Welding of Stainless Steels

What is Stainless Steel

• At least 10.5% Chromium
• Iron content exceeds that of any other
element
• Carbon content is less than 1.5%
 Stainless Steel Families
• Martensitic
Magnetic and harden able
• Ferritic
Magnetic and non-harden able
• Austenitic
Non-magnetic and non-harden able
• Duplex
Magnetic and non-harden able
 Characteristics of Martensitic
Stainless Steel
• First Stainless steels to be produced
• Plain chromium with high carbon levels
(0,15% to 1,2%)
• Can be heat treated to obtain high
strength and hardness, together with
corrosion resistance
• Weldability complex and requires precise
control of pre-heating, interpass
temperature and post weld heat treatment
 Common Martensitic grades and
uses
• 410 Turbines
• CA6NM (410 NiMo) Turbines
• 420 Steel Mill Rolls
• 440A Blades
• 440B Blades
• 440C Blades
 Rules for welding Martensitic
Stainless Steel
• Very susceptible to cracking after cooling
• Weld hot 205 to 425 °C preheat and
interpass temperature, slow cool
• Post weld heat treat
• Use lower carbon filler metal
• Use austenitic filler metal if possible
Characteristics of Ferritic Stainless
Steel
• Cannot be hardened by heat treatment
• Welding is easy on thin gauges
• Thicker sections can be welded, but 441,
430 & 409 have poor weldability and tend
to be brittle
• Contain 12 to 18% chrome
Common Ferritic grades and uses
• 441 Car trim
• 430 Kitchen sink
• 409 Car exhausts
Rules for welding Ferritic Stainless
Steel
• Weld cold – low pre-heat, low heat input,
low interpass temperature or single pass
• If possible, use austenitic filler
 Characteristics of Austenitic
Stainless Steel
• Most common stainless steel
• Non-harden able by heat
• Often sensitive to hot cracking
• Can be hardened by cold work
• Fully austenitic and heat affected zones
tend to fissure or hot crack
 Common Austenitic grades and
uses
• 304(L) General
• 316(L) Pitting
• 347 High temperature
• 309 High temperature
• 310 High temperature
• 330 High temperature
• 320 Sulfuric acid
• 202 High strength
 Rules for welding Austenitic
Stainless Steel
• Match corrosion resistance
• Ferrite will prevent hot cracking
• Use Schaefler diagram to predict ferrite
• If possible, use filler material to get ferrite
in the weld
• If not possible, weld ugly
 How much ferrite is enough?
• Ferrite during solidification is what matters
• In practice, a 4 FN minimum is a safe rule
• Convex weld bead geometry
Characteristics of Duplex Stainless
Steel
• Approximately equal amounts of ferrite
and austenite
• Double the yield strength of austenitics
• Resist chloride stress corrosion cracking
• Fabricate more like austenitic stainless
• Excellent corrosion resistance, especially
against pitting
 Common Grades
• 2205
• 2304
• 255
• 2507
• 329
• Used in salt water applications and
pressure and temperature applications
Rules for welding Duplex Stainless
Steel
• Re-melt of duplex stainless steel results in
very high levels of ferrite
• Use filler material with higher nickel
• Avoid high dilution
• Avoid temperature ranges of 300 to
1070°C
• Heat treat at 1100°C and water quench
 Possible problems when welding
stainless steels
• Contamination
• Distortion
• Sensitisation
• Hot Cracking
• Galvanic corrosion
• Thermal oxides
• Crevice corrosion
 Solutions – Contamination
• Housekeeping
• Avoid contamination with carbon steels
• Wipe down weld zone with a clean cloth
damped in acetone and brush with a clean
stainless steel brush
• Do not use grinding discs that have been
used on mild steel
 Solution - Distortion
• Use rigid clamps, jigs or fixtures
• Do not over-weld
• Use a welding sequence that balances
shrinkage forces
• Preset parts
• Weld near neutral axis
• Balance welds around centre of gravity
• Pre-bend the plates
• Position welds to balance shrinkage
 Solution - Sensitisation
• Low carbon grades of S/S and filler
material with less than 0,03% carbon
should be used
• Weld zones must be free from
contaminants
• Heat input should be kept low (low amps)
• Weld should be allowed to cool to below
100°C before next pass
• Stabilised grades can alleviate problem
 Solution – Hot cracking
• Ensure ferrite is present (4% to 12%)
• Convex weld bead geometry
• Weld ugly
 Solution – Galvanic corrosion
• Surfaces damaged by handling,
fabrication, cutting and welding must be
pickled and passivated
 Solution – Thermal oxides
• Remove thermal oxide layer mechanically
• Pickling
• Purging (pipes or restricted access)
 Solution – Crevice corrosion
• Select jointing methods carefully
• Continuous welding causes fewer defects
• Avoid entrapment zones
 Good welding practice
• Ensure cleanliness of weld zone
• Proper surface preparation
• Flat down-hand welding wherever possible
• Avoid arc strikes outside the weld area
• Avoid crater cracks at the end of a weld run
• Avoid weaving
• Gas purge where possible
• Do not exceed 175°C on multi passes
• Select correct filler material
• Before tacking, ensure joint geometry is correct