Micro-macro-characterisation and modelling of mechanical properties of gas metal arc welded (GMAW) DP600 steel

Dual-phase (DP) steels show combined high strength and adequate formability. However, during welding, their microstructural feature of dispersion of hard martensite islands in the soft ferrite matrix is lost and the properties deteriorate. The current research aims to study the mechanical properties of the welded joint, taking into account the effect of features of all regions, such as microstructure, chemical composition and the area fraction, on the macroscopic mechanical properties of the welded joint. Hot rolled DP 600 steel was gas metal arc welded (GMAW) and tensile specimens were made with a welded joint. In the heat-affected zone (HAZ), the microstructure varied from bainite to coarse grained ferrite and tempered martensite. Chemical composition of every quantified region in the welded specimen was also identified using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Macromechanical FE modelling was employed to simulate the mechanical properties of the welded tensile specimen. 2D representative volume elements (RVE) for different parts of the welded region were constructed from real microstructure. 2D simulated flow curves were corrected to 3Ds using a developed correlation factor. Finally, the tensile test of welded material with inhomogeneous morphology was simulated and good agreement between experimental and predicted flow curve was achieved.