A Study on Transverse Weld Cracks

in Thick Steel Plate with the FCAW Process

The transverse crack in thick plate welding is investigated under simulated
construction conditions
BY H. W. LEE, S. W. KANG A N D D. S. U M

ABSTRACT. The transverse crack in thick

plate welding is discussed with respect to
deposited metal. In recent years, many of
the new steel developments such as
thermo-mechanical controlled process
(TMCP) have been intended to improve
weldability. When TMCP steel is used
to achieve high strength with lean
composition, the weld metal is more
likely to suffer hydrogen cracking than
the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the base
steel. Weld metal hydrogen cracking is
even more likely if alloying is necessary
to match the strength and toughness of
the base metal. This is primarily due to
the more highly alloyed weld metal's
increased susceptibility to hydrogen
cracking (Ref. 1).
One type of cold crack, referred to as
a transverse crack, is caused by the complex interaction of the diffusible hydrogen
supply, tensile residual stress and susceptible microstructure. This form of cracking
generally is not encountered when welding plate sections less than 10 mm thick.
However, when thicker sections (50 mm
or more) are welded, welds are subjected
to more rapid cooling accompanied by
more severe cooling stresses (Ref. 2).

the partially melted zone. The cause of

hot cracking in the partially melted
zone is the combination of grain boundary liquation and stresses induced by
both solidification shrinkage and thermal contraction during welding (Refs.
3, 4).
The transverse crack, a type of cold
crack, occurs perpendicular to the axis of
the weld interface. It generally occurs at
temperatures below 200C (392F), either immediately upon cooling or after a
period of several hours. The time delay
depends upon the type of steel, the magnitude of the welding stresses and the hydrogen content of the weld (Refs. 5-7).
However, most of the literature on transverse cracks published thus far differs
when compared to the appearance of
transverse cracks in actual construction.
In this study, two EH 32 steel panels
were welded to resemble actual construction conditions. The appearance of
transverse cracks, hardness, impact, microstructure and residual stresses were
then determined for two different welding conditions.

Introduction
The various cracks that can occur in
weld joints according to welding conditions and processes are classified as
"cold crack" and "hot crack" according
to occurrence temperatures.
Hot cracking, such as solidification
cracks and liquation cracks, are the
most severe problems associated with
H. W. LEE is with the Welding Research Team
of Samsung Heavy Industries, Koje City,
Korea. S. W. KANG and D. S. UM are with
the Research Institute of Mechanical Technology, Pusan National University, Korea.

KEY WORDS
Diffusible Hydrogen
Intergranular (IG)
Magnetic Particle
Inspection
Microvoid Coalescence
(MVC)
Quasi Cleavage (QC)
Residual Stresses
Stress Intensity Factor
Transverse Crack

Experimental Procedures
Test Panel
The size of the test panel was 2000
mm long x 1800 mm wide x 50 mm
thick. The panel was fabricated from
EH32 TMCP higher-strength hull steel
(as shown in Table 2), to provide test
conditions similar to actual construction
conditions - - Fig. 1. To magnify fabrication-related weld residual stresses, the
welding jig and test panel were filletwelded together.
Test Weldments
The specimen sections were welded
in layers as shown in Fig. 2. To compare
the residual stresses and the position of
occurrence of the transverse cracks, the
sections were welded under the following conditions:
1) Below 30C (86F) of preheating
and interpass temperatures.
2) Preheating and interpass temperatures of 100-120C (212-248F).
The preheating temperature of 100C
was obtained from the Yurioka (Ref. 8)
report shown in Fig. 3 (using Table 2,
50-mm-thick steel plate, Ceq 0.34). The
test specimens were welded at 100-120C
in consideration of ambient temperatures.
The panel was welded according to
AWS A5.29 E8OT1-K2 specifications,
using the flux cored arc welding (FCAW)
process (1.2 ~ diameter, electrode extension of 25-30 mm); welding parameters
are shown in Table 1.
Chemical Composition/Strength
A spectroanalyzer was used to determine the chemical composition of the
base and weld metal. Mean values of the
three specimens were then recorded in
Table 2.

WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT [ 503-s

Hardness Traverses

Hardness was measured using the

macro Vickers hardness test, with a load
of 5 kg and 10 s of loading time. Measurements were made on transverse
sections, 10 mm from the top surface.
Impact Test

The impact test was performed at

0, -20, -40 and -60C (32, -4, -40,
and -76F) using Charpy V-notch for
deposited metal. The test specimen location in the weldment is shown in Fig. 4.
Measurement of Residual Stresses

The surface residual stresses along the

weld metal centerline (~ direction) were
measured using the Rosette gauge holedrilling method after the specimen was
cooled completely.

Fig. I - - Schematic diagram of weld panel.

unit
A
~-

300

300

B
~

Diffusible Hydrogen Test

: mm
4 .C

1,400

I-

The diffusible hydrogen was measured by glycerin method per JIS Z3118.
Before the hydrogen test, the steel plate
was kept in the furnace at 500C (932F)
for 1 h and air-cooled to remove diffusible hydrogen.
Distinction of Crack Position

WELDING DIRECTION

A'

C'

~B'

~,,~,,~,.---~ 3o" ~ /

I
Results and Discussion

----~l root opening: 10

(B - B')

(A - A')

4#___
3_~_

I
(c - c)

Section A-A" : 1/3-specimen thickness weld deposit metal

Section B-B" : 2/3-specimen thickness weld deposit metal
Section C-C" : full thickness weld deposit metal

Fig. 2 - - Schematic diagram of weld deposit metal.

504-S J DECEMBER 1998

To check the position and length of

transverse cracks according to changing
preheating, interpass temperatures and
welding layer, the specimens were inspected by ultrasonic testing. The surface
of the weld bead was then cut at 0.5-mmdepth intervals using a milling machine
and checked for accurate position and
length of transverse cracks using magnetic particle inspection after each machining step.

Macro/Microstructure

The macrostructures of the weldments

are shown in Fig. 5A and B.
Some significant differences can be
noted between the HAZ that formed due
to the welding pass and the HAZ located
near the weld interface. The grain size
was very coarse in the HAZ near the weld
interface, resulting in the most brittle section of the weld joints. Impact values improved in the reheated zone because the
grain boundary ferrite and Widmanstatten side plates were transformed into
pearlite and ferrite, and the grain size was
refined (Ref. 3).
Figures 6 and 7 are weldment microstructures. Figure 6 is weld joint "A"
(preheating and interpass temperature

below 30C) and Fig. 7 is weld joint "B"

(preheating and interpass temperature
100-120C). Figures 6A and 7A show
the microstructure of the base metal,
consisting of ferrite (white area), pearlite
(dark area) and bainite (slightly gray
area). The fine grain size results in excellent strength and toughness (Ref. 9).
The refined- and coarsened-grain re-

gions are shown in Figs. 6B and C and

7B and C, respectively.
The refined-grain region was subjected to a peak temperature just above
the effective upper critical temperatures,
Ac3, thus allowing austenite grains to
nucleate. Such austenite grains decomposed into small pearlite and ferrite
grains during subsequent cooling. As

seen in Figs. 6B and 7B, the distribution

of pearlite and ferrite is not exactly uniform because insufficient time was allowed for the diffusion of carbon atoms
due to the rapid heating rate during welding. The coarsened-grain region was subjected to a peak temperature well above
the Ac3 temperatures, thus promoting the
coarsening of austenite grains.

Table 1--Welding Parameters

Identification
A
B

Welding Condition

Pass

Current
(A)

Voltage
(V)

Speed
(cm/min)

Heat Input
(kJ/cm)

Preheating/interpass
temperature below 30C
preheating/interpass
temperature 100-120C

1
2-27
1
2-27

240-250
340-350
240-250
340-350

30
35
30
35

16
3741
15
38-42

28
26
29
25

Table 2--Chemical Composition of Base/Weld Metal

(%)
EH32 TMCP
Base metal
Weld
metal

A
B

Si

Mn

Ni

Mo

Ti

0.18
max.

0.100.50

0.901.60

0.040
max.

0.040
max.

0.40
max.

0.08
max.

0.10
max.

0.09

0.38

1.35

0.015

0.005

0.03

0.02

0.04
0.04

0.29
0.29

1.05
1.03

0.012
0.013

0.017
0.016

1.32
1.31

0.02
0.02

TS
(kgf/mm 2)

YS
(kgf/mm2)

El
(%)

0.02
max.

45-60

32.0

20.0

0.002

0.02

52.8

38.0

31.0

0.017
0.018

0.01
0.01

69.4
66.3

63.7
61.4

22.8
23.4

250

(~c)

H.~ = 5=~/100~ WM
-- H.I. = 1.7Klknm
Ambient~
= 10"(2

~ 150
~

100

,/
0

~'75 75 60 50 40

0.2

0.3

30

25 20

15

S. lOrnm

0.4

0.5

0.6

Carbon equivalent, Ceq

1!,2,3

4 ,5,6

7 8

Fig. 3 - - Diagram of preheating temperature for Ceq and steel plate

thickness.

10mm

5O
Fig. 5 - - Macrostructure of weld joint near section C - C'. A - Preheating/interpass temperature below 30C; B - - preheating/interpass temperature 100-120C.
Fig. 4 - - The position of Charpy V-notch impact test specimen.

W E L D I N G RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT I 505-$

residual stress is caused by restraining the

free contraction of the thermoplastically
deformed weld zone during weld cooling. Therefore, the welding residual
stresses are sometimes referred to as res t r a i n t stresses. A geometrical notch in
the weld joint further induces local stress
concentration. In most cases, hydrogenassisted cracking is initiated at a notch of
the weld made under restraint.
The residual stresses measured at the
surface of a deposited metal in a longitudinal direction of weld interface are
shown in Fig. 8. In all measured points, the
residual stress values for a specimenwelded preheating and interpass temperature below 30C was higher than the
preheating and interpass temperature of
100-120C. Transversecrack occurrences
are caused by the hardness of deposited
metal, diffusible hydrogen contents and
tensile residual stressesin the longitudinal
direction of the weld interface.

Hi
@'j
isu
m
q

~L
,G
I

Fig. 6 - - Microstructure o f weld j o i n t A (preheating and interpass temperature b e l o w 3 0 0 . A - Base metal; B - - grain-refined zone; C - - grain-coarsened zone; D - - weld metal.

Fig. 7 - Microstructure o f weld j o i n t B (preheating a n d interpass temperature 1 0 0 - 1 2 0 0 . A - Base metal; B - - grain-refined zone; C - - grain-coarsened zone; D - - weld metal.

Will

Because of the relatively high cooling

rate and the large grain size in this region,
acicular ferrite rather than blocky ferrite
formed at grain boundaries-- Figs. 6C and
7C. Figure 7D is an optical micrograph
taken from the deposited weld metal area
revealing grain boundary ferrite, Widmanstatten ferrite and acicular ferrite. To
improve mechanical properties such as
tensile and toughness, acicular ferrite has

506-s I DECEMBER 1998

to form fully instead of grain boundary ferrite and Widmanstatten ferrite.

More amounts of acicular ferrite can
be observed in Fig. 7D when compared
to Fig. 6D.
Residual Stressesof Weld Joints

Welding induces high residual

stresses in the vicinity of the weld. The

Diffusible Hydrogen Contents

Hydrogen-assisted cracking is a
severe problem in the welding of thick
steel plate that occurs when the following three factors are simultaneously present: diffusible hydrogen in weld metal,
high stress and susceptible microstructures. The hydrogen dissolved in a weld
metal is proportional to the square root of
the partial pressure of the hydrogen gas.
The following sources of weld metal
hydrogen are considered in FCAW (Ref.
10):
1) Moisture in flux
2) Moisture in CO 2 gas
3) Organic substance in flux
4) Hydrogen in wire steel and steel
plate
5) Moisture in atmosphere
6) Extraneous hydrogenous material,
e.g., moisture, grease and paint
Hydrogen dissolved in a steel matrix
is diffusible, thereby causing hydrogen
embrittlement. The weld metal hydrogen
content is generally expressed by the
content of diffusible hydrogen. The three
methods of measuring diffusible hydrogen contents are:
1) Glycerin method (Hjl s)
2) Mercury method (Hi]w)
3) Gas chromatograph method (HG_c)
The test results of these three methods
are related as follows (Ref. 11):
HHw = 1.27Hji s + 2.19
HG_C = 2HjI s + 0.3
where Hil w, HG_C and HjIS are the weld
metal diffusible hydrogen content per
100 g of deposited weld metal.
The hydrogen contents, which de-

400 --

preheat/interpass temperature 100~120"C

preheat/interpass temperature below 300C

300

UJ

200

(A)

0
u~

7O

100

50

10

ol

---O-- preheating/interpass temp. below 30"C ]

" "0"" p r e h e a t i n g / i n t e r p a s s tem p. 100-120"C

I
A

I
B

I
C

I
D

[
E

I
F

I
-60

-80
I
G

(B)

I
I
-40
-20
Temperature (C)

I
0

I
20

Fig. I 0 - - Results o f Charpy V-notch impact tests for weld metal.

Fig. 8 - - Distributions o f surface residual stress for (~ direction in

deposited metal. A - - Position o f attached Rosette gauge; B - - results o f
surface residual stresses.
24000-

~ prebeating/interpass temp. 100-120"(."

preheating/interpass temp. below 30"C

800

240A X 30V, 25CPM

220.00

(~ 350A X 35V, 25CPM

s
fl,O0

(~
m
0
O.
at
"U
Q

180.00

400

200

'I"

200.00

1 0

o,oo

~)

(D

'10

16000
W

14000

-soo
[

18

48

72

-4oo

ooo

4.oo

8oo

~2oo

Distance from the weld interface (ram)

Exposure Time (Hour)

Fig. 9 - - Hydrogen content profiles depending on welding conditions.

pend on welding conditions, were measured by the glycerin method and are
shown in Fig. 9. These data indicate that
welds made with the FCAW electrode
have hydrogen contents of approximately 3-4 mL. Most diffusible
hydrogen escaped within 2 h after welding as shown in Fig. 9. However, when
welding conditions were changed, there
were no significant hydrogen contents.
Impact Properties

Figure 10 shows the Charpy V-notch

impact test results for weld metal. Ab-

Fig. 11

Hardness traverses 10 m m from top surface.

sorbed energy of preheating and interpass temperatures of 100-120C in weld

joint B are higher than preheating and
interpass temperatures of 30C in weld
joint A, due to higher cooling rate.

depends on the preheating/interpass

temperature, and when the preheating/
interpass temperature is low, the weld
metal becomes more susceptible to
transverse crack.

Hardness Traverses

Distinction of Crack Position

Figure 11 shows the hardness traverses 10 mm away from the weld surface. When the preheating/interpass
temperature is below 30C, the value of
hardness (HV) in deposited weld metal is
10-15 higher due to the rapid cooling
rate. The hardness of the weld metal

In weld joint B, when preheating and

interpass temperatures were 100-120C,
no transverse cracks were detected.
However, transverse cracks were detected for the specimen welded with preheating and interpass temperatures
below 30C in weld joint A.

WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT I 507-s

I(C)

(A)

16.0 mm

Fig. 12 - - MPI results of transverse cracks for 35-mm weld joint A (depth below weld top surface is shown at top right-hand corner).

9.0 mm

(A)

(B)

9.5mm I(C)

| lJi~I I IlliIIIII
[I}l[,l'il[!ll}flllLllIi[llillIItillIl!iiill
~'

~a

9o I N n

(r-

(G

B I I

~ ^

nm

(H)

28.0 mm

Fig. 13 - - MPI results of transverse cracks for 50-mm weld joint A (depth below weld top surface is shown at top right-hand corner).

goR-~ I IOFCFMRER 1998

11.0 mm

It was also noted that the number of

transverse cracks increased as the welding layers were increased. No cracks
were observed in the one-third complete
sample. However, transverse cracks were
formed in specimens welded in twothirds of their thickness (35 mm) and the
full thickness of the weld joint (50 mm).
Figure 12 shows the morphology of
detected transverse cracks for specimens
welded in two-thirds of their thickness
(35 mm) at various depths from the weld
surface. Figure 12A shows the morphology of the transverse cracks that appeared for the first time, located 9.5 mm
in depth from the weld surface. Some of
these cracks can also be seen in Fig. 12B,
which also shows the formation of new
cracks at a depth of 10.0 mm from the
weld surface. These cracks completely
disappear and two new sets of cracks are
visible in Fig.12C at a depth of 16.0 mm
from the weld surface. The cracks disappear as the distance from the weld surface is increased and a new set of cracks
is formed - - Fig. 12D.
Figure 12E shows the continuation of
cracks detected in Fig. 12D; however,
their number has decreased considerably. Transverse cracks completely disappear at a depth of 20.0 mm from the
weld surface-- Fig. 12F.
It can be seen from the macrographs
of Fig. 12 that transverse cracks have a
pattern of appearing and disappearing
in locations at depths 9.5-17.0 mm
away from the weld surface.
The morphology of transverse cracks
in the full-thickness joint is shown in Fig.
13. Cracks at a depth of 9.0 and 9.5 mm
from the weld surface are shown in Fig.
13A and B. A comparison of these two
macrographs shows that transverse cracks
have a clearer morphology in Fig. 13B.
Additionally, the morphology of cracks in
Fig. 13E and F is more delicate, with a
number of small-size cracks located in
the surrounding area of the larger cracks
than the cracks detected in Fig. 13C
and D.
In the full-thickness weld, the transverse cracks also have a pattern of
appearing and disappearing at a depth
between 9.0-27.0 mm away from the
weld surface and completely disappear
at a depth of 28.0 mm - - Fig. 13H.
The position of transverse cracks relative to the weld layer is shown in Fig. 14.
For the specimen welded at two-thirds
thickness (35 mm), transverse cracks
were located between weld layers 4-6,
as shown in Fig.14A. For the specimens
welded at full-thickness (50 mm), transverse cracks were located between weld
layers 5-8, as shown in Fig. 14B.
Takahashi, e t a l . (Ref. 12), have shown
that transverse cracks are initiated in the

weld metal just

/
below the final
layer of welds and
50
are gradually propagated toward both
the top and bottom
I
I
surface. This occurs because the
(A)
largest
residual
stresses and the
highest concentra/
tion of diffusible
/
hydrogen contents
t5,.0
can be found in
these locations.
In this study, the
position of transI
~
I
verse cracks differed
unit : m m
(B)
from that of the
Takahashi report,
since cracks were Fig. 14 - - The transverse crack position according to changing welding
detected at a conlayer. A - - 35-rnm weld joint; B - - 50-ram weld joint.
stant distance from
the top of the weld
surface
(e.g.,
9.5-10.0 mm, and
transverse crack and mechanical propernot just below the final layer as reported by
ties such as hardness, impact and residTakahashi). This is due to a large restraint
ual stress measurement was studied for
stress under actual construction condiEH 32 TMCP 50-mm-thick plate welded
tions, as compared to a small test piece.
with FCAW under the condition of
Figures 15A and B show an optical
changing preheat and interpass temperamicrograph of the middle and edge of
ture. The results of this study can be sumtransverse cracks. The formation of these
marized as follows:
cracks did not follow the grain boundary
1) Transverse cracks were detected
ferrite; rather, they propagated across the
in the specimen welded with preheatgrains.
From fracture morphology, it is noted
ing and interpass temperatures below
that transverse cracks occur in high
30C, but cracks were not detected for
stresses. Microscopic fracture modes
the specimen welded with preheat and
from the Beachem (Ref. 13) report are
interpass temperatures of 100-120C.
shown in Fig. 16. These illustrations show
2) Two different locations of crack
the tip of cracks growing from left to right
formation were detected in this experiunder four different K (stress intensity facment as follows:
tor) conditions, with the K decreasing
a) In the specimen welded at twofrom Fig. 16A through D. This represents
thirds thickness of the joint, cracks were
a suggested explanation of the changes in
initiated at a distance of 9.5-10 mm away
the observed fracture modes.
from the top of the welded surface, between layers 4-6.
b) In the specimen welded at full
thickness, cracks were initiated at a disMacrostructure appearance of the

64layer~~
layer'---~
~

--3.-9.5-20.0t

Conclusions

:;4~2i~;'.~ "

5aO~m
0 ~ i

Fig. 15 - - Optical microstructure o f transverse cracks. A - - M i d d l e o f crack; B - - crack edge.

WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT I 509-s

a preheating and interpass temperature

below 30C.
References

(e)

(A)
/. .....

. ....

1. Bailey, N., and Wright, M. D. 1993.

Weldability of high strength steels. Welding
and Metal Fabrication, pp. 389-396.
2. Metals Handbook. 1973.9th ed., Vol.
6 ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, pp.
129-130.
3. Kou, S. 1987. Welding Metallurgy, John
Wiley and Sons, New York, N.Y., pp. 249, 326.
4. Welding Handbook, 1987. 8th ed.,
Vol. 1. American Welding Society, Miami,
Fla., pp. 230-231.
5. Signes, E. G., and Howe, P. 1988.
Hydrogen-assisted cracking in high-strength
pipeline steel. Welding Journal 67(8): 163-s to
170-s.

(c)

(D)

Fig. 16 - - Microscropic fracture modes. A - - MVC with high stress intensity factor; B - - QC
with intermediate stress intensity factor; C - - IG cracking with low stress intensity factor; D - - IG
cracking with assisted hydrogen pressure.

tance of 9.5-10.0 mm away from the top

of the welded surface, between layers 5-8.
3) Hardness values of preheating and
interpass temperatures below 30C were
higher than preheating and interpass
temperatures below 100-120C in deposited weld metal.
4) The residual stress values for the
specimen welded with a preheating and

510-s I DECEMBER 1998

interpass temperature below 30C was

higher than the specimen welded with a
preheating and interpass temperature at
100-120C.
5) The result of weld metal impact
test shows higher impact values for the
weld condition with preheating and
interpass temperature at 100-120C,
compared to the specimen welded with

6. Suzuki, H. 1978. Cold cracking and its

prevention in steel welding. Transactions of
the Japan Welding Society, pp. 82-86.
7. Hart, P. H. M. 1986. Resistance to
hydrogen cracking in steel weld metals, welding Journal 65(1): 14-s to 22-s.
8. Yurioka, N. 1995. A chart method to
determine necessary preheat temperature in
steel welding. Journal of Japan Welding
Society, pp. 347-350.
9. Lee, H. W., and Kang, S. W. 1996. A
study on microstructure and thoroughness of
electrogas weldments. Journal of the Korea
Welding Society, pp. 68-74.
10. Yurioka, N., and Suzuki, H. 1990.
Hydrogen assistedcracking in C-Mn and low
alloy steel weldments. International Materials
Review, pp. 217-249.
11. JlS Z3118 Method of Measurement for
Hydrogen Evolved from Steel. 1986. Japanese
Standard Association.
12. Takahashi, E. 1979. Relations between occurrence of the transverse.Journal of
Japan Welding Society, pp. 855-872.
13. Beachem, C. D. 1972. A new model
for hydrogen-assisted cracking. Metallurgical
Transactions 3(2): 437-451.