As-received Gr.91 steel tube was normalized at either 940 or 1060 °C for 1 h, followed by Ar-assisted cooling to room temperature, then tempered at 760 °C for 2 h. Those samples were designated as 940NT or 1060NT samples. An infrared heating system was used to simulate HAZ microstructures in the weld, which included over-tempering (OT) and partial transformation (PT) zones. The results of short-term creep tests showed that normalizing at higher temperature improved the creep resistance of the Gr.91 steel. By contrast, welding thermal cycles would shorten the creep life of the Gr.91 steel. Among the tested samples in each group, the PT samples had the shortest life to rupture, especially the 940NT-PT sample. The microstructures of the PT samples comprised of fine lath martensite and ferrite subgrains with carbides decorating the grain and subgrain boundaries. Excessive dislocation recovery, rapid coalescence of refined martensite laths, and growth of ferrite subgrains were responsible for the poorer creep resistance of the PT samples relative to those of the other samples.
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