An Evaluation of the Fracture Behavior for Flash Butt Welding zone by Acoustic Emission Method

AE방법에 의한 Flash Butt 용접부의 파괴거동 평가

In this study, we conducted experimental tests to evaluate fracture behaviors of fresh-butt welded metal by Acoustic Emission technique. We selected similar welding and dissimilar welding process, the one welded for SM45C, SS41 and SUS304 of each material, the other for SM45C and SS41, SM45C and SUS304 and SS41 and SUS304. The fracturing processes of weld metal were estimatied through the fracture toughness test with compact tension specimens and fractography analysis. In ASTM test method E-399, type I curves for materials of this study were obtained by load-cod diagram of fracture toughness test. and 5% offset load( $P_{5}$) was estimated as the estimated crack initial load( $P_{Q}$), The estimated crack initial load( $P_{Q}$) of similar welding materials generally lower than base matal, and then SM45C appeared greatly in decreasing rate of PB, SS41 and SUS304 appeared in order. $P_{Q}$ of dissimilar welding materials were lower than the similar welding materials. $P_{Q}$ of welding of SM45C and SS41 appeared in small, SUS304 and SS41 appeared greatly in dissimilar welding materials. In fracture toughness test, AE counts increased before the inflection point of the slope, decreased after that. It was found that increasing of AE counts were due to the microcrack formation at the crack tip near the $P_{5}$ point through AE data. For welding materials in this study, both low and high AE amplitude appeared simulataneously. It was confirmed that the low AE amplotude was due to formation of micro void, micro crack or micro dimple, the high AE amplitude was caused by microvoid coalescence and quasi-cleavage fracture through analyses of fractograpy.apy.apy.apy.