Wet welding is the most common method of welding in water environment. It is most often used for repairing of underwater parts of offshore structures. However, the water as a welding environment causes an increase of susceptibility of steels to cold cracking. For underwater constructions high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel are widely used. In wet welding condition a HSLA steel is characterized by high susceptibility to cold cracking. Temper Bead Welding (TBW) was chosen as a method to improve the weldability of S460N steel. The studies showed that TBW technique causes significant decrease of maximum hardness of heat affected zone (HAZ). The largest decrease in hardness occurred in specimens with the pitches in range 66-100%.

In this paper, the effects of different hydrophobic coatings on the surface of covered electrodes on the quality of wet welded carbon steel joints were discussed. Commonly available hydrophobic substances used in industrial applications were selected for the research. The aim of using waterproof coatings was to check the possibility to decreasing the susceptibility of high-strength low-alloy S460N steel to cold cracking. During experiments diffusible hydrogen content in deposited metal determination by mercury method, metallographic macro- and microscopic testing and hardness measurements were performed. Investigations showed that waterproof coatings laid on covered electrodes can improve the quality of wet welded joints, by decreasing the Vickers HV10 hardness in heat-affected zone and decreasing the diffusible hydrogen content in deposited metal, which minimalize possibility of cold cracking.

This paper presents examinations of the role of the bead sequence in underwater welding. Two specimens of wet welded layers made by covered electrodes with the use of normalized S355G10+N steel were welded by a reasonable bead sequence. For each specimen, metallographic macro- and micro-scopic tests were done. Then, Vickers HV10 hardness measurements were conducted for each pad weld in the welded layer. The results show that welding in the water environment carries many problems in the stability of the welding arc, which influences the properties of the welds. The effects of refining and tempering the structure in heat-affected zones of earlier laid beads was observed, which provides a reduction of hardness. The possibility of applying two techniques while welding the layer by the wet method is described. It is stated that a reasonable bead sequence can decrease the hardness in heat-affected zones up to 40 HV10. Tempering by heat from next beads can also change the microstructure in this area by tempering martensite and can decrease susceptibility to cold cracking.

The high-strength low-alloy S460ML and S460N steels were chosen for underwater wet welding of dissimilar T-joints using covered electrodes. For improving the quality of joints, the temper bead welding (TBW) method was used. The application of TBW in pad welding conditions has been investigated earlier but the possibility of usage of this technique in welded joints was not analyzed. The main aim of the study was to check the influence of TBW on the hardness and structures of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of dissimilar T-joints made in the underwater conditions. The experiments conducted showed that the technique used can reduce the susceptibility to cold cracking by decreasing the hardness in HAZ, which is a result of changes in its structure. The TBW technique reduced the hardness in the HAZ of the S460N steel by 40-50 HV10 and in S460ML by 80-100 HV10. It was also found that the changes in S460ML and S460N were much different, and therefore, the investigated technique can provide better results in the steel characterized by lower carbon equivalent Ce IIW .

Thermo-mechanically rolled S460ML steel was chosen for welding in underwater wet welding conditions by covered electrodes. The main aim of this study was to check the weldability for fillet welds in a water environment by controlled thermal severity (CTS) tests and to check the influence of temper bead welding (TBW) on the weldability of the investigated steel. Non-destructive and destructive tests showed that S460ML steel has a high susceptibility to cold cracking. In all joints, hardness in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was extended to the 400 HV10 values. Microscopic testing showed the presence of microcracks in the HAZ of all welded joints. TBW was chosen as the method to improve the weldability of the investigated steel. This technique allows for the reduction of the maximum hardness in the HAZ below the critical value of 380 HV10, as stated by the EN-ISO 15614-1:2017. It was determined that for S460ML steel, from the point of view of weldability, the pitch between two beads should be in the range 75%–100%. Also, if the pitch between two beads increases, the hardness, grain size, and number of cracks decreases. In all specimens where the hardness of the HAZ was below 380 HV10, there were no microcracks.

This paper shows results of weldability testing of fine-grained high-strength low-alloy S460N steel welded in water environment by covered electrodes. The tests were carried out by using the CTS test specimens with fillet welds. Four specimens were welded under water and one specimen in air. Welded joints were subjected to non-destructive visual and penetration tests. The accepted joints were then subjected to macroscopic and microscopic inspection and Vickers hardness measurements as well. The experiments showed that S460N steel welded in water environment is characterized by a high susceptibility to cold cracking.

The purpose of the following study was to compare the effect of the shape of a tool on the joint and to obtain the values of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) parameters that provide the best possible joint quality. The material used was an aluminium alloy, EN AW-3004 (AlMn1Mg1). To the authors’ best knowledge, no investigations of this alloy during FSW have been presented earlier. Five butt joints were made with a self-developed, cylindrical, and tapered threaded tool with a rotational speed of 475 rpm. In order to compare the welding parameters, two more joints with a rotational speed of 475 rpm and seven joints with a welding speed of 300 mm/min with the use of a cylindrical threaded pin were performed. This involved a visual inspection as well as a tensile strength test of the welded joints. It was observed that the value of the material outflow for the joints made with the cylindrical threaded pin was higher than it was for the joints made with the tapered threaded pin. However, welding defects in the form of voids appeared in the joints made with the tapered threaded tool. The use of the cylindrical tool resulted in higher values for about 37% of mechanical properties compared with the highest result for the tapered threaded joint. As far as the parameters were concerned, it was concluded that most of the specimens were properly joined for a rotational speed of 475 rpm. In the joints made with a welding speed of 300 mm/min, the material was not stirred properly. The best joint quality was given for a rotational speed of 475 rpm as well as a variety of welding speed values between 150 and 475 mm/min.

Some marine and offshore structure elements exploited in the water cannot be brought to the surface of the water as this will generate high costs, and for this reason, they require in-situ repairs. One of the repair techniques used in underwater pad welding conditions is a wet welding method. This paper presents an investigation of the abrasive wear resistance of coatings made in wet welding conditions with the use of two grades of covered electrodes—an electrode for underwater welding and a commercial general use electrode. Both electrodes were also used for manufacturing coatings in the air, which has been also tested. The Vickers HV10 hardness measurements are performed to demonstrate the correlation in abrasive wear resistance and the hardness of each specimen. The microscopic testing was performed. For both filler materials, the coatings prepared in a water environment are characterized by higher resistance to metal–mineral abrasion than coatings prepared in an air environment—0.61 vs. 0.44 for commercial usage electrode and 0.67 vs. 0.60 for underwater welding. We also proved that in the water, the abrasive wear was greater for specimens welded by the general use electrode, which results in a higher hardness of the layer surface. In the air welding conditions, the layer welded by the electrode for use in the water was characterized by a lower hardness and higher resistance to metal–mineral abrasion. The microstructure of the prepared layers is different for both the environment and both electrodes, which results in abrasive wear resistance.