Welding of dissimilar metals in different welding positions

Abstract: The three boiling water reactors (BWR) in Oskarshamn produce about 10 % of the electrical power in Sweden. The combination of intense radiation fluxes and high temperatures in nuclear reactors creates an extraordinary environment. Therefore, a number of material challenges arise at a nuclear power plant that needs to be solved in order to maintain the nuclear power production, safety and reliability. Dissimilar metal welds can be found at a lot of places in nuclear power plants and due to reparations or replacement some dissimilar metal welds need to be welded on site. The technical regulations for the Swedish nuclear power plants specifies that welding of dissimilar joints shall be made with gap of at least 1.5 mm and in horizontal position. Welding a dissimilar joint on site makes it difficult to follow the technical regulations, therefore, the aim with this study is to determine if different welding positions of dissimilar metal welds affect the structure and composition of the weld metal in a negative way and to investigate the importance of a gap in the root. In this study six samples were welded in three different welding positions, horizontal, vertical and reversed vertical with or without a gap of 1.5 mm in the root. The samples were evaluated by non-destructive testing, optical microscopy, chemical analysis, tensile testing, bend testing and hardness measurements. The results shows that two of the samples welded without gap failed the transverse root bend test, the same samples did also have high hardness values in the root bead. The conclusions are that the welding position, horizontal, vertical or reversed vertical does not affect the weld negative in a noticeable way. However, the gap and a good dilution with the filler metal are important.