Key Engineering Materials Vol 545 (2013) pp 182-187 Online: 2013-03-25

© (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.545.182

Welding procedure development for welding of high strength carbon

steel cladded with austenitic stainless steel 316L by using
overmatching filler metal.
Nusara Tiyasri1,a, Bovornchok Poopat2,b
1, 2
Department of Production Engineering, Welding Engineering Program, Faculty of Engineering,
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
a
nusara.tiyasri@gmail.com , b bpoopat@yahoo.com

Keywords: Clad line pipe, 316L, clad plate, peel back, hot crack, Nickel base filler

Abstract. This work aims to develop welding procedure for small diameter longitudinal welded
clad pipe made from clad plate. High strength carbon steel base metal bonded with 316L stainless
steel clad layer was used in this study. The dissimilar materials at the weld joint and accessibility
limitation of small diameter present difficulty in welding process selection to achieve weld
soundness. The joint and welding sequence are designed to avoid solidification cracking. Nickel
base over matching filler is used on the clad side. Typical joint configuration is double V groove
weld without clad peel back to minimize the number of passes inside the pipe. Firstly, welding is
done on the carbon steel side by using Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Submerged Arc
Welding (SAW) with carbon steel electrodes. Then, welding on the clad side is done by using
ERNiCrMo-3 filler metal. Two different procedures for the clad side are studied. The first
procedure is to weld the clad side by using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) and Gas Metal Arc
Welding pulse current (GMAW-pulse) and another procedure is to weld the clad side by using the
SAW procedure. Hot cracking was observed in the case of SAW procedure at the clad weld
centerline due to high heat input and high level of dilution. Mechanical properties and
microstructure are evaluated. Clad weld by use of GTAW and GMAW-pulse could give sound
weld metal. The tensile and yield strength of all weld metal were found to be greater than that of
base metal and 100% shear failures were observed. Charpy impact energy of weld and HAZ at -
10ºC was found to be over 100 joules. Hardness of weld and HAZ area are surveyed over the weld
cross section to determine local hardening. Additionally intergranular corrosion testing was carried
out on the clad weld side and then bend testing was done. No crack was observed. Therefore,
GTAW and GMAW-pulse clad weld procedure could give required properties according to clad
line pipe standard, reduce cost of production and increase productivity compared to the peel back
method.

Introduction
Longitudinally welded clad pipe is made from clad plate. A clad metal plate is made by bonding
two metal plates with different characteristics to each other. This clad metal plate provides
corrosion resistance on the high alloy clad side together with high strength from the carbon steel
backing. Clad pipe composite materials are widely used for the transport of corrosive fluids in flow
lines and associated risers in oil and gas production systems. Clad pipe normally comprises a steel
pipe with a 2-3mm thick internally clad layer of Corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) material [1, 2].
The common manufacturing route of longitudinal welded clad pipe is seam welding firstly on the
carbon steel side and then on the clad side to complete the weld [2]. The most common welding
method for clad metal where both side are accessible is done by peeling back 8 to 9.5 mm of the
CRA layer from the adjacent surfaces at edge of joint to avoid melting the CRA while welding the
carbon steel side which can lead to cracking. Carbon steel is welded by using carbon steel
electrodes. Then the CRA is restored in the peeled-back area. This method will have high risk of
discontinuities and slow productivity in small ID clad pipe. [3]. Some manufacturers successfully
use the Electro Slag Welding (ESW) process with wide strip filler metal to complete clad
restoration on the peel back area with low dilution and to meet chemistry requirement for clad metal

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 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 545 183

layer but ESW is a more suitable option for large diameter pipe since the welding touch
arrangement is not able to fit within ID pipe [4]. When access to the inside of the pipe is limited
another method is to weld from outside using a CRA filler throughout the weld [3]. This method
seems to be expensive and gives low productivity.
In clad metal or dissimilar-metal welding, the filler metal must be able to accept dilution by
base metals without producing a crack-sensitive microstructure. [5] Nickel base weld filler metal
has a FCC structure throughout the temperature range of the solid phase and can provides resistance
to various corrosive environments. Therefore, nickel-base electrodes are widely used for the
cladding and joining dissimilar metals [6,7]. This study is intended to improve productivity and cost
reduction for longitudinal welding of small diameter clad line pipe. Two different welding
procedures on the clad side are accomplished in this study. The first welding procedure is to weld
one pass on the clad side by SAW and another procedure is to weld the clad side by GTAW and
GMAW –pulse.

Experimental setup and procedure

Material and groove design. The material used in this study is roll bond clad plate of 12.7 mm
thick high strength carbon steel base metal bonded with 3.0 mm thick austenitic stainless steel grade
316L. The chemical composition of each layer is shown in Table 1. This clad plate is formed into
pipe with internal diameter 297 mm by pressing. The edge bevel is prepared as double V groove
without clad peel back as shown in Fig. 1 a). The groove is designed to allow double side welding
and the depth of groove on the clad side is a little deeper than 316L clad layer to prevent the clad
layer melting into the carbon steel which may cause hot cracking of weldments. This groove design
also aims to reduce the number of welding passes on the clad side, reduce risk of weld defects,
improve productivity and reduce welding cost compared to the peel back method and the CRA full
joint welding method
Table 1: Chemical composition of the studied clad plate and filler metal (in wt.%)
Description C Mn Si Ni Mo Cr Ti Nb Fe _
Carbon steel base metal 0.08 1.38 0.25 0.27 - 0.13 - - Balance
316L clad layer 0.02 1.64 0.51 12.7 2.6 17.86 - - Balance
ERNiCrMo-3 (SAW) 0.08 0.04 0.05 64.5 8.60 22.1 0.23 3.61 0.48
ERNiCrMo-3(GTAW&GMAW-p) 0.01 0.12 0.18 65.2 8.68 21.5 0.21 3.46 0.34

Table 2: Welding parameters

Welding sequence Current Volt Travel speed (cm/min) Heat Input (kJ/cm) _
Carbon steel side welding
SMAW 130A 26V 10-12 16.9-20.3
SAW 350A 34V 40 17.9 _
Clad side welding procedure -1
SAW 450A 33V 35 25.5 _
Clad side welding procedure -2
GTAW 280A 18V 15 20.2
GMAW-pulse (*) 220A 30V 27 14.7
(*) Base current 120A, peak current 410 A, pulse width 2.3ms, frequency 125Hz. _

Welding procedure. Two pipe samples were welded first on the carbon steel side (outside
of pipe) with the same welding procedure using carbon steel filler metal. SMAW E8018-G, size 3.2
mm, was used as a first pass for pipe fit up and root pass. Then cap passes were completed by using
SAW with high strength carbon steel filler metal A5.23 EG (OERLIKON SD3 1Ni ¼Mo) with a
diameter of 2.4 mm and OERLIKON OP121TTW flux. SAW was selected to weld on the carbon
steel side because this process delivers high deposition rate and the welding machine was easy to set
up for line pipe welding. Carbon steel electrode matching with base material strength was used in
this study. For the clad side, Nickel base filler metal ERNiCrMo-3 with chemical composition
shown in Table 1 was used. In the first procedure, the clad side was welded by the SAW process
using ERNiCrMo-3 and Oerikon OP76 welding flux. Welding was completed within one pass only.
184 Materials Science and Technology VII

In the second procedure, the GTAW process was used as the first pass on the clad side to control
weld penetration and to ensure complete fusion. GTAW with wire size 1.2 mm, wire feed rate 0.4
m/min., 2%Th Tungsten electrode 3.2 mm and Argon shielding gas with flow rate18L/min was set
in this study. Then GMAW-pulse was used for cover passes on the clad side. Welding parameters
for GMAW were set as; wire size 1.2 mm, wire feed speed 8.6 m/min and 25%Helium+75%Argon.
For GTAW and GMAW-pulse, the welding torch was fixed to a welding boom inside the pipe. The
pipe was longitudinally moved past the welding torch. Welding direction was controlled by a
welding operator via video camera using remote control. The weld soundness, microstructure and
mechanical properties were investigated. Furthermore welding cost and time for each procedure
was also compared with that of the conventional method. Other welding parameters for each
procedure are shown in table 2.

Results and discussion

Centerline cracking was visually observed on clad pipe that was welded by SAW as shown in Fig.1
b). Since SAW delivered relatively high heat input, it gave deeper penetration and high dilution
from base metal (carbon steel). This procedure would tend to cause cracking. Fig. 1 c) shows a
macro section of clad weld made by using GTAW and GMAW pulse. GTAW and GMAW pulse
gave a satisfactory sound weld with a smooth bead and no sign of cracking was observed.
Microstructures of each pipe sample were studied. Figure 2 a) shows SAW weld on clad side
revealing as columnar dendrites. The Crack propagated along the weld centerline. The crack
occurred at a dendrite grain boundary and the crack follows the colomnar interdendritic boundaries
which indicated that the crack was occurred at the last stage of weld solidification or it can identify
as solidification crack [8]. On the other hand, The GTAW and GMAW pulse clad weld showed no
sign of cracks and microstructure of weld revealed as equiaxed grains as shown in Fig. 2 b).

(a)

(b) (c) (d)

Figure 1 a) Joint preparation b) Macro cross section of clad side welded by SAW c) Macro cross
section of clad side welded by GTAW and GMAW-pulse d) Bend test samples

SEM examination at higher magnification showed precipitate particles aligned along the
interdendritic regions and crack area of SAW clad weld as shown in Fig. 2 c), which appeared as
light phase along dendrite boundary. EDS analysis indicated Nb precipitation as shown in Fig. 2 d)
and depletion of Nb in the dendritic matrix as shown in Fig. 2 e). It was found that weld cracking in
Nickel base weld metal can be associated with second phase particles in the weldment. For
example, 625 alloy (UNS N06625) weld solidifications exhibits L (γ + NbC) and L (γ +
Laves) eutectic-type reactions leading to cracking in Ni base weld metal.[9,10,11]. The presence of
second phase and their size and distribution could be affected by heat input during welding [12].
The processes and welding parameters used on SAW gave high heat input and this caused
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 545 185

solidification cracking due to slow cooling rate. It allowed enough time for interdendritic
segregation of Nb resulting in cracking at the last stage of solidification. GTAW and GMAW pulse
used lower heat input with fast cooling rate resulting in less time for Nb segregation. Heat input is
one of the major factors that can cause solidification cracks in nickel base weld metal thus a low
heat input welding procedure must be considered necessary for clad joining. The ductility of weld
metal was tested by side bend tests at 180 degree with 50 mm plunger. It showed satisfactory results
without any opened defect or crack as shown in Fig.1 d). Tension test results of transverse and
longitudinal welds exceeded yield and UTS of the base metal which met DNV requirement as
shown in Table 3. Ductility was also found to be acceptable to Det Norske Veritas (DNV) standard.

(a) (b)

(c)

(a)

(d) (e)

Figure 2 a) Microstructure of SAW clad weld crack area at 500X. b) Microstructure of GTAW and
GMAW pulse clad weld at interface area between weld metal, carbon steel and 316L clad at 100X.
c) SEM micrograph at 2000X indicated EDS analysis location at the particle (Spectrum 1) and
dendrite matrix (Spectrum 2), d) EDS analysis at precipitate particle (Spectrum 1), e) EDS analysis
at dendrite matrix (Spectrum 2)
186 Materials Science and Technology VII

Table 3. Tension test result

Description Yield strength(MPa) Tensile strength(MPa) Elongation(%)
Longitudinal weld 520, 515 620,655 34
Transverse weld - 620, 615 -

Charpy impact tests were carried out to determine toughness at difference locations; weld metal,
fusion line (FL), 2 mm from FL (FL+2), 5 mm from FL(FL+5) and base metal. Charpy impact
testing was performed at -10 oC. The results showed that the absorbed energies for all test locations
were found to be greater than 100 J and broken specimens appeared to fail by shear fracture. Impact
resistance at the weld metal was found to be the lowest compared to other locations because the
weld metal had higher strength than that of heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal.
The Vickers hardness was surveyed over weld cross sections on both the clad side weld by SAW
and the GTAW&GMAW pulse according to ASTM E92 with HV10 used to determine hardness
over weld and HAZ region, Fig. 3 a) shows hardness levels at 1.5 mm depth below the clad surface
and Fig. 3 b) shows hardness values at 1.5 mm below the clad weld-carbon steel interface. Since
weld metal has higher strength, the hardness of clad weld produced by GTAW&GMAW was higher
than that of HAZ, 316L clad metal and carbon steel base metal.

(a)

(b)

Figure 3 a) Hardness at 1.5 mm below clad surface. b) Hardness at 1.5 mm below clad interface
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 545 187

The SAW clad weld gave lower hardness than that of HAZ and base metal due to high dilution and
high heat input. Corrosion resistance testing of transverse weld metal produced by
GTAW&GMAW pulse was performed on the clad side according to A262 Practice E. Intergranular
corrosion testing was conducted to determine the susceptibility of weldments and HAZ of austenitic
stainless steel to intergranular attack associated with the precipitation of chromium-rich carbides
due to heat applied by welding. No intergranular corrosion or fissures were observed on the test
sample after bending to 180 degree.
Summary
This work proposes a welding procedure for small diameter longitudinal welded clad pipe made
from clad plate. The dissimilar materials at the weld joint and accessibility limitation of small
diameter presented difficulty of welding process selection to achieve weld soundness. GTAW and
GMAW-pulse welding provided sound clad weld metal and met service requirements of the DNV
clad line pipe standard by using nickel base over matching filler metal on the clad side. The tensile
and yield strength of all weld metal were found to be greater than that of base metal and 100% shear
fractures were observed. Charpy impact energy of weld and HAZ at -10ºC was found to be over 100
joules. Hardness on weld and HAZ areas was surveyed over weld cross sections to determine local
hardening. It is also possible to reduce cost of production and increase productivity due to the
reduction in number of passes and machining requirement of the peel back method. Corrosion
resistance of weld and HAZ were found to be acceptable for service. Use of the SAW process on
clad weld resulted in solidification cracking. The cracking is believed to be related to Nb
segregation, and possible precipitation of a Nb rich phase, in the interdendritic regions. This
segregation is likely to be more severe when a high heat input process such as SAW is used.

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Materials Science and Technology VII
10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.545

Welding Procedure Development for Welding of High Strength Carbon Steel Cladded with Austenitic
Stainless Steel 316L by Using Overmatching Filler Metal
10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.545.182