Investigation of microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-V dissimilar welds

This paper presents a systematic investigation of solidification and phase formation, microstructures, and mechanical behavior of Fe-V weld metals. It is found that V weld metal is dominated by Fe25V solid solution (hardness ~ 6.1 GPa) with V-rich precipitates formed along the grain boundaries. The observed intergranular cracking is attributed to the phase separation of (αFe, V) solid solution into V-rich (V) and V-poor (Fe25V) regions at low temperature. The overall mechanical properties could be improved by using Cu20V composite filler, due to the formation of stable Fe10V and Cu solid solution phases