This paper describes the characterisation of residual stress in electron beam welded P91 ferriticmartensitic steel plates (9 mm thick) by neutron diffraction and contour measurement methods. The novelty of the work lies in revealing the residual stress profile at a fine length scale associated with a y1 mm wide fusion zone. A characteristic 'M' shaped distribution of stresses across the weld line is observed with high tensile peaks situated just beyond the heat affected zone/parent material boundary. Measured stresses close to the weld centreline are significantly less tensile than the adjacent peaks owing to martensitic phase transformation during cool down of the weld region. The effect of applying a second smoothing weld pass is shown to be undesirable from a residual stress standpoint because it increases the tensile magnitude and spread of residual stress. The results are suitable for validating finite element predictions of residual stress in electron beam welds made from ferritic-martensitic steels.

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This paper is a research output of DMW-Creep project which is part of a national UK programme through the RCUK Energy programme and India's Department of Atomic Energy. The research is focussed on understanding the characteristics of welded joints between austenitic stainless steel and ferritic steel that are widely used in many nuclear power generating plants and petrochemical industries as well as conventional coal and gas-fired power systems. The members of the DMW-Creep project have undertaken parallel round robin activities measuring the residual stresses generated by a dissimilar metal weld (DMW) between AISI 316L(N) austenitic stainless steel and P91 ferritic-martensitic steel. Electron beam (EB) welding was employed to produce a single bead weld on a plate specimen and an additional smoothing pass (known cosmetic pass) was then introduced using a defocused beam. The welding residual stresses have been measured by five experimental methods including (I) neutron diffraction (ND), (II) X-Ray diffraction (XRD), (III) contour method (CM), (IV) incremental deep hole drilling (iDHD) and (V) incremental centre hole drilling (iCHD). The round robin measurements of weld residual stresses are compared in order to characterise surface and sub-surface residual stresses comprehensively

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This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT AbstractNuclear power plants require dissimilar metal weld joints to connect the primary steam generator made from ferritic steel to the intermediate heat exchanger made from austenitic steel. Such joints are complex because of the mismatch in the thermal and the mechanical properties of the materials used in the joint. Electron Beam (EB) welding is emerging as a promising technique to manufacture dissimilar joints providing a great many advantages over conventional welding techniques, in terms of low heat input, high heat intensity, narrow fusion and heat affected zones, deeper penetration and increased welding speeds. However before this method can be considered for implementation in an actual plant, it is essential for a careful and a comprehensive outlining of the joint characteristics and the apparent effects on performance during service. In the present study, an EB welded joint was manufactured using austenitic AISI 316LN stainless steel and a ferritic-martensitic P91 steel, without the addition of filler material. Neutron diffraction measurement was conducted on the welded plate to measure the residual stress distribution across the weld as well as through the thickness of the plate. A finite element analysis was conducted on a two-dimensional cross-sectional model using ABAQUS code to simulate the welding process and predict the residual stresses, implementing the effects of solid-state phase transformation experienced by P91 steel. The predicted residual stresses were transferred to a 3D finite element model of the plate to simulate the machining and extraction of a C(T) blank specimen from the welded plate and the extent of stress relaxation is studied.