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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S62840/01
Title: Phase transformations in constrained weld and parent metals during cooling
Principal Investigator: withers, Professor P
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
ESAB Sverige AB
Department: Materials
Organisation: University of Manchester, The
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 June 2004 Ends: 31 March 2005 Value (£): 207,511
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials Characterisation Materials Processing
Materials testing & eng.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Aerospace, Defence and Marine Manufacturing
Construction Energy
Transport Systems and Vehicles
Related Grants:
GR/S62857/01
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Many major engineering failures occur due to fatigue exacerbated by residual stresses introduced during welding. The conventional way of coping with this is to reduce design stresses, conduct heat treatments to relieve residual stresses (although this is not always an option) or to avoid stress concentrations. An alternative approach in the case of steels, which avoids many of the difficulties of the usual methods, is to exploit solid-state phase transformations to control the development of stresses. To do this properly requires a good understanding of the evolution of phase changes as a function of temperature, time and chemical composition.Until recently, the solidfication and phase evolution sequence taking place during weld cooling has been interpreted solely on the basis of ex situ microscopy. Through this project we will exploit the rapid data acquisition times now available at 3rd generation synchrotron X-ray sources to study the development of microstructure in weld and parent metal as a function of cooling rate and applied constraint.This will help us in designing welding alloys which minimise residual stress and hence help improve the fatigue life of welded joints. This will be the first time that the development will be based on a rigorous understanding of the transformations and where the design is optimised for a combination of properties, including fatigue and toughness.W
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Organisation Website: http://www.man.ac.uk