Effect of Stress Relieving on Mechanical and Metallurgical Properties of Shielded Metal Arc Welded Joints of A۵۱۷ Steel

Stress relieving is a common practice among manufacturing codes for reducing the magnitude of residual stresses in welded, quenched, and tempered steel structures and pressure vessels. The present work investigates the effect of stress relieving at ۴۸۰, ۵۶۰, ۶۲۰, and ۶۸۰°C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ۲۰ mm ASTM A۵۱۷ Gr. B steel plate weldments produced by shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). For this purpose, metallographic analysis, hardness measurement, charpy V-notched impact test, and tensile test were performed. Result showed that stress relieving reduced the impact toughness of all the base metals but better mechanical properties (hardness, tensile stress and impact toughness) were achieved when it was accomplished at ۵۶۰°C.