Effect of Beam Oscillation on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electron Beam Welded EN25 Steel

EN25 steels have been found to be applicable in shafts, gears, etc., but welding of EN25 steel was performed using electron beam welding with different oscillation beam diameters varying from 2 mm to 0.5 mm. The present study reports the effect of beam oscillation on the evolution of nonmetallic inclusions, microstructures, and mechanical properties of EN25 steel. Heat input calculations showed that the application of beam oscillations resulted in significantly lower heat inputs compared to their non-oscillating counterparts. The highest fraction of the retained austenite (9.35%) was observed in a weld prepared with beam oscillation at a 2-mm oscillation diameter, and it decreased to 3.27% at an oscillating diameter of 0.5 mm, and it further reduced to 0.36% for non-oscillating beam cases. Residual stresses were compressive in the fusion zone, irrespective of beam oscillation. Beam oscillation resulted in equiaxed grain in the recenter region of the fusion zone, attributed to heat mixing and the evolution of random texture. The application of beam oscillations resulted in a significant decrease in the size of the nonmetallic inclusions to 0.1–0.5 compared to 5–20 mm in base metal. All tensile samples failed in the base metal, indicating good strength of the weld. Fusion zone hardness (250–670 HNV) and wear properties (COF 0.7 to COF 0.45) improved irrespective of with and without beam oscillation.