HAZ properties of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel

HAZ (Heat Affected Zone of weldments) properties were investigated for a high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel with a chemical composition of Fe-0.02C-0.15Si-6.00Mn-10.0Ni-23.0Cr-2.00Mo-0.48N-0.14V. Thermal cycle of HAZ was simulated by the thermal cycle simulator (Gleeble 1500). The heat treatment was applied to the Charpy test size sample without notch under various peak temperatures and/or the holding times condition. V-notch Charpy test was performed at the temperature range of 273 similar to 77 K. Metallographic examination also was carried out. The simulated specimens revealed a slight embrittlement compared with the base materials. The impact toughness of the specimens deteriorated with the decreasing test temperature. The particles precipitating at grain boundary were observed in low toughness specimens. The results from Charpy V-notch test, however, showed that significant degradation of absorbed energy caused by brittle fracture was not observed for the specimen tested in the test temperature range.