Effect of Post-weld Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Supermartensitic Stainless Steel Deposit

Supermartensitic stainless steels have good weldability and adequate tensile property, toughness and corrosion resistance. They have been developed as an alternative technology, mainly for oil and gas industries. The final properties of a supermartensitic stainless steel deposit depend on its chemical composition and microstructure: martensite, tempered martensite, ferrite, retained austenite and carbides and/or nitrides. In these steels, the post-weld heat treatments (PWHTs) are usually double tempering ones, to ensure both complete tempering of martensite and high austenite content, to increase toughness and decrease hardness. The aim of this work was to study the effect of post-weld heat treatments (solution treatment with single and double tempering) on the mechanical properties of a supermartensitic stainless steel deposit. An all-weld metal test coupon was welded according to standard ANSI/AWS A5.22-95 using a GMAW supermartensitic stainless steel metal cored wire, under gas shielding. PWHTs were carried out varying the temperature of the first tempering treatment with and without a second tempering one, after solution treatment. All-weld metal chemical composition analysis, metallurgical characterization, hardness and tensile property measurements and Charpy-V tests were carried out. There are several factors which can be affected by the PWHTs, among them austenite content is a significant one. Different austenite contents (0-42%) were found. Microhardness, tensile property and toughness were affected with up to 15% of austenite content, by martensite tempering and carbide precipitation. The second tempering treatment seemed not to have had an important effect on the mechanical properties measured in this work.