Thermo-mechanical consequences of phase transformations in the heat-affected zone using a cyclic uniaxial test

This work is concerned with the modeling of the thermal, metallurgical and mechanical phenomena encountered in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) during a welding operation. It focuses particularly on the analysis of models of thermo-mechanical behavior taking into account the metallurgical effects incorporated in the calculation code SYSWELD®. The studies were carried out on a 16MND5 low-alloy carbon manganese steel of the type used in the manufacturing of pressurized water reactor vessels for French nuclear power plants. These studies were based on specific one-dimensional tests of the “Satoh” type, which consist of austenitizing, then cooling homogeneously the useful portion of a test piece whose longitudinal displacements are restrained. In this case, virtually all thermo-mechanical and thermo-metallurgical phenomena observable in the HAZ are present simultaneously.