American Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2016, Vol. 4, No.

3, 92-98
Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajme/4/3/2
Science and Education Publishing
DOI:10.12691/ajme-4-3-2

An Investigation into Effect of Butt Welding Parameters

on Weldment Mechanical Properties
A. Hemaid, Tarik Tawfeek*, O. A. Gaheen
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Cairo, Egypt
*Corresponding author: tariktewfic@yahoo.co.uk

Abstract Butt Fusion is the most important welding technique used for joining materials of similar compositions
and melting points, resulting in welded joints as strong as the materials itself. The principle of butt fusion is to heat
the materials ends to a designated temperature under pressure for a specified amount of time, then the materials ends
are fused together under pressure for a period of time. In the present work a set of experiments has been conducted
on base material of steel 52-3N (DIN 17100) to study the effect of butt welding process variables on the temperature
distributions, welding thermal cycles behavior, peak temperature and the cooling rate for the steel butt-welding joints
in the multiple pass welding process by means of the practically measurements. Also the effect of heat input which
presented by the welding process variables on the mechanical properties of the welded joints has been investigated
to reach the optimum welding variables which give the optimum mechanical properties. It is observed through the
experiments that the optimum mechanical properties can be achieved at interpass temperature of 200, welding
voltage of 35V and welding speed of 6 mm/sec.

Keywords: Wire feed rate, Welding speed, Interpass temperature, Arc voltage, HAZ, Gas Metal Arc Welding
(GMAW)

Cite This Article: A. Hemaid, Tarik Tawfeek, and O. A. Gaheen, An Investigation into Effect of Butt
Welding Parameters on Weldment Mechanical Properties. American Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 4,
no. 3 (2016): 92-98. doi: 10.12691/ajme-4-3-2.

1. Introduction
In the fusion welding processes, part edges or joint
faying surfaces are heated to above the melting point for a
pure material. All fusion welds contain a distinct fusion
zone (FZ), as well as heat- affected zones (HAZ) and
unaffected base material. In alloys, there is also a partially
melted zone (PMZ) between the FZ and HAZ [1].
Thermal cycle of one weld pass where the high heat
input gives low cooling rate and the low heat input gives
high cooling rate. The cooling rate affects directly on the
microstructure and the properties of the welded joint. The
heat input depends on the welding voltage, current, and
speed. The effect of varying the heat input, between 0.6
and 4.3 KJ/mm, on the microstructure and properties of
manual metal arc deposits containing 0.6-18 Manganese
(Mn) has been investigated in [2,3].
Reference [4] presented results of a study aimed to
establish temperature distribution, distortion, and residual
stress field developed during the welding process in
welded aluminum plates. The material considered was of
AL-2024-T3, commonly used for aircraft components. A
numerical analysis of welding process using finite element
method (FEM) was carried out. Numerical results were
compared with experimental test, and good agreement is
obtained.
Reference [5] studied the evolution of temperature and
velocity field during gas tungsten arc spot welding of AISI

1005 steel by using a transient numerical model. The

sensitivity of weldmetal microstructure and mechanical
properties to variations in both heat input and weld
dilution in submerged arc (SA) welding of micro alloyed
steel was examined as in [6]. Weldments were prepared
with weld metal dilutions of approximately 40% and 70%
at heat input of 2.0, 3.3, 4.6, and 5.3 kJ/mm, using two
commercial welding wires and a basic commercial flux.
The high dilution welds, which were ordinary bead on
plate welds, resulted in microstructures that ranged from
ferrite with aligned second phase at low heat input to
acicular ferrite at high heat inputs. Special over- welding
techniques were used to make the low dilution welds,
allowing use of the same welding parameters as those for
the high dilution welds.
Reference [7] described derivation of a control model
for electrode melting and heat and mass transfer from the
electrode to the workpiece in gas metal arc welding
(GMAW). Specifically, a model is developed which
allows electrode speed and welding speed to be calculated
for given values of voltage and torch-to-base metal
distance, as a function of the desired heat and mass input
to the weldment. Heat input is given on a per unit weld
length basis, and mass input is given in terms of transverse
cross- sectional area added to the weld bead (termed
reinforcement). The relationship to prior work is discussed.
A range of semiautomatic gas-shield arc welding
consumables was selected as in [8], in order to assess their
suitability for producing uphill groove welds in 30mm
thick structural steel. In addition to 1.2mm diameter solid

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welding wire, 1.2mm diameter rutile and basic flux cored

and metal cored welding wire were employed, all with Ar20%CO2 shielding. A 2mm diameter self shielded flux
cored welding wire was also included. All deposits
contained nominally 1%Ni. Constant voltage power
sources were used for the rutile and self-shield electrodes,
and synergic pulsed power sources for the remainder. All
welding was carried out without preheat, and with a
maximum interpass temperature of 150C.
References [9,10,11] studied a three AWS Code, all
weld-metal test assemblies were welded with an E11018-M
electrode from a standard production batch, varying the
welding parameters in such a way as to obtain three
energy inputs: high heat input and high interpass
temperature , medium heat input and medium interpass
temperature, and low heat input and low interpass
temperature. Mechanical properties and metallographic
studies were performed in the as welded condition.
Reference [12] present the effect of heat input on the
microstructure and mechanical properties of the heat
affected zone of duplex steel. He studied the effect of the
heat input on the microstructural changes and the impact
properties. On the other hand, heat transfer calculations
were absent, and its computer model. Also there is no
temperature distribution in 3-D, thermal cycle in the 2-D,
the NDTs for the welded joint, and empirical coloration.
Reference [13] presents an effect of the number of
passes on the structure and properties of submerged arc
welds of AISI type 316L stainless steel. He proof that as
the number of passes increased, the hardness and tensile
strength increased, while the ductility and toughness
decreased.
The present work aims to study the effect of welding
process variables (interpass temperature, welding power,
welding speed, and welding position) on the temperature
distributions, the welding thermal cycles behavior, peak
temperature and the cooling rate for the steel butt-welding
joints in the multiple pass welding process by means of
the practically measurements
Also, it aims to study practically the effect of heat input
which presented by the welding process variables on the
mechanical properties (tensile strength, yield strength,
surface hardness, and impact test) of the welded joints to
reach the optimum welding variables which give the
optimum mechanical properties.

2.2. The Electrode Specifications

According to the ESAB Welding Handbook [14] the
used electrode specifications and classification are shown
in Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5.
Wire Classification
DIN 8559
SG3

C%

Table 3. Welding data ranges

Welding
Arc Voltage
Current
Positions
V
A
1G & 3G

18-35

Wire feed
m/min

120-380

2.3-15

Table 4. The wire chemical compositions %

Si%
Mn%

0.1

0.85

1.5

Table 5. The wire mechanical properties

Tensile Strength
Yield Stress
Elongation
620 N/mm

470 N/mm

25%

2.3. Preparation of the Welding Joints

Two plates of size 200x100 mm with thickness 10 mm,
each with one of the edges chamfered by machining, were
taken together to form a weld pad of size 200x200 mm
with a S-V- groove joint, Figure 1, and Figure 2 shows the
Single-V- groove weld, butt weld joint (B), and
prequalified complete joint penetration (CJP) groove
welded joint details. Table 1 dives all the data and
specifications for the base metal.
The related steel strips were cut to size using band saw.

Figure 1. Welded joint details of S-V-groove butt weld (1G position)

according to AWS code

2. Experimental Work
2.1. The Base Metal Specifications
According to the Egyptian Iron and Steel Co. Hadisolb
[13] the base metal specifications used are shown in Table 1
and Table 2.
Table 1. The chemical compositions of the base metal
Steel Grade
C%
Mn%
Si%
P%
S%
DIN 17100
max
Max
Max
max
max
St. 52-3N

0.23

1.70

0.60

0.045

0.045

N%
max
0.011

Table 2. The mechanical properties of the base metal

Steel Grade
Tensile Strength
Upper Yield Point
Elongation %
DIN 17100
N/mm
N/mm
St. 52-3N

610

460

22%
Figure 2. Prequalified CJP of S-V-groove butt weld for the present work

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94

Figure 3. Thermocouples locations and distances between them for the

present experimental work in the two-dimension

2.4. Welding Variables

Interpass temperature: The interpass temperature is the
temperature immediately before each weld run after the
first is deposited. The interpass temperatures were varied
in the present work between 50 and 500C.
Welding Power: The variation in the welding power
was produced by the consumed voltage and current during
the welding process. Figure 4-Figure 6 shows the power
registered through the values of the volt and ampere on the
screen of the welding machine in the GMAW process. The
welding powers were varied in the present work between
2.6 to 9.9 k W.

Figure 4. Thermocouples locations in the weld test plate practically in

the two-dimension

Figure 5. Thermocouples connections with the A/D C modules in the

present experimental work

Figure 6. Ethernet interface for compact field point

Welding Speed:The welding speed or the travel speed

of the welding arc is a function in the wire feed rate of the
GMAW machine. The wire feed rate ranges affect on the
arc speed directly and were varied in the present work
between 3 to 9 mm/sec.

2.5. Temperature Measurement Technique

The welding thermal cycles were recorded with a
computer based data acquisition system, using five K-type
thermocouples calibrated with certification come from
EAST company (2.5 mm in diameter, Nickel-Chromium,
grade from -200 to 1250 C, standard error 2.2C above
0C, and thermoelectric voltage 0:10 mill volts). The
thermocouples are used to measure the temperature
distribution during welding. The thermocouples were
fixed in the plate to measure the temperature in the twodimension (x-y plane) as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.
The temperature were measured at distances 12, 19.5, and
27 mm from the weld centerline on one side plate only at
the center plate, for the sensor numbers 4,3, and 2
respectively. And 12mm from the weld centerline for the
sensor numbers 1, and 5 at the two edges of the plat at the
top surface of the test plate.
The NI cFP- TC120 module built-in signal compensation
(data logger or data acquisition) includes eight differential
inputs for thermocouples, resolution of 16 bits resolution
for high-accuracy measurements, sample rate 1000
sample/sec, and analog to digital conversion. It also
provides cold junction compensation using a thermistor
embedded in the connector block.

Figure 7. Thermocouples locations and distances between them for the

present experimental work in the three-dimension at three points P1,P2,
and P3

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American Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Figure 5 and Figure 6 show the ethernet interface for

compact field point and the thermocouples module
connection. The NI cFP- TC120 module which used in the
measurements is come from EAST Company. Figure 7
and Figure 8 show the thermocouples locations in the
plate used to measure the temperature in the threedimension (x-y-z).

2.6.1. Tension Test Specimen

According to the ASTM code the tension test specimen
dimensions are shown in Figure 10. The transverse weld
specimens are used to study the effect of welding
variables on the mechanical properties. On the other hand,
the longitudinal weld specimens are used to study the
effect of artificial porosity on the tensile and yield strength
under multi thermal cycles.

Figure 8. Thermocouples locations in the weld test plate practically in

the three-dimension

2.6. Tension and Impact Test Specimens

The specimens of the tension and charpy V-notch
impact tests are taken from the welded joints which are
welded according to special conditions. These specimens
are taken by machining according to ASTM code [15].
The locations of these specimens are shown in Figure 9.
The transverse weld specimens for tension and charpy
V-notch impact test are used for evaluation of all welded
joints with different welding variables. On the other hand,
the longitudinal weld specimens for tension test are used
only for evaluation the welded joints containing artificial
porosity at different heat input conditions. The distractive
tests are carried out in the Faculty of Engineering at Shoubra.

Figure 10. Dimensions of tension and impact test specimen according to

ASTM code

2.6.2. Charpy V-Notch Impact Specimen

According to the ASTM code the charpy V-notch
impact test specimen dimensions are shown in the Figure
10 also. These specimens are used to study the effect of
welding variables on the mechanical properties.

3. Results and Discussions

Input Variables and Their Limits
The independently controllable input parameters affecting
the tensile strength were arc voltage (V), wire feed rate (F),
welding speed (S), and interpass temperature (T). Trial
runs were carried out by varying one of the input parameters
while keeping the rest at constant values. The input variables
and their limits in coding form are given in Table 6.
Table 6. welding conditions and their limits
Limits in code form
Welding Parameters
Units
Sym
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
Arc voltage

Volts

20

25

30

35

40

Wire feed rate

m/min

11

Welding speed

mm/sec

10

Interpass temperature

100

200

300

400

500

3.1. Experimental Data

Figure 9. Locations of the tension and impact test specimen according to
ASTM code

The selected design matrix shown in Table 7 is a fivelevels for each factor. All welding variables at their
intermediate level (0).

American Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Table 7. Design matrix and their response
Input Variables
Coded Variables
WFR

Volt

Speed

Temp

3
5
7
9
11
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7

30
30
30
30
30
20
25
30
35
40
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
30

6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
2
4
6
8
10
6
6
6
6
6

300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
100
200
300
400
500

-2
-1
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
-2
-1
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-2
-1
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-2
-1
0
1
2

96

Responses
T =(10
N/mm2 )
56.266
52.066
48.866
54.9
54.566
45
48.466
47.6
57.666
48.933
49.033
48.7
50.733
48.866
44.933
49.266
51.866
50.5
49.166
48

Figure 11-2. Effect of wire feed rate and welding voltage on the tensile
strength at S=4mm/sec, and T=200 C

3.2. Effect of Wire Feed Rate and Welding

Voltage
The empirical correlation is useful in prediction of the
tensile strength at different welding variables. Figure (11-1),
(11-2), (11-3), (11-4), (11-5) show the predicted effect of
the wire feed rate of the welding electrode at 3m/min,
5m/min, 7m/min, 9m/min, and 11m/min on the tensile
strength of the joint before welding at different welding
voltage of 20V, 25V, 30V, 35V, and 40V and at welding
speed of 2mm/sec, 4mm/sec, 6mm/sec, 8mm/sec, and
10mm/sec, and interpass temperature of 100C, 200C,
300C, 400C, and 500C . The result shows that the
tensile strength decreases with the increasing of the wire
feed rate, welding speed, and interpass temperature at any
constant value of welding voltage. On the other hand, the
tensile strength increases with welding voltage increases
also at any value of the wire feed rate, welding speed, and
interpass temperature.

Figure 11-1. Effect of wire feed rate and welding voltage on the tensile
strength at S=2mm/sec, and T=100 C

Figure 11-3. Effect of wire feed rate and welding voltage on the tensile
strength at S=6mm/sec, and T=300 C

Figure 11-4. Effect of wire feed rate and welding voltage on the tensile
strength at S=8mm/sec, and T=400 C

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American Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Figure 11-5. Effect of wire feed rate and welding voltage on the tensile
strength at S=10mm/sec, and T=500 C

3.3. Effect of Welding Speed And Welding

Voltage

Figure 12-2. Effect of welding voltage and welding speed on the tensile
strength at WFR=5m/min, and T=200 C

The empirical correlation is useful in the prediction of the

tensile strength at different welding variables. Figure (12-1),
Figure (12-2), Figure (12-3), Figure (12-4), Figure (12-5)
show the predicted effect of the welding voltage of the
welding electrode voltage of 20V, 25V, 30V, 35V, and
40V on the tensile strength of the joint before welding at
different welding speed of 2mm/sec, 4mm/sec, 6mm/sec,
8mm/sec, and 10mm/sec at wire feed rate of the welding
electrode of 3m/min, 5m/min, 7m/min, 9m/min, and
11m/min, and interpass temperature of 100C, 200C,
300C, 400C, and 500Cthe result show that with the
increasing in the welding voltage the tensile strength
increases also. On the other hand, the tensile strength
decreases with increasing in the welding speed, wire feed
rate, and interpass temperature at any constant value of the
welding voltage.
Figure 12-3. Effect of welding voltage and welding speed on the tensile
strength at WFR=7m/min, and T=300 C

Figure 12-1. Effect of welding voltage and welding speed on the tensile
strength at WFR=3m, a/min, and T=100 C

Figure 12-4. Effect of welding voltage and welding speed on the tensile
strength at WFR=9m/min, and T=400 C

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98

- Although the artificial porosity in the welded joint

was accepted, the tensile and yield strengths of the welded
joint decreased with the increasing in the welding heat
input.
- Through the experimental data which taken by the
destructive tests the predicted tensile strength can be
obtained from the following empirical equation within the
application limits;

U = 29.48* F 0.045V 0.212 * S 0.0158 * T 0.013

avr = 4.9%

Figure 12-5. Effect of welding voltage and welding speed on the tensile
strength at WFR=11m/min, and T=500 C

4. Conclusons

- For the steel plates of 10mm thickness the twodimensional temperature distributions may be good
approximation instead of the three-dimensional for the
temperature distribution.
- For the steel structure field it prefer the gap between
weld pass within 50sec it means for the long welding joint
it must be use more than one welding machine to keep the
time gap be constant.

References
[1]

The results of studying the effect of welding parameters

(interpass temperature, welding power, welding speed,
and welding position) which presented in the heat input on
the temperature distribution in three-dimension, and twodimension, and the mechanical properties of the steel
welded joints by GMAW came out with the following
conclusions.
- Increasing the heat input in the welding process by the
welding variables leaded to a welding joint which has less
mechanical prosperities than the base metal prosperities.
- Increasing the heat input in the welding process by the
welding variables increase the heat accumulation during
the welding process, increases the peak temperature in the
thermal cycles, and decreases the cooling rate.
-The error due to two-dimensional approximation in the
heat transfer analysis of welding process thermal cycle is
10.7% for the first and second pass, and 27% for the third
pass.
- Through the welding variables values which give the
optimum mechanical properties, it is easy to predict the
quality of the joint by following these values during the
welding process.
- The optimum mechanical properties take place at
interpass temperature of 200.
- The optimum mechanical properties take place at
welding voltage of 35V.
- The best mechanical properties take place at welding
speed of 6 mm/sec.
- The optimum mechanical properties take place at
welding position of 3G-up and 1G.

[2]
[3]

[4]
[5]

[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]

[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]

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Abington Publishing, 1997.
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Ahmed Faraz, Salman Nisar, Mohammad Amir Khan,Effect of
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Abson D. J., "Microstructure and mechanical properties of gasshielded welding of C-Mn-Ni steel", Cambridge University,
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Buenos Aires, Argentina, Welsing Research, pp. 191s to 196s,
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