Optimization of the welding parameters of steels used in wind towers

炼钢技术的最新进展显着提高了铁合金的机械性能，并催生了新类别的钢材，例如，如今广泛应用于造船、管道、核电站、压力容器、风力涡轮机塔架等的高强度低合金 (HSLA) 钢。位于萨斯卡通的日立加拿大工业有限公司广泛采用自动埋弧焊 (SAW) 工艺来制造压力容器、涡轮机外壳、风力涡轮机塔架和其他先进钢材。 HSLA 钢的工程部件。 SAW 工艺的特点是热输入高，会产生一个微观结构和成分不均匀的复杂区域，称为热影响区 (HAZ)，其大小受到多个焊接参数的影响。工程师在焊接行业面临的一个主要问题是选择输入过程控制变量的适当和最佳组合，以获得所需的焊道质量和所需的结构完整性。焊接参数选择不当会导致焊接缺陷，造成较高的经济损失。因此，为了控制热影响区 (HAZ) 尺寸、获得所需的焊道尺寸和质量并确保可预测和可再现的焊道，选择适当的工艺变量值至关重要，这对于获得高质量焊接产品至关重要。制造业持续需要提高生产率、降低生产成本并提高焊接产品的可靠性。这项研究的长期目标是通过优化焊接参数来提高埋弧焊效率、生产率和成本效益。该研究项目的成功不仅将提高埋弧焊工艺的现有知识，还将提高日立加拿大工业公司和其他采用埋弧焊工艺的加拿大公司的盈利能力。这也将对加拿大焊接技术产品的全球竞争力产生积极影响。

Recent advances in steelmaking technology have remarkably improved the mechanical properties of ferrous alloys and given rise to new classes of steels, for example, high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels that are widely used today in shipbuilding, pipelines, nuclear plants, pressure vessels, wind turbine towers, etc. Hitachi Canadian Industries Ltd, Saskatoon, makes extensive use of the automated submerged arc welding (SAW) process for fabrication of pressure vessels, turbine casings, wind turbine towers and other advanced engineering components from HSLA steels. The SAW process is characterized by high heat inputs that give rise to a complex region of microstructural and compositional inhomogeneity called the heat-affected zone (HAZ), the size of which is affected by several welding parameters. One major problem engineers face in the welding industry is selecting appropriate and optimum combinations of input process-control variables in order to achieve the desired weld bead quality and the required structural integrity. Improper selection of welding parameters results in welding defects which cause high economic losses. Selecting appropriate values of process variables is therefore essential in order to control heat-affected zone (HAZ) dimensions, obtain the required bead size and quality, and ensure a predictable and reproducible weld bead, which is critical for obtaining high quality welded products. There is continued need in the manufacturing industry to increase productivity, reduce production cost and improve reliability of welded products. The long-term objective of this study is to increase submerged arc welding efficiency, productivity and cost effectiveness by optimizing the welding parameters. The success of this research project will not only lead to the improvement of the existing knowledge of submerged arc welding process but also increase the profitability of Hitachi Canadian Industries and other Canadian companies utilizing the SAW process. It will also have positive impact on the global competitiveness of Canada in welding technology products.