Controlled Titanium Alloying during Submerged-Arc Welding of Plate Steel for Wind Towers

PI: Petrus Pistorius

University:  Carnegie Mellon University

Industry Partner: ESAB Corporation

Electricity generation by wind is projected to continue to expand. The towers of wind turbines are large, welded steel structures. In this work, a fundamental approach to predicting weld-metal composition will be developed and tested, as a collaboration between the ESAB Technology and Research Center (of Hanover, PA) and the Center for Iron and Steelmaking Research (CISR) at Carnegie Mellon University. The objective is to construct and experimentally test a fundamental kinetic model that predicts the final composition of the weld metal as it is affected by reactions between the molten metal and the welding flux. The approach will combine welding tests (conducted by ESAB) with development of the kinetic model (at Carnegie Mellon). The expected results include estimates of the mass transfer in submerged-arc welds, and a compact kinetic model that predicts weld metal composition accurately. The model will enable close control of weld compositions for demanding applications.