Overview
EN ISO 17641-2:2015 - issued by CEN - defines standardized self-restraint hot cracking tests for weldments produced by arc welding processes. The document specifies the required specimens, test-piece dimensions, welding and post-weld preparation, test procedures, inspection and reporting formats used to determine the hot-cracking sensitivity of weld metals. It covers test methods only (how to perform and report); it does not prescribe acceptance criteria.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and applicability
- Applies primarily to fully austenitic stainless steels, nickel, nickel‑base and nickel‑copper weld metals, but can be used for other weld metals.
- Tests are intended to assess weld-metal sensitivity to hot cracking; they are not suitable for assessment of parent materials.
- Specified tests
- T-joint weld cracking test - a self‑restraint configuration to generate and detect solidification and liquation cracking in fillet/T‑joint welds.
- Weld metal tensile test - welds are produced and then tensile loading is applied to open and measure cracks formed during welding; used to quantify microcrack sensitivity (MSI).
- Longitudinal bend test - bending of machined weld specimens to expose and lengthen existing hot cracks for measurement.
- Test content
- Details required specimen geometries, test-piece dimensions, surface preparation, welding sequences, and examination methods.
- Specifies how cracks are detected, measured and reported (including crack length metrics and microcrack sensitivity indicators).
- Describes test reporting formats (informative annexes provide sample test reports).
- Principle
- Cracks are generated during welding under self‑restraint; additional straining (tensile or bending) widens existing cracks to facilitate detection and measurement.
Practical applications
- Welding consumables qualification - evaluate filler metals for susceptibility to hot cracking.
- Welding procedure qualification - support development and validation of welding procedures (PQR/WPS) where hot-cracking risk must be understood.
- Production weld coupon testing - screening of processes, consumables or parameters that influence weld solidification and liquation cracking.
- Useful for metallurgy, R&D, QA/QC and failure‑investigation teams concerned with weld quality and reliability in corrosion‑resistant and nickel‑alloy fabrications.
Who should use this standard
- Welding engineers, metallurgists, QA/QC engineers, welding procedure engineers, test laboratories, and manufacturers working with austenitic stainless steels and nickel alloys who need standardized methods to assess hot‑cracking behavior of weld metals.
Related standards