A case study for reheat crack

This paper deals with an experience of high temperature behaviour of weldments. It relates to a case of reheat cracking that took place in the manufacturing of a nuclear pressure vessel 30 years ago. At this time, designers did not consider the fact/phenomenon of welding postheating. Therefore, they made the recommendation that the manufacturers had to maintain preheating temperature until the weldment entered the furnace for PWHT. In this condition, the high stresses present at the weld toe often gave way to reheat cracking.