Strength Analysis of Dissimilar Welded Joints Applied to Hydraulic Excavator Rod Arm

Abdul Choliq; Fifit Astuti; Nur Rohmat

Authors

Abdul Choliq
Fifit Astuti Universitas Pamulang
Nur Rohmat

Keywords:

dissimilar welding; , filler metal; , HAZ; , tensile strength;, vickers hardness

Abstract

Dynamic workloads during hydraulic excavator operations frequently cause the joint between the shaft rod and the rod end to crack or even fracture. Although welding is often selected for economic reasons, the strength of this joint must be tested to ensure the operational safety of the heavy equipment. This study evaluates the mechanical characteristics of a dissimilar weld joint between AISI 1045 and AISI 4340 materials using the Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) method with a current of 90 Amperes and a voltage of 19 V and varying filler metals: ER70S-6 and ER110S-G. Tensile test specimens were prepared in accordance with the ASTM E8/E8M-13a standard, featuring a length (L) of 50 mm and a diameter (D) of 12 mm. The welded samples subsequently underwent hardness testing using the Vickers method. Test results indicate that samples using ER70S-6 filler metal exhibited an average tensile strength of 544 N/mm² and a yield strength of 484 N/mm². Meanwhile, samples using ER110S-G filler metal showed an average tensile strength of 766 N/mm² and a yield strength of 613 N/mm². Hardness test results for the ER70S-6 samples showed average values of 279 HV in the AISI 1045 Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ), 358 HV in the AISI 4340 HAZ, and 167 HV in the weld metal. Conversely, the ER110S-G samples recorded average hardness values of 238 HV in the AISI 1045 HAZ, 383 HV in the AISI 4340 HAZ, and 280 HV in the weld metal. In conclusion, the ER110S-G filler metal resulted in a greater increase in both tensile strength and joint hardness compared to ER70S-6. This condition is driven by the characteristics of ER110S-G as a high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steel weld metal containing nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and molybdenum (Mo). The combination of these alloying elements produces a solid solution strengthening mechanism that results in a significantly more robust weld metal matrix structure.

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