Journal of Welding Science

316 steel is used in transportation, space, and chemical equipment. This steel is in demand in these industries due to its durability. It is used to increase the lifespan and renovate equipment. The research explores the impact of laser energy density on st6 cladding. It specifically focuses on the microstructure and geometric characteristics of the cladding. The cladding is applied on 316 steel. The experiment was designed with energy density changes from 40 to 116 J/mm and powder rate changes between 12 and 20 g/min. Optical and electron microscopic images were used to evaluate the samples. The results indicated that the dendritic arms grew larger with increased energy density. The dimensions increased from 1.5 to approximately 3. In other words, the speed of cooling is doubled. Increasing energy density from 40 to 75 J/mm reduced cobalt to chromium ratio from 2 to 0.7. It also decreased cobalt to iron ratio from 35 to 3. The changes emphasize how energy density affects microstructure and phase transformations.

In this study, the effects of friction stir welding (FSW) parameters on the properties of dissimilar joints formed between 5083 aluminum alloys and 316L austenitic stainless steel, with a thickness of 4 mm, are investigated. The tool speed is varied in the range of 16 to 25 mm/min, while the tool rotation speed is maintained at a constant value of 250 rpm. To examine the microstructure of different weld regions, both optical and scanning electron microscopes are employed. To assess the mechanical properties, hardness and tensile tests are conducted. The results shows the formation of a composite region characterized by steel reinforcement particles dispersed within an aluminum matrix. At the steel-aluminum interface, a single layer of discontinuous intermetallic composition with a thickness of approximately 2 micrometers is observed. Notably, when the rotation speed is set to 250 rpm and the tool speed is 16 mm/min, a tensile strength of 298 MPa and ductility of 26% (93% of the tensile strength and 50% of the ductility of the 5083 aluminum alloy) are achieved.

In this study, the effect of friction stir welding on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-24Ni-4Cr austenitic steel was investigated. For this purpose, a sheet with a thickness of 1 mm was subjected to friction stir welding using a WC-5%Co tool at a traverse speed of 100 mm/min and a tool rotational speed of 450 rpm. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis revealed that this process led to grain refinement and an increase in high-angle grain boundaries in the stir zone, attributed to dynamic recrystallization during welding. Phase maps indicated an increase in the BCC phase fraction in the stir zone compared to the base metal. Given the high strain rate and the presence of stabilizing elements, this phase was primarily strain-induced martensite. Mechanical property assessments showed a significant increase in the tensile strength of the stir zone (450 MPa) compared to the base metal (350 MPa). Moreover, the yield strength of the stir zone (388 MPa) was substantially higher than that of the base metal (145 MPa), which can be attributed to grain refinement, an increase in high-angle grain boundaries, a higher dislocation density, and martensite formation. However, the ductility of the stir zone decreased due to higher stress concentration and dislocation density in this region. These findings suggest that friction stir welding can be an effective method for enhancing the strength and hardness of austenitic steels, but process conditions must be carefully controlled to prevent reductions in toughness and ductility.

In this study, 1 mm thick austenitic stainless steel 316L sheets were used for experimental testing. The experimental welding process was carried out using a Nd:YAG pulsed laser welding machine, and the welding simulation was performed using the SYSWELD software with a three-dimensional model for thermodynamic and mechanical analysis. The simulation results showed over 90% correlation with the experimental results. Analysis of experimental and numerical data revealed that at a constant voltage of 440 volts, decreasing the welding speed from 2 to 0.5 mm/s increased the overlap rate of pulses from 67% to 93% and the maximum average power density (EPPD) from 5963 to 21831 W/mm². Additionally, increasing the voltage from 440 to 480 volts at a constant speed of 1 mm/s raised the heat input from 114 to 138 J/mm and the weld depth from 0.56 to 0.66 mm. Due to the high cooling rate, the grain size of the weld metal became finer than the base metal (63% reduction in grain size). Two phases, austenite and ferrite, were observed in the weld metal, and the solidification mode was predicted to be FA.With an increase in welding speed from 0.5 mm/s to 2 mm/s at a constant voltage of 440 volts, the maximum tensile residual stress increased from 96 to 260 MPa due to reduced pulse overlap (from 93% to 67%), uneven heat distribution in the part, and the generation of thermal stresses. Furthermore, increasing the welding voltage from 440 to 480 volts at a constant speed of 1 mm/s caused the maximum tensile residual stress to rise from 124 to 152 MPa. The maximum hardness of the weld metal increased from 180 to 215 Vickers as the welding speed rose due to the prevention of carbon diffusion and an increased growth rate. However, with an increase in welding voltage and heat input (from 57 to 69 J/mm), the hardness decreased from 225 to 215 Vickers due to a reduction in thermal gradients and grain growth.

Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is one of the modern methods of fabrication parts by arc welding under shielding gas. In this research, the thin-wall of austenitic stainless steel 316L was fabricated via WAAM based on inter-pulse current; accordingly, a thin-wall was fabricated in 25-layers using two different strategies with a reciprocating torch movement pattern. Considering the equivalent chromium and nickel content in the Scheffler diagram, it was predicted that the microstructure solidification was done in the austenitic-ferritic (AF) state. Microstructural examination by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of austenite matrix phase alongside ferrite dendrites (about 5%). The tensile test results showed that samples extracted in the vertical direction with an average tensile strength of 454 MPa had about 12% higher strain rates than horizontal samples with a tensile strength of 436 MPa. Also, examination of fine and coarse indentations on the fracture surface of tensile test specimens by scanning electron microscopy showed that the fracture of the specimens was of the ductile type. The hardness of the fabricated thin-wall was measured in the range of 200 to 265 Vickers with an average of 234 Vickers.