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Comparative Evaluation of Self-Shielded Flux-Cored Wires Designed for High Strength Low Alloy Steel in Underwater Wet Welding: Arc Stability, Slag Characteristics, and Joints’ Quality

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Abstract

In this work, four types of self-shielded flux-cored wires which include two ferritic wires and two nickel-based wires were specifically designed to improve the quality of underwater wet welded E40 steel joints. The effect of different wires on arc stability and the metal transfer process was examined. The slag obtained in the wet welding process with flux-cored wires was collected, milled, and subsequently analyzed. The microstructural features, mechanical performance and susceptibility to cold cracking of underwater wet welded joints were comparatively evaluated. The results showed that all the welds presented acceptable bead appearance. The arc stability of the ferritic wires with TiO2-based slag system was found to be superior to that of the Ni-based wires with CaF2-based slag system. Further, different flux-cored wires did not alter the typical metal transfer modes, however, they changed the relative proportion of the metal transfer modes. The underwater wet welded joints were free from cold cracks, which were indicated by the Y-groove restraint test. The developed self-shielded flux-cored wires possessed superior performance in terms of strength and toughness in shallow water.

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Data Availability

The raw data generated during the present study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by State Key Lab of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology. We are also grateful for the financial support to this research from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51905225) and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. SJCX20_1400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Qiang Ma, Hongliang Li, Shixiong Liu, Qiang Zhu & Yucheng Lei

  2. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China

    Hongliang Li & Duo Liu

  3. Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Pengfei Wang

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  1. Qiang Ma
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Ma, Q., Li, H., Liu, S. et al. Comparative Evaluation of Self-Shielded Flux-Cored Wires Designed for High Strength Low Alloy Steel in Underwater Wet Welding: Arc Stability, Slag Characteristics, and Joints’ Quality. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 31, 5231–5244 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-06683-x

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