confirm that NP stress states lead to a notable reduction in fatigue life. While none of the evaluated design codes completely correct for this effect, the IIW and ASME method perform best overall in terms of prediction accuracy and consistency. Furthermore, the study proposes calibrated NP correction factors for each method based on the database. These factors yield near-perfect alignment between predicted and experimental fatigue life, offering a potential basis for improving current design practices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 5","pages":"1949 - 1970"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40194-026-02378-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147727581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhonglin Wang, Xingfei Xie, Jinglong Qu, Jinhui Du, Yueguang Yu
{"title":"Microstructure and defects formation mechanism of inertia friction welded joint of GH4151 superalloy with high γʹ phase content","authors":"Zhonglin Wang, Xingfei Xie, Jinglong Qu, Jinhui Du, Yueguang Yu","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02339-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02339-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nickel-based superalloy GH4151 has excellent high-temperature strength, but its high γʹ content and complex compositional and microstructure lead to poor weldability. The microstructure and defect formation mechanism of the joints were analyzed by adjusting the welding pressure of inertia friction welding (IFW) combined with hot deformation experiments. The results show that at low welding pressure, the welding defects are non-uniform grains, harmful precipitates (Laves and γ-γ′ eutectic), and microcracks. The formation of these defects is associated with dynamic recrystallization, the γʹ compositional liquefaction, and the stress concentration caused by carbides. At medium welding pressure, the deformation uncoordination of primary γ′ and carbides at the interface with the matrix, as well as the shear force at the weld interface, led to initial cracks, and the residual stresses generated by the precipitation of γ′ during post-weld cooling led to secondary cracks. Joints with favorable microstructure were obtained at high welding pressure, with uniform and fine grains and tertiary γ′ in the weld zone. Hot deformation experiments show that the rapid dissolution behavior of γʹ under rapid heating and deformation in the IFW process lead to microcracks. Meanwhile, the ultrahigh temperature at the weld interface causes alloy melting and the formation of harmful phases. Reasonably increasing the welding pressure can effectively suppress the liquefaction of γ′, enhance the healing capacity of pores and microcracks, and improve the flowability of plastic metal at the weld interface, thereby reducing the formation of welding defects and obtaining uniform and fine joint microstructure and precipitates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 7","pages":"2955 - 2972"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Suresh, A. Sureshkumar, V. K. Shanmuganathan, P. Michael Joseph Stalin
{"title":"Deep generative learning for microstructure evolution prediction in multimaterial welded interfaces","authors":"R. Suresh, A. Sureshkumar, V. K. Shanmuganathan, P. Michael Joseph Stalin","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02410-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02410-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Predicting microstructure evolution in dissimilar metal welds is a challenging task due to complex thermomechanical interactions, heterogeneous material properties, and process-dependent phase transformations. In this work, we present a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN)-based framework, adapted from image-to-image translation models, for predicting the spatial and temporal evolution of weld microstructures under varying welding conditions. The framework employs a U-Net generator and a PatchGAN discriminator trained using a combined adversarial and reconstruction loss, while being explicitly conditioned on physically meaningful welding parameters such as heat input and cooling rate. Rather than introducing a fundamentally new GAN architecture, the contribution of this study lies in the domain-specific adaptation of the cGAN framework to welding microstructure prediction, including the integration of process parameters as conditioning variables, training on a hybrid dataset combining experimental EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction micrographs) and physics-informed phase-field simulations and extension to both static and time-evolving microstructure sequences. Model performance is evaluated using image similarity metrics (SSIM, PSNR, and RMSE) as well as material-specific measures such as grain size distribution error and phase-region intersection over union (IoU). Results across multiple dissimilar material systems demonstrate that the proposed approach can accurately capture grain morphology, phase boundaries, and temporal evolution trends, highlighting its potential for data-driven weld quality assessment and process optimization.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 11","pages":"5579 - 5598"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microstructural and mechanical characterization of robotic-MAG welded armor-grade steel: effect of filler metal selection","authors":"Recep Murat Kurt, Uğur Gürol, Mustafa Tümer","doi":"10.1007/s40194-026-02391-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40194-026-02391-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study examined the microstructural and mechanical behavior of 15-mm Armor 500 steel plates welded by robotic metal active gas (MAG) using four filler wires: ER70S-6, ER110S-G, ER309LSi, and ER2209. The plates were prepared with 22.5° bevelled edges and welded using ceramic backing with a five-pass technique. The characterization was carried out using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for weld-metal composition, stereo/optical/scanning electron microscopy for macro- and microstructural observations, and mechanical tests comprising tensile, Charpy impact (− 40 °C) and Vickers hardness (HV<sub>5</sub>). The ferritic wires (ER70S-6/ER110) yielded AF-dominated weld metals (with local martensite/austenite constituents in ER110 roots), while austenitic/duplex wires (ER309LSi/ER2209) formed austenitic matrices with delta-ferrite; dilution created unmixed regions and modified the ferrite–austenite balance near the fusion boundary. The compositional analysis showed that ER309LSi and ER2209 welds exhibited noticeable dilution, with significant Cr and Ni reduction compared to the base metarial (BM). ER110 welds provided the highest strength (tensile strength 1052 ± 6 MPa; yield strength 737 ± 77 MPa), while ER309LSi welds delivered the best toughness (97 ± 4 J at − 40 °C). Hardness values in weld regions followed the order ER110S-G > ER2209 > ER70S-6 > ER309LSi. These findings suggest ER110 as the preferred filler when high strength and hardness are required, and ER309LSi when low-temperature toughness is critical.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":809,"journal":{"name":"Welding in the World","volume":"70 11","pages":"5561 - 5577"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40194-026-02391-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}