You are on page 1of 11

See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267903026

Phosphorous and Boron Segregation During


Resistance Spot Welding of Advanced High
Strength Steels

Conference Paper June 2012

CITATIONS READS

4 135

5 authors, including:

M. Amirthalingam E.M. van der Aa


Delft University of Technology Tata Steel
26 PUBLICATIONS 131 CITATIONS 13 PUBLICATIONS 74 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Nick den Uijl Ian Malcom Richardson


Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen Delft University of Technology
26 PUBLICATIONS 64 CITATIONS 126 PUBLICATIONS 977 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Nick den Uijl on 18 June 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.


P-u4CQ- t- S cf '^-

l**. 4-8, z11


phosphorous and boron segregation during resstance spot welding of
advanced high strength steels
M. Amirthalingam
Materiats innovation institute (M2i), P.O.8ox.5008, 2600 GA, Delft, The Netherlands.
m.amirthatingam@m2i.nl, phone +31 15 2788 251 , fax +31 15 2786 730

E.M. van der Aa, N. den Uiil


products and Product Applications - Automotive Apptications - Joining Technology, Tata Steel Research, Development
and Technology, P.O.Box 10.000, lJmuiden, 1970 CA, The Netherlands'
+31 251 494785
etten.v.aa@talasteet.com, n-i;k.den-uijt@tatasteel.com, phone +31 251 494785 and

M.J.M. Hermans and l.M. Richardson


of 3mE, Delft
Metatsprocesslng, Microstructure and Properties, Dept. Materiats Sclence and Engineering, Faculty
lJniversity of Technology, 2628CD, Delft, The Netherlands'
m.j.m.hermans@tudetft.nt, i.m.richardson@iudelft.n!, phone +31 15 2782 286 ni
+31 15 2785 086'

Abstract
rntroduction
The mechanical properties of advanced high strength steels
(AHSS) are sensitive to their multi-phase microstructures.
Phosphorous is added in AHS
strengthener and to suppress
thereby enhancing the room
austenite in transformation in
quench and partitioning (Q&P) steels' However, the
weldability of phosphorous containing steels is poorer than
conventional low carbon steels due to embrittlement resulting cycles of welding processes destroy the original

from the segregation ofphosphorus to grain boundaries during microstructure. In addition, alloying elements present in the
solidification of the weld pool. In order to reduce the grain
boundary embrittlement, the addition of boron has been
suggested; however, this also increases hardenability and the
rato of boron to other alloying elements present in the steels
also affect the mechanical properties of the welds.
In this work, the partitioning behaviour of phosphorous and
boron during the solidification of weld pools under various
weld thermal cycles has been studied using experimental
simulations and a DictrarM based diffusional model. Steels
and boron contents were
welding thermal cYcles' galvanisability t3l-t61. Phosphorous is also known to suppress
ated bY hardness, cross ihe formation of cementite and thereby increase the amount of
tension tests and correlated with the weld microstructure' austenite retained at room temperature [3]' However' the
Diffusion calculations show that the phosphorus concentration segregatio
in the last area in the weld pool to solidiff can reach about welding I
0.38 wt. o/o for a steel with a bulk concentration of 0.08 wt' %' complex
Elemental analysis indicates that in the absence of boron, the elements
grain boundaries of columnar grains in the weld pool are
decorated with phosphorous. As a result, a complete interface
failure occurs during cross tension testing. With the addition
of boron, apart from an increase in weld strength, the failure
mode switches to a complete plug mode'

Keywords

Elemental segregation, resistance spot welding, DictrarM,


Advanced high strength steels.
16@
resistance during resistance seam welding. A new
generation
of boron treated automotive steels are currently of interest 1400
1473
because they can be hot stamped and subsequently quenched
'1373
Y 1200

to produce a martensitic structure with high strength, typically it t073


p
in the range of 900 to 1200 MPa [17]. The metallurgical & 873
-073

response of these steels to welding is, as yet, not fully


E
773

understood. Understanding the effect of boron on inter-
673

dendritic and grain boundary segregation of carbon and 400

phosphorous during welding is necessary for the development 200


t0 30 40
ofphosphorous and boron containing AHSS. Tlme, s
In this work, phase transformation and partitioning behaviour Figure l:Thermal cycles used r heat affected zone
of phosphorous and boron during the solidification of weld simulations in a thermo-mechanical simulator'
pools subjected to various weld thermal cycles has been Resistant spot welding was carried out on a SchlattesrM 50 Hz
studied using electron probe micro analysis (EPMA) and a A/C spot welding machine using Fl6x5'5 electrodes with a
DictrarM based diffusional model. Steels with varying carbon, holding force of 4.5 kN. Welding parameters are summarised
phosphorous and boron contents were designed and subjected
in table 2.
io various simulated IHAZ and resistance spot welding thermal
cycles. Mechanical properties of the 'elds were evaluated by Table 2: Resistance spot welding parameters'
hrdness and cross tension tests and correlated with weld
microstructure. rileld Hold I, kA Range,
Squeeze
time in time in time in KA
Experimental procedure cvcles cvcles cvcles
Steel-CP 25 l7 l5 't )\ 1.65
Boron and phosphorous containing steels (table l)
were Steel-2CP 25 17 l5 '1.2 1.6
designed, cast and rolled on a laboratory scale to a thickness Steel-CPB 25 t7 l5 7.85 2.25
of I mm. Apart from carbon, phosphorous and boron, these
steel samples also contain 0.3 Si, 2'2 Mn, 0'65 Cr (wt' %).

Table I : Compositions of the steels under investigation.

Elements, wt. 7o c P B
Steel-CP 0.07 0.08
Vickers hardness measurements with a load of 200 g were
r4 0.08
made to examine the hardness variations across the width of
Steel-2CP 0.

Steel-CPB 0.07 0.08 0.0027 the spot welded samPles

J
possibilities of 1
weldabilitY and
Figure 2: 'L' shaped specimenfor tensile shear tesls' The spot
the segregation
weld size is of about 6 mm diameler'
-2CP contained
0.07 and 0.14 wt. Yo carbon respectively. Samples were cut The carbon and phosphorous partitioning behaviour during
into 50 x 100 mm2 coupons and held for 2 days under vacuum solidihcation of Steel-CP and Steel-2CP (table l) was
(10-a mbar) at 1473 K in order to homogenise and solution
simulated using finite difference based diffusion and kinetics
nneal. 5 x l0 mm2 samples were subsequently cut and calculation toft*u.. DictrarM coupled with thermodynamic
zone (HAZ) weld thermal cYcles
software ThermocalcrM' Database TCFE3 was used for phase
rmo-mechanical simulator. During
equilibrium and, thermodynamic and mobility data were
were continuouslY heated to Peak
obtained from the MOB2 database.
temperatures ranging from 673 ro 1473 K at a heating rate of A rectangular 100 x 100 rm2 system with 5O-grid points was
200 K s-1. After reaching the desired peak temperatures, cooled fiom 1850 K at 10,50 and 100 K s-'' An adaptive
samples were then cooled to room temperature at an average
coolng rate of ll5 K s-r. Figure I shows the thermal cycles
used t simulate the heat affected zone on the steel samples
used in this study.
free steels, as the MOB2 database did not contain mobility solidihed -fenite subsequently transforms into austenite and
data ofboron in steel. the system becomes completely austenitic when the
Samples for microscopy analyses were prepared after etching temperature reaches 1693 K under equilibrium conditions' In
the polished samples with 4 o/o Nital solution for 5 s' Optical St;l-2CP, austenite starts to form from the liquid and the -
microscopy analysis was carried out using an Olympus fenite by a peritectic reaction starting from 1765 K. Steel-2CP
BX60Mrr optical microscope equipped with image capturing becomes completely austenitic at 1738 K under equilibrium
and analysis software analySlSrM. Scanning electron condition.
microscopy (SEM) was performed using a JEOL JSM
6500FrM - field emission gun (FEG). Electron probe
microanalysis (EPMA) was carried out to analyse elemental Heat affected zone simulations
distributions in the fusion zones of resistance spot welded The microscopy analysis clearly shows that peak temperatures
samples. The measurements were performed in a JEOL JXA influence the microstructural constituents. Figures 4, 5 and 6
8900R microprobe using an electron beam with energy of l0 show the microstructures of the steel samples (table-l), treated
keV and beam current of 200 nA employing Wavelength with HAZ thermal cycles.
Dispersive Spectrometry (WDS). The composition at each
analysis location was determined using the X-ray intensities of
the constituent elements after background correction relative
to the corresponding intensities of reference materials. The
intensity ratios were processed with a matrix correction
program CITZAF [20]. The backgrounds of the light elements
B and C were measured on the spectral line wavelength
position using a pure Fe standard. Each analysis location was
decontaminated using an air jet during the measurement' The
points of analysis were located along a line with increments of
5 rm and involved the elements B, C and P. The energy of the
spectral lines, detection limit and counting efiors are given in
table 3.

Table 3: Energy of the spectral lines, detection limit and


counling errors of electron probe microanalysis (EPMA)
measurements.

Counting
Energy, Detection
Element, X-ray line error, Figure 4: Microstructures of Steel-CP samples lreated with
keV limit, ppm o/o
wt. HZ thermal cycles with peak temperature indicated' (F-
Boron, B Ka 0.1 85 50 0.02
ferrite, B-bainite and M-martensite).
Carbon, C Ka 0.282 100 0.02
Phosphorous, P Ko 2.013 30 0.01

Results
The quasi-binary phase diagram of the steels used in this work
is shown in figure 3.

1850
Liqud

1800
Y
E )-
s
8.
E
o
t-

1600
00 0.2 0.4 06 08 10
Caron, wt. %

Figure 3: Quasi-binary phase diagram ofthe steels under


investigation, showing the solidification phase boundaries
Figure 5: Microstructures of Steel-2CP samples treated with
HZ thermat cycles with peak temperatures indicated' (F-
The anows indicate the phase regions involved in the
solidification of liquid during cooling from 1850 K. In Steel- ferrile, B-bainite and M-martensite).
CP and CPB, the liquid starts to solidiff into -fenite initially
and then the system enters into a complete ferritic region' The
The carbon partitioning behaviour during solidification of
Steel-CP is shown in hgures 8 and 9. The solidification starts
from the left side and proceeds towards the right of the
B+M
system. Once solidification of liquid starts at the initial
inteface position, carbon tends to partition to the liquid and
3*
the diffusion front moves with the interface into the liquid.
A clear evidence of carbon and phosphorous partitioning is
shown during the solidihcation. While cooling the liquid of
Steel-CP at 10 K s-r, the solidihcation completes after l0 s
(see figure 7a). Just before the completion ofthe solidihcation,
at 9 s, the carbon concentration of the liquid increases to as
high as 0.38 wt. %o, wheeas the bu
o/o. When th
steel is only 0.07 wt.
Figure 6: Microstructures of Steel-CPB samples lrealed with
during the final stages of sol
HAZ thernal cycles with peak temperalures indicaled. Note:
concentration of the liquid further i
The 673, 773 and 873 K microslructures are not shown here
from figure 8 where the carbon content at the liquid increases
as they are similar to those shown in figure 4 for the same
to aboui 0.45 and 0.52 wt' Yo after 1'9 and 0.9 s respectively
temperatures.)
while cooling at 50 and 100 K s-r from 1850 K'
The HAZ thermal treatment did not significantly affect the 12
steot-cP (a)-10Ke'1
microstructural constituents when the peak temperature of the -------- Slol'2cP
'!0
applied thermal cycle was < 973 K. Steels initially contained a -
dual phase (ferrite and bainite) base microstructure. The 4"1
temperature of the steels under investigation was about 1008
ct 6
K. When the peak temperature reached 1073 K, significant E
tr
changes in the microstructure were observed' All steel samples
subjected to a peak temperature 1073 K show the presence of
a three phase microstructure; a combination of ferrite, bainite
and fine lath martensite. The martensite volume fraction
appears to increase with increasing peak temperature, as o2 0,4 0,6 08
solid lraction
dictated by the lever rule. Although the A" temperature of
Steel-2CP is I149 K, the microstructural analysis indicates 3.0
stl-cP
-----'-- (b)-50Ks'1
that a complete martensitic structure was not obtained on
Stoel'2CP
2.5
cooling from a peak temperature of ll73 K ' Moreover, in -
Steel-CP and CPB, a complete martensitic structure was not 20

obtained even after heating to 1273 K. The 4"3 temperatures 1.5


of steels CP and CPB are 1178 and 1183 K, respectively. This

F
result conltrms that the use of high heating and cooling rates 1,0

(200 and I l5 K s-r, respectively) leads to partial austenisation


0,5
even after heating to 1273 K.
0 08
o.2 0.4 06
Carbon and Phosphorous segregation during Sold fracton

solidifcation
(c)- too Ks'l
The carbon and phosphorous partitioning behaviour during the
solidification of steels was simulated using DictrarM' In this 0.8

simulation, liquid steel of Steel-CP and Steel-2CP


compositions were cooled from 1850 K at the rates of 10, 50 06
@

and 100 K s-1. Figure 7 shows the solidihcation rates of Steel- E


t- o.t
stet-cP
-------- Stel-2CP
CP and Steel-2CP while cooling from 1850 K' The liquid of
Steel-CP solidiflres completely to -ferrite at 10,2 and 0.96 s -
0,2
for the cooling rates 10, 50 and 100 K s-' respectively. While
cooling from 1850 K, the liquid of Steel-2CP starts to solidify 0
02 0.4 0.6 08
as -ferrite and upon further cooling, austenite starts to form at Solid lraclion
the liquid--ferrite interface due to the peritectic reaction. For
all three cooling rates used here, the peritectic reaction is K
found to start at 1760 K while cooling the liquid of Steel-2CP ''
Fisure 7: Sotidi/ication fractions while cooling from 1850

from 1850 K. In contrast to Steel-CP, solidification of liquid ot (a)-t'o xt, (-so xt-' and(c)-100 Ks-t'
of Steel-2CP completes after relatively longer times namely
ll.2 and2.5 s at 10 and 50 K s-r respectively' 'When cooling at The partiti observed for

100 K s-r, 0.35 volume fraction of liquid is still present in duringthe of Steel-CP
Steel-2CP even after I s, whereas, Steel-CP completely in figure K s-1, the
solidif,res at this cooling rate. concentrat high as 0.71
the cooling rates from 1850 K increase, the phosphorous
concentration of the liquid in the final stages of solidification solidification. While the phosphorous content of unsolidihed
decreases in contrast to carbon. This is due to the faster liquid decreases with increasing cooling rate in Steel-CP, in
diffusion of carbon from the solidihed -fenite to the liquid Steel-2CP, at 50 K s-r, phosphorous content ofthe liquid at the
compared to phosphorous. After 1.9 s, the phosphorous end of the solidihcation is much higher (l.l wt. %) than while
concentration in the liquid is 0.65 wt. % during cooling at a cooling at l0 K.-' 10.5 wt.%). This behaviour indicates the
rate of 50 K s-l and it reaches to 0.38 wt. % for the cooling influence of the peritectic reaction on the segregation of
rate of 100 K s-r just before the completion of solidification phosphorous in unsolidified liquid, which. may be present in
(0.e . the inter-denritic boundaries. At 100 K s'', while the system
During the solidification of Steel-2CP, the carbon partitioning contains about 35 % liquid, the phosphorous in liquid is as
to the liquid is strongly influenced by the onset of the high as 0.55 wt. % which may increase during the course of
peritectic reaction. The liquid initially solidihes with a strong solidihcation.
pafitioning of carbon and phosphorous from solidified -
ferrite (figure 9). Austenite nucleates from the liquid/-fenite Influence of elemental segregation on the mechanical
interface at around 1760 K while cooling fom 1850 K at 10, ProPerties of the welds
50 and 100 K s-r, which is after 9, 1.8 and 0.9 s respectively' The microstructure of the resistance spot welded samples
Due to this, a local partitioning of carbon and phosphorous is primarily contains martensite in the fusion zones, after
observed after this time period (indicated by arrows in figure welding using the parameters given in table 2' Figure 10
9). A sharp peak of phosphorous is observed at the - shows an overview of the fusion zones of the welds'
fenite/austenite interface in contrast to carbon due to the slow Mechanical properties of resistance spot welded Steel-CP and
diffusion of phosphorous. At 100 K s-r, the -ferrite/austenite Steel-2CP were evaluated using a tensile shear test (LTS) and
interface contains as much as 0.2 wt. % phosphorous and the Vickers hardness measurements. The results were compared
solid/liquid interfaces contain about 0.56 wt. Yo aftet cooling with Steel-CPB to study the influence of boron on the
from 1850 K for I s at a cooling rate of 100 K s-r (hgure 9). mechanical properties of the welds.

C-l0Ks-r P-l0Ks-r
C-l0Ks l0
P_IOK 0


*
E
E
q 8
f t

I


.

'\--
o 0
g tE
I
0 I E I
0
v
01

0
Dbln, m oshE. m
't0-6
Dilan. m Dlsln@, m
0

C-50Ks-r P-50Ks-t 9

l5
C-50K 2.4
P-50K
l 0,5
C
E
t
t j
t65
i
0 e
0 -
O
0.
0t '->+.---\ F I
I
I
01 v
ol8tmo. oislrc, m
-#-ill.
45
Ol3lsn@. m Dislan, n
09
C-l00Ks-r ot
P-l00Ks-r
e
I -l00Ks


t i
E l
I
O
0l e
b
0
0l I I
02 2.

1o
C-l00Ks-'
Dlslane m D6nG m

Figure 8: Carbon and phosphorous segregation during t0_6 Olsb@, m Dirbmo, m

solidification of Steel-CP while coolingfrom 1850 K at 10' 50


and 100 K s't.

Despite containing similar amounts of phosphorous in the bulk


material (0.08 wt. %), Steel-CP and Steel-2CP show a
contrasting partitioning behaviour of phosphorous during the
The hardness variation across the width of the welds is shown show a full plug failure, which is a
in figure I l. Steel-2CP showed a high hardness distribution in for the spot welds therebY exhibit
the weld compared to Steel-CP and Steel-CPB due to the properties compared to welds of
presence of a higher amounts of carbon. However, with the (frgures 12to l4).
same carbon content, the Steel-CPB weld has a slightly higher
hardness than Steel-CP weld.
E
The mean weld diameters and tensile shear strengths of the
spot welds of Steel-CP, Steel-2CP and Steel-CPB are shown
in table 4. Welds of Steel-CPB exhibit a better tensile
behaviour than Steel-CP and Steel-2CP welds.

Table 4: Tensile shear strengths and mean weld diameters of I (lll0 ur


resistance welds
Steel Mean weld Tensile shear Figure I 2: Failure surface of Steel-CP weld' Cross section
diameter, mm strensth. kll indicates a parlial plug and interce failure'
Steel-CP 6,8 1.6
Steel-2CP 6.6 1.0
Steel-CPB 8.1 3.9

Figure 1 3: Failure surface of Steel-2CP weld, indicating a


com Pl ete interfoc e failure.

Figure t4: Failure surface of Steel-CPB weld showing a


comPlete Plugfailure'

The elemental analysis carried out using the electron probe


micro analysis (EPMA) in the fusion zones of resistance spot
welds show a clear partitioning of carbon and phosphorous at
the grain boundaries. The elemental distribution at the centre
Figure t 0: Overview of the resistance spot welds, (a) - Steel- of the fusion zones of the spot welds is shown in figures 15 to
CP, (b) - Steel-2CP and (c) - Steel-CPB' 17. The EPMA results clearly indicate that the carbon
concentration in the fusion zones of the welds can locally
reach as high as 0.3 to I wr. Yo, for steels with bulk carbon
0/o
+stl-l concentratins of 0.07 and 0'14 wt. respectively' The results
500
+ st.z
+ 5lool-3 behaviour
also show an interesting gation
9
while comparing Steel-CP and St steels
450
>F
l. aoo contain the same amount of carbon Steel-
c CPB also contains abottt 27 ppm of boron' EPMA analysis

indicates that the segregat
sso
CP is
E
300
higher ( 0.3 wt. %i tnan 5 and
2,) fZl. ffr local variation of found
to be less than 0.25 wt. Yo (frgne l7).
.!5 0.50510 15

Dst-anco from weld csnlr lln, mm

Figure I I : Hardness variation across lhe width of the welds

Moreover, the tensile shear tests resulted in a failure of the


interface for Steel-CP and Steel-2CP' The welds of Steel-CPB
.00 understand the influence of the peritectic reaction on the
o,90 partitioning behaviour of phosphorous. The embrittlement of
o.lo steel welds resulting from the segregation of phosphorous to
S n.ro grain boundaries is reported to be reduced due to the addition

I o.o
-cot
E
oo50

'E
o*
o!0
o
o,o

o.t0
ll78 and ll83 K, respectively. This may due to a partial
o.oo '
000 austenisation resulting from a fast heating rate' Moreover,
Posltion (um) microstructural observation indicates that the martensite
volume fraction in Steel-CPB after heating to a peak
Figure I 5; Elemental distribution at the centre of the fusion
zone of Steel-CP weld (see lable 3 for measurement errors)'

l.
o.s
0.
S

o,ro
-c.@r
formation of fenite during cooling from austenisation
.lc 0.. temperatures [l4]. Thus, it is possible that in the case of Steel-
,9 0.50 CPB which contained about 2'l ppm of carbon, a higher
I o.ro amount of martensite is found after cooling from 1273 K' In
contrast to Steel-CP and Steel-CPB, Steel-2CP showed an
I o.:o
(J
0.20 almost complete martensitic microstructure after heating to
1273 K. This is due to the presence of a higher amount of
carbon (0.14 wt. %), which resulted in reduced A"
0,10

0.w
5m
Posltio (rn)
temperature.
The solidihcation kinetics calculated from the DictrarM based
Figure l6: Elemental distribution at the centre of thefusion solidihcation model for Steel-CP and Steel-2CP, indicate that
zone of Steel-2CP weld (see table3 for measurement errors)

1,00

0.90

^0.10
S o.ro
l -C{o
0..0
c -korr
po 0.50
S o,ro

E o.:o
o
I o.ro

the onset of peritectic reaction is found at 1760 K for Steel-


0.10

2CP while Steel-CP did not show any peritectic reaction


0,00
1000

Positlon (Fm)
before the completion of solidification' However, local
partitioning ofcarbon at the liquid/-ferrite interface may lead
Figure 17: Elemental distribution at the centre of thefusion io non-.quilibrium nucleation of austenite for steels, which
zone of Steel-CPB weld (see table 3 for measuremenl errors)' solidifu to -fenite as a primary solidif,ing component
1231,1241.
I)iscussions ine iftrsion calculations carried out during the solidification
of the steels clearly showed the effect of cooling rates, bulk
The partitioning behaviour of carbon and phosphorous during concentration and the onset of the peritectic reaction on the
resisiance spot welding has been studied in steels containing elemental partitioning between the liquid and the solidification
front. In both Steel-CP and Steel-2CP, just before the
li
completion of solidihcation, the to
and
0.5 wt. % of carbon (figures 8 lk
carbon contents of 0.07 and 0'14 of
reaction starting from 1765 K' In steels, segregation of carbon is crucial in determining the mechanical properties of
alloying elements begins from the onset of solidihcation due the weld, as it may lead to the formation of brittle carbides at
to the difference in solubility of alloying elements between the inter-dendritic boundaries. The EPMA measurement
liquid, -fenite and austenite. Thus, it is important to compare carried out in the centre of the fusion zones of resistant spot
the solidihcation behaviour of Steel-CP and Steel-2CP to
welded samples also conltrms partitioning behaviour of weld zones of Steel-2CP showed a higher hardness than Steel-
carbon (figures 15 and 16). At some locations, the carbon CP and Steel-CPB, due to the presence of more carbon (hgure
concentration is more than I wt. % and found to vary from 0,3 l1).Wi fSteel-CPB showed a
to 0.5 wt. o when it is measured at the grain boundaries. slightly due to the Presence of
Despite having double the amount of carbon in the bulk of boron. in these steels showed
Steel-2CP, similar amounts of carbon were found in the that in presence of boron, an increased amount of martensite
unsolidifed liquid for a given cooling rate from 1850 K was found in Steel-CPB in comparison with Steel-CP. This
(figure 8 and 9). The onset of the peritectic reaction triggered leads to an increase in the hardness ofthe weld zone of Steel-
local partitioning of carbon to the newly formed austenite CPB.
from the -fenite. As the solubility of carbon in austenite is The addition of boron to steel also significantly increased the
higher than in -fenite, carbon also partitions to austenite and tensile shear strength ofthe welds (table 4). Strength increased
thereby reduces the amount of carbon that diffuses to the from 1.6 to 3.9 kN. It is also important to note that the weld
unsolidified liquid. diameter of the boron added Steel-CPB is higher (8.1 mm)
Similar partitioning behaviour was also found for phosphorous than Steel-CP (6.8 mm)' This is due to the increase in
during solidification. The phosphorous concentration in the maximum welding current Imax used for the resistance spot
unsolidified liquid was found to vary from 0'3 to 0'7 wt' % welding. In an earlier study, it was reported that the addition
(figures 8 and 9) and this result was also confirmed by the of boro resulted in larger welds, compared to steels without
EPMA measurements (figures 15 and.16)' In one case when boron due an increase in the contact resistance of boron
Steel-2CP was cooled at 50 K s-r from 1850 K, the containing steels [14]. In the present study, with an addition of
phosphorous content at the liquid was found to be as high as 27 ppm of boron, Imax, the highest welding current before
about I wt. %. EPMA measurements carried out in the fusion whiih splashing occurs increased to 7'85 kA for Steel-CPB
zone of a Steel-2CP weld showed that at some locations, from 7.25 kA (Steel-CP)'
phosphorous concentrations indeed reached to 0.8 wt. % Apart from an increase in strength, the failure mode of boron
(figure l6). Thus, even with a bulk phosphorous concentration added Steel-CPB was found to be a complete plug failure as
of 0.08 wt. Yo, it is possible to have localised regions in the compared to partial or full interface failure of Steel-CP and
fusion zone with a very high phosphorous concentration Steei-ZCp (figures 12-14). During the tensile shear testing, the
rations of weld of Steel-CPB did not fail and a failure was observed in
complex the HAZ. By contrast, in welds of Steel-CP and Steel-CPB,
elemental cracks were found to initiate at the fayed interfaces and
boundary propagated along the grain boundaries at the centre of the
embrittlement. fution ,on". The results of the tensile shear tests show that
When the cooling rates from 1850 K increase, the with an addition of 27 ppm of boron, the mechanical

phosphorous concentration of the liquid in the final stages of


solidification decreases in contrast to carbon. This is due to the
faster diffusion of carbon from the solidihed -fenite to the
liquid as compared to phosphorous. Compared to carbon
partitioning, the segregation of phosphorous during
solidification can play a significant role in the final
microstructure and mechanical properties, as there is still a phosphorous at the grain boundaries and the mechanical
possibility for the carbon during prop.titt of the welds in the boron added Steel-CPB is better
subsequent cooling in t due to the faster than those of Steel-CP and Steel-2CP.
diffusion of carbonin iffusion distance
of carbon in austenite pm s-l whereas Conclusions
phosphorous can diffuse in austenite at this temperature only
. phosPhorous
at 3.3 x l0-lo rm s
EPMA analysis also indicated that with an addition of 27 ppm
of boron, the phosphorous segregation at the grain boundaries
'iili'-'i:
in the fusion zone of Steel-CPB reduced significantly' About . The microstructures of the heat affected zones during
0.3 to 0.4 wt. % phosphorous was found in some grain
welding is strongly affected by the peak temperature
boundary aeas in the fusion zone of Steel-CP (figure 15)'
reache during welding' The addition of boron leads to
whereas in Steel-CPB, the phosphorous segregation at the
an increase in the amount of martensite present in the
grain boundaries was less than 0.25 wt. % (figure l7)' The
microstructure due to the increase in the hardenability of
ltion of boron is known to suppress the segregation of
the steels.
phosphorous at the grain boundaries' It is reported that due to
the faster diffusion of boron than phosphorous atoms in the
. The kinetics of the solidification of the weld pool slows
iron matrix, boron segregates at the grain boundaries much with an increase in carbon content' For a steel with
earlier than phosphorous. The presence ofboron atoms at the higher carbon content, solidification completes much
later than for a steel with a low carbon content'
grain boundaries may lead to the subsequent retartation of
phosphorus diffusion [8],[12], thereby reducing the grain
. The solidification of the weld pool progresses with a

boundary segregation. strong partitioning of carbon and phosphorous to the


unsodified liquid. For steels with 0.07 and 0.14 wt'
o/o
The mechanical properties of the resistance spot welds
reflected the effect of composition and the microstructure. The of bulk carbon, at the end of solidihcation, the carbon
concentration in the liquid can reach as high as 0'5 [8] Wu, R., Fteeman, A.J. and Olson, G.8., "First Principles
wt. %. Similarly, phosphorous in the unsolidifed liquid Determination of the Effects of Phosphorus and Boron on
can be about 0.5 to I wt. o/o for steels with bulk Iron Grain Boundary Cohesion", Science, Vol' 265' No' 7
phosphorous of 0.08 wt. %. (t994), pp. 376-380.
. The onset of the peritectic reaction during solidification -[9]- Wang, J., and van det Zwaag,in S., "Stabilisation
can signiltcantly change the partitioning behaviour ofthe mechnisms of retained austenite transformation-

alloying elements. induced plasticity steels", Met. Mat' Trans' A, Vol' 3lA,
. When the cooling rates increase during solidification, the
carbon concentration of the liquid increases, whereas
phosphorous content decreases due to the slow diffusion
ofphosphorous from -ferrite to liquid'
. Addition ofboron increases the hardness ofthe welds due
to the increase of martensite volume fraction in the heat
affected zones for the steels with a similar carbon
concentration.
. The mechanical properties of steel welds is improved with
the addition of boron. Boron was found to suppress the
grain boundary segregation of phosphorous thereby
reducing the embrittlement of the welds.

Acknowlegement A,Vol' 324, No.4 (2001), pp' 931-939'


Trans.
S.S., Goodwin, G.M', Rohde R'J' and Sielen B"
This research was canied out under Project No' M22.8.09344 ' - "Effect of residual
[4]Babu,
boron on the microstructure of low-
in the framework of the Research Program of the Materials
innovation institute M2i (www.m2i'nl), the former carbon steel resistance-seam welds", Weld' J" Res' Sup'
Netherlands Institute for Metals Research. The authors thank Vol. 77, No
J.G., K'K' and Lee'
the management of Tata Steel Europe for supplying base '[S]Jung,
-
Y.Ii., "Effe hardenabilitY of
materials and providing access to the welding and testing
resistance s teel", Sci' Tech'
equipment. The authors also acknowledge the help of Mr' Ing' I (2012),pp'77-84'
lYelding and Joining,Yol' 17, No'
C. Kwakemaak fo the EPMA measurements. Y'I''
D., Shintaku, Y', Suzuki, S' and Komizo,
'116lZhang,
-
"In-siiu observation of phase transformation in low-
References A' Yol'
carbon, boron-treated steels", Met' Mat' Trans'
Keeler, S., "Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) 434, No.2 (2012), PP. 447 -458.
[] [7] Koganti, R., Angotti' S., Cooper, R', Houston' D''
Guidelines", World Auto Steel, World Steel Association, ' 'Waeed, A. and Topper, T'H', "Material characterisation
Tech. Rep. Ver. 4.1 (2009).
Amirthalingam, M., Hermans, M', and Richardson, I', of uncoated boron steel for automotive body structure
[2] applications", Proc Int, Manufacturing Science and
"Microstructural development during welding of silicon
and aluminium -based transformation induced plasticity Eigineering Conf, Evanston, Illinois, USA, 7-10 Oct'
2008, pp 149-154'
steels - Inclusion and elemental partitioning analysis,"
[8]Hofmnn, H., Mattissen, D', Schaumann,
T'W''
Met, Mat. Trans. A,Vol. 404, No. 4 (2009), pp' 901-909'
"Advanced cold rolled steels for automotive
[3] Chen, H.C., Era, H., and Shimizu, M., "Effect of applications", Sleel Research int', Yol' 80, No' I (2009)'
phosphorous on the formation of retained austenite and
mechanical properties in Slcontaining low carbon steel
sheet," Met. Mat. Trans. l, Vol' 204, No' 3 (1989)' pp'
437-445.
t4] De Cooman, 8.C., "Structure-properties relationship in
TRIP steels containing carbide-free bainite", Current
Opinion in Sotid State and Material Science, Vol' 8,
(2004), pp. 285-303.
Claessens, S., De Cooman, B'C',
J., K.F.J., and Newbury, D.E' (eds'), pp 261-315, Plenum
t5l Mahieu,
"Galvanisability of high strength steels fot automotive Press 1991.
applications", Met. Mat' Trans. A., Vol' 32A, (2001), pp' [21]Moon, J., Kim, S., Lee, J., Hwang,
C., "Effect of Cu and B addition o
290s-2907.
Maki, J., Mahieu, J., De Cooman, B.C', and Claessens, in the weld CGHAZ of high str
t6l steel", Mater. Sci. Eng. A', Vol', 4497, (2008), pp' 153-
S., Galvanisability of silicon free CMnAI TRIP steels'
I 59.
Mat, Sci. Tech.,Yol.l9, No. I (2003), pp. 125-l3l' of advanced
[7] Yuasa, M., and Mabuchi, M., "Grain boundary l22lDen Uijl, N., "Post weld heat treatments
embrittlement of Fe induced by P segregation: Fitst high strength steel for automotive joining", Mathematical
principles tensile test", Advanced Materials Research, rr4aetting of Weld Phenomena, Vol-8, (2007), ed' H'
Cerjak et al., PP. 217 -223 -
Vol. 409 (2012), PP. 455-460.
[23]Babu, S.S., Elmer, J.W., Vitek, J.M. and David, S.4,,
"Time -resolved X-ray diffraction investigation of
primary weld solidification in Fe-C-Al-Mn steel welds",
Acta Materiqli, Vol. 50, (2002), pp. 47 63 -47 81'
[24]Phelan, D., Dippenaar, R., "Instability of the delta-
fenite/austenite interface in low carbon steels: The
influence of delta-fenite recovery sub-structures" ISIJ
Int., Yol.44, No. 2 (2004), pP. 414-21.

View publication stats

You might also like