Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay
Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de una licencia de uso y distribución CC BY-NC 4.0. Para ver
una copia de esta licencia visite http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 45
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 • ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay
Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de una licencia de uso y distribución CC BY-NC 4.0. Para ver
una copia de esta licencia visite http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Post Weld Quenching Impact on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties
(Tensile, Impact, Hardness) of High Strength Low Alloy Steel
Impacto del temple posterior a la soldadura en la microestructura y las
propiedades mecánicas del acero de baja aleación y alta resistencia
Impacto da têmpera pós-soldagem na microestrutura e nas propriedades mecânicas
de aços de alta resistência e baixa liga
Atif Shazad
1
(*), Muhammad Uzair
2
Recibido: 27/09/2024 Aceptado: 26/01/2025
Summary. - Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is the most widely used welding technique in engineering
industries. Compared to other arc welding techniques like TIG, SMAW is less heat-concentrating. However, welding
thick jobs using SMAW can result in serious issues such as structural distortion due to non-uniform input heat
distribution. High thermal stresses and distortions can degrade mechanical properties, similar to high input heat. Fast
heat removal may prevent such defects, and different quenching media like sand, water, and oil were used to investigate
variations in mechanical properties. High-strength low-alloy steel was selected due to its good weldability and easy
availability, which makes it suitable for many industrial applications, such as in the space and defense industries. The
tensile testing results showed that oil quenching was superior to other quenching techniques because oil-cooled joints
had the highest tensile strength and ductility. However, water-cooled joints showed the highest yield strength, but oil-
quenched joints had the highest welding efficiency. The hardness of water-cooled joints in the heat-affected zone and
weld zone was greater due to rapid cooling in water. The impact energy of oil-cooled joints in the heat-affected zone
was superior to that of other joints. Overall, the mechanical properties of oil-cooled joints were superior and showed
better geometric configuration, such as minimal distortions.
Keywords: Tensile strength; hardness; Impact strength; SMAW; High strength low alloy steel; quenching media.
1
Research Scholar, NEDUET (Pakistan), atifshahzad2717@gmail.com, ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3277-7901
2
Associate Professor, NEDUET (Pakistan), uzair@neduet.edu.pk, ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2033-6244
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 46
Resumen. - La soldadura por arco metálico protegido (SMAW) es la técnica de soldadura más utilizada en las
industrias de ingeniería. En comparación con otras técnicas de soldadura por arco como TIG, SMAW concentra menos
calor. Sin embargo, soldar trabajos gruesos utilizando SMAW puede provocar problemas graves, como distorsión
estructural debido a una distribución no uniforme del calor de entrada. Las altas tensiones y distorsiones térmicas
pueden degradar las propiedades mecánicas, de forma similar al calor de entrada elevado. La eliminación rápida del
calor puede prevenir tales defectos, y se utilizaron diferentes medios de enfriamiento como arena, agua y aceite para
investigar las variaciones en las propiedades mecánicas. Se seleccionó acero de alta resistencia y baja aleación debido
a su buena soldabilidad y fácil disponibilidad, lo que lo hace adecuado para muchas aplicaciones industriales, como
en las industrias espacial y de defensa. Los resultados de las pruebas de tracción mostraron que el enfriamiento con
aceite fue superior a otras técnicas de enfriamiento porque las juntas enfriadas por aceite tenían la mayor resistencia
a la tracción y ductilidad. Sin embargo, las uniones enfriadas por agua mostraron el límite elástico más alto, pero las
uniones enfriadas con aceite tuvieron la mayor eficiencia de soldadura. La dureza de las uniones enfriadas por agua
en la zona afectada por el calor y en la zona de soldadura fue mayor debido al pido enfriamiento en agua. La energía
de impacto de las juntas enfriadas por aceite en la zona afectada por el calor fue superior a la de otras juntas. En
general, las propiedades mecánicas de las juntas enfriadas por aceite fueron superiores y mostraron una mejor
configuración geométrica, como distorsiones mínimas.
Palabras clave: Resistencia a la tracción; dureza; Fuerza de impacto; SMAW; Acero de baja aleación de alta
resistencia; medios de enfriamiento.
Resumo. - A soldagem por arco metálico blindado (SMAW) é a técnica de soldagem mais amplamente utilizada nas
indústrias de engenharia. Em comparação com outras técnicas de soldagem a arco, como TIG, o SMAW concentra
menos calor. No entanto, a soldagem de trabalhos espessos usando SMAW pode resultar em problemas sérios, como
distorção estrutural devido à distribuição não uniforme do calor de entrada. Altas tensões e distorções térmicas podem
degradar as propriedades mecânicas, semelhante à alta entrada de calor. A rápida remoção de calor pode prevenir
tais defeitos, e diferentes meios de têmpera como areia, água e óleo foram usados para investigar variações nas
propriedades mecânicas. O aço de alta resistência e baixa liga foi selecionado devido à sua boa soldabilidade e fácil
disponibilidade, o que o torna adequado para muitas aplicações industriais, como nas indústrias espacial e de defesa.
Os resultados dos testes de tração mostraram que a têmpera em óleo foi superior a outras técnicas de têmpera porque
as juntas resfriadas a óleo apresentaram maior resistência à tração e ductilidade. No entanto, as juntas resfriadas a
água apresentaram o maior limite de escoamento, mas as juntas temperadas a óleo tiveram a maior eficiência de
soldagem. A dureza das juntas resfriadas a água na zona afetada pelo calor e na zona de solda foi maior devido ao
rápido resfriamento em água. A energia de impacto das juntas resfriadas a óleo na zona afetada pelo calor foi superior
à das outras juntas. No geral, as propriedades mecânicas das juntas resfriadas a óleo foram superiores e apresentaram
melhor configuração geométrica, como distorções mínimas.
Palavras-chave: Resistência à tracção; dureza; Resistência ao impacto; SMAW; Aço de baixa liga de alta resistência;
meios de extinção.
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 47
1. Introduction. - Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is widely used in various industries due to its affordability
and availability. It has a higher power density than gas fusion welding, but lower than Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG)
welding. However, extensive distortions can occur during SMAW due to the low concentration of flame. Skilled
welders can be easily sourced locally. High Strength Low Alloy Steel, known for its durability and strength, is utilized
in upper atmosphere research, power production, and defense industries [1,2]. High Strength Low Alloy Steel is widely
used in various industries due to its exceptional strength to weight ratio, enhanced toughness, ductility, and weldability.
However, welding joints of low alloy high strength steel can experience a degradation of strength in the joined material.
Welded joints exhibit reduced hardness and impact strength, and their ductility is also mitigated. These changes in
mechanical properties are caused by the high heat input during welding, which results in alterations to both the
microstructure and macrostructure of the welded samples [3,4].
Srinivasan et al. conducted a research study and revealed that the impact of heat on the mechanical properties of TIG
welded joints made from High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel. The study found that the strength of the welded
joints decreased to 55% of the strength of the base material due to the welding process [5,6]. To address this issue, the
samples were subjected to heat treatment, which resulted in an increase in strength. However, while other mechanical
properties such as hardness were improved, the ductility of the welded samples was found to be lower than that of the
base metal [7,8]. Sapthagiri et al. conducted a study on the impact of filler wire variation on the mechanical properties
of welded joints made from low alloy high strength steel. The study found that using copper-coated filler wire resulted
in an improvement in both yield strength and percent elongation [9].
Arc welding is more likely to produce defects such as angular and linear distortions compared to advanced techniques
like laser and electron beam welding. Rami et al. investigated the impact of different welding clamps used in gas metal
arc welding on the mechanical properties of the welded joints. The study found that using a heat treatment clamping
technique resulted in achieving welding efficiency of over 80% [10]. Srivastava et al. conducted a study on the
penetration depth of filler material in welding. The findings showed that changes in input heat and welding speed had
a negative impact on the penetration depth, which, in turn, affected the joint efficiency [11].
Li et al. studied the effect of changes in welding input heat on the mechanical properties of low carbon steel and found
that different microstructural phases were generated due to aberrations in cooling rate [12]. Eroglu et al. investigated
the microstructural variations in High Strength Low Alloy Steel caused by changes in input heat energy. They observed
that the hardness property in the weld region and heat-affected zone was reduced due to increased input heat. While
martensite was produced as a result of lower heat input, hardness property decreased beyond a certain point with further
increase in heat input [13]. Bijaya et al. conducted a study comparing the mechanical properties of mild steel joints
that were welded using GMAW and SMAW methods. The rapid cooling rate after welding resulted in the development
of bainite and martensite structures, which led to an increase in the hardness and tensile strength of the joints. However,
the impact strength was found to have been reduced [14]. Ruming et al. investigated the enhancement of mechanical
properties of welding joints through the addition of Cerium. The results revealed an improvement in toughness
attributed to the surplus of crack-free energy. Additionally, the tensile strength of low alloy steel was enhanced due to
the refined grain structure, resulting in a noticeable increase in welding efficiency upon the addition of Ce [15].
Narwadkar et al. conducted a study on the production of angular distortions in different types of welded joints. The
results indicated that the bevel groove joint was more susceptible to angular distortions than single and double V
groove joints, which were found to have lower angular distortions [16]. In another study, Adamczuk et al. investigated
the correlation between the number of welds passes and angular distortion. It was found that there was a direct
relationship between the number of passes and the angular distortions, with a greater shrinkage power resulting from
the welding of thicker plates due to the direct effect of increasing the amount of weld metal on angular distortions [17].
Wei et al. studied the impact of distortions on the performance of welding joints and revealed that distortions have a
direct effect on joint strength and dimensional accuracy [18]. Despite significant advancements in arc welding
technology, distortion induced by welding remains one of the most noticeable challenges in the production industry
for ensuring higher weld efficiency. Anis et al. investigated the impact of weld thickness and position on the residual
stress generated during welding due to the contraction and expansion of the welding joint [19,20]. Residual stresses
generated during welding hindered the joint efficiency increment, hence M Islam et al. performed a research work to
evaluate joint mechanical properties after different post welding treatments. Pre-bending and pre-heating are some
techniques utilized to control distortions [21,22].
2. Research Objective and Novelty. - The degradation of strength caused by high heat input during welding is a
primary factor contributing to joint failure under load. Uneven thermal distribution across the joint amplifies the effects
of residual stresses and increases the size of the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). This study aims to improve the mechanical
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 48
properties of welded joints. Achieving this goal is challenging due to the fact that high input heat during welding can
reduce the strength, ductility, hardness, and toughness of the welded structure by as much as 50% compared to the
base metal. The density of input energy, or the concentration of heat, is a critical factor influencing the performance
of welded joints. TIG welding is known for its high concentration of heat, whereas SMAW distributes the heat over a
wider area, ultimately diminishing the mechanical and microstructural properties. Therefore, this study focuses on
quenching the welded joints immediately after welding in various media to explore the impact on mechanical
properties. Distortions that arise in welded structures are a major cause of strength degradation. Uneven temperature
distribution across the welded joint causes distortions, ultimately weakening the structure. Consequently, enhancing
the mechanical properties is vital to ensuring the reliability of welded joints. Ductility is especially important in large
structures like pressure vessels. In this study, the quenching and cooling of welded joints immediately after welding
are investigated to assess their impact on the mechanical properties of welded structures.
3. Experimental Methodology. - Quenching media were selected from local market due to easy availability. Normally
welded joints are cooled in Air. Hence, to make direct comparative study welded joints after welding were cooled in
Air, Water, Sand and old hydraulic oil (used) etc. Following experiments were performed after cooling in different
media,
a. Tensile Testing
b. Impact testing
c. Hardness Testing
d. Microstructural characterization
High Strength Low Alloy Steel plate of 8mm thick was selected as base material and its chemical composition
performed by spectroscopy and mechanical properties of base material was evaluated by using Universal Testing
Machine (UTM) Tinius Olsen H150KV in material and metallurgy lab. Chemical composition of HSLA plate is
represented in Table I and mechanical properties are represented in Table II.
Element
C
Si
Mn
Mo
V
Cr
S
P
Maximum
0.18
0.22
0.98
1.12
0.27
1.25
0.018
0.017
Table I: Spectroscopy results of High Strength Low Alloy Steel
Material
Yield stress (MPa)
Ultimate strength (MPa)
Elongation %
Hardness (HV)
High Strength Low
Alloy Steel
545
705
13
200
Table II: Tensile Strength and Hardness of Base metal (annealed state)
3x welded joints were tested in each testing category. Hardness testing and impact testing were performed to investigate
effects of variations in cooling media. Hardness of base metal was checked by using Ernst hardness tester. Charpy
Impact test was performed on machine of 300J capacity. Welding rod E-7018 was used for welding purpose, welding
current of around 150Amp and welding speed of 200mm/min were used as welding parameters. Impact testing samples
were prepared as per ASTM E23-18 standard. Charpy impact testing setup was utilized to evaluate toughness of welded
joints. All quenching media were at standard atmospheric values of temperature and pressure before quenching.
4. Results and Discussions. -
4.1 Microstructural characterization. - The microstructural study was conducted to assess the impact of different
quenching media on grain boundaries and grain sizes, which ultimately affect the mechanical properties. As shown in
Figures Ia and Ib, the air-cooled samples primarily consisted of a ferrite phase. The slow cooling rate due to natural
convection in air resulted in coarse ferrite grain boundaries and a minimal presence of pearlite, which was enveloped
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 49
by a ferrite matrix. In contrast, Figures Ic and Id reveal finer grain boundaries due to rapid cooling in water. The
spacing between lamellae of pearlite and ferrite was reduced as represented in Figure Id. This decrease is associated
with enhanced strength but reduced ductility due to the rise in hardness.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 50
(g) (h)
Figure I: Microstructural Graphs (a) Air-cooled Samples (b) Water-cooled samples (c) Sand- cooled samples (d)
Oil-cooled samples.
Sand cooling was relatively ineffective due to its slow cooling rate, attributed to the poor thermal conductivity of sand.
As shown in Figures Ie and 1f, the microstructure exhibited coarse grain boundaries of ferrite and pearlite.
Consequently, the mechanical properties are expected to be similar to those of air-cooled samples. In contrast, high-
resolution micrographs of oil-cooled samples revealed a fine network of ferrite and pearlite, contributing to enhanced
strength and hardness. The moderate cooling rate in oil facilitated precipitate diffusion along grain boundaries, as
illustrated in Figures Ig and 1h, which could impede dislocation movement. Additionally, the grain boundaries in oil-
cooled samples were larger compared to those in water-cooled samples, suggesting a potential improvement in ductility
due to the balanced cooling effect of oil.
4.2 Hardness testing. - Welding reduces hardness of steel joint and base metal because high input heat deteriorates
microstructure. Hardness of steel after welding mitigated to almost 60% of base metal hardness. Enhancement in
hardness of welded joints was observed due to immediate quenching in water and oil. Water quenching significantly
ameliorated hardness because of development of very fine and compact ferrite and pearlite lamellae in welding regions
and heat affected regions. Results of comparison of WZ hardness are showed in Figure II, hardness 222HV was
observed in WZ of water-cooled joints as compared to 140HV hardness of air-cooled joints. Air and sand cooled joints
showed similar range of hardness because of slow cooling processes. Oil cooling represented significant enhancement
as compared to normal air cooling after welding. Oil-cooled joints hardness was greater than air and sand cooled joint,
however less than water-cooled joints because oil cooling are not as rapid as water cooling due high viscosity of oil.
Figure II: WZ Hardness.
0
50
100
150
200
250
Air Sand Water Oil
Hardness (HV)
Quenching media
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 51
Figure III: HAZ Hardness.
Comparison of HAZ hardness between welded joints quenched in different media are represented in Figure III. Water
cooling showed maximum hardness than others, 330HV hardness was attained after water cooling of welded joints.
Fine grains development due to rapid cooling in HAZ because low concentrated heat input, dislocation motion was
restrained, and internal stresses induced which causes brittleness. Oil cooling is a slow cooling process as compared
to water cooling due to high viscosity of oil. 305HV hardness was observed in HAZ after oil cooling of welded joints
and ultimately results in low internal stresses. Air and sand cooling, both are very slow cooling processes and imparted
similar effects on welded joints with minimum variations. Welded joints are normally air cooled hence degradation of
hardness from 200HV to 162HV in HAZ were observed. Enhancement in hardness was observed after quenching of
welded structures in water and oil.
4.3 Tensile Testing. - Mechanical behavior of welding joints were investigated under tensile loading. Ultimate tensile
strength (UTS), Yield strength (YS) and % elongation was evaluated to investigate the direct impact of cooling in
different media on welding joints. Comparative study had been performed to appraise difference in strength properties
of welded joints. Samples from welded joints were tested as per ASTM standard and samples after testing are
represented in Figure IV.
Figure IV: Tensile Testing Samples.
Figure V: Yield Strength Comparison.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Air Sand Water Oil
Hardness (HV)
Quenching media
200
220
240
260
280
300
320
340
Air Sand Water Oil
YS (MPa)
Quenching media
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 52
Results represented in Figure V manifest comparison of YS of welded joints, water cooled joints exhibited maximum
yield strength of 332MPa. Water cooled joints were brittle in nature because rapid cooling promotes internal stresses
in WZ and HAZ. Moreover, due to fine grain boundaries in WZ and HAZ areas enhanced yield strength and ultimately
promoted brittleness. Oil cooling was comparatively slow process than water cooling but fast than air and sand cooling.
Little internal stresses produced during oil cooling because of slow cooling in oil. Hence, higher yield strength was
attained due to good heat sinking of oil and ultimately improved microstructure. Air and sand cooled joints didn’t reveal
any remarkable difference between strength properties because both are slow cooled processes.
Figure VI: Ultimate Tensile Strength Comparison
Results represented in Figure VI delineate comparison of UTS of welding structures. It is normally observed that UTS
dropped to 50% due to impact of high heat input, however oil cooled joints showed higher strength of 470MPa as
compared to air cooled joints of 390MPa. Water cooled joints UTS was ameliorated as compared to air and sand cooled
joints but not as significant as oil cooled joints. he cooling rate of water is higher than that of oil, making it more
effective in rapidly reducing temperature. However, this higher cooling rate also induces internal stresses and increases
brittleness due to the formation of harder phases. In the case of the welded samples, the 8mm thickness acted as a heat
sink, affecting the overall cooling behaviour. However, in thicker sections, microstructural variations may not be as
pronounced due to uneven heat dissipation, leading to less uniform phase transformation across the sample.
Difference between core and surface microstructure which leads to some ductility due to austenite and ferrite. Already
used hydraulic oil has moderate viscosity which provides greater cooling rate than critical cooling rate. Vapor blanket
stage was not established because of moderate viscosity, hence higher UTS was achieved in oil cooling. It is
conspicuous from results represented in Figure VII that ductility of HSLA degraded from 13% elongation (base metal)
to 7.2% elongation (air-cooled joints). High input heat mitigated ductility by deteriorating materials microstructure.
Water cooling was detrimental to ductility because rapid cooling constrained dislocation motion and developed internal
stresses. Oil cooling enhanced ductility by increasing % elongation from 7.2% to 9% for oil cooled joints.
Figure VII: Percent Elongation Comparison
0
2
4
6
8
10
Air Sand Water Oil
% Elongation
Quenching media
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 53
Oil cooling is comparatively slower than water cooling due to higher viscosity of oil. Air and sand cooled joints are not
much distinguished in % elongation because both are slow cooling techniques. Statistical data analysis was conducted
to assess the variations in mechanical properties, with the results presented in Table III. The analysis revealed the
largest range in Ultimate Tensile Strength and Hardness, which can be directly linked to the influence of cooling rate.
Statistical analysis plays a crucial role in identifying and quantifying the relationships between different variables,
ensuring that the observed trends are reliable and representative.
Mean
Median
Standard Deviation
Range
UTS
415.75
405
34.27
87
YS
307.7
304.5
16.9
42
% Elongation
7.225
7.3
1.4
3.7
Hardness
WZ
176.75
174
38.64
85
HAZ
240
234
78
168
Impact
Energy
WZ
48.25
50.5
6.98
18
HAZ
94.125
95.75
14.6
41
Table III: Statistical Analysis
4.4 Welding Efficiency. - Welding efficiency of normal air-cooled joints is 50-55 %, tensile strength degrades after
welding due to input heat. SMAW is a widely used technique, but joints are less efficient than TIG welding joints.
Figure VIII: Welding Efficiency Comparison
Input heat concentration is low, hence wider HAZ resulted which ultimately diminishes mechanical properties of joints.
Thicker joints behave like heat sink, hence localized improvements in strength after welding was observed in normal
air and sand cooled joints. Rapid cooling of welding joints in water reduced the width of HAZ and hinder the dislocation
movements. Efficiency of welded joints quenched in water was less than efficiency of oil quenched welded joints as
represented in Figure VIII. Severe internal stresses developed during water cooling was responsible of low UTS due to
brittle behavior of joints. Almost 12% of UTS was enhanced due to oil cooling of welding joints. Improvements in
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
Air Sand Water Oil
Weld Efficiency
Quenching Media
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 54
weld efficiency of oil quenched weld joints were due to moderate viscosity of used hydraulic oil because no vapor
blanket developed in moderately viscous oil. Air and sand cooled weld joints were equally efficient because slow
cooling resulted in both processes.
4.5 Impact Testing. - Impact testing was performed to appraise toughness of welded joints after quenching in different
media. Charpy impact tester was utilized, and sample was prepared having V notch of 2mm depth. Toughness property
pertinent to ductility because high ductile materials have good toughness. Behavior of welding joints under sudden
impact loading was evaluated and difference between toughness of WZ and HAZ is represented in Figure IX. Reduction
in impact energy of WZ and HAZ of Normal air-cooled joints revealed degradation in toughness, welding mitigated
impact energy from 200J of base metal to 55J in WZ of joint. Rapid cooling in water and oil produced severe effects
on toughness in weld zone of joints by reducing impact energy. Rapid cooling in water promotes brittleness due to
internal stresses at crystallographic planes, hence impact energy of water-cooled joints was minimum as compared to
other joints. Remarkable improvements in Impact energy of oil cooled was observed as value of impact energy in HAZ
was increased by 18J than air cooled joints. Moderate cooling rate in oil was attained due to moderate viscosity and
responsible for fine grain boundaries. Brittle behavior of joints was negligible due to minimum internal stresses.
Figure IX: Impact Energy Comparison
5. Conclusion. - Considerable improvements were observed due to immediate quenching after welding of HSLA steel.
Results of tensile testing revealed that maximum tensile strength was achieved due to oil quenching. Moreover, greater
ductility was observed in form of enhanced % elongation after oil quenching. Water quenching degraded % elongation
due to rapid cooling. Yield strength of water-cooled joints was greater because of narrow HAZ and constrained
dislocation movement. Generation of internal stresses at crystallographic planes due to fast cooling promoted
brittleness, hence UTS of water-cooled joints were less than oil cooled joints. Appreciable enhancement in welding
efficiency was observed due to oil quenching. Oil quenched joints were 11% more efficient than normal air-cooled
joints. Maximum hardness of 330HV was reported due to water quenching in HAZ and 222HV in WZ. Significant
increase in impact energy was observed after oil quenching, water quenching mitigated toughness because impact
energy of water-cooled joints was very low as compared to others. Overall performance of oil cooled joints under
different mechanical loadings was noteworthy, hence oil quenching after welding would be performed for better
mechanical properties of joints.
6. Future Recommendation. - To gain a deeper understanding of the long-term performance and durability of welded
joints, it is recommended to incorporate fatigue testing into future studies. Creep testing under high temperature and
constant load should be included in future research. Creep resistance is essential for welded joints in high-temperature
environments, such as pressure vessels and steam pipes. While various quenching media have been evaluated in this
study, it is suggested to explore additional or alternative cooling methods, such as cryogenic cooling or the use of
hybrid quenching techniques.
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 55
References
[1] R.S.Parmar, “Welding engineering and technology”, Published by Khanna Publishers, Delhi, 2005.
[2] Sindo Kou, “Welding metallurgy” second edition, Wiley interscience publication, 2003.
[3] A. Shazad, J. Jadoon, M. Uzair and M. Akhtar, "Effect of composition and microstructure on the rusting of MS
Rebars and ultimately their impact on mechanical behavior," Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical
Engineering, 2022.
[4] L. Srinivasan, T. Deepan Bharathi Kannan, and P. Sathiya, “Effect of heat input, heat treatment on microstructure
and mechanical properties of GTA welded aerospace material 15CDV6”, Journal of materials research, Apr 2017.
https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.70
[5] A. Shazad and M. Uzair, "Effect of quenching medium on the strength and hardness of 15CDV6 steel welded joints
produced by argon arc welding," Metallurgy and Heat Treatment of Metals, vol. 11, pp. 45-45, 2024.
[6] A. Shazad, M. Uzair, and M. Tufail, "Influence of multiple post-weld repairs on mechanical and microstructural
properties of butt weld joint utilized in structural members," International Journal of Precision Engineering and
Manufacturing, pp. 1-8, 2024.
[7] P. N. Kumar, Y. Bhaskar, P. Mastanaiah, and C. V. S. Murthy, "Study on dissimilar metals welding of 15CDV6
and SAE 4130 steels by inter pulse gas tungsten arc welding," Procedia Materials Science, vol. 5, pp. 2382-2391, 2014.
[8] M. C. Sekhar, D. S. Rao, and D. Ramesh, "Welding development in ESR modified 15CDV6 material," International
Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotic Research, vol. 3, pp. 499-504, 2014
[9] S Sapthagiri, K Jayathirtha Rao, K Ashok Reddy & C Sharada Prabhakar, “Comparison of Mechanical Properties
on 15CDV6 Steel Plates by TIG- Welding with and without copper coated filler wires” International Journal of
Advanced Research Foundation, www.ijarf.com, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2015.
[10] Rami Rafea Abdul-Ameer , Saad Hameed Al-Shafaie, Abdul sameea Jasim Jilabi, “ Controlling distortion in gas
metal arc high strength low alloy steel welds” Materials Today: Proceedings, June 2021,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.06.010.
[11] Srivastava S, Garg RK. “Process parameter optimization of gas metal arc welding on IS: 2062 mild steel using
response surface methodology” Journal of Manufacturing Process, 2017;25:296305.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2016.12.016.
[12] Li C, Wang Y, Han T, et al. “Microstructure and toughness of coarse grain heat-affected zone of domestic X70
pipeline steel during inservice welding” Journal of Material Science, 2011;46(3):727733.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-010-4803-y.
[13] Eroglu M, Aksoy M. “Effect of initial grain size on microstructure and toughness of intercritical heat-affected
zone of a low carbon steel” Material Science Engineering A. 2000;286(2):289297. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0921-
5093(00)00801-7.
[14] Bijaya Kumar Khamari, Soumya Sobhan Dash, Swapan Kumar Karak, Bibhuti Bhusan Biswal, “Effect of welding
parameters on mechanical and microstructural properties of GMAW and SMAW mild steel joints”, iron making and
steel making, Sep 2020.
[15] Ruming Geng, Jing Li, Chengbin Shi , Jianguo Zhi, Bin Lu, “Effect of Ce on microstructures, carbides and
mechanical properties in simulated coarse-grained heat-affected zone of 800-MPa high-strength low-alloy steel”,
Materials Science and Engineering:A, Apr 2022,
[16] A. Narwadkar, and S. Bhosle, “Optimization of MIG welding parameters to control the angular distortion in
Fe410WA steel”. Journal of Materials Manufacturing Processes. 2016. vol. 31. Pp. 2158-2164,
doi:0.1080/10426914.2015.1127939.
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 56
[17] P. Adamczuk, I.G. Machado, J.A. Mazzaferro, “Methodology for predicting the angular distortion in multi-pass
butt-joint welding”, Journal of Materials Processing and Technology. 240 (2017) 305313,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2016.10.006.
[18] Wei Liang, Dean Deng, “Investigating the influence of external restraint on welding distortion in thin plate welded
structures by means of numerical simulation technology”, Journal of Physics. Conference. Ser. 1063 (2018) 012082,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1063/1/012082
[19] A. Shazad, M. Astif, M. Uzair, A. A. Zaidi, “Evaluation of preheating impact on weld residual stresses in AH-36
steel using Finite Element Analysis,” Memoria Investigaciones en Ingenieria 26 (2024) 225243
[20] M. Anis, W. Winarto, “Effect of plate thickness and weld position on distortion and residual stress of welded
structural steel”, Material. Sci. Forum 689 (2011)296301 https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.689.296
[21] M. Islam, A. Buijk, M. Rais-Rohani, K. Motoyama, “Simulation-based numerical optimization of arc welding
process for reduced distortion in welded structures”, Finite Element in Analysis and Design. 84 (2014.vol,) 5464
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.finel.2014.02.003
[22] A. Shazad, M. Uzair, T. Jamil, N. Muhammad, "A Comparative Study on the Joint Hardness and Tensile
Properties of Dissimilar Aluminum Alloy using Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding," in 4th Int. Conf. Key Enabling
Technol. (KEYTECH 2024), Atlantis Press, pp. 173-178, Dec. 2024.
A. Shazad, M. Uzair
Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, núm. 28 (2025). pp. 45-57
https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.28.5
ISSN 2301-1092 ISSN (en línea) 2301-1106 Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay 57
Author contribution:
1. Conception and design of the study
2. Data acquisition
3. Data analysis
4. Discussion of the results
5. Writing of the manuscript
6. Approval of the last version of the manuscript
AS has contributed to: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
MU has contributed to: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Acceptance Note: This article was approved by the journal editors Dr. Rafael Sotelo and Mag. Ing. Fernando A.
Hernández Gobertti.