j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmrt

Original Article

Effect of laser welding heat input on fatigue crack

growth and CTOD fracture toughness of HSLA steel
joints

Henrique Varella Ribeiro a,b,*, Carlos Antonio Reis Pereira Baptista b,

Milton S
ergio Fernandes Lima c, Marcelo Augusto Santos Torres d,
Jos
e Benedito Marcomini e
a
Centro Federal de Educaça ~o Tecnol
ogica Celso Suckow da Fonseca, CEFET/RJ, Rua do Areal, 522, Parque
Mambucaba, CEP 23953-030, Angra dos Reis, RJ, Brazil
b
Department of Materials Engineering, EEL-USP, University of Sa ~ o Paulo, Polo Urbo-Industrial, s/N, CEP 12602-810,
Lorena, SP, Brazil
c
Institute for Advanced Studies, IEAv-DCTA. Trevo Cel, Av. Jos
e Alberto Albano do Amarante, CEP 12228-001, Sa ~o
Jos
e dos Campos, SP, Brazil
d
Department of Mechanics, Sa ~o Paulo State University, Av. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha, 333, CEP 12516-410,
Guaratingueta
, SP, Brazil
e
Materials Engineering Department, SMM, EESC-USP, University of Sa ~ o Paulo, Av. Joa
~ o Dagnone, 1100, CEP 13563-
120, Sa ~ o Carlos, SP, Brazil

article info abstract

Article history: High strength low alloy steels are employed in structural elements and, despite presenting
Received 18 June 2020 good weldability, the welded joint is always a critical issue and its evaluation is funda-
Accepted 11 January 2021 mental in guaranteeing structural integrity. The mechanical properties of weld beads can
Available online 20 January 2021 be significantly different from the base material’s properties due to metallurgical alter-
ations caused by the welding process. One of the factors leading to significant impact is the
Keywords: heat input. This paper evaluates the hardness, fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth
Laser welding in weld beads obtained via a Laser process with two different heat inputs, which resulted in
Fatigue crack growth weld beads with distinct microstructures: one composed of ferrite presenting different
Fracture toughness morphologies and the other composed of martensite and bainite. The aims of this work are
Welding metallurgy evaluating the effect of Laser welding heat input on microstructures in the weld beads, and
HSLA steel the correlation of the microstructure with fatigue crack growth and crack-tip opening
displacement fracture toughness. Fracture toughness presented itself to be more sensitive
to the microstructural alterations caused by the heat input than hardness and fatigue crack
growth. Weld beads showed higher resistance to fatigue crack growth when compared to
the base metal, even though there were no significant differences between them.
© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: prof.henriquevarella@gmail.com (H.V. Ribeiro), carlos.baptista@usp.br (C.A. Reis Pereira Baptista), miltonsflima@
gmail.com (M.S. Fernandes Lima), mastorres@uol.com.br (M.A. Santos Torres), jmarcomini@usp.br (J.B. Marcomini).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2021.01.038
2238-7854/© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
802 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
1. Introduction
High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels are employed in struc-
tural elements due to the fine combination of mechanical
resistance and fracture toughness, as well as good formability
and weldability. In the automobile industry, they are used in
the manufacture of chassis, wheels (rim and disc), pieces of
suspensions and other parts [1]. Among these are the micro-
alloyed steels that allowed an advance in some
manufacturing processes such as the fractured connecting
rods and the Thermomechanical Controlled Processing
(TMCP) in the manufacturing of crankshafts, for example, by
using the DIN38MnSiVS5 steel in the automotive industry and
the API 5LX70/80 steels in the manufacture of oil pipeline
tubes in the petrochemical industry. Controlled forging and
rolling are a few examples of TMCP. Although these alloys
present good weldability, the welded joint is always a critical
spot in structural elements due to metallurgical alterations,
complex stressestrain states due to joint geometry and
possible presence of discontinuities and residual stresses.
The application of these steels in structural elements
generates the need for more detailed analysis of the joint’s
mechanical behavior due to the previously mentioned factors
and to the nature of the loadings, which taken together can
nucleate cracks in the welding region. Taking into account the
presence of cracks, this analysis must be done under static
and cyclic loads, with fracture toughness and fatigue proper-
ties quantifications [2]. The mechanical properties of a welded
joint depend on the microstructures in the different regions of
the weld bead. Due to metallurgical alterations caused by the
welding process because of the thermal cycles, added ele-
ments (when there are ones) and distinct cooling rates, these
different regions may present microstructures that vary from
that of the base metal. Liu and Varga [3] report that fracture
toughness and crack growth resistance depends mainly on
the microstructural inhomogeneity including the size and
distribution of various zones in the ligament or along the
crack front.
Thermal input control is important in order to optimize the
metallurgical alterations caused by this process. Processing/
welding conditions with high heat input tend to generate
coarser structures with bigger delta ferrite dendrites and
austenitic grains, which, in general, result in inferior me-
chanical properties [4], in addition to influencing the decom-
position of austenite, as well as the formation of inclusions
and discontinuities [5]. Santos et al. [6] analyzed fracture
toughness of API 5 L X80 steel friction stir welds. They checked
that the process parameters variation resulted in appreciable
microstructural changes, e.g., the higher heat input joints
resulted in degenerated upper bainite associated with the
elongated MA and high carbide (cementite) content which was
detrimental to fracture toughness. On the other hand, the
lower heat inputs joints presented massive MA associated
with acicular ferrite (granular bainite) and lower carbide
content which was beneficial to fracture toughness. Dirisu
et al. [7] analyzed of fracture toughness properties of
wire þ arc additive manufactured HSLA steel with different
welding conditions and wires. For a given condition, the
interlocking nature of acicular ferrite, plus its fine grains,
promotes maximum fracture resistance. For another condi-
tion, the microstructure presented is coarse, contains M-A
constituent consisting of martensitic laths, upper bainite, and
of grain boundary ferrite. The formation of grain boundary
ferrite and upper bainite provides an easy pathway for crack
propagation, resulting in lower fracture resistance. Yang et al.
[8] evaluated fracture toughness of the materials in welded
joint, by Submerged arc welding (SAW), of X80 pipeline steel,
and concluded that the weld metal zone is relatively poor in
plasticity and fracture toughness because of Widmansta € tten
ferrite, and the welding process resulted in embrittlement in
the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the X80 steel welded joint. The
occurrence of a lot of strip martensite-austenite (MeA) con-
stituents and the mutual permeation of the structures
noticeably deteriorate the fracture toughness of the
structures.
Neves e Loureiro [9] examined the effect of the welding
procedure (SAW), the heat input in particular, on the changes
induced in the mechanical behavior of welds on a high
strength quenched and tempered steel. The microstructure of
the deposited weld metal is composed by a very refined
acicular ferrite, and it was observed that an increase in heat
input also caused softening of the weld metal due to the
coarsening of the microstructure, and a decrease in toughness
was observed in the weld metal and HAZ due to microstruc-
tural changes. Ranganath, Kumar and Pandey [10] investi-
gated fracture toughness characterization of a weldment, by
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), in a microalloyed steel.
The weld zone, dominantly of acicular ferrite, exhibits
maximum initiation toughness and strength. The base metal
and HAZ, composed of greater proportion of polygonal ferrite
and grain boundary ferrite together with lath martensite,
exhibit almost equal values of initiation toughness. The
acicular ferrite appears to be responsible for high toughness in
the weld zone whereas the lath martensite and grain bound-
ary ferrite reduce the toughness in the HAZ.
For mechanical components with the presence of cracks,
fatigue life can be quantified by the fatigue crack growth (FCG)
stage. There are several factors that affect the FCG, and in
relation to microstructures, it is widely reported on literature
that it affects significantly the propagations of short cracks
and the beginning of the growth of long cracks, while it has
little influence on stable fracture propagation (108 to 105 m/
cycle) [11,12]. However, there are works that show that mi-
crostructures affect stable fracture propagation, being the
most significant influence on smaller values of tension in-
tensity. Several works show distinct fatigue crack growth
rates (FCGR) for the different microstructures obtained from
thermal-treated steels [13e17]. The studies from Bhambri
et al. [14] have shown that tempered martensite presented
higher resistance to FCG, followed by tempered bainite,
martensite and ferrite-pearlite, in order. In the studies of Ravi
et al. [18], after analyzing the different weld beads (SMAW -
HSLA steel), the one with the biggest volumetric fraction of
acicular ferrite present higher FCG resistance. However, in the
studies of Magudeeswaran et al. [19], that evaluated the effect
of welding processes (SMAW and Flux Cored Arc Welding) on
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
Table 1 e Chemical composition (wt.%) of the base metal.
C Mn Cr Mo V Cu
0.085 1.169 0.016 0.005 0.003 0.007
FCG behaviour in quenched and tempered steel joints, the
weld bead composed with the most acicular ferrite presented
lower FCG resistance than the base metal (acicular
martensite), while it presented the bigger FCG resistance
when compared to a weld bead composed primarily of grain
boundary ferrite. For Han et al. [17], the weld bead (SAW -
micro-alloyed steel) composed primarily of Widmansta € tten
ferrite presented lower FCG resistance than the base metal
(ferritic-pearlitic). Due to the complex microstructures origi-
nated from the weld beads’ thermal cycles, the relation be-
tween microstructure and FCG resistance isn’t obvious.
Depending on the phases/micro-constituents formed, the
microstructure may present high FCG resistance.
There are, in literature, recent papers on the correlation
between microstructure and mechanical performance of weld
beads obtained by Laser welding on HSLA steels [20e22], with
basic mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile
properties, but this evaluation alone is insufficient to char-
acterize the mechanical behavior of the weld bead. Informa-
tion on fracture toughness and FCG in microstructures
obtained by the process of Laser welding in HSLA steels with
different thermal inputs is still lacking, and therefore this
research can contribute. This paper evaluates the effects on
two distinct microstructures obtained in weld beads that
resulted from Laser welding with high and low heat inputs,
under static loading, evaluating the fracture toughness by
Crack-Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) and under cyclic
loading, evaluating the FCG behavior.
2. Material and experimental procedure
The steel in question is classified as HSLA ferritic-pearlitic,
with the chemical composition shown in Table 1. The steel
plates (200  100 mm x 4,5 mm) were butt welded (Fig.1 (a) and
(b)) autogenously via a Laser process that utilizes a high power
Fig. 1 e (a) Microalloyed steel plates being Laser welding (b) execution of a butt welded joint.
803
Ni P S Si Nb Ti Others
0.008 0.017 0.005 0.053 0.035 0.013 0.03
fiber Laser (IPG Photonics, model YLR 2000). A series of Laser
beam welding experiments were realized to chose two pa-
rameters representing different welding routes. The Laser
beam power was fixed at 2 kW (current maximum value) and
then the Laser speed was varied between 5 and 100 mm/s,
representing the extreme parameters of the CNC process
table. At the end, the full penetration weld was achieved at a
speed of 8 mm/s, which are too low for Laser beam welding
and similar to GTAW. This condition usually leads to excesses
weld bead and HAZ due to a high heat input. Therefore, it was
decided to use two runs instead of a single one at the top and
bottom of the sheet. Using two weld runs, the speed could be
increased to 30 mm/s reducing both the fusion and heat-
affected regions. This condition was latter called low heat
input. Therefore, two welding conditions were utilized:
employing high heat input (HI) and low heat input (LI), with
the parameters shown in Table 2.
The validation process of weld quality was done by quan-
tifying weld bead discontinuity (pores, lack of penetration,
etc.) and by tensile testing conducted in specimens cut
transversally to the weld bead, which fractured beyond the
weld region. The tensile tests were conducted in accordance
to ASTM E08 [23].
Microstructural characterization was done via Nital
etching (2% nitric acid in ethanol) and Le’Pera (an aqueous
solution of sodium metabisulfite and a solution of picric acid
in ethyl alcohol), by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning
electron microscopy (SEM), based around ASTM E407 [24].
Microhardness was determined in conformity with ASTM
E384 [25], with loads of 200 gf per 15 s.
The CTOD testing of fracture toughness was done with an
SE(B) type specimen, with a notch in the center of the weld
bead (Fig. 2(a)). The pre-cracking of the specimens was done
with constant amplitude loading with sinusoidal wave shape,
ratio of 0.1 and frequency of 20 Hz. The testing was done by
applying monotonic load with a constant displacement rate of
804 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
0.2 mm/min. The crack tip opening displacement was
measured indirectly by a clip gage attached to the notch’s
extremity. After fracture, crack length measurements were
done at nine equally spaced points throughout the sample’s
thickness with a precision of 0.1 mm, in conformity with
ASTM E1290 [26]. In these tests the crack propagation occurred
in the weld beads and close to their center, as recommended
by BS 7448 - Part 2 [27].
FCG tests were performed according to ASTM E647 Stan-
dard [28], under constant amplitude loading with a load ratio
of 0.1 and sine waveshape. Compact tension C(T) specimens
with side grooves were chosen for FCG tests. Crack length was
indirectly measured using the compliance method. The tests
were carried out in MTS servo-hydraulic system 810. A fre-
quency of 10 Hz was used, and crack length data were
collected with 0.2 mm intervals. The FCG tests were carried on
the base metal (BM) (Fig. 2(b)), and on the weld beads in a
longitudinal direction, with crack propagation near the mid-
dle of the weld bead (Fig. 2(c)).
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Microstructural analysis and hardness
measurements
The base metal microstructure is composed by equiaxial
ferritic grains refined by the controlled rolling process and
pearlitic colonies elongated in the direction of the rolling
(Fig. 3(a)). This banded structure is favored by Mn segregation
in the interdendritic region, when the ingot solidifies. It must
be considered that the steel utilized in this work has a high Mn
presence (1.169wt.%). There are retained austenite spots, see
the red arrows in Fig. 3(b), found in HSLA steels [6,29] due to
the presence of austenite stabilizing elements such as C, Mn
and Ni.
The welding conditions for weld bead microstructures are
verified to influence austenite decomposition. The highest
heat input and the use of a single pass resulted in the biggest
volume of molten material, which generated a lower cooling
rate, favoring the formation of acicular ferrite, primary Wid-
mansta € tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite (allo-
triomorphic/proeutectoid) (Fig. 3(c)) in the HI beads. Among
them, acicular ferrite is favored the most in lower tempera-
tures and nucleates grain boundaries, in heterogeneous
nucleation points such as precipitate, inclusions and it grows
with a high aspect ratio (10:1). Primary Widmansta € tten ferrite
nucleates austenite grain boundaries and grows toward the
Table 2 e Laser welding parameters adopted in this work.
Parameters/Condition HI LI
Heat input 175 J/mm 46,6 J/mm
Weld speed 8 mm/s 30 mm/s
Number of passes 1 2 (one on each side)
Laser power 2000 W
Shielding gas Helium
Gas flow rate 30 L/min
Laser focus on the surface
interior of the austenitic grain, through well-defined planes.
Allotriomorphic ferrite, however, is favored in higher tem-
peratures, nucleates in austenite grains to which it presents a
defined crystallographic orientation and grows toward the
interior of the grain with a random orientation and
throughout the austenitic grain boundary, presenting a
lenticular shape [30,31].
For the LI weld beads obtained via low heat input and two
passes, one on each side of the plate, martensite and bainite
microstructures were found (Fig. 3 (d)e(f)). Fig. 3(e), obtained
via Le’Pera, shows martensite (white) and bainite (black) and
Fig. 3(f), obtained via Nital, shows the bainite micro-
constituent, formed by fine ferrite needles that are separated
by cementite. The use of optical and scanning electron mi-
croscopy does not allow for the distinction between inferior,
upper (or others) bainite; therefore, bainite has not been
classified by microstructural analysis. The high cooling rate
favored the formation of phases/microconstituents that are
formed at lower temperatures, such as martensite laths. In it,
the nuclei grow rapidly in the shape of platelets and only stop
their growth when met by austenitic grain boundaries, other
martensite platelets or other types of hindrances, and may
have a high aspect ratio or disorientation. Upper bainite nu-
cleates preferably around austenite grain boundaries and it is
formed by fine ferrite needles that grow in sets called blades or
platelets, while inside each platelet the ferrite needles are
separated by cementite particles [30e32].
The hardness values obtained, presented in Table 3 with
microstructures, are compatible with the phases/micro-
constituents of the different weld beads and the base metal.
The base metal has the lowest hardness value, and, among
beads, the LI weld bead obtained the highest value. Miranda
et al. [29] found similar results using Laser Welding on API 5 L -
X100 steel as a base metal: approximately 360 HV0.5 on weld
beads generated with low heat input, which had microstruc-
tures composed primarily by martensite and bainite, and
approximately 290 HV0.5 in weld beads obtained by high heat
input, which had microstructures composed primarily by
ferrite. Coelho et al. [33] also obtained similar results in the
bonding of a Laser Welding on HSLA steel: approximately 365
HV0.01 in weld beads which had microstructures composed
primarily by martensite and bainite and approximately 255
HV0.01 in weld beads which had microstructures composed
primarily by acicular ferrite, polygonal ferrite and grain
boundary ferrite.
3.2. CTOD fracture toughness
The HI weld bead, composed primarily by acicular ferrite,
€ tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite, presented
Widmansta
higher fracture toughness than the LI bead composed pri-
marily by martensite and bainite, as shown in Table 4.
The presence of acicular ferrite in HI weld beads has
contributed to their fracture toughness. Acicular ferrite is
formed by a group of fine ferrite blades (with a high aspect
ratio and high orientation in relation to the matrix) and by
disperse carbides in the matrix. Since the Dolby work (1982)
[34] it is known that the acicular ferrite promotes a reduction
of the crack path length. Acicular ferrite nucleation in
microalloyed steels like the present one occurs in precipitate
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
Fig. 2 e Cutting scheme of specimens for (a) CTOD tests, (b) FCG in the base metal, (c) FCG in the longitudinal direction of the
weld bead.
particles as carbonitrides, leading to a fine structure. This
phenomenon is more effective in increasing the fracture
toughness than the austenite grain refinement. The acicular
ferrite transformation kinetics leads a random orientation of
the acicular ferrite grain boundaries and high dislocation
density which contribute to increase the fracture toughness
[7,10,35,36]. The structure of the acicular ferrite (as just
explained) leads to a higher mechanical resistance and hard-
ness but not so high as martensite which presents a more
brittle behavior. Neves and Loureiro [9] and Santos et al. [6]
also obtained high fracture toughness (relative in each paper)
on weld beads with the presence of acicular ferrite. Both
Widmansta € tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite, however
present relatively large crystallites and have few crystallo-
graphic differences, which are characteristics that do not in-
crease fracture toughness [7,8]. Yang et al. [8] obtained a
decrease in the toughness of weld beads (API 5 L X80 steel)
composed by acicular ferrite, Widmansta € tten ferrite and
polygonal ferrite among others, due to the presence of Wid-
mansta € tten ferrite, obtaining d0.2BL ¼ 0.24 mm.
Martensite usually presents itself in lath packets and has
carbon atoms retained in the octahedral interstices of the
crystalline structure and carbides finely dispersed in the
martensitic matrix, which has the ability to generate a high
tangled dislocations density, which may lead to elevated
805
mechanical resistance, low ductility [32] and low fracture
toughness [7,37]. Between upper and inferior bainite, only
inferior bainite has high toughness and high fracture propa-
gation resistance [38] due both to the fine precipitate of car-
bides inside the ferrite needles and to the refined acicular
structure. The presence of martensite and, possibly, upper
bainite has affected the fracture toughness of LI weld beads.
Bunaziv et al. [5] also verified that a microstructure composed
of martensite and bainite negatively affected the welding
metal’s fracture toughness, resulting in an average CTOD of
0.10 mm.
It has been verified that fracture toughness is more sensi-
tive to the microstructural alterations caused by heat input
than by hardness [39]. Other researchers [6,7,10] have also
found significant differences in fracture toughness regarding
heat input/welding conditions. Santos et al. [6] have applied
different heat inputs and the highest fracture toughness
(CTODm ¼ 0.75 mm) was found in beads obtained by the
lowest heat inputs, which were composed massively of MA
associated with acicular ferrite (granular bainite) and lower
carbide content, whilst the lowest fracture toughness
(CTODm ¼ 0.19 mm) was found in weld beads obtained by the
highest heat inputs, which were composed of degenerated
upper bainite associated with elongated MA and high carbide
content (cementite). Dirisu et al. [7] have found different weld
806 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0

Fig. 3 e Optical micrographs (a), (c) to (e) and SEM micrographs (b) and (f), showing the microstructures of (a, b) the base metal
with equiaxial ferritic, pearlitic colonies and retained austenite (yellow arrows), (c) HI weld bead with acicular ferrite,
primary Widmansta € tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite, and (d,e,f) LI weld bead with martensite (white in (e)) and bainite
(black in (e)).

beads by altering added wires and deposition methods,
generating weld beads with complex microstructures. The
weld bead with the highest fracture toughness (640 kJ/m2) was
formed due to the presence of acicular ferrite, whilst the
lowest fracture toughness (350 kJ/m2) occurred, primarily due
to the formation of grain boundary ferrite and upper bainite.
The higher fracture toughness of the HI beads is related to
the presence of ferritic structures. (Fig. 4(a) and (c)). It can be
observed that the fracture micro-mechanism consists of void
nucleation and coalescence, with deep dimple presence (Fig. 4
(e)) due to the microstructure’s high deformation potential.
For the LI beads, though, the fracture surface is characteristic

Table 3 e Vickers hardness (HV) and microstructures constituents.

Region Primary microstructure HV0.2
HI Acicular ferrite, Widmansta € tten ferrite and Grain boundary ferrite 250 ± 10
LI Martensite and bainite 382 ± 20
BM Equiaxial ferrite and pearlite 203 ± 9
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
Table 4 e Calculated CTOD values.
Weld beads d eot (mm)
HI 0.42 ± 0.14
LI 0.14 ± 0.03
of a brittle microstructure, with no significant deformation
(Fig. 4 (b) and (d)) and low energy absorption in the crack, yet
the presence of a ductile micro-mechanism was observed, as
shown by the presence of dimples (Fig. 4 (f)). However, these
are shallow due to the low plastic deformation capacity.
Garcia et al. [40] have also found dimples with distinct char-
acteristics in different weld beads: the beads with higher
toughness presented deep dimples, while the beads with
lower toughness presented cleavage planes and dimples with
shallow depth, similar to the ones found in LI beads. Neves
and Loureiro [9] have also found fracture surfaces with brittle
Fig. 4 e SEM fractographs of the CTOD specimens (a, b, c, d) showing the fracture surfaces of (a, c) HI and (b, d) LI conditions
and the fracture micro-mechanism of (e) HI and (f) LI conditions.
807
characteristics, similar to the ones presented in this paper, on
samples with low toughness.
3.3. Fatigue crack propagation
Fig. 5 presents, in bi-logarithmic scale, the relation between
the rate of crack propagation longitudinal to the weld bead
and the stress intensity factor (SIF) range (DK) correspondent
to the stage of stable crack propagation (108 to 106 m/cycle)
on the base metal and weld beads. The obtained results are
compared to the International Institute of Welding (IIW)
recommendation for steel [41], in which intercept
pffiffiffiffiffi
C ¼ 1.65  1011 [1/(MPa3 m cycle)] and exponent n ¼ 3 are
adopted. The weld beads presented higher FCG resistance
than the base metal and as recommended by IIW. The dif-
ference between FCG resistances was more significant for
lower DK values. Regarding the weld beads, there is no FCG
808 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
Fig. 5 e Fatigue crack growth results for the base metal and
welding conditions. Comparison between crack
propagation longitudinal to the weld beads and IIW
recommendations.
resistance difference between LI and HI beads. The FCG was
less sensitive to the microstructural alterations than the
fracture toughness, which has been observed by other re-
searchers as well [13,42].
FCGR is determined by the stressestrain state ahead of the
crack. The crack advance in stage II is associated with the high
stress levels that cause cyclic plastic deformation at the crack
tip and with the plastic deformation in the matrix, primarily
the plastic zone. In some research, FCG resistance is associ-
ated with the best overall mechanical properties [19,20], such
as tensile strength, deformation capacity and toughness. Of
the data extracted from the literature [15,17e19] it has been
verified, in each work, the difference between the FCGR in
function of microstructures and mechanical properties.
However, the correlation between microstructure, mechani-
cal properties and FCGR isn’t obvious. It has been observed
that solely microstructures which have high mechanical
resistance and high deformation capacity or toughness pre-
sent higher FCG resistance. Amidst the microstructures with
higher FCG resistances one can quote tempered martensite,
Fig. 6 e SEM micrographs showing the fatigue fracture surfaces of (a) initial crack and (b) end of the FCG process. Rectangle
indicates coarse striations. Crack growth is oriented vertically, from top to bottom.
martensite and acicular ferrite, while the ones that have the
lowest FCG resistances are ferrite-pearlite, grain boundary
ferrite and Widmansta € tten ferrite.
Among the obtained weld beads, the HI presents higher
fracture toughness, which contributes to FCG resistance,
although lower hardness. The LI beads present higher hard-
ness, which contributes to FCG resistance, although they
present lower fracture toughness. Bhambri et al. [14] have
found similar FCG rates for different microstructures
(martensite and ferrite-pearlite), where martensite had high
mechanical resistance and low deformation capacity, whilst
ferrite-pearlite had low mechanical resistance and high
deformation capacity.
In relation to the microstructural composition of the HI and
LI beads, acicular ferrite present in HI beads has, in function of
its microstructure, good mechanical resistance and toughness
and its morphology makes the crack path harsher, dampening
crack growth, which results in low FCG rates [18,19]. However,
Widmansta € tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite do not have
high FCG resistance [17,19]. For LI beads, concerning bainite,
upper bainite may present lower FCG resistance than low
carbon martensite [43], while inferior bainite presents higher
FCG resistance [15], therefore, upper bainite does not increase
FCG resistance. The acicular morphology of the martensite
may have favored high FCG resistance [44,45].
In function of their mechanical properties and micro-
structure morphologies, the HI and LI weld beads FCGR are
similar, although lower than that found for the base metal,
which has lower mechanical resistance, equiaxial
morphology and coarse structures. Several researches [44e47]
have found a lower weld bead FCGR when compared to the
base metal’s FCGR, mainly for smaller DK values. In all of
them, the martensite or acicular ferrite microstructures have
contributed to the increase in FCG resistance.
By analyzing the fracture surfaces referred to cracks lon-
gitudinal to the weld beads on HI and LI conditions, we found
no significant differences between them, therefore only one
weld bead is presented in Fig. 6. In both there is the presence
of deformation signs, secondary cracks and fatigue striations,
the latter being more evident at the beginning of the stable
crack growth (arrows in Fig. 6(a)), whilst the end of the growth
indicates coarse striations (rectangle in Fig. 6(b)) and tearing
ridge.
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 1 : 8 0 1 e8 1 0
4. Conclusions
Based on the tests done on the weld beads obtained via Laser
welding with different heat inputs, it can be concluded that:
The different parameters utilized in the making of the weld
beads have resulted in their distinct microstructures. The high
heat input conditions favored the formation of acicular ferrite,
Widmansta € tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite, while the
low heat input conditions favored the formation of martensite
and bainite.
The CTOD fracture toughness and hardness are quite
sensitive to microstructural alterations caused by the heat
input. The weld beads containing acicular ferrite, Wid-
mansta € tten ferrite and grain boundary ferrite showed a higher
fracture toughness, a ductile fracture characteristic with great
plastic deformation and dimples with deep cavities. The weld
beads containing martensite and bainite showed a lower
fracture toughness, brittle fracture characteristics with no
significant plastic deformation and shallow cavities.
The FCG was less sensitive to microstructural alterations
than the CTOD fracture toughness. The weld beads showed
higher FCG resistance than the base metal due to the me-
chanical properties and morphologies of the microstructures.
There was no significant difference on FCG among the weld
beads.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to company IOCHPE-MAXION for
making the steel plates available. To Eng. MSc. Carla I.S.
Maciel for collaboration in some FCG trials conducted in this
work and to Eng. MSc. Douglas H.S. Costa for carrying out
CTOD tests. H.V. Ribeiro also acknowledges the Coordination
of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES) for the scholar-
ship. This research did not receive any specific grant from
funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit
sectors.
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