Effects of tempering temperature on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of high-strength low-alloy D6AC plasma arc welds

This study prepared high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) D6AC weldments using a plasma arc welding (PAW) process. The PAW weldments were then tempered at temperatures of 300 °C, 450 °C, and 600 °C for 1000 min. Microstructural characteristics of the weld in as-welded HSLA-D6AC, tempered D6AC, and tensile-tested D6AC were observed via optical microscopy (OM). We also investigated the hardness, tensile strength, and V-notched tensile strength (NTS) of the tempered specimens using a Vickers hardness tester and a universal testing machine. The fracture surfaces of the specimens were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Our results show that the mechanical properties and microstructural features of the HSLA weldments are strongly dependent on tempering temperature. An increase in tempering temperature led to a decrease in the hardness and tensile strength of the weldments but led to an increase in ductility. These effects can be attributed to the transformation of the microstructure and its effect on fracture characteristics. The specimens tempered at 300 °C and 450 °C failed in a ductile-brittle manner due to the presence of inter-lath austenite in the microstructure. After tempering at a higher temperature of 600 °C, martensite embrittlement did not occur, such that specimens failure was predominantly in a ductile manner. In the NTS specimens, an increase in tempering temperature led to a reduction in tensile strength due to notch embrittlement and the effects of grain boundary thickening and sliding. Our findings provide a valuable reference for the application of HSLA-D6AC steel in engineering and other fields.