MODULE 6 – METAL PROPERTIES AND DESTRUCTIVE
TESTING
WELDING INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS
FIVE CATEGORIES
STRENGTH
DUCTILITY
HARDNESS
TOUGHNESS
FATIGUE STRENGTH
STRENGTH
AS “ THE ABILITY OF A MATERIAL TO WITHSTAND AN APPLIED LOAD
TYPES OF STRENGTH
TENSILE STRENGTH – THE ABILITY OF A MATERIAL TO RESIST FAILURE
WHEN SUBJECTED TO A TENSILE, OR PULLING
LOAD
SHEAR STRENGTH
IMPACT STRENGTH
FATIGUE STRENGTH
DUCTILITY
THE ABILITY OF A MATERIAL TO DEFORM, OR STRECH, UNDER THE LOAD
WITHOUT FAILING.
HARDNESS
THE ABILITY OF A MATERIAL TO RESIST INDENTATION, OR PENETRATION
HARDNESS TEST INDENTERS
BRINELL
VICKERS
KNOOP MACROHARDNESS
ROCKWELL
TOUGHNESS
THE ABILITY OF A MATERIAL TO ABSORB ENERGY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOUGHNESS AND NOTCH TOUGHNESS
NOTCH TOUGHNESS DIFFERS FROM TOUGHNESS IN THAT IT REFERS TO
MATERIAL’S ENERGY ABSORBING ABILITY WHEN THERE ARE SURFACE
FLAWS PRESENT, WHEREAS TOUGHNESS REFERS TO THE ENERGY
ABSORPTION CAPACITY OF A SMOOTH, UNNOTCHED SAMPLE.
NOTCH TOUGHNESS FURTHER DIFFERS FROM TOUGHNESS IN THAT
TOUGHNESS USUALLY DEFINES THE MATERIAL’S BEHAVIOR WHEN
LOADED SLOWLY, WHILE THE NOTCH TOUGHNESS VALUES REFLECT
THE ENERGY ABSORPTION WHICH OCCURS AT HIGH RATE OF
LOADING.
FATIGUE STRENGTH
IS DEFINED AS THAT STRENGTH NECESSARY TO RESIST FAILURE UNDER
REPEATED LOAD APPLICATION
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS
STEEL ALLOY GROUPS
PLAIN CARBON STEELS – THE MOST WIDELY USED STEEL, CONTAINS
PRIMARILY IRON BUT ALSO SMALL AMOUNTS
OF CARBON, MANGANESE, PHOPHORUS,
SULFUR AND SILICON.
LOW-ALLOY STEELS – CONTAIN MINOR ADDITIONS OF OTHER
ELEMENTS SUCH AS NICKEL, CHROMIUM,
MANGANESE, SILICON, VANADIUM,
COLOUMBIUM, ALUMINUM, MOLYBDENUM AND
BORON.
LOW ALLOY STEELS – THESE LOW-ALLOY STEELS CAN BE GENERALLY
CLASSIFIED AS HIGH STRENGTH LOW-ALLOY
STRUCTURAL STEELS, AUTOMOTIVE AND MACHINERY
STEELS, STEELS FOR LOW TEMPERATURE SERVICE OR
STEELS FOR ELEVATED TEMPERATURES.
HIGH ALLOY – STAINLESS STEELS CONTAIN AT LEAST 12% CHROMIUM
AND MANY GRADES ALSO CONTAIN SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNTS OF NICKEL.
EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN STEEL
CARBON – INCREASED AMOUNTS OF CARBON INCREASE HARDNESS
AND TENSILE STRENGTH, AS WELL AS RESPONSE TO HEAT
TREATMENT.
- INCREASED AMOUNT OF CARBON REDUCES WELDABILITY.
SULFUR – IN AMOUNTS EXCEEDING 0.05% IT TENDS TO CAUSE
BRITTLENESS AND REDUCE WELDABILITY.
- ADDITIONOF 0.10% TO 0.30% WILL TEND TO IMPROVE THE
MACHINABILITY OF A STEEL, BUT REDUCES WELDABILITY.
PHOSPORUS – IN HARDENED STEELS TENDS TO CAUSE EMBRITTLENESS,
IN LOW-ALLOY HIGH STRENGTH STEELS, PHOSPORUS MAY
BE ADDED TO IMPROVE BOTH STRENGTH AND CORROSION
RESISTANCE.
SILICON – SILICON DISSOLVES IN IRON AND TENDS TO STRENGTEN
IT.
- USED AS DEOXIDIZER
MANGANESE – ASSITS IN DEOXIDATION OF THE STEEL
- PREVENTS THE FORMATION OF IRON SULFIDES
INCLUSION
- PROMOTES GREATER STRENGTH BY INCREASING THE
HARDENABILITY OF THE STEEL
CHROMIUM – IT STRONGLY INCREASE THE HARDENABILITY OF STEEL AND
IT MARKEDLY IMPROVES THE CORROSION RESISTANCE OF
ALLOYS IN OXIDIZING MEDIA.
MOLYBDENUM – IT IS ADDED TO INCREASE THE HARDENABILITY AND
ELEVATED TEMPERATURE STRENGTH.
- IT IS ADDED TO AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEELS TO
IMPROVE PITTING CORROSION RESISTANCE.
NICKEL – ADDED TO STEELS TO INCREASE HARDENABILITY.
- NICKEL IS FREQUENTLY USED TO IMPROVE A STEEL’S
TOUGHNESS AT LOW TEMPERATURE.
ALUMINUM – ADDED TO STEELS IN VERY SMALL AMOUNTS AS A
DEOXIDIZER.
VANADIUM – ADDITION WILL INCREASE THE HARDENABILITY OF STEEL.
NIOBIUM – ADDED TO GENERALLY INCREASE THE HARDENABILITY OF
STEEL.
ALLOY GROUPS
ALUMINUM ALLOYS – ALUMINUM IS VERY DESIRABLE FOR
APPLICATIONS REQUIRING GOOD STRENGTH,
LIGHT WEIGHT, HIGH THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL
CONDUCTIVITY AND GOOD CORROSION
RESISTANCE.
NICKEL ALLOYS – HAS EXCELLENT RESISTANCE TO CORROSION AND
OXIDATION EVEN AT HIGH TEMPERATURES.
COPPER ALLOYS – BEST KNOWN FOR ITS HIGH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY
EXPLAINING WHY IT IS USED EXTENSIVELY FOR
ELECTRICAL APPLICATION.
DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
DESTRUCTIVE TESTS RENDER THE MATERIAL OR PART USELESS FOR
SERVICE ONCE THE TEST HAS BEEN PERFORMED.
THESE TESTS OFTEN DETERMINE HOW MATERIALS BEHAVE WHEN
LOADED TO FAILURE.
TYPES OF DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
TENSILE TEST – THE PURPOSE OF THE TENSILE TEST OF A WELDED
SAMPLE IS TO SIMPLY SHOW IF THE WELD ZONE WILL
PERFORM AS WELL AS THE BASE METAL.
METAL PROPERTIES THAT CAN BE DETERMINED AS A RESULT OF TENSILE TEST
ULTIMATE TENSILE STRENGTH, YIELD STRENGTH, DUCTILITY, PERCENT
ELONGATION, PERCENT REDUCTION OF AREA, MODULUS OF ELASTICITY,
PROPORTIONAL LIMIT, ELASTIC LIMIT, TOUGHNESS
HARDNESS TEST – TEST DETERMINES THE ABILITY OF A METAL TO
RESIST PENETRATION OR INDENTATION.
TOUGHNESS TEST – TEST DETERMINES THE ABILITY OF A METAL TO
ABSORB ENERGY.
SOUNDNESS TEST – THIS GROUP OF TESTS IS DESIGNED TO AID IN THE
DETERMINATION OF THE METAL’S SOUNDNESS, OR
ITS FREEDOM FROM IMPERFECTIONS.
- USED TO DETERMINE IF THE WELD METAL MADE ON
A SPECIMEN CONTAINED ANY IMPERFECTIONS OR
DEFECTS.
FATIGUE TEST – THIS TEST HELPS THE DESIGNERS TO DETERMINE HOW
WELL A METAL WILL RESIST FAILURE WHEN CYCLICALLY
LOADED IN FATIGUE.