Effects of thermal ageing time and temperature during heat-treatment on the mechanical properties of fiber laser welded Nb-1%Zr-0.1%C alloy in continuous wave mode

The effects of thermal ageing time and temperature used during heat-treatment were studied on tensile strength, elongation, and microhardness of the laser welded Nb-1%Zr-0.1%C alloy in continuous wave mode. Post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) was carried out by varying the temperature and time in the ranges of (850-1050) degrees C (that is, about the recrystallisation temperature) and (0.5-4) h (as the weld samples were prepared in the form of sheets), respectively. The grain sizes of fusion zone (FZ), and FZ heat treated at 850 degrees C for 4 h and that at 950 degrees C for 2 h were found to be equal to 52.85 mu m, 84.89 mu m and 116.43 mu m, respectively. The segregation of zirconium, carbon and oxygen increased grain boundary energy and induced brittleness to the grain boundary, resulting in loss of ductility. The micro-hardness and Young's modulus values were observed to increase in the FZ compared to that of the base metal (BM), but their decreasing trends were noticed during the heat-treatment due to the grains' softening. For the PWHT samples, the plasticity was found to decrease to about 57% of that of BM. This was attributed to the precipitation of carbides, grain growth, and dislocation pinning during the ageing process. During the heat-treatment of the welded samples, both Yield Strength (YS) and Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) were found to decrease to 77% and 86%, respectively, of that of the BM.