Influence of welding consumables on tensile and impact properties of multi-pass SMAW Armox 500T steel joints vis-a-vis base metal

Abstract

In this investigation, comparative study of tensile and impact properties of multi-pass SMAW Armox 500T steel joints fabricated by austenitic stainless steel (ASS) and low hydrogen ferritic steel (LHF) consumables vis-a-vis base metal was carried out. The tensile tests were conducted on computer controlled Walter + Bai Ag UTM at a nominal strain rate of 10−3 s−1. Subsequently, charpy impact tests were carried out on an instrumented Zwick-Roell test setup to obtain load vs. displacement and maximum energy absorbed vs. displacement of the specimen. It was observed that, the joint efficiency of weldment processed by LHF consumable was 41.7% and weldment processed by ASS was 30.6% of its base metal indicating the influence of electrode consumable on tensile properties of the joints. On the contrary, impact toughness of weldment processed by ASS was 20% more and weldment processed by LHF was 12% less than that of base metal. Microstructural studies also revealed that, ASS can be considered as a candidate welding consumable for good strain hardening and toughness of the welding joint in impact applications. However, LHF steel consumable is recommended for welding joints that requires higher joint efficiency under tensile loading conditions. Keywords: Armox500T, Multi-pass SMA welding, ASS and LHF welding consumables, Mechanical properties, Microstructural characterization