This article presents examples of numerical simulations done based on the real experiments of S700MC steel T-joint laser and hybrid welding. Presented results of numerical analyses carried out using SYSWELD show the possibilities offered to contemporary engineers by modern software used to make numerical analyses of production processes. After calibration of a heat source models on the chosen examples of S700MC steel 10-mm-thick T-joint laser and hybrid welding, distributions of temperature fields, thermal cycles, distributions of individual metallurgical phases and hardness, and strains and plastic deformations in simulated processes were calculated for one selected joint from both mentioned methods. The results of the analysis allow determining both the differences in the stress distributions and their minimal and maximal values. This article also presents the benefits resulting from the use of such analyses, due to the significant savings in time and resources to be spent on the development of correct technologies for joining modern construction materials such as thermomechanically treated steels, especially given that some of the results are unavailable or very difficult to collect using conventional measurement methods.

This article presents production results concerning metal matrix composite-coatings made using the laser-cladding technology. The enhancement of the wear resistance of the material surface is the one of the main goals accompanying the manufacturing of composite coatings. Nickel-based superalloys are used in several industries because they are characterized by a number of desirable properties including high tensile and fatigue strength as well as resistance to high-temperature corrosion in aggressive environments. One of the most interesting materials from the group of superalloys is Inconel 625, used as a matrix material in tests discussed in this article. However, nickel-based superalloys are also characterized by an insufficient wear resistance of the surface, therefore, in relation to the tests discussed in this article, Inconel 625-based composite coatings were reinforced by adding 10%, 20% and 40% of titanium carbide particles. The addition of hard phases, i.e., TiC, WC or SiC particles can have a positive effect on the erosion resistance of cladded specimens. The aim of the experiment was to determine the impact of the titanium carbide content on the structure of the alloy and its resistance to corrosive wear, enabling the extension of the service life of Inconel 625/TiC composite coatings. The investigation included microhardness tests, corrosion resistance analysis, penetrant tests, macrostructure and microstructure analyses and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests. The TiC particles increased the hardness of the coatings and, in general, had a negative impact on the corrosion resistance of pure Inconel 625 coatings. However, the increased homogeneity of composite coatings translated into the improvement of corrosion resistance.

The article presents the microstructure and properties of joints welded using the Hybrid Laser Arc Welding (HLAW) method laser beam-Metal Active Gas (MAG). The joints were made of 10-mm-thick steel S700MC subjected to the Thermo-Mechanical Control Process (TMCP) and characterised by a high yield point. In addition, the welding process involved the use of solid wire GMn4Ni1.5CrMo having a diameter of 1.2 mm. Non-destructive tests involving the joints made it possible to classify the joints as representing quality level B in accordance with the ISO 12932 standard. Destructive tests of the joints revealed that the joints were characterised by tensile strength similar to that of the base material. The hybrid welding (laser beam-MAG) of steel S700MC enabled the obtainment of good plastic properties of welded joints. In each area of the welded joints, the toughness values satisfied the criteria related to the minimum allowed toughness value. Tests involving the use of a transmission electron microscope and performed in the weld area revealed the decay of the precipitation hardening effect (i.e., the lack of precipitates having a size of several nm) and the presence of coagulated titanium-niobium precipitates having a size of 100 nm, restricting the growth of recrystallised austenite grains, as well as of spherical stable TiO precipitates (200 nm) responsible for the nucleation of ferrite inside austenite grains (significantly improving the plastic properties of joints). The tests demonstrated that it is possible to make welded joints satisfying quality-related requirements referred to in ISO 15614-14.

Welding is an important process in terms of manufacturing components for various types of machines and structures. One of the vital and still unsolved issues is determining the quality and properties welded joint in an online manner. In this paper, a technique for prediction of joint hardness based on the sequence of thermogram acquired during welding process is proposed. First, the correspondence between temperature, welding linear energy and hardness was revealed and confirmed using correlation analysis. Using a linear regression model, relations between temperature and hardness were described. According to obtained results in the joint area, prediction error was as low as 1.25%, while for HAZ it exceeded 15%. Future work on optimizing model and input data for HAZ hardness prediction are planned.

Thermomechanically processed steels are materials of great mechanical properties connected with more than good weldability. This mixture makes them interesting for different types of industrial applications. When creating welded joints, a specified amount of heat is introduced into the welding area and a so called heat-affected zone (HAZ) is formed. The key issue is to reduce the width of the HAZ, because properties of the material in the HAZ are worse than in the base material. In the paper, thermographic measurements of HAZ temperatures were presented as a potential tool for quality assuring the welding process in terms of monitoring and control. The main issue solved was the precise temperature measurement in terms of varying emissivity during a welding thermal cycle. A model of emissivity changes was elaborated and successfully applied. Additionally, material in the HAZ was tested to reveal its properties and connect changes of those properties with heating parameters. The obtained results prove that correctly modeled emissivity allows measurement of temperature, which is a valuable tool for welding process monitoring.

The study is concerned with the assessment of the weldability of steel S700MC subjected to the thermomechanical control process (TMCP) and precipitation hardening and characterised by a high yield point. Appropriate mechanical and plastic properties of steel S700MC were obtained using the thermomechanical control process through precipitation, solution, and strain hardening as well as by using grain-refinement-related processes. Constituents responsible for the hardening of steel S700MC include Ti, Nb, N, and C. The hardening is primarily affected by (Ti,Nb)(C,N)-type dispersive precipitates sized from several nanometres to between ten and twenty nanometres. The welding process considerably differs from TMCP conditions, leading to the reduction of plastic properties both in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and in the weld area. This study demonstrates that in cases of TMCP steels, where the effect of precipitation hardening is obtained through titanium and niobium hardening phases, the carbon equivalent and phase transformation γ–α cannot constitute the basis of weldability assessment. The properties of welded joints made from the above-named group of steels are primarily affected by the stability of hardening phases, changes in their dispersion, and ageing processes. The most inferior properties were identified in the high-temperature and coarse-grained HAZ area, where the nucleation of hardening phases in the matrix and their uncontrolled reprecipitation in the fine-dispersive form lead to a sharp decrease in toughness.