Correlation Between M-A Constituents and Tensile Properties in the Intercritical Coarse Grained HAZ of an Ultra Low Carbon Steel

It is well known that martensite-austenite (M-A) constituents are formed in the intercritically reheated coarse grained heat affected zone (ICCGHAZ) of a multipass weld and they act on the local brittle zone (LBZ) in the welded structures. To investigate the effect of M-A constituents on the tensile properties of ICCGHAZ, specimens with M-A constituents of different volume fraction and size were prepared through the multipass welding cycles simulated by a Gleeble simulator and then tensile test was carried out. The results indicated that finely distributed M-A constituents contributed to decrease the yield ratio, which is mainly due to the increased tensile strength.