What are the residual stresses in a dissimilar

metal weld?
Frequently Asked Questions
A dissimilar metal weld (DMW) in this article refers to a weld joining two materials from
different alloy systems. A common power plant application is joining a ferritic low alloy steel to
an austenitic stainless steel. A schematic of a DMW is shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 1. Dissimilar metal weld joint

A buttering layer is often used to provide a transition between the considerably different physical
and mechanical properties of the parent materials. A power plant application of DMW is given in
Table 1.
Table 1 An example of DMW joint materials and their properties
Joint
component
Parent A
Weld metal
Buttering
Parent B

C.T.E. (1/K) at
300C
316L
19.0 x 10 -6
308L
19.0 x 10 -6
309L/308L 19.0 x 10 -6
A508
14.0 x 10 -6
Material

Yield strength (MPa)

at 300C
213
333
333
463

Tensile strength (MPa)

at 300C
453
441
441
640

The most significant feature of dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) with respect to residual stresses
is differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the parent and weld metals. There may
also be differences in yield strength, which limit the magnitudes of the residual stresses which
can exist in the component materials (as is also the case in similar metal welds with nonmatching yield strengths), but do not change the general characteristics of the residual stress
field.
The residual stresses in similar and dissimilar metal welds are generated by the thermal
contraction of the weld metal and the adjacent heated parent metal, and hence the residual stress
distribution in an as-welded DMW is broadly similar to that in a similar metal weld. Although

information on the magnitude and distribution of welding residual stresses is available in several
codes and standards, these are not validated extensively for DMWs. It is recommended that
residual stresses in DMWs should be measured physically or calculated numerically by
computational welding simulation.
If the structure containing the DMW is subject to post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), then its
residual stresses will be completely different from those at similar metal welds. Most of the
original as-welded residual stresses will be relieved during the heat-up and hold period of the
PWHT procedure. During cool down, a new set of residual stresses will be generated because of
the differential contractions of the different regions. After PWHT:

The longitudinal residual stresses (parallel to the welding direction) will tend to be tensile
in the material with the higher coefficient of expansion, and compressive in the material
with the lower coefficient of expansion, with a discontinuity in the stress field at the
interface.

Shear stresses will occur at the interface, with peak values at the intersection with the
surface. These may contribute to the initiation or propagation of cracking at the interface.

Localised transverse residual stresses may be found on the surface near the interface.
Longer range transverse stresses will depend on the restraint acting across the joint.

A simple prediction of the residual stress field at a heat-treated DMW may be obtained using a
finite element model by assuming that the weldment is stress-free at the end of the temperature
hold period, and then calculating the stresses generated due to differential contraction during
cooling. In practice however, there may be some additional residual stresses resulting from the
original welding operation, and not fully relieved during PWHT.
It should be remembered that additional thermal stresses will be generated when the temperature
of the DMW changes. A change of temperature from ambient to a higher temperature will
partially relieve the residual stresses generated during cool-down from PWHT.