12/12/2020

Weldment
Corrosion
Prof. Dr. Ir. Winarto, M.Sc.

Metallurgy & Materials

Engineering Dept
Universitas Indonesia

Outline
Introduction to Welding

Mechanisms
Weld Corrosion
Metal Selection

Weldment Corrosion Cases

Prevention

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Introduction to Welding
Joins two metals together using heat and/or
pressure

Creates a phase change along the weld joint

Common welding techniques: Gas welding and

Arc welding

• Oxygen/Acetylene flame
used to melt metal at weld
joint
Gas
Welding • Weld rod or filler wire fed
into weld area to provide
additional material to seal
the joint

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Gas
Welding

• Metal electrode held above weld

joint, another attached to the base
metal

Arc • Current of 100-200 Amps applied

between the electrodes creates an
Welding electric arc

• Welding rod added to help seal

the joint

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Arc Welding

• Oxidation
• Flux
• Inert environment

• Stress Build-up
Welding • Choose appropriate
Concerns material for welding rod
to reduce mechanical
stress

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Weld Decay

• De-zincification
Welding • Grain Boundary
Chromium Depletion
Concerns • Knifeline Attack

Weldment
Corrosion

• Weldements have a heightened

sensitivity to environmentally induced
corrosion

• Residual stresses can cause Stress

Welding and Corrosion Cracking (SCC)
Environmentally
Induced • Stress Risers and inclusions due to
welding can increase the sensitivity to
Corrosion Corrosion Fatigue Cracking (CFC)

• Welding in the presence of water or

organic molecules can trap hydrogen
in the weld, leading to Hydrogen
Induced Cracking (HIC)

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Welding Defects

Susceptibility to environmentally
induced corrosion is increased by
improper welding technique

Defects include:
Improper
Incomplete
Stress risers Inclusions filler metal
welding
or flux used

Stress Corrosion Cracking

• Causes:
• Residual tensile stresses
• Stress risers caused by
improper welding

• Prevention:
• Use a metal that is resistant
to SCC in environment
• Specify post welding heat
treatment
• Ensure smooth weld bead

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Corrosion Fatigue Cracking

Possible when weld is subjected to
variable loads

Stress risers at the weld will

increase the sensitivity to CFC

Prevention:
Minimization of
Smooth weld area
inclusions

Corrosion Fatigue Cracking

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• Hydrogen present in water or organic

molecules is released at high temperatures
• Monatomic Hydrogen is infused in the weld
pool
Hydrogen • Hydrogen combines within metal and
causes HIC
Induced
Cracking • Prevention:
• Store welding rods in dry environment
• Use low-hydrogen electrodes (non-
organic binders and flux)

Hydrogen Induced Cracking from Welding

Arc Welding

H2O

WELD

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Hydrogen Induced Cracking from Welding

Heat breaks down Water

H2O

O2 H

WELD

Hydrogen Induced Cracking from Welding

Hydrogen causes cracking

Oxygen creates crevice

O2 H

WELD

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Chromium Depletion and Intergranular

Corrosion
• In the Heat Affected Zone of
the weld, chromium may
precipitate out of solution as a
carbide
• Prevention:
• Pre or post heat treatments
• Use low carbon content alloys
(304L Stainless)
• Use Niobium or Titanium
stabilized alloys

The filler metal is usually of a different

composition than the base metal

Filler Making the filler metal noble to the base

metal will cathodically protect the weld
Metal
Selection
Oxidation and diffusion will lower the
alloy concentration in weld, so filler metal
should also have higher amounts of
alloying elements than the base metal

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• In the Unmixed Zone, non-

equilibrium cooling can cause
potential problems:
• Grain boundary segregation
Weldment • Primary phase structures
• Precipitation of alloying
Metallurgy elements
• Prevention:
• Pre and post heating avoids un-
equilibrium cooling

Stress Corrosion Cracking

Hydrogen Induced Cracking

Summary of
Weld Crevice corrosion
Corrosion
Mechanisms Intergranular Cracking

• Sensitization from welding – heat

& stress
• Carbide precipitation

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Case Study Examples

• Offshore Structure – Weld Decay
• Solar Power Plant – Chloride Corrosion
• Gas Pipeline – SCC
• Pipes – Crevice Corrosion
• Chloride Stress Corrosion Cracking

Offshore Structure
• Welded Steels
• Stress from sea and Corrosive
Environment
• Problems
• Weld decay
• Weld cracking
• Pitting

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Painting Structure

Better choice of weld material

Offshore
Structure - Cathodic Protection – Zinc bar
Prevention Better welding of steels

Better weld geometry

Offshore Structure - Prevention

• Better Weld Geometry
• Butt Weld

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Weldment Corrosion In Solar Power Plants

Weldment Corrosion In Solar Power Plants

• Material Selection: Ni Superalloy vs. Stainless Steel
• Aeration during maintenance
• Corrosion along pipe walls at welds due to
Chromium depletion and De-zincification

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Gas Pipelines - SCC

• Stress Corrosion Cracking
• Caused by tough environment
• Operation of load and stresses
• Stress are either mechanical or
chemical
• Mechanical Stresses:
scratches, rivets, residual
stresses
• Chemical Stresses: cracks,
corrosion in the media

Gas Pipelines - SCC

• Stress Corrosion Cracking in weld

• Stress cracks under operation.

• Cracking is longitudinal along the weld

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Pipes – Crevice Corrosion

• Crevice Corrosion in Duplex Steel
• Corrosion due to Heating
• Internal oxide layer created Crevice
• Caused pipe to corrode and burst

• Aggressive media increased corrosion

Pipes – Crevice Corrosion

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Pipes – Crevice Corrosion

Prevention
Use an oxygen-free backing gas to prevent scale
formation during welding

Annealing

Increase in Ni increases
resistance to SCC, but also
Use specific filler metals becomes brittle
Find stability between heat and
nickel concentration

Chloride Stress Corrosion

Cracking • Intergranular crack propagation
in welded region
• Stressed region
• Unprotected region
to environment.
Chlorine
accumulation

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Chloride Stress Corrosion

Cracking
• High chloride concentration
found
• If compared to other parts
of the sample there is no
cracking
• Chloride enhances
cracking mechanisms

Materials Selection

Weld Geometry
Summary of • Effective welding mechanisms
Prevention (heat input, cooling rate)
Mechanisms • Cathodic Protection
Annealing

De-sensitizing stainless steel

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THE END

Questions?

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