INTRODUCTION TO SS WELDING

& TIG

by
ER.A.BARANIBAS. BE., M.Sc., DIS.
Senior Instructor
 Stainless Steels

•Steels containing 10.5 - 30% Chromium

•Minimum 10.5% Cr needed to protect against
atmospheric corrosion.
•This prevents corrosive attack and gives the
steel its “ stainless” property.
•Elements like Ni, Mo, Cu, Nb, Ti etc added to
improve mechanical properties and corrosion
resistance
•Do not resist corrosion in strongly reducing
media eg.HCl, hot phosphoric acid etc.
 SELF HEALING SKIN OF SS
• The high corrosion resistance of SS is
due to the naturally occurring chromium
oxide film formed on the surface of the
steel

• The chromium oxide forms a passive layer

on the surface which is adherent and
regenerative.

• The chromic oxide layer is extremely thin,

invisible,
• inert film is tightly adherent to the metal
and
• extremely protective in a wide range of
corrosive media.
• The film is rapidly self repairing on
damage by abrasion, cutting or machining.
 Benefits of Stainless Steel

• Corrosion resistance
Low alloyed grades resist corrosion in atmospheric conditions;
highly alloyed grades can resist corrosion in most acids,
alkaline solutions, and chloride bearing environments, even at
elevated temperatures and pressures.

• High and low temperature resistance

Some grades resist scaling and maintain high strength at very
high temperatures, while others show exceptional toughness
at cryogenic temperatures.
 Benefits of Stainless Steel

• Ease of fabrication
The majority of stainless steels can be cut,
welded, formed, machined and fabricated
readily.
• Aesthetic appeal
Stainless steel is available in many surface
finishes. It is easily and simply maintained
resulting in a high quality, pleasing
appearance.
Life Comparison
Cutting of Stainless Steels
 Cutting, Mechanical Shearing
• More force and heavier equipment will be
required to shear stainless steel compared to
carbon steel
• Carbon steel 0.4 inches
• Ferritic stainless steel 0.3 inches
• Austenitic stainless steel 0.2 inches
Formability
 Bending – Spring back
• When metal is bent, the outside of the bend is in
tension and the inside edge is in compression
• If the bending force is not sufficient cause
permanent plastic flow of the metal at either the
outer or inner surfaces, the metal will return
elastically to its original shape
• the force necessary to make a permanent bend
depends on: the yield strength, work hardening
characteristics, the desired angle and the thickness
of the material
 Welding of Stainless steels

• Stainless steels are slightly more difficult to

weld than mild carbon steels.

• The physical properties of stainless steel are

different from mild steel and this makes it
weld differently.
 The differences of SS

 Lower melting temperature

 Lower coefficient of thermal conductivity
 Higher coefficient of thermal expansion
 Higher electrical resistance
 Higher solidification shrinkage
 Important points for S.S Welding
– Current should be 60-65% of corten steel

– Welding speed at least 40-50% higher

– Cleaning of edges before welding.

– Tack welding sequence

– In case of spot welding Squeeze pressure 50%

13
higher than corten steel
 How to combat distortion?

• The higher thermal expansion dictates that

special precautions should be taken with regard
to warping and distortion.
• Tack welds should be twice as often as normal.
Any of the distortion reducing techniques such as
back-step welding, skip welding, and wandering
sequence should be used.
• On thin materials it is very difficult to completely
avoid buckling and distortion.
 Significance of Weld sequencing

15
 Metallurgical problems
• Sensitization (weld decay)

• Hot cracking (solidification Cracking)

• Sigma phase formation (embrittlement)

16
Sensitization and inter-granular corrosion or
‘weld decay
• Sensitization process occurring in a certain
temperature interval from about 600 to 900 oC which
promotes the precipitation (gathering) of chromium
carbides at grain boundaries and the parallel loss of
anticorrosive chromium from the base metal..
• Due to precipitation of chromium carbides at the grain
boundaries in temperature range of 650 – 800 C
• Areas adjacent to grain boundaries depleted of
chromium and become susceptible to corrosion.
• Encountered in the HAZ on both sides of weld
Weld Decay
 Steels to prevent IGC
(1) 304L – 19Cr / 9Ni or
316L -18Cr / 12Ni / 2.5Mo grade, because lower carbon
content decreases the carbide precipitation.

(2) 347 or 321 stabilized grade, because stronger carbide-

forming elements (Nb or Ti) prevent the precipitation of
chromium carbides.

(3) Post weld solution annealing treatment in the

temperature range of 1000-1150 C, followed by rapid
cooling, which decomposes the chromium carbides and
make the chromium resistible to corrosion

19
 Hot cracking
• Hot cracking in stainless steel welds is caused by
low-melting eutectics containing impurities such
as S, P and alloy elements such as Ti, Nb.
• Solidification mode is a major determinant of
cracking susceptibility
• Obtaining about 4% of ferrite resists the cracking
• ensuring an FA or F mode ensures the best
resistance to cracking.

20
 Hydrogen Induced Cracking

• Cracking of hard brittle micro structure due to

hydrogen.
• Occurs in Martensitic SS due to moist electrode and
temp. below 150 deg.C.
• Can be avoided by keeping the temp. above 150
deg.C to diffuse the hydrogen and post weld stress
relieving at around 600 deg.C.

21
 Electrode.
• For similar material welding.
• Ex. Stainless steel Vs. stainless steel.
• Electrode 308L.
• For dissimilar material welding.
• Electrode 309L. Additional chromium is added
for the loss due dissimilar metals.
• Ex: AISI 304 + AISI 409

22
 Types of stainless steels

• Martensitic

• Ferritic

• Austenitic

• Duplex
(Austenite +Ferrite)
 Welding of Stainless steels

• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

• Plasma Welding
• Gas Metal Arc Welding
• Flux Cored Arc Welding
 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW /
TIG)

+
 TIG Welding
 Arc between a non-consumable
tungsten electrode and the work
piece
 An inert gas sustains the arc and
protects the molten metal from
atmospheric contamination.
 Process is independent of filler
addition
 Filler metal can be added when
required
 Independent control on heat
input
 Welding Set-up

TIG TORCH REGULATOR/FLOWMETER

(AIR or WATER COOLED)

SHIELDING GAS
WORK PIECE

WATER COOLER
CONSTANT CURRENT POWER SUPPLY (OPTIONAL)
Tungsten Inert Welding (TIG)
TIG Shielding Gases
• Argon(Most commonly used)
• Helium
• Argon/Helium Mixtures

29
 TIG Shielding Gases
Argon
Helium
• Good
Fasterarc starting
travel speeds
•• Good cleaning
Increased action
penetration
•• Good arcarc
Difficult stability
starting
•• Focused arc cone
Less cleaning action
•• Lower
Less lowarcamp
voltages
stability
• 10-30
FlaredCFH flow rates
arc cone
• Higher arc voltages
• Higher flow rates (2x)
• Higher cost than argon

30
 TIG Equipment
• Current which flows from the workpiece (–) to
the electrode (+) is direct current reverse
polarity, or DCRP.
 TIG Equipment
• TIG welding torches contain electrical leads
from the welding machine, water- coolant
hoses, shielding gas hose, the collet, which
holds the tungsten electrode, the electrode
cap, and gas nozzle.
 TIG Torch and Electrodes
normal
(manual)

straight
(machine

Short head

Nozzles in different shapes & sizes

Gas lens
+
ENBE 499 34
Application of Electrodes
 TIG ELECTRODE

For most TIG welding jobs,

• Sharp, Pointed Electrode is used

for welding with DCSP

• Rounded or Balled, Electrode end

is used for welding with AC.
 Advantages
• Welds more metals and
metal alloys than any
other process
• High quality and
precision
• Pin point control
• Aesthetic weld beads
• No sparks or spatter
• No flux or slag
• No smoke or fumes

38
Disadvantages
• Lower filler metal deposition
rates
• Good hand-eye coordination
a required skill
• Brighter UV rays than other
processes
• Slower travel speeds than
other processes
• Equipment costs tend to be
higher than other processes

39
 Applications

• Welding of critical pipes and pipelines, e.g.

pressurized pipes
• Manufacturing heat exchanger pipes and
combinations
• Manufacturing stainless pipe and tubes
• Thin materials from ~ 0.1 mm and higher
• Thin stainless steel welding
• Aluminum welding
• Special materials e.g. Titanium
• Fixing and repairing minor works
• Space and aircraft industry
Thank You