A literature survey was made to review presently available information on the notch toughness of weld metals and the heat-affected zones as they are affected by welding procedures. The base metals discussed in this report include mild steel and low-alloy, high-strength steels with up to 120,000-psi yield strength, such as may be used for merchant-ship construction. Welding processes considered include:

(1) shielded metal-arc welding,
(2) submerged-arc welding,
(3) gas metal-arc welding, and
(4) electroslag and electrogas welding.

One of the most important observations of this literature survey is that relatively limited information is available on the notch toughness of weld metals and heat-affected zones which can be used to establish behavior trends. Information is especially lacking on what constitutes realistic requirements for notch toughness in these zones compared with that of the base metal. It was also observed that relatively little correlation of such factors as chemical composition, microstructure, and welding variables has been made with the notch toughness of weld metals and heat affected zones..