Effects of Oxide Powders as Activating Flux on AMIG 304L Welds
Kamel Touileb,
Rachid Djoudjou,
Abousoufiane Ouis,
Abdeljlil Chihaoui Hedhibi,
Hussein Alrobei,
Ibrahim Abdullah Alnaser,
Rizwan Ahmed Malik,
Ubair Abdus Samad
Affiliations
Kamel Touileb
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 655, Al-Kharj 16273, Saudi Arabia
Rachid Djoudjou
Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 655, Al-Kharj 16273, Saudi Arabia
Abousoufiane Ouis
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 655, Al-Kharj 16273, Saudi Arabia
Abdeljlil Chihaoui Hedhibi
Laboratory of Mechanics of Sousse (LMS), National Engineering School of Sousse, P.O. Box 264, Erriaydh, Sousse 4023, Tunisia
Hussein Alrobei
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 655, Al-Kharj 16273, Saudi Arabia
Ibrahim Abdullah Alnaser
Center of Excellence for Research in Engineering Materials (CEREM), King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Al-Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Rizwan Ahmed Malik
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 655, Al-Kharj 16273, Saudi Arabia
Ubair Abdus Samad
Center of Excellence for Research in Engineering Materials (CEREM), King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Al-Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Activating metal inert gas (AMIG) welding was designed to address difficulties with MIG welding, such as the limitation on workpiece thickness that may be welded in a single pass. This investigation was carried out on 304L stainless steel using ER 308L as a filler metal. Five oxides (SiO2, TiO2, Fe2O3, Mn2O3, and Cr2O3) have been investigated without edge preparation. The welded joints were evaluated for weld morphology, microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion, and the findings were compared. The depth of the AMIG weld was determined to be greater than that of the MIG weld. The microstructure is composed of austenitic and retained delta ferrite with 3.3% for MIG and up to 8% for AMIG weld carried out with Cr2O3 oxide flux, the tensile strength is up to 604 MPa when using Cr2O3 oxide against MIG weld (532 MPa), and the resistance to sudden load in AMIG welds (189 J/cm2) is higher than that of MIG weld (149 J/cm2). The corrosion resistance of the weld made with Fe2O3 oxide flux is greater than that of the other AMIG and MIG welds, as well as the parent metal. The AMIG welding technique variant enhances productivity and decreases the cost and energy consumption of the welding material compared to the traditional MIG process. This allows for joining the same thickness without affecting mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, meeting the industry’s requirements.