INFLUENCE OF VANADIUM ON SUBMERGED-ARC WELD METAL TOUGHNESS - 2.

Conflicting evidence on the role of vanadium in controlling weld metal toughness has prompted a systematic study to clarify the effect of this element, not only alone, but in the presence of the more important weld metal alloying elements such as Mo and Nb. It has been demonstrated that satisfactory levels of weld metal toughness can be achieved irrespective of plate vanadium level, and the investigation has provided several important practical recommendations regarding consumable and procedure selection for submerged-arc welding applications in which stringent weld metal toughness requirements are mandatory. The general pattern of results has been considered in the light of recently developed weld metal toughness models which have proved capable of explaining the complex trends in weld metal properties recorded in the presence of vanadium.