Gas metal arc welding of XPF800 steel for automotive industry: Microstructural evaluation and mechanical properties investigation

In this study, the effect of gas metal arc welding on the mechanical and microstructure properties of hot-rolled XPF800 steel newly produced by TATA Steel has been investigated. This steel finds its role in the automotive industry as chassis and seating applications. The microstructure transformation during gas metal arc welding has been analyzed using scanning electron microscope, optical microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Tensile, Charpy impact, and microhardness tests have been implemented to determine the mechanical properties of welded samples. Acceptable welded joints have been obtained using heat input in the range of 0.28–0.46 kJ/mm. It has been found that the base metal hardness of the welded sample is 320 HV 0.1 . On account of the heat-affected zone softening, the intercritical heat-affected zone hardness values have diminished ∼20% compared to base metal.