Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Stronger weld than base metal in face-centered cubic alloy through multi-scale heterogeneity

  • Yoona Lee
  • , Sangwon Park
  • , Dongwon Shin
  • , Marcia Myung Hye Ahn
  • , Wei Xiong
  • , Nokeun Park
  • , Hyoung Seop Kim
  • , Je In Lee
  • , Wookjin Lee
  • , Yoon Suk Choi
  • , Jeong Min Park
  • , Namhyun Kang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Welds with face-centered cubic (FCC) structure are inherently weaker and more susceptible to mechanical failure than base metal (BM). Here, we report a breakthrough approach that reverses this fundamental weakness. Compositional inhomogeneity in weld metal (WM) reduces FCC phase stability, preferentially promoting deformation-induced martensitic transformation in WM over BM. Additionally, spatial variation in metastability between the WM and BM activates a gradual progression of martensitic transformation from WM toward BM. Our welds exhibit exceptional cryogenic strength (104%) and ductility (140%) compared to BM, outperforming state-of-the-art alloys. These findings provide promising solutions to the long-standing issue of weld degradation in cryogenic environments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)386-395
Number of pages10
JournalMaterials Research Letters
Volume14
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2026

Funding

This study was supported by Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT) grant funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) [grant number KRIT-CT-23-007], National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) [grant number RS-2024-00408948], and Fundamental Research Program ‘Development of Digital Twin Technology for the Validation [grant number PNKA590]’ of the Korean Institute of Materials Science (KIMS).

Keywords

  • Weld performance
  • compositional heterogeneity
  • cryogenic properties
  • martensitic transformation
  • spatial heterogeneity

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Stronger weld than base metal in face-centered cubic alloy through multi-scale heterogeneity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this