Optimization Study of Post-Weld Heat Treatment for 12Cr1MoV Pipe Welded Joint

In order to clarify the role of different post-weld heat treatment processes in the manufacturing process, welding tests, post-weld heat treatment tests, and finite element analysis (FEA) are carried out for 12C1MoV steel pipes. The simulated temperature field and residual stress field agree well with the measured results, which indicates that the simulation method is available. The influence of post-weld heat treatment process parameters on residual stress reduction results is further analyzed. It is found that the post weld dehydrogenation treatment could not release residual stress obviously. However, the residual stress can be relieved by 65% with tempering treatment. The stress relief effect of “post weld dehydrogenation treatment + temper heat treatment” is same with that of “temper heat treatment”. The higher the temperature, the greater the residual stress reduction, when the peak temperature is at 650–750 °C, especially for the stress concentration area. The longer holding time has no obvious positive effect on the reduction of residual stress.