Experimental analysis of stresses in weld metal subjected to tensile load

Purpose-Stainless steel is one of the most important elements in structural design and application, and due to its excellent properties, it is widely used in industries for conventional structural engineering applications, such as thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, civil constructions, etc. (Mishra et al., 2014). A traditional tensile testing machine cannot determine the transversal stress-strain curves (Olden, 2002, 2013). Design/methodology/approach-In the present study, identical mild steel specimen parts are welded at different intervals and then subjected to tensile loading. Welding is carried along the length of the specimen. Induced stresses are determined at the welded intervals and the stress-strain curve is obtained. Findings-By considering the temperature of the weld at the interface, thermal stresses are determined. Brinell hardness number is determined at the interface and the base metal. Also, the change in the hardness at the heat-affected zone (HAZ) is found. Validation is carried out by comparing the results with the original stress-strain curve. Originality/value-In the HAZ, there is a drop in the hardness number, which means that there is a change in the material property due to welding. The thermal stresses which develop at the interface can also play a very important role for property change. Results show that the stress developed due to the rise in temperature is lesser than that of normal stresses.