Inclusions Evolution of Ca‐Treated Steel During High‐Heat Input Welding

This article has investigated a 60 mm Ca‐treated Q550 steel used for high‐heat input welding. The results have shown that the Ca‐type inclusions account for 70% of the inclusions in the steel which are mainly CaAlMg type, Ca–Al type, and a small amount of CaS type while the non‐Ca‐type inclusions are mainly FeCO. After undergoing the welding thermal cycle, the number of Ca‐containing inclusions above 2 μm in size is decreased while the number of non‐Ca‐containing inclusions below 1 μm (mainly FeO) is increased significantly. However, the total area of inclusions is decreased. It has been found out that the CaAlSO‐type inclusions undergo “diffusion” of O element to the surroundings during the thermal cycle, forming a ring‐shaped oxygen‐rich zone and carbon‐rich zone which promotes the nucleation of acicular ferrite. In contrast, the CaAlMgSO‐type inclusions undergo “decomposition” during the thermal cycle which forms a group of inclusions with different sizes and types, promoting nucleation of multioriented acicular ferrite.