DBTT Reduction Enabled by SiO2-Bearing Flux in Submerged Arc Welds.

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Title: DBTT Reduction Enabled by SiO2-Bearing Flux in Submerged Arc Welds.
Authors: HAN, C.1 (AUTHOR), ZHONG, M.1 (AUTHOR), ZHU, H.1 (AUTHOR), ZUO, P.1 (AUTHOR), WANG, C.1 (AUTHOR) wangc@smm.neu.edu.cn
Source: Welding Journal. Oct2025, Vol. 104 Issue 10, p418-s-433-s. 16p. 22 Color Photographs, 2 Charts, 7 Graphs.
Subjects: Transition temperature, Silica, Microstructure, Low temperatures, Submerged arc welding, Heat flux, Durability, Steel
Abstract: The ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) plays a critical role in determining the integrity of welded structures under common low-temperature service conditions. Fluxes are proven effective agents that significantly alter weld compositions and resulting microstructures. In this study, we systematically investigated the impact of programmed SiO2-containing fluxes upon EH36 shipbuilding steel welds via multi-scale microstructural characterization, instrumented Charpy impact testing, and fractographic analysis. We found that incremental SiO2 addition from 5 to 40 mass-% drastically enhanced the volume fraction of acicular ferrite from 0.386 to 0.747. As the SiO2 content increased, the DBTT decreased significantly from –58°C to –97°C but slightly rose to –85°C. Fractographic and secondary-crack analyses indicated that cracks preferentially propagated along grain boundary ferrite and ferrite side plates, whereas crack paths through acicular ferrite were more tortuous. We demonstrated that enhanced toughness is primarily governed by two complementary mechanisms: (1) microstructural refinement through enhanced acicular ferrite fraction, impeding microcrack propagation; (2) minimized presence of large inclusions within coarse ferrite grains, mitigating the risk of premature cleavage fracture initiation. Such findings highlight that superior low-temperature toughness necessitates balanced grain refinement and precise control over inclusions. Overall, we showcased a cost-effective strategy geared toward achieving optimized weld microstructures and mechanical performances merely by adjusting welding fluxes, which could also shed light on the development of high-performance welding consumables for alternative low-temperature structural steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Welding Journal is the property of American Welding Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: DBTT Reduction Enabled by SiO<subscript>2</subscript>-Bearing Flux in Submerged Arc Welds.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22HAN%2C+C%2E%22">HAN, C.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22ZHONG%2C+M%2E%22">ZHONG, M.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22ZHU%2C+H%2E%22">ZHU, H.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22ZUO%2C+P%2E%22">ZUO, P.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22WANG%2C+C%2E%22">WANG, C.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> wangc@smm.neu.edu.cn</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Welding+Journal%22">Welding Journal</searchLink>. Oct2025, Vol. 104 Issue 10, p418-s-433-s. 16p. 22 Color Photographs, 2 Charts, 7 Graphs.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Transition+temperature%22">Transition temperature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Silica%22">Silica</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microstructure%22">Microstructure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Low+temperatures%22">Low temperatures</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Submerged+arc+welding%22">Submerged arc welding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Heat+flux%22">Heat flux</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Durability%22">Durability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Steel%22">Steel</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) plays a critical role in determining the integrity of welded structures under common low-temperature service conditions. Fluxes are proven effective agents that significantly alter weld compositions and resulting microstructures. In this study, we systematically investigated the impact of programmed SiO2-containing fluxes upon EH36 shipbuilding steel welds via multi-scale microstructural characterization, instrumented Charpy impact testing, and fractographic analysis. We found that incremental SiO2 addition from 5 to 40 mass-% drastically enhanced the volume fraction of acicular ferrite from 0.386 to 0.747. As the SiO2 content increased, the DBTT decreased significantly from –58°C to –97°C but slightly rose to –85°C. Fractographic and secondary-crack analyses indicated that cracks preferentially propagated along grain boundary ferrite and ferrite side plates, whereas crack paths through acicular ferrite were more tortuous. We demonstrated that enhanced toughness is primarily governed by two complementary mechanisms: (1) microstructural refinement through enhanced acicular ferrite fraction, impeding microcrack propagation; (2) minimized presence of large inclusions within coarse ferrite grains, mitigating the risk of premature cleavage fracture initiation. Such findings highlight that superior low-temperature toughness necessitates balanced grain refinement and precise control over inclusions. Overall, we showcased a cost-effective strategy geared toward achieving optimized weld microstructures and mechanical performances merely by adjusting welding fluxes, which could also shed light on the development of high-performance welding consumables for alternative low-temperature structural steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Welding Journal is the property of American Welding Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.29391/2025.104.031
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 418-s
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Transition temperature
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Silica
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Microstructure
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Low temperatures
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Submerged arc welding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Heat flux
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Durability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Steel
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: DBTT Reduction Enabled by SiO2-Bearing Flux in Submerged Arc Welds.
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            NameFull: HAN, C.
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            NameFull: ZHONG, M.
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            NameFull: ZHU, H.
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            NameFull: ZUO, P.
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            NameFull: WANG, C.
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            – D: 01
              M: 10
              Text: Oct2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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