Effect of depth on the weldability of ferritic steels in simulated environments joined by wet welding

ABSTRACT

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of depth on properties in V-notch welds with multiple passes. Base metal and commercial electrodes were used (ASTM A36 and AWS E7014) and four different conditions were used to develop the wet welds, which were depths of 10, 20, 30 and 40 m. A pressurized chamber with 30 atmospheres was used to simulate depth, flooded with fresh water. The welds were performed by an underwater welder. The cross-sectional properties – using Charpy V-notch toughness tests, macro-etching and tensile stress tests – were determined by correlation. The mechanical tests that yielded the best results were those with the 20 m depth condition.

KEYWORDS:

• Wet welding
• simulation
• microstructure

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the construction company Subacuática Diavaz for providing the facilities used to create underwater welded coupons and the group working on research and development in industrial diving.