STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF POST WELD HEAT TREATMENT ON TIG AND A-TIG INCONEL 617 WELDMENTS

This study analyzes the effects of Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of Inconel 617 weldments produced by the Activated Tungsten Inert Gas (A-TIG) welding and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding. The TIG weld joints considered for this study were in an as-welded condition and underwent two different conditions of heat treatment including 1050∘C for 3 and 5[Formula: see text]h, respectively. The A-TIG weld joints studied were the as-welded type and the weldment was heat-treated at 1050∘C for 3[Formula: see text]h. The microstructure and the characterization of mechanical properties were performed for all weldments and a comparative assessment was made. Tensile strength and the hardness of the heat-treated samples were considerably higher than that of the as-welded samples. Impact toughness was slightly reduced after PWHT. Improvement in tensile strength could be attributed to the precipitation of the carbides and segregation of Chromium (Cr) and molybdenum (Mo).