Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), which are increasingly used in the automotive industry, meet many functional requirements such as high strength and crash resistance. Some of these steels contain high amounts of alloying elements, which are required to achieve the necessary mechanical properties, but render these steels susceptible to weld solidification cracking. Weld solidification cracking results from the complex interplay between mechanical and metallurgical factors. Our recent work is focused on studying solidification cracking in dual phase (DP) and transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels using the following modeling and experimental strategies: 1. A finite element (FE) based model was constructed to simulate the dynamic thermal and mechanical conditions that prevail during bead-on-plate laser welding. To vary the restraint, laser welding was carried out on single sided clamped specimens at increasing distances from the free edge. In TRIP steel sheets, solidification cracking was observed when welding was carried out close to the free edge and at a certain minimum distance, no cracking was observed. For the no cracking condition, in situ strain evolution during laser welding was measured by means of digital image correlation to validate the strain from the Fe-model. Subsequently, a phase field model was constructed using the validated thermal cycles from the FE-model to simulate the microstructural evolution at the tail of a weld pool, where primary dendrites coalesce at the weld centerline. From the phase field model, elemental segregation and stress concentration are used to explain the cracking susceptibility in TRIP and DP steels. For DP steel, both the experimental and modeling results indicate a higher resistance to solidification cracking. 2. A phase field model was constructed to simulate the directional solidification in TRIP and DP steels. The thermal cycle and temperature gradient were derived from the in-situ solidification experiments conducted using high temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy (HTLSCM). The model showed that longer and narrower interdendritic liquid channels exist in the case of TRIP steel. For the TRIP steel, both the phase field model and atom probe tomography revealed notable enrichment of phosphorus, which leads to a severe undercooling in the interdendritic region. In the presence of tensile stress, an opening at the interdendritic region is difficult to fill with the remaining liquid due to low permeability, resulting in solidification cracking. The overall study shows that a combination of factors is responsible for the susceptibility of a material to solidification cracking. These include particularly mechanical restraint, solidification temperature range, solidification morphology, solute segregation and liquid feeding capability.@en

In situ high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy is applied to study solidification cracking in a TRIP steel. Solidification cracking was observed in the interdendritic region during the last stage of solidification. Atom probe tomography revealed notable enrichment of phosphorus in the last remaining liquid. Phase field simulations also confirm phosphorus enrichment leading to severe undercooling of more than 160 K in the interdendritic region. In the presence of tensile stress, an opening at the interdendritic region is difficult to fill with the remaining liquid due to low permeability and high viscosity, resulting in solidification cracking.

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Sufficient liquid feeding under constrained solidification conditions like, those experienced in welding and casting, is vital to avoid solidification cracking. We present the results of unique in-situ experimental observations of liquid feeding in a solidifying steel melt pool. Liquid feeding was observed in the inter-cellular regions during the terminal stage of solidification. An average liquid flow speed of 450–500 μm s⁻¹ was found. A pressure difference of the order of 10⁴ Pa is calculated to cause the liquid flow. The rate of solidification shrinkage and the rate of deformation were found to be less than the rate of liquid feeding.

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Susceptibility to weld solidification cracking in transformation-induced plasticity steel sheets was studied using a modified standard hot cracking test used in the automotive industry. To vary the amount of self-restraint, bead-on-plate laser welding was carried out on a single-sided clamped specimen at increasing distances from the free edge. Solidification cracking was observed when welding was carried out close to the free edge. With increasing amount of restraint, the crack length showed a decreasing trend, and at a certain distance, no cracking was observed. With the aid of a finite element-based model, dynamic thermal and mechanical conditions that prevail along the transverse direction of the mushy zone are used to explain the cracking susceptibility obtained experimentally. The results indicate that the transverse strain close to the fusion boundary can be used as a criterion to predict the cracking behavior. The outcome of the study shows that optimum processing parameters can be used to weld steels closer to the free edge without solidification cracking.

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Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) are increasingly used in automotive industry; thousands of resistance spot welds are applied to car body-in-white. High alloying levels of AHSS result in lower weldability. Residual stresses play an essential role on the formation of defects and the mechanical performance of the weld. An electrical-thermal-metallurgical-mechanical finite element model was constructed to simulate the temperature and stress distribution during single and double pulse resistance spot welding. The models are validated by ex-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction stress measurements. In this paper, single pulse and double pulse resistance spot welds were made on 1.3 mm thin sheets of a 3rd generation AHSS. Depth resolved stress measurements in two orthogonal directions were carried out using high-resolution powder diffraction at beamline ID22 of the European Synchrotron Research Facility. A monochromic 70 keV X-ray was used to record the d-spacing of (200) bcc planes in transmission mode. The strains were calculated from the shift in the d-spacing of the planes. The stresses were calculated by the biaxial Hook’s law. The numerical and experimental results show that the residual stresses in the weld nugget zone and the heat affected zone of the welds are tensile in nature, whereas the base material experiences compressive stresses. Lower residual stresses at the weld nugget and HAZ were obtained by applying a second current pulse. The simulated results show a good agreement with the residual stresses measured. This study provides a better understanding of the stress distribution in resistance spot welds and allows prediction of stresses as a result of welding conditions applied. @en

Hot cracking during laser welding of Transformation Induce Plasticity (TRIP) steel at the edges of steel flanges can be a problem. In this study, modified hot cracking tests were performed by welding on a single-side clamped specimen at various distances from the free edge, while the heat input and external constraints remained constant. In situ temperature and strain measurements were carried out using pre-attached thermocouples and digital image correlation, respectively. A thermal-mechanical finite element (FE) model was constructed and validated with the temporal and spatial data measured. From the validated FE model, the temperature and strain evolution in the weld mushy zone were studied. A critical strain for the onset of hot cracking in the TRIP steel examined was found to be in the range of 3.2 to 3.6%. This threshold was further evaluated and experimentally confirmed by welding with different heat inputs.@en

In situ strain evolution during laser welding has been measured by means of digital image correlation to assess the susceptibility of an advanced high strength automotive steel to solidification cracking. A novel method realised using auxiliary illumination and optical narrow bandpass filter allowed strain measurements as close as 1.5 mm from the fusion boundary with good spatial and temporal resolution. A finite-element thermomechanical model of the welding process supports the experimentally measured transverse strain. The validated finite-element numerical model can be used to assess the local strain and associated stress conditions which influences weldability and in particular, solidification cracking.@en

Hot cracking during laser welding of advanced high-strength steels is reported to be a serious problem by automotive manufacturers. In this work, hot cracking susceptibilities of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) and dual-phase (DP) steels are studied based on a multi-scale modelling approach. Transient temperatures measured from welding experiments are used to validate a finite element (FE) model. The temperature, thermal gradient and cooling rate in the weld fusion zone are extracted from the FE model and pre-defined as boundary conditions to a phase field model. The welding-induced microstructural evolution is simulated considering thermodynamic and mobility data. Results show that, compared to the DP steel, the TRIP steel has a broader solidification range, a greater pressure drop at the inter-dendritic regions, and an increased phosphorus segregation at the grain boundaries; all these make this steel more susceptible for hot cracking.

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