Aerogel: an alternative weld backing material

Weld backing is an important piece of material that is used to support the fluid weld pool at the root pass as well as controlling the microstructure by influencing the cooling conditions. In the industry, a number of backing materials are being practiced, each of which contributing with a specific property. Heat resistance or conductivity is among the most important properties. In the past few years, modern heat-resistant materials with unique characteristics were produced for various industrial applications. In the current study, classic silica aerogel material was chosen as a backing material. The mechanical properties of the welds were compared with the cases where conventional steel backing was used. A groove root pass was investigated both experimentally and numerically. The results suggest that aerogel backing can potentially improve the mechanical properties in light of welding requirements especially in the oil and gas and pipeline manufacturing industries.