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The structural steels used in critical construction applications have traditionally been heat-treated low-alloy steels. These normalized and/or quenched and tempered steels derive strength from their carbon contents. Carbon is a very efficient and cost-effective element for increasing strength in ferrite-pearlite or tempered martensitic structures, but it is associated with poor notch toughness. Furthermore, it is well known that both the overall weldability and weldment toughness are inversely related to the carbon equivalent values, especially at high carbon contents. The stringent control needed for the welding of these traditional steels is one of the major causes of high fabrication costs.

In order to reduce fabrication cost while simultaneously improving the quality of structural steels, a new family of high-strength low-alloy steels with copper additions (HSLA-100) has been developed. The alloy design …