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PREHEATING
While most of us do not look upon preheating as a form of heat treatment, its use can contribute
substantially in reducing hardness in all three constituents of a weldment; the parent metal, the
weld metal deposit and the heat affected zone. As a weldment cools, it goes through various
transformations in which molecules rearrange themselves. If cooling is rapid, this rearrangement
is arrested resulting in entrapment of stresses and hardening of the material with coincident loss
of ductility which is the highly desirable ability of the material to bend elastically, under stress.
Preheating of the weldment area achieves better weld penetration and slows the cooling process,
thus allowing added relief of stresses and reduced hardening of the materials.
The ASME Code sections take cognizance of the foregoing, in some cases allowing exemption
from postweld stress relieving PROVIDED preheating of a specified temperature is used.
Here again, a word of caution is in order. Preheat, like any other heat treatment, must be carefully
planned and used. Specific written procedures should be provided for each individual use.
Misuse, such as light surface heating, can do more harm than good. A soaking heat and
maintenance of interpass temperature throughout the weldment - and beyond, are recommended.
In all cases, high chrome-moly steels should be preheated prior to welding and postweld stress
relieved at around 1400oF.
In summary, the authorized inspector (or ANI) is not assigned the duty of being an authority on
metallurgy of all the various ferrous and nonferrous materials used in boiler, pressure vessel or
piping system fabrication. The various Code sections do, however, require that results of heat
treatment be made available to him for his review in order that he may assure himself that
temperature readings and holding (soaking) time conform with Code requirements. Only a diligent
study of Code requirements will enable him so make this decision.
As previously mentioned, heat treatments which will confront the AI-ANI are for the most part
preheating and postweld heat treatment, that is, stress relieving.
Some points to remember:
Post weld heat treatment is designed to return a metal as near as possible to its prefabrication
state of yield, ultimate tensile and ductility.
The rate of temperature rise, holding time at temperature and rate of cooling are vitally important.
For this reason, furnace thermocouples must measure metal temperature, not furnace
atmospheric temperature.
Heat treatment of any type must be a planned, systematic action. Poorly performed heat
treatment can result in far more harm to material than any good which may result.
Test coupons must be subjected to the identical conditions as the vessel or part in order to obtain
meaningful tensile and toughness (Charpy) test results.
The foregoing is a short generalization. Specific requirements are found in ASME Section II
"Material Specifications" and in the "Material Tables", of the various Code sections.
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