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Acta Metall Sin  2026, Vol. 62 Issue (9): 1553-1565    DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2024.00414
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Effect of Mo Content on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 1000 MPa Grade High-Strength Steel Weld Metal
LIU Yang1,2, SUN Jian2(), LU Shanping2()
1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
2 Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Cite this article: 

LIU Yang, SUN Jian, LU Shanping. Effect of Mo Content on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 1000 MPa Grade High-Strength Steel Weld Metal. Acta Metall Sin, 2026, 62(9): 1553-1565.

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Abstract  

High-strength steels are essential materials in various sectors, such as engineering machinery, marine engineering, and hydropower. Welding is a crucial thermal processing technique for fabricating structural components made of high-strength steels. The weld metal, as a vital component of the welded joint, plays a pivotal role in determining the applicability and service life of weldments through its microstructural characteristics and properties. At present, steel manufacturers globally have developed 1000 MPa grade high-strength steels. However, the welding consumables associated with these steels exhibit inadequate strength-toughness matching, which significantly hinders their widespread adoption. In this study, weld metals of 1000 MPa grade high-strength steels with three different Mo contents were produced via the gas metal arc welding process. A comprehensive investigation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metals of 1000 MPa grade high-strength steels were conducted using SEM, EBSD, TEM, tensile testing, and Charpy impact testing. The influence mechanism of Mo content on the microstructural evolution was elucidated. The microstructural characterization revealed that the weld metals predominantly comprised lath bainite (LB) and coalesced bainite (CB). As the Mo content was increased, the proportion of high angle grain boundaries initially decreased and then increased. The morphology of LB transitioned from an interwoven structure to a more parallel arrangement, which was accompanied by an increase in the CB content. Mechanical testing revealed that a higher Mo content enhanced the metal hardenability, resulting in increased yield strength, tensile strength, and hardness. In contrast, the impact toughness initially decreased and then slightly increased. Analysis of the crack propagation paths on the cross-sections beneath the impact fracture surfaces demonstrated that the cracks readily propagated through the CB regions. The presence of CB considerably impaired the impact toughness of the weld metals. The optimal balance between strength and toughness in the weld metals was achieved at 0.71% Mo, resulting in a yield strength of (939 ± 10) MPa, a tensile strength of (1181 ± 2) MPa, and a room-temperature impact energy of (60 ± 3) J.

Key words:  1000 MPa grade high-strength steel weld metal      microstructure      tensile property      impact toughness     
Received:  05 December 2024     
ZTFLH:  TG422.3  
Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(52101060);China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2022M713213);China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2023T160654)

URL: 

https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2024.00414     OR     https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2026/V62/I9/1553

SampleCSiMnNiMoVCuFe
Base metal0.150.211.052.140.480.030.14Bal.
Mo000.100.371.085.320.040.190.49Bal.
Mo030.120.361.055.390.320.190.50Bal.
Mo070.120.331.045.360.710.190.50Bal.
Table 1  Chemical compositions of base metal and weld metals
Fig.1  Schematic of V-type groove design of base metal (unit: mm) (a), macrostructure of weld metal (b), and schematic of machining locations of microstructure observation and mechanical properties testing specimens in weld metal (c)
Fig.2  OM (a-c) and SEM (d-f) images of weld metals with different Mo contents (CB—coalesced bainite, LB—lath bainite, PAGB—prior austenite grain boundary) (a, d) Mo00 (b, e) Mo03 (c, f) Mo07
Fig.3  EBSD (a-c) and TEM (d-f) images of weld metals with different Mo contents (a, d) Mo00 (b, e) Mo03 (c, f) Mo07
Fig.4  TEM images of CB in the weld metals with different Mo contents
(a) Mo03 (b) Mo07
Fig.5  TEM characterizations of the precipitated phases inside the CB for Mo07 sample
(a, b) low (a) and high (b) magnified bright field TEM images and SAED pattern (inset)
(c) locally enlarged image of square region in Fig.5a and corresponding EDS elemental mappings
Fig.6  Thermal expansion curves of the weld metals with different Mo contents
Fig.7  XRD patterns of weld metals with different Mo contents
Fig.8  Inverse pole figures (a-c) and phase maps (d-f) of weld metals with different Mo contents (RA—retained austenite)
(a, d) Mo00 (b, e) Mo03 (c, f) Mo07
Fig.9  TEM bright field (a) and dark field (b) images and corresponding SAED pattern (inset) of RA in Mo00 weld metal
Fig.10  Mechanical properties of weld metals with different Mo contents
(a) tensile properties at room temperature (Rp0.2—yield strength, Rm—tensile strength, A—elongation, Z—reduction of area)
(b) Vickers hardnesses (c) impact energies at room temperature
Weld metalRp0.2Rm
Measured value / MPaCalculated value / MPaErrorMeasured value / MPaCalculated value / MPaError
Mo009058763.2%1038115410.1%
Mo039269161.1%113112066.2%
Mo079399703.2%118112777.5%
Table 2  Measured and calculated values, and errors of yield strength and tensile strength of weld metal with different Mo contents
Fig.11  Low (a-c) and locally high (a1-c1, a2-c2) magnified SEM images showing the tensile fracture morphologies of weld metals with different Mo contents at room temperature (Areas enclosed by dashed lines show the fiber regions. Arrows show the secondary cracks) (a, a1, a2) Mo00 (b, b1, b2) Mo03 (c, c1, c2) Mo07
Fig.12  Low (a-c) and locally high (a1-c1, a2-c2) magnified SEM images showing the impact fracture morphologies of weld metal with different Mo contents at room temperature (Areas enclosed by dashed lines show the fiber regions. Black arrows show the secondary cracks. White arrows show the cleavage characteristics) (a, a1, a2) Mo00 (b, b1, b2) Mo03 (c, c1, c2) Mo07
Fig.13  Impact load-displacement curves of weld metal with different Mo contents at room temperature (Ei—crack initiation energy, Ep—crack propagation energy)
(a) Mo00 (b) Mo03 (c) Mo07
Fig.14  Cross-sectional SEM images of impact fracture specimens (White arrows in Fig.14a show crack propagation paths)
(a) Mo03 (b) Mo07
Fig.15  Grain boundary misorientation distributions in weld metals of Mo00 (a), Mo03 (b), and Mo07 (c); and the statistical results (d) (Red, black, and blue lines show the grain boundary misorientation angles (θ) with < 15°, 15°-45°, and 45°-62.8°, respectively)
Fig.16  Inverse pole figures of impact fracture cross-sections of weld metals with different Mo contents (Black and white circles show the significant crack deflection and CB, respectively. Black arrows indicate straight crack propagation through the CB)
(a) Mo00 (b) Mo03 (c) Mo07
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