Tailoring the Process Parameters for Ti-Stabilized 439 Ferritic Stainless Steel Welds by Cold Metal Transfer Process

• Published in: Journal of materials engineering and performance 2023-07, Vol.32 (13), p.6042-6053
• Main Authors: Gupta, Santosh K., Patil, Awanikumar P., Rathod, Ramesh C., Tandon, Vipin, Vashishtha, Himanshu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Corrosion and Coatings; Engineering Design; Materials Science; Quality Control; Reliability; Safety and Risk; Technical Article; Tribology
• ISSN: 1059-9495; 1544-1024
• DOI: 10.1007/s11665-022-07534-5

In present study, a cold metal transfer process was employed to join Ti-stabilized 439 ferritic stainless steel by using 309 L filler wire with varying heat inputs. The mixed-mode microstructures were recorded in weld zone (WZ) using an optical microscope, whereas chromium-rich peppery structure was formed in the heat-affected zone as validated by scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive spectroscope. The volumetric fractions of austenite and δ -ferrite phases in the WZ were calculated by x-ray diffraction analysis and an increase in heat input resulted in decreased δ -ferrite content. The mechanical properties of both weldments were measured through the micro-hardness and tensile test. The results showed the low heat input (LHI) weldment depicted 15.63 and 7.59% superior micro-hardness and tensile strength, respectively, than its counterpart. However, an opposite trend was observed for intergranular corrosion; the WZ of LHI weldment showed 4% higher degree of sensitization over its counterpart.