Weldability and Lamellar Tearing Susceptibility of High-Strength SN 490C Steel Plates

Abstract

In this study, weldability and cracking susceptibility of SN 490C steel were firstly investigated. For this study, SN 490C thick plates which had been developed for anti-seismic steel of building structures were welded by flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) and submerged arc welding (SAW) processes based on welding conditions of actual construction site. Weldments using the plates with different thickness were produced using E71T-1C and EH14 filler wires, respectively. For the weldability tests, various welded joints such as butt and T-joints were examined. After welding, microstructure analysis was performed. Various microstructures were found depending on the location of the weldments. Heat effects by multi-pass welding were correlated with the microstructure. The microstructure was correlated with the hardness profile and the impact test result. In addition, the through-thickness tensile test, window test, and Cranfield test were conducted to evaluate sensitivity of lamellar tearing, which may occur during tensile restraint stress of welds. As a result of the tests, it was found that the SN 490C steel was sufficiently resistant to lamellar tearing.