Weldiing high carbon steel

[iron phoenix]

I'm involved with butt welding 3" 4045 steel 22" wide. Asking for welding proceedure... preheat temp... interpass temps. Any helpful tips... been having trouble passing ultra sound!

[Jose Gomez]

3 inch thick by 22 inch wide solid?!? If so thats a bit thick for a butt weld. you should probably concider a double bevel if possible, or a single bevel with a strongback, any way of insuring proper penetration, Another thing we need to know to help you with more info is the type of process and filler metal that you are using.

[Hillbillysmith]

I strongly agree with Jose. More info is needed.

[Thomas Dean]

I asked our metalurgist here about this and this is his reply....


"Not a straight forward answer. This is a high carbon that has different properties that the typical steels and low alloys we weld. Generally the material is provided in some type of heat treated state, either annealed, normalized or quench and tempered. Welding would tend to affect the heat treatment and available rods are generally weaker than the base metal. The high carbon makes the material more prone to cracking and affected by hydrogen. It is also thick which makes thermal stresses a potential problem. All of this adds up to a lot of negatives.

What is the application and need for this weld?" M.B., P.E. Pressure Vessel and Piping Goup