Residual Stress in Welded 316L SST

[beh188]

To what extent are residual stresses expected to be present in welded 316L stainless steel? Are these stresses different for a fillet weld for example and a full penetration pipe butt weld?

I see that post weld heat treatment is typically not used for welded 316L, but would there be a benefit to doing this? Are there any differences between a full solution anneal and a local heat treatment?

Thanks.

 

[metengr]

To what extent are residual stresses expected to be present in welded 316L stainless steel?

Residual tensile and compressive stresses will vary with location and intensity.

Are these stresses different for a fillet weld for example and a full penetration pipe butt weld?

Yes, because of weld volume.

I see that post weld heat treatment is typically not used for welded 316L, but would there be a benefit to doing this?

No. Attempting to remove the residual stresses can result in altering the original corrosion resistance for this material and warpage. Look up sensitization for austenitic stainless steels.

Are there any differences between a full solution anneal and a local heat treatment?

Yes. A full solution anneal treatment will remove all residual stresses, and will restore original corrosion resistance to the weld and base material of the entire component. Local stress relief will not remove all residual stresses and subjects the component to possible warpage.

 

[EdStainless]

An anneal will remove the stresses from welding, however uneven heating and/or cooling may result is residual stresses that are just as high.
Gentle and uniform cooling is the key to minimizing residual stress.

On the other hand you could say that there is little to be gained by trying to eliminate residual stresses.

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Plymouth Tube

 

[Guest102023]

There are techniques to reducing distortion (and some are different than many welders assume), but distortion and residual stresses are unavoidable when welding any material. The peak tensile residual stress may be assumed to have a magnitude equal to the yield stress.

Annealing or stress relieving a weld has implications for procedure qualification since it is an essential variable in the ASME Code.