Post weld heat treatment of S690 quenched and tempered steel plate‐to‐plate joints

Abstract

The study of heat-treated high strength steel (HSS) is essential, as it has been gaining popularity in the construction industry due to the fact that it allows for lighter structures to be built. Based on the classical theories of metallurgy, it can be assumed heat-treated HSS is vulnerable when faced with reintroduction of heat. This is a potential problem, as heat is often reintroduced in the form of weld works. Hence, an experimental study was conducted to determine the effects of welding and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the mechanical properties of HSS. It is found out that when the appropriate PWHT conditions were used, PWHT can be effective in recovering the properties lost due to welding. In addition, the load-carrying capacity of a T-stub joint given by design equations and numerical analysis was compared against the load-carrying capacity of a T-stub joint given by test records. The numerical analyses proved to be generally untrustworthy as it overestimates the load-carrying capacity of a HSS T-stub joint.