Parametric studies of dissimilar welding of AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel to AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel using Taguchi desirability analyses

Abstract

In the present work, dissimilar joints between AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel and AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel were made by gas metal arc welding (GMAW) using ESAB AUTO Rod 316L as a filler wire. Welding was conducted as per the L9 orthogonal array using the Taguchi method. Three levels of the input parameters: welding current, gas flow rate and nozzle to plate distance were selected. After welding, visual inspection and an X-ray radiographic test were conducted on the weld specimens to detect surface and sub-surface defects of weld specimens made from dissimilar stainless steels. The quality of the weld was evaluated in terms of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and percentage of elongation of the welded specimens. The observed data are interpreted, discussed and analyzed using Taguchi desirability analyses.