Cold Cracking of S460N Steel Welded in Water Environment

This paper shows results of weldability testing of fine-grained high-strength low-alloy S460N steel welded in water environment by covered electrodes. The tests were carried out by using the CTS test specimens with fillet welds. Four specimens were welded under water and one specimen in air. Welded joints were subjected to non-destructive visual and penetration tests. The accepted joints were then subjected to macroscopic and microscopic inspection and Vickers hardness measurements as well. The experiments showed that S460N steel welded in water environment is characterized by a high susceptibility to cold cracking.