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STAINLESS STEELS properties • how to weld them • where to use them WELDING GUIDE

Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric

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STAINLESS STEELSproperties • how to weld them • where to use them

WELDING GUIDE

Page 2: Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric
Page 3: Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric

STAINLESS STEELSPROPERTIES – HOW TO WELD THEMWHERE TO USE THEM

A description of the physical and mechanical properties of avariety of commercial stainless steels. Recommendations on theapplications of each type and how to arc weld each includingfiller materials.

ByDamian Kotecki, PhDTechnical Director, Stainless and High AlloyProduct Development

and

Frank ArmaoSenior Application Engineer

Copyright © 2003by The Lincoln Electric CompanyAll Rights Reserved

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction ........................ 2

2.0 Types of Stainless Steels... 22.1 Ferrite Promoters2.2 Austenite Promoters2.3 Neutral Effect

3.0 Weldability of Stainless Steels ....................................23.1 Ferritic Stainless Steels3.2 Martensitic Stainless

Steels3.3 Austenitic Stainless

Steels3.3.1 Sensitization3.3.2 Hot Cracking

3.4 Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steels

3.5 Duplex Stainless Steels

4.0 Physical Properties .......... 10

5.0 Mechanical Properties ..... 10

6.0 Selection of a Stainless Steel ....................................12

7.0 Design for Welding Stainless Steels ..................14

8.0 Selection of Filler Metals ...14

9.0 Selection of a Welding Process...............................189.1 Shielded Metal Arc

Welding9.2 Submerged Arc Welding9.3 Gas Metal Arc Welding9.4 Flux Cored Arc Welding9.5 Gas Tungsten Arc

Welding

10.0 Procedures for Welding Stainless Steels ..................2110.1 Welding with the Shielded

Metal Arc Process10.2 Welding with the

Submerged Arc Process10.3 Welding with the Gas

Metal Arc Process10.4 Welding with the Gas

Tungsten Arc Process

Sources of Additional Information

Safety in Welding

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WELDING OF STAINLESS STEELS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Stainless steels are defined as ironbase alloys which contain at least10.5% chromium. The thin butdense chromium oxide film whichforms on the surface of a stainlesssteel provides corrosion resistanceand prevents further oxidation. Thereare five types of stainless steelsdepending on the other alloyingadditions present, and they rangefrom fully austenitic to fully ferritic.

2.0 TYPES OF STAINLESS STEELS

Austenitic stainless steels includethe 200 and 300 series of whichtype 304 is the most common. Theprimary alloying additions arechromium and nickel. Ferriticstainless steels are non-hardenableFe-Cr alloys. Types 405, 409, 430,422 and 446 are representative ofthis group. Martensitic stainlesssteels are similar in composition tothe ferritic group but contain highercarbon and lower chromium topermit hardening by heat treatment.Types 403, 410, 416 and 420 arerepresentative of this group. Duplexstainless steels are supplied with amicrostructure of approximately equalamounts of ferrite and austenite.They contain roughly 24% chromiumand 5% nickel. Their numberingsystem is not included in the 200,300 or 400 groups. Precipitationhardening stainless steels containalloying additions such as aluminumwhich allow them to be hardened bya solution and aging heat treatment.They are further classified into subgroups as martensitic, semiaustenitic

and austenitic precipitation hardeningstainless steels. They are identifiedas the 600-series of stainless steels(e.g., 630, 631, 660).

The alloying elements which appearin stainless steels are classed asferrite promoters and austenitepromoters and are listed below.

2.1 FERRITE PROMOTERS

Chromium – provides basiccorrosion resistance.

Molybdenum – provides hightemperature strength and increasescorrosion resistance.

Niobium (Columbium), Titanium –strong carbide formers.

2.2 AUSTENITE PROMOTERS

Nickel – provides high temperaturestrength and ductility.

Carbon – carbide former,strengthener.

Nitrogen – increases strength,reduces toughness.

2.3NEUTRAL EFFECT

• Regarding Austenite & Ferrite

Manganese – sulfide former

Silicon – wetting agent

Sulfur and Selenium – improvemachinability, cause hot cracking in welds.

3.0 WELDABILITY OF STAINLESS STEELS

Most stainless steels are consideredto have good weldability and may bewelded by several welding processesincluding the arc welding processes,resistance welding, electron andlaser beam welding, friction weldingand brazing. For any of theseprocesses, joint surfaces and anyfiller metal must be clean.

The coefficient of thermal expansionfor the austenitic types is 50%greater than that of carbon steel andthis must be considered to minimizedistortion. The low thermal andelectrical conductivity of austeniticstainless steel is generally helpful inwelding. Less welding heat isrequired to make a weld because theheat is not conducted away from ajoint as rapidly as in carbon steel. Inresistance welding, lower current canbe used because resistivity is higher.Stainless steels which require specialwelding procedures are discussed inlater sections.

3.1 FERRITIC STAINLESS STEELS

The ferritic stainless steels contain10.5 to 30% Cr, up to 0.20% C andsometimes ferrite promoters Al, Nb(Cb), Ti and Mo. They are ferritic atall temperatures, do not transform toaustenite and therefore, are nothardenable by heat treatment. Thisgroup includes the more commontypes 405, 409, 430, 442 and 446.Table I lists the nominal composition

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UNS Composition - Percent *Type Number C Mn Si Cr Ni P S Other405 S40500 0.08 1.00 1.00 11.5-14.5 0.04 0.03 0.10-0.30 Al409 S40900 0.08 1.00 1.00 10.5-11.75 0.045 0.045 6 x %C min. TI429 S42900 0.12 1.00 1.00 14.0-16.0 0.04 0.03430 S43000 0.12 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.04 0.03430F** S43020 0.12 1.25 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.06 0.15 min. 0.06 Mo430FSe** S43023 0.12 1.25 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.06 0.06 0.15 min. Se430Ti S43036 0.10 1.00 1.00 16.0-19.5 0.75 0.04 0.03 5 x %C - Ti min.434 S43400 0.12 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.04 0.03 0.75-1.25 Mo436 S43600 0.12 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.04 0.03 0.75-1.25 Mo;

5 x %C min.Nb(Cb) + Ta

442 S44200 0.20 1.00 1.00 18.0-23.0 0.04 0.03444 S44400 0.025 1.00 1.00 17.5-19.5 1.00 0.04 0.03 1.75-2.5 Mo, 0.035 N

0.2 + 4 (%C + %N);(Ti +Nb(Cb) )

446 S44600 0.20 1.50 1.00 23.0-27.0 0.04 0.03 0.25 N18-2FM** S18200 0.08 2.50 1.00 17.5-19.5 0.04 0.15 min.18SR 0.04 0.3 1.00 18.0 2.0 Al; 0.4 Ti26-1 S44625 0.01 0.40 0.40 25.0-27.5 0.50 0.02 0.02 0.75-1.5 Mo; 0.015N;

(E-Brite) 0.2 Cu; 0.5 (Ni+Cu)26-1Ti S44626 0.06 0.75 0.75 25.0-27.0 0.5 0.04 0.02 0.75-1.5 Mo; 0.04 N;

0.2 Cu; 0.2-1.0 Ti29-4 S44700 0.01 0.30 0.20 28.0-30.0 0.15 0.025 0.02 3.5-4.2 Mo29-4-2 S44800 0.01 0.30 0.20 28.0-30.0 2.0-2.5 0.025 0.02 3.5-4.2 MoMonit S44635 0.25 1.00 0.75 24.5-26.0 3.5-4.5 0.04 0.03 3.5-4.5 Mo;

0.3-0.6 (Ti + Nb(Cb) )Sea-cure/ S44660 0.025 1.00 0.75 25.0-27.0 1.5-3.5 0.04 0.03 2.5-3.5 Mo;Sc-1 0.2 + 4 (%C + %N)

(Ti + Nb(Cb) )

of a number of standard and severalnon-standard ferritic stainless steels.They are characterized by weld andHAZ grain growth which can result inlow toughness of welds.

To weld the ferritic stainless steels,filler metals should be used whichmatch or exceed the Cr level of thebase alloy. Type 409 is available asmetal cored wire and Type 430 isavailable in all forms. AusteniticTypes 309 and 312 may be used fordissimilar joints. To minimize graingrowth, weld heat input should beminimized, Preheat should be limitedto 300-450°F and used only for thehigher carbon ferritic stainless steels(e.g., 430, 434, 442 and 446). Manyof the highly alloyed ferritic stainlesssteels are only available in sheet andtube forms and are usually weldedby GTA without filler metal.

3.2 MARTENSITIC STAINLESS STEELS

The martensitic stainless steelscontain 11 to 18% Cr, up to 1.20% Cand small amounts of Mn and Niand, sometimes, Mo. These steelswill transform to austenite on heatingand, therefore, can be hardened byformation of martensite on cooling.This group includes Types 403, 410,414, 416, 420, 422, 431 and 440.Both standard and non-standardmartensitic stainless steels are listedin Table II. They have a tendencytoward weld cracking on coolingwhen hard brittle martensite isformed.

Chromium and carbon content of thefiller metal should generally matchthese elements in the base metal.Type 410 filler is available as coveredelectrode, solid wire and cored wireand can be used to weld types 402,410, 414 and 420 steels. Type410NiMo filler metal can also beused. When it is necessary to matchthe carbon in Type 420 steel, Type420 filler, which is available as solidwire and cored wire, should be used.Types 308, 309 and 310 austeniticfiller metals can be used to weld themartensitic steels to themselves or toother steels where good as-deposited toughness is required.

Preheating and interpass tem pera turein the 400 to 600°F (204 to 316°C)range is recommended for most

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*Single values are maximum values. (From ASM Metals Handbook, Ninth Edition, Volume 3)

TABLE I — Nominal Compositions of Ferritic Stainless Steels

**These grades are generallyconsidered to be unweldable.

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martensitic stainless steels. Steelswith over 0.20% C often require apost weld heat treatment to softenand toughen the weld.

3.3 AUSTENITIC STAINLESSSTEEL

The austenitic stainless steels contain16-26% Cr, 8-24% Ni + Mn, up to0.40% C and small amounts of a fewother elements such as Mo, Ti, Nb(Cb) and Ta. The balance betweenthe Cr and Ni + Mn is normallyadjusted to provide a microstructureof 90-100% austenite. These alloysare characterized by good strengthand high toughness over a widetemperature range and oxidationresistance to over 1000°F (538°C).This group includes Types 302, 304,310, 316, 321 and 347. Nominalcomposition of these and otheraustenitic stainless steels are listed inTable III. Filler metals for thesealloys should generally match thebase metal but for most alloys,provide a microstructure with someferrite to avoid hot cracking as will be

discussed further. To achieve this,Type 308 is used for Type 302 and304 and Type 347 for Type 321. Theothers should be welded withmatching filler. Type 347 can also bewelded with Type 308H filler. Thesefiller materials are available as coatedelectrodes, solid bare wire and coredwire. Type 321 is available on alimited basis as solid and cored wire.

Two problems are associated withwelds in the austenitic stainlesssteels: 1) sensitization of the weldheat affected zone, and 2) hotcracking of weld metal.

3.3.1 SENSITIZATION:

Sensitization leads to intergranularcorrosion in the heat affected zone asshown in Figure 1. Sensitization iscaused by chromium carbideformation and precipitation at grainboundaries in the heat affected zonewhen heated in the 800 to 1600°F(427 to 871°C) temperature range.Since most carbon is found neargrain boundaries, chromium carbideformation removes some chromiumfrom solution near the grain

boundaries, thereby reducing thecorrosion resistance of these localareas. This problem can beremedied by using low carbon basematerial and filler material to reducethe amount of carbon available tocombine with chromium. Weldsshould be made without preheat andwith minimum heat input to shortenthe time in the sensitizationtemperature range.

The degree of carbide precipitationincreases with:

1. Higher carbon content (forexample, because 301 and 302grades have a maximum carboncontent of 0.15% they are moresusceptible to carbon precipitationthan grade 304 which has amaximum carbon content of only0.08%).

2. Time at the critical mid-rangetemperatures – a few seconds at1200°F (649°C) can do moredamage than several minutes at850°F (454°C) or 1450°F (788°C).

Welding naturally produces atemperature gradient in the steel. Itranges from melting temperature atthe weld to room temperature some

4

UNS Composition - Percent *Type Number C Mn Si Cr Ni P S Other403 S40300 0.15 1.00 0.50 11.5-13.0 0.04 0.03410 S41000 0.15 1.00 1.00 11.5-13.0 0.04 0.03410Cb S41040 0.18 1.00 1.00 11.5-13.5 0.04 0.03 0.05-0.3 Nb(Cb)410S S41008 0.08 1.00 1.00 11.5-13.5 0.6 0.04 0.03414 S41400 0.15 1.00 1.00 11.5-13.5 1.25-2.50 0.04 0.03414L 0.06 0.50 0.15 12.5-13.0 2.5-3.0 0.04 0.03 0.5 Mo; 0.03 Al416 S41600 0.15 1.25 1.00 12.0-14.0 0.04 0.03 0.6 Mo

416Se** S41623 0.15 1.25 1.00 12.0-14.0 0.06 0.06 0.15 min. Se416 Plus X** S41610 0.15 1.5-2.5 1.00 12.0-14.0 0.06 0.15 min. 0.6 Mo

420 S42000 0.15 min. 1.00 1.00 12.0-14.0 0.04 0.03420F** S42020 0.15 min. 1.25 1.00 12.0-14.0 0.06 0.15 min. 0.6 Mo422 S42200 0.20-0.25 1.00 0.75 11.0-13.0 0.5-1.0 0.025 0.025 0.75-1.25 Mo;

0.75-1.25 W;0.15-0.3 V

431 S43100 0.20 1.00 1.00 15.0-17.0 1.25-2.50 0.04 0.03440A S44002 0.60-0.75 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.04 0.03 0.75 Mo440B S44003 0.75-0.95 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.04 0.03 0.75 Mo440C S44004 0.95-1.20 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 0.04 0.03 0.75 Mo

*Single values are maximum values. (From ASM Metals Handbook, Ninth Edition, Volume 3)

TABLE II — Nominal Compositions of Martensitic Stainless Steels

**These grades are generallyconsidered to be unweldable.

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5

distance from the weld. A narrowzone on each side of the weldremains in the sensitizingtemperature range for sufficient timefor precipitation to occur. If used inseverely corrosive conditions, lines ofdamaging corrosion appearalongside each weld.

Control of Carbide Precipitation

The amount of carbide precipitationis reduced by promoting rapidcooling. Fortunately, the copper chillbars, skip welding and othertechniques needed to controldistortion in sheet metal (see pg 34)help reduce carbide precipitation.Annealing the weldment at 1900°F(1038°C) or higher, followed by waterquench, eliminates carbideprecipitation, but this is an expensiveand often impractical procedure.Therefore, when weldments operatein severe corrosive applications orwithin the sensitizing temperaturerange, either ELC or stablilizedgrades are needed.

Another remedy is to use stabilizedstainless steel base metal and fillermaterials which contain elementsthat will react with carbon, leaving all

the chromium in solution to providecorrosion resistance. Type 321 con -tains titanium and Type 347 containsniobium (columbium) and tantalum,all of which are stronger carbideformers than chromium.

ELC – Extra Low Carbon –Grades (304L, 308L)

The 0.04% maximum carboncontent of ELC grades helpseliminate damaging carbideprecipitation caused by welding.These grades are most often usedfor weldments which operate insevere corrosive conditions attemperatures under 800°F (427°C).

ELC steels are generally welded withthe ELC electrode, AWS E308L-XX.Although the stabilized electrodesAWS E347-XX produce welds ofequal resistance to carbideprecipitation and similar mechanicalproperties, the ELC electrode weldstend to be less crack sensitive onheavy sections and have better lowtemperature notch toughness.

The low carbon content in ELCgrades leaves more chromium toprovide resistance to intergranularcorrosion.

Stabilized Grades (321, 347, 348)

Stabilized grades contain smallamounts of titanium (321), niobium(columbium) (347), or a combinationof niobium and tantalum (347, 348).These elements have a strongeraffinity for carbon then doeschromium, so they combine with thecarbon leaving the chromium toprovide corrosion resistance.

These grades are most often used insevere corrosive conditions whenservice temperatures reach thesensitizing range. They are weldedwith the niobium stabilizedelectrodes, AWS E347-XX.

Type 321 electrodes are notgenerally made because titanium islost in the arc. AWS E347-XX isusually quite satisfactory for joiningtype 321 base metal.

Molybdenum Grades (316, 316L, 317, 317L, D319)

Molybdenum in stainless steelincreases the localized corrosionresistance to many chemicals. Thesesteels are particularly effective incombatting pitting corrosion. Theirmost frequent use is in industrial

FIGURE 1

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*Single values are maximum values. (From ASM Metals Handbook, Ninth Edition, Volume 3)

UNS Composition - Percent *Type Number C Mn Si Cr Ni P S Other

201 S20100 0.15 5.5-7.5 1.00 16.0-18.0 3.5-5.5 0.06 0.03 0.25 N

202 S20200 0.15 7.5-10.0 1.00 17.0-19.0 4.0-6.0 0.06 0.03 0.25 N

205 S20500 0.12-0.25 14.0-15.5 1.00 16.5-18.0 1.0-1.75 0.06 0.03 0.32-0.40 N

216 S21600 0.08 7.5-9.0 1.00 17.5-22.0 5.0-7.0 0.045 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo; 0.25-0.5 N

301 S30100 0.15 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 6.0-8.0 0.045 0.03

302 S30200 0.15 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 8.0-10.0 0.045 0.03

302B S30215 0.15 2.00 2.0-3.0 17.0-19.0 8.0-10.0 0.045 0.03

303** S30300 0.15 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 8.0-10.0 0.20 0.15 min. 0.6 Mo

303Se** S30323 0.15 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 8.0-10.0 0.20 0.06 0.15 min. Se

304 S30400 0.08 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 8.0-10.5 0.045 0.03

304H S30409 0.04-0.10 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 8.0-10.5 0.045 0.03

304L S30403 0.03 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 8.0-12.0 0.045 0.03

304LN S30453 0.03 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 8.0-10.5 0.045 0.03 0.10-0.15 N

S30430 S30430 0.08 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 8.0-10.0 0.045 0.03 3.0-4.0 Cu

304N S30451 0.08 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 8.0-10.5 0.045 0.03 0.10-0.16 N

304HN S30452 0.04-0.10 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 8.0-10.5 0.045 0.03 0.10-0.16 N

305 S30500 0.12 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 10.5-13.0 0.045 0.03

308 S30800 0.08 2.00 1.00 19.0-21.0 10.0-12.0 0.045 0.03

308L 0.03 2.00 1.00 19.0-21.0 10.0-12.0 0.045 0.03

309 S30900 0.20 2.00 1.00 22.0-24.0 12.0-15.0 0.045 0.03

309S S30908 0.08 2.00 1.00 22.0-24.0 12.0-15.0 0.045 0.03

309S Cb S30940 0.08 2.00 1.00 22.0-24.0 12.0-15.0 0.045 0.03 8 x %C - Nb(Cb)

309 Cb + Ta 0.08 2.00 1.00 22.0-24.0 12.0-15.0 0.045 0.03 8 x %C (Nb(Cb) + Ta)

310 S31000 0.25 2.00 1.50 24.0-26.0 19.0-22.0 0.045 0.03

310S S31008 0.08 2.00 1.50 24.0-26.0 19.0-22.0 0.045 0.03

312 0.15 2.00 1.00 30.0 nom. 9.0 nom. 0.045 0.03

254SMo S31254 0.020 1.00 0.80 19.5-20.5 17.50-18.5 0.03 0.010 6.00-6.50Mo; 0.18-0.22N;

Cu=0.5-1.00

314 S31400 0.25 2.00 1.5-3.0 23.0-26.0 19.0-22.0 0.045 0.03

316 S31600 0.08 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 10.0-14.0 0.045 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo

316F** S31620 0.08 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 10.0-14.0 0.20 0.10 min. 1.75-2.5 Mo

316H S31609 0.04-0.10 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 10.0-14.0 0.045 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo

316L S31603 0.03 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 10.0-14.0 0.045 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo

316LN S31653 0.03 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 10.0-14.0 0.045 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo; 0.10-0.30 N

316N S31651 0.08 2.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 10.0-14.0 0.045 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo; 0.10-0.16 N

317 S31700 0.08 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 11.0-15.0 0.045 0.03 3.0-4.0 Mo

317L S31703 0.03 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 11.0-15.0 0.045 0.03 3.0-4.0 Mo

317M S31725 0.03 2.00 1.00 18.0-20.0 12.0-16.0 0.045 0.03 4.0-5.0 Mo

321 S32100 0.08 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 9.0-12.0 0.045 0.03 5 x %C min. Ti

321H S32109 0.04-0.10 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 9.0-12.0 0.045 0.03 5 x %C min. Ti

329 S32900 0.10 2.00 1.00 25.0-30.0 3.0-6.0 0.045 0.03 1.0-2.0 Mo

330 N08330 0.08 2.00 0.75-1.5 17.0-20.0 34.0-37.0 0.04 0.03

AL6-XN N80367 0.030 2.00 1.00 20.0-22.0 23.5-25.5 0.04 0.03 6.00-7.00Mo; 0.18-0.25N;

Cu=0.75

330HC 0.40 1.50 1.25 19.0 nom. 35.0 nom.

332 0.04 1.00 0.50 21.5 nom. 32.0 nom. 0.045 0.03

347 S34700 0.08 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 9.0-13.0 0.045 0.03 10 x %C min. Nb(Cb) +Ta

347H S34709 0.04-0.10 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 9.0-13.0 0.045 0.03 10 x %C min. Nb(Cb) + Ta

348 S34800 0.08 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 9.0-13.0 0.045 0.03 0.2 Cu; 10 x %C min. Nb(Cb) + Ta(c)

348H S34809 0.04-0.10 2.00 1.00 17.0-19.0 9.0-13.0 0.045 0.03 0.2 Cu; 10 x %C min. Nb(Cb) + Ta

384 S38400 0.08 2.00 1.00 15.0-17.0 17.0-19.0 0.045 0.03

Nitronic 32 S24100 0.10 12.0 0.50 18.0 1.6 0.35 N

Nitronic 33 S24000 0.06 13.0 0.5 18.0 3.0 0.30 N

Nitronic 40 S21900 0.08 8.0-10.0 1.00 18.0-20.0 5.0-7.0 0.06 0.03 0.15-0.40 N

Nitronic 50 S20910 0.06 4.0-6.0 1.00 20.5-23.5 11.5-13.5 0.04 0.03 1.5-3.0 Mo; 0.2-0.4 N;

0.1-0.3 Cb; 0.1-0.3 V

Nitronic 60 S21800 0.10 7.0-9.0 3.5-4.5 16.0-18.0 8.0-9.0 0.04 0.03 1.5-3.0 Mo; 0.2-0.4 N;

TABLE III — Nominal Compositions of Austenitic Stainless Steels

**These grades are generallyconsidered to be unweldable.

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7

cracks will appear as the weld coolsand shrinkage stresses develop.

Hot cracking can be prevented byadjusting the composition of thebase material and filler material toobtain a microstructure with a smallamount of ferrite in the austenitematrix. The ferrite provides ferrite-austenite grain boundaries which areable to control the sulfur andphosphorous compounds so they donot permit hot cracking. Thisproblem could be avoided byreducing the S and P to very lowamounts, but this would increasesignificantly the cost of making thesteel.

Normally a ferrite level of 4 FNminimum is recommended to avoidhot cracking. Ferrite is bestdetermined by mea sure ment with amagnetic instrument calibrated toAWS A4.2 or ISO 8249. It can alsobe estimated from the composition ofthe base material and filler materialwith the use of any of several consti -tu tion diagrams. The oldest of theseis the 1948 Schaeffler Diagram. TheCr equivalent (% Cr + % Mo + 1.5 x% Si + 0.5 x % Cb) is plotted on

E310-XX welds on heavy plate tendto be more crack sensitive thanE309-XX weld metals.

Free Machining Grades(303, 303Se)

Production welding of these gradesis not recommended because thesulfur or selenium and phosphoruscause severe porosity and hot shortcracking.

If welding is necessary, special E312-XX or E309-XX electrodes arerecommended because their highferrite reduces cracking tendencies.Use techniques that reduceadmixture of base metal into theweld metal and produce convexbead shapes.

3.3.2 HOT CRACKING:

Hot cracking is caused by lowmelting materials such as metalliccompounds of sulfur andphosphorous which tend to penetrategrain boundaries. When thesecompounds are present in the weldor heat affected zone, they willpenetrate grain boundaries and

processing equipment. 316 and316L are welded with AWS E316L-XX electrodes.

316L and 317L are ELC grades thatmust be welded with ELC typeelectrodes to maintain resistance tocarbide precipitation. 317 and 317Lare generally welded with E317 orE317L electrodes respectively. Theycan be welded with AWS E316-XXelectrode, but the welds are slightlylower in molybdenum content thanthe base metal with a correspondinglower corrosion resistance.

When hot oxidizing acids areencountered in service, E316,E316L, E317 or E317L welds mayhave poor corrosion resistance in theas-welded condition. In such cases,E309 or E309Cb electrodes may bebetter. As an alternative, the followingheat treatment will restore corrosionresistance to the weld:

1. For 316 or 317 – full anneal at1950-2050°F (1066-1121°C).

2. For 316L and 317L – stress relieveat 1600°F (871°C).

High Temperature Grades(302B, 304H, 309, 309S, 310, 310S)

These high alloy gradesmaintain strength at hightemperatures and havegood scaling resistance.They are primarily usedin industrial equipment athigh servicetemperatures –sometimes over 2000°F(1093°C).

AWS E310-XXelectrodes are needed tomatch the hightemperature propertiesand scaling resistance ofgrades 310 and 310S.

302B and 309 gradesare generally weldedwith E309-XXelectrodes. 304H isgenerally welded withE308H-XX electrodes.E310-XX electrodes canbe used on light plate.

Creq = Cr + Mo + 0.7Cb

Ni eq = Ni +

35C

+ 20N

+ 0.25C

u

FIGURE 2 — New 1992 WRC diagram including solidification mode boundaries.(Updated from T.A. Siewert, C.N. McCowan and D.L. Olson – Welding Journal,December 1988 by D.J. Kotecki and T.A. Siewert - Welding Journal, May 1992.)

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the horizontal axis and the nickelequivalent (% Ni + 30 x % C + 0.5 x% Mn) on the vertical axis. Despitelong use, the Schaeffler Diagram isnow outdated because it does notconsider nitrogen effects andbecause it has not proven possible toestablish agreement among severalmeasurers as to the ferrite percent ina given weld metal.

An improvement on the SchaefflerDiagram is the 1973 WRC-DeLongDiagram, which can be used toestimate ferrite level. The maindifferences are that the DeLongDiagram includes nitrogen (N) in theNi equivalent (% Ni + 30 x % C x 30x % N + 0.5 x % Mn) and showsFerrite Numbers in addition to“percent ferrite.” Ferrite Numbers atlow levels may approximate “percentferrite.” The most recent diagram,the WRC-1992 Diagram, Figure 2, isconsidered to be the most accuratepredicting diagram at present. TheWRC-1992 Diagram has replaced theWRC-DeLong Diagram in the ASMECode with publication of the 1994-95Winter Addendum. Its Ni equivalent

(% Ni + 35 x % C + 20 x % N + 0.25Cu) and Cr equivalent (% Cr + % Mo+ 0.7 x % Cb) differ from those ofSchaeffler and WRC-DeLong.

Ferrite Number may be estimated bydrawing a horizontal line across thediagram from the nickel equivalentnumber and a vertical line from thechromium equivalent number. TheFerrite Number is indicated by thediagonal line which passes throughthe intersection of the horizontal andvertical lines.

Predictions by the WRC-1992 andWRC-DeLong Diagrams for commongrades like 308 are similar, but theWRC-1992 diagram generally is moreaccurate for higher alloy and lesscommon grades like high manganeseaustenitic or duplex ferritic-austeniticstainless steels.

Ferrite Number can be measureddirectly on weld deposits from themagnetic properties of the ferrite.Several instruments are availablecommercially, including the MagneGage, the Severn Gage, theInspector Gage and the Ferritescope

which can be calibrated to AWS A4.2or ISO 8249 and provide readings inFerrite Number.

The amount of ferrite normally shouldnot be greater than necessary toprevent hot cracking with somemargin of safety. The presence offerrite can reduce corrosionresistance in certain media andexcess ferrite can impair ductility andtoughness.

3.4PRECIPITATION HARDENINGSTAINLESS STEELS

There are three categories of precipi -tation hardening stainless steels –martensitic, semiaustenitic andaustenitic.

The martensitic stainless steels canbe hardened by quenching from theaustenitizing temperature [around1900°F (1038°C)] then agingbetween 900 to 1150°F (482 to621°C). Since these steels containless than 0.07% carbon, the marten -

UNS Composition - Percent *Type Number C Mn Si Cr Ni P S Other

Precipitation-Hardening TypesPH 13-8 Mo S13800 0.05 0.10 0.10 12.25-13.25 7.5-8.5 0.01 0.008 2.0-2.5 Mo;

0.90-1.35 Al; 0.01 N15-5 PH S15500 0.07 1.00 1.00 14.0-15.5 3.5-5.5 0.04 0.03 2.5-4.5 Cu;

0.15-0.45 Nb(Cb) + Ta17-4 PH S17400 0.07 1.00 1.00 15.5-17.5 3.0-5.0 0.04 0.03 630 3.0-5.0 Cu;

0.15-0.45 Nb(Cb) + Ta17-7 PH S17700 0.09 1.00 1.00 16.0-18.0 6.5-7.75 0.04 0.03 631 0.75-1.15 Al

PH 15-7 Mo S15700 0.09 1.00 1.00 14.0-16.0 6.5-7.75 0.04 0.03 2.0-3.0 Mo; 0.75-1.5 Al17-10 P 0.07 0.75 0.50 17.0 10.5 0.28A286 S66286 0.08 2.00 1.00 13.5-16.0 24.0-27.0 0.040 0.030 660 1.0-1.5 Mo; 2 Ti; 0.3 VAM350 S35000 0.07-0.11 0.5-1.25 0.50 16.0-17.0 4.0-5.0 0.04 0.03 2.5-3.25 Mo; 0.07-0.13 NAM355 S35500 0.10-0.15 0.5-1.25 0.50 15.0-16.0 4.0-5.0 0.04 0.03 2.5-3.25 MoAM363 0.04 0.15 0.05 11.0 4.0 0.25 Ti

Custom 450 S45000 0.05 1.00 1.00 14.0-16.0 5.0-7.0 0.03 0.03 1.25-1.75 Cu; 0.5-1.0 Mo8 x %C - Nb(Cb)

Custom 455 S45500 0.05 0.50 0.50 11.0-12.5 7.5-9.5 0.04 0.03 0.5 Mo; 1.5-2.5 Cu;0.8-1.4 Ti; 0.1-0.5 Nb(Cb)

Stainless W S17600 0.08 1.00 1.00 16.0-17.5 6.0-7.5 0.04 0.03 0.4 Al; 0.4-1.2 TiDuplex Types2205 S32205 0.03 2.0 1.0 22.0 5.5 0.03 0.02 3.0 Mo; 0.18 N2304 S32304 0.03 2.5 1.0 23.0 4.0 0.1 N255 0.04 1.5 1.0 25.5 5.5 3.0 Mo; 0.17 N; 2.0 Cu

NU744LN 0.067 1.7 0.44 21.6 4.9 2.4 Mo; 0.10 N; 0.2 Cu2507 S32750 0.03 1.2 0.8 25 5.5 0.035 0.020 4 Mo; 0.28 N

TABLE IV — Nominal Compositions of Precipitation Hardening and Duplex Stainless Steels

*Single values are maximum values. (From ASM Metals Handbook, Ninth Edition, Volume 3) and ASTM A638

ASTMA

GRADE

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site is not very hard and the mainhardening is obtained from the aging(precipitation) reaction. Examples ofthis group are 17-4PH, 15-5PH andPH13-8Mo. Nominal compositionsof precipitation hardening stainlesssteels are listed in Table IV.

The semiaustenitic stainless steelswill not transform to martensite whencooled from the austenitizing temper -a ture because the martensitetransformation temperature is belowroom temperature. These steelsmust be given a conditioningtreatment which consists of heatingin the range of 1350 to 1750°F (732to 954°C) to precipitate carbonand/or alloy elements as carbides orintermetallic compounds. Thisremoves alloy elements from solution,thereby destabilizing the austenite,which raises the martensitetransformation temperature so that amartensite structure will be obtainedon cooling to room temperature.Aging the steel between 850 and1100°F (454 to 593°C) will stressrelieve and temper the martensite toincrease toughness, ductility, hard -ness and corrosion resistance.Examples of this group are 17-7PH,PH 15-7 Mo and AM 350.

The austenitic precipitation hardeningstainless steels remain austenitic afterquenching from the solutioningtemperature even after substantialamounts of cold work. They are

hardened only by the aging reaction.This would include solution treatingbetween 1800 and 2050°F (982 to1121°C), oil or water quenching andaging at 1300 to 1350°F (704 to732°C) for up to 24 hours.Examples of these steels includeA286 and 17-10P.

If maximum strength is required inmartensitic and semiaustenitic pre -cipitation hardening stainless steels,matching or nearly matching fillermetal should be used and the com -po nent, before welding, should be inthe annealed or solution annealedcondition. Often, Type 630 fillermetal, which is nearly identical with17-4PH base metal, is used formartensitic and semiaustenitic PHstainlesses. After welding, acomplete solution heat treatmentplus an aging treatment is preferred.If the post weld solution treatment isnot feasible, the components shouldbe solution treated before weldingthen aged after welding. Thicksections of highly restrained partsare sometimes welded in theoveraged condition. These wouldrequire a full heat treat ment afterwelding to attain maxi mum strength.

The austenitic precipitation hardeningstainless steels are the most difficultto weld because of hot cracking.Welding should preferably be donewith the parts in the solution treatedcondition, under minimum restraint

and with minimum heat input. Nickelbase alloy filler metals of the NiCrFetype or conventional austenitic stain -less steel type are often preferred.

3.5 DUPLEX STAINLESS STEELS

Duplex Ferritic – AusteniticStainless Steels

Duplex stainless steels solidify as100% ferrite, but about half of theferrite transforms to austenite duringcooling through temperatures aboveapprox. 1900°F (1040°C). Thisbehavior is accomplished byincreasing Cr and decreasing Ni ascompared to austenitic grades.Nitrogen is deliberately added tospeed up the rate of austeniteformation during cooling. Duplexstainless steels are ferromagnetic.They combine higher strength thanaustenitic stainless steels withfabrication properties similar toaustenitics, and with resistance tochloride stress corrosion cracking offerritic stainless steels. The mostcommon grade is 2205 (UNSS32205), consisting of 22%Cr, 5%Ni,3%Mo and 0.15%N.

Austenitic Ferritic Martensitic PrecipitationProperty Types Types Types Hardening Types

Elastic Modulus; 106 psi 28.3 29.0 29.0 29.0GPa 195 200 200 200

Density; lb./in.3 0.29 0.28 0.28 0.28g/cm3 8.0 7.8 7.8 7.8

Coeff. of Therm. Expansion: µin./in. °F 9.2 5.8 5.7 6.0µm/m °C 16.6 10.4 10.3 10.8

Thermal. Conduct.; Btu/hrft. °F 9.1 14.5 14.0 12.9w/mk 15.7 25.1 24.2 22.3

Specific Heat; Btu/lb. °F 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.11J/k °K 500 460 460 460

Electrical Resistivity, µΩcm 74 61 61 80Magnetic Permeability 1.02 600-1,100 700-1000 95Melting Range °F 2,500-2,650 2,600-2,790 2,600-2,790 2,560-2,625

°C 1,375-1,450 1,425-1,530 1,425-1,530 1,400-1,440

TABLE V — Physical Properties of Groups of Stainless Steels

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4.0 PHYSICALPROPERTIES

Average physical properties for eachof the main groups of stainless steelare listed in Table V. This includeselastic modulus, density, coefficientof thermal expansion, thermal con -duc tivity, specific heat, electricalresistivity, magnetic permeability andmelting range. These values shouldbe close enough for most engi neer -ing purposes. If more precise data isrequired for a particular type ofstainless steel, it can be found in the

ASM Metals Handbook, NinthEdition, Volume 3.

5.0MECHANICALPROPERTIES

Nominal mechanical properties ofaustenitic and ferritic stainless steelsin the annealed condition are listed inTable VI and Table VII respectively.The austenitic stainless steelsgenerally have higher tensilestrengths and elongation than theferritic stainless steels but lower yieldstrengths. Reduction in area is

about the same for both groups.Nominal mechanical properties ofmartensitic stainless steels in boththe annealed and tempered conditionare listed in Table VIII. Thetempered condition involves heatingto austenitize, cooling to formmartensite and reheating to theindicated temperature to increasetoughness. Table IX lists themechanical properties of the precipi -tation hardening stainless steels assolution annealed and after agingtreatments at the temperatureindicated. Properties of three duplexstainless steels are included.

Tensile Strength 0.2% Yield Strength Elong. R.A. HardnessType Condition Ksi MPa Ksi MPa % % Rockwell201 Anneal 115 793 55 379 55 B90201 Full Hard 185 1275 140 965 4 C41202 Anneal 105 724 55 379 55 B90301 Anneal 110 758 40 276 60 B85301 Full Hard 185 1275 140 965 8 C41302 Anneal 90 620 37 255 55 65 B82302B Anneal 95 655 40 276 50 65 B85303 Anneal 90 620 35 241 50 55 B84304 Anneal 85 586 35 241 55 65 B80304L Anneal 80 552 30 207 55 65 B76304N Anneal 85 586 35 241 30304LN Anneal 80 552 30 207305 Anneal 85 586 37 255 55 70 B82308 Anneal 85 586 35 241 55 65 B80308L Anneal 80 551 30 207 55 65 B76309 Anneal 90 620 40 276 45 65 B85310 Anneal 95 655 40 276 45 65 B87312 Anneal 95 655 20314 Anneal 100 689 50 345 45 60 B87316 Anneal 85 586 35 241 55 70 B80316L Anneal 78 538 30 207 55 65 B76316F Anneal 85 586 35 241 55 70 B80317 Anneal 90 620 40 276 50 55 B85317L Anneal 85 586 35 241 50 55 B80321 Anneal 87 599 35 241 55 65 B80

347/348 Anneal 92 634 35 241 50 65 B84329 Anneal 105 724 80 552 25 50 B98330 Anneal 80 550 35 241 30 B80330HC Anneal 85 586 42 290 45 65332 Anneal 80 552 35 241 45 70384 Anneal 80 550

(From ASM Metals Handbook, 8th Edition, Volume 1; and 9th Edition, Volume 3 and ASTM standards)

TABLE VI — Properties of Austenitic Stainless Steels

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Tensile Strength 0.2% Yield Strength Elong. R.A. HardnessType Condition Ksi MPa Ksi MPa % % Rockwell405 Anneal 70 480 40 275 30 60 B80409 Anneal 65 450 35 240 25 B75M429 Anneal 71 490 45 310 30 65 B88M430 Anneal 75 515 45 310 30 60 B82430F Anneal 80 550 55 380 25 60 B86430Ti Anneal 75 515 45 310 30 65434 Anneal 77 530 53 365 23 B83M436 Anneal 77 530 53 365 23 B83M442 Anneal 80 550 45 310 25 50 B85444 Anneal 60 415 40 275 20 B95M446 Anneal 80 550 50 345 23 50 B86

26-1EBrite Anneal 65 450 40 275 22 B90M26-1Ti Anneal 68 470 45 310 20 B95M29-4 Anneal 80 550 60 415 20 B98M29-4-2 Anneal 80 550 60 415 20 B98M18SR Anneal 90 620 65 450 25 B90Monit Anneal 94 650 80 550 20 B100M

Sea-cure/SC-1 Anneal 80 550 55 380 20 B100M

M = Maximum (From ASM Metals Handbook, 8th Edition, Volume 1; and 9th Edition, Volume 3)

Tensile Strength 0.2% Yield Strength Elong. R.A. HardnessType Condition Ksi MPa Ksi MPa % % Rockwell403 Anneal 75 517 40 276 30 65 B82403 *Temp. 800°F 195 1344 150 1034 17 55 C41410 Anneal 75 517 40 276 30 65 B82410 *Temp. 800°F 195 1344 150 1034 17 55 C41410S Anneal 60 414 30 207 22 B95M410Cb Anneal 70 483 40 276 13 45410Cb *Temp. (Int.) 125 862 100 689 13 45414 Anneal 120 827 95 655 17 55 C22414 *Temp. 800°F 200 1379 150 1034 16 58 C43414L Anneal 115 793 80 552 20 60

416 Plus X Anneal 75 517 40 276 30 60420 Anneal 95 655 50 345 25 55 B92420 *Temp. 600°F 230 1586 195 1344 8 25 C50422 Temp., Int. 140 965 110 758 13 30431 Anneal 125 862 95 655 20 60 C24431 *Temp. 800°F 205 1413 155 1069 15 60 C43440A Anneal 105 724 60 414 20 45 B95440A *Temp. 600°F 260 1793 240 1655 5 20 C51440B Anneal 107 738 62 427 18 35 B96440B *Temp. 600°F 280 1931 270 1862 3 15 C55440C Anneal 110 758 65 448 13 25 B97440C *Temp. 600°F 285 1965 275 1896 2 10 C57

*Tempered after austentizing and cooling to room temperature.M = Maximum (600°F = 315°C)Int. = Intermediate temper hot finished (800°F = 427°C)(From ASM Metals Handbook, 8th Edition, Volume 1; and 9th Edition, Volume 3)

TABLE VII — Nominal Mechanical Properties of Ferritic Stainless Steels

TABLE VIII — Nominal Mechanical Properties of Martensitic Stainless Steels

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6.0 SELECTION OF ASTAINLESS STEEL

The selection of a particular typestainless steel will depend on what isrequired by the application. In mostcases the primary consideration iscorrosion resistance, tarnishresistance or oxidation resistance atelevated temperature. In addition tothese requirements, the selectedstainless steel must have someminimum mechanical properties suchas strength, toughness, ductility andfatigue strength. Several types andgrades of stainless steel may providethe corrosion resistance andmechanical properties required. Inthis case the final selection shouldbe made on the basis of the lowestcost available alloy which will fulfillthe service requirements. Generally,selection of the type of stainless steel

is made by the designer of theequipment or component based onhis knowledge, experience and dataon corrosion behavior of variousalloys in the environment of interest.The responsibility of the weldingengineer normally does not includeselection of the base alloy, onlyselection of the filler material, weldingprocess and welding procedure.

If it becomes necessary for thewelding engineer to select a basealloy, information should be gatheredon the service environment, expectedlife of the part and extent of corrosionwhich is acceptable. To assist in thisselection, Table X lists corrosionresistance of several standard typesof stainless steel to a number ofcorrosive media. This indicates thataustenitic types and higher chromiumtypes generally are more corrosionresistant than the martensitic andlower chromium ferritic types. Agreat deal of test data has beengenerated on the corrosion behavior

of many metals and alloys in manykinds of corrosive media. Thisinformation on stainless steels isavailable from several sources whichare listed as references.

Other factors which must beconsidered in selecting a stainlesssteel are resistance to pitting, crevicecorrosion and intergranular attack.Intergranular attack is caused bycarbide precipitation in weld heataffected zones and methods ofpreventing this problem werediscussed previously. If theapplication involves service atelevated temperature, then elevatedtemperature mechanical propertiessuch as creep strength, stressrupture strength and oxidationresistance must be considered.

With the corrosion and oxidation testdata derived from the handbooksand other references, a stainlesssteel or other alloy may be selectedfor a particular application. Once the

Tensile Strength 0.2% Yield Strength Elong. R.A. HardnessType Condition Ksi MPa Ksi MPa % % Rockwell

Precipitation Hardening TypesPh13-8 Mo H950 220 1517 205 1413 8 45 C4515-5PH H900 190 1310 170 1172 10 35 C4415-5PH H1150 135 931 105 724 16 50 C3217-4PH Sol. Ann. 150 1034 110 758 10 45 C3317-4PH H900 200 1379 178 1227 12 48 C4417-7PH Sol. Ann. 130 896 40 276 35 B8517-7PH RH950 235 1620 220 1517 6 C48

PH15-7 Mo Sol. Ann. 130 896 55 379 35 B88PH15-7 Mo RH950 240 1655 225 1551 6 25 C4817-10P Sol. Ann. 89 613 37 255 70 76 B8217-10P H1300 143 986 98 676 20 32 C32A286 H1350 130 896 85 586 15AM350 Sol. Ann. 160 1103 55 379 40 B95AM350 DA 195 1344 155 1069 10.5 C41AM355 Sol. Ann. 175 1207 65 448 30 B95AM355 DA 195 1344 155 1069 10 C41

Custom 450 Anneal 125 862 95 655 10 40 C30Custom 450 H900 180 1241 170 1172 10 40 C40Custom 455 H900 235 1620 220 1517 8 30 C47Stainless W Sol. Ann. 120 827 75 517 7 C30Stainless W H950 195 1344 180 1241 7 25 C46

Duplex Types2205 120 827 65 448 252304 110 758 60 414 25255 110 758 80 552 152507 116 800 80 550 15

From ASM Metals Handbook, 8th Edition, Volume 1; and 9th Edition, Volume 3

TABLE IX — Nominal Mechanical Properties of Precipitation Hardening and Duplex Stainless Steels

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Type AtmosphericStainless Fresh SaltAustenitic Industrial Marine City Rural Water Water Soil Chemical 201 5 2 1 1 1 3 7202 5 2 1 1 1 3 7205 5 2 1 1 1 3 7301 5 2 1 1 1 3 7302 5 2 1 1 1 3 7302B 5 2 1 1 1 3 7303 5 2 1 1 1 3 7303Se 5 2 1 1 1 3 7304 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7304H 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7304L 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7304N 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7305 5 2 1 1 1 3 7308 5 2 1 1 1 3 7309 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7309S 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7310 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7310S 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7314 5 2 1 1 1 7316 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7316F 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7316H 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7316L 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7316N 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7317 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7317L 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 7321 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7321H 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7329 3 2 1 1 1 1 3 7330 3 1 1 1 1 3 7347 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7347H 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7348 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7348H 5 2 1 1 1 3 3 7384 2 1 1 1 3 7

Ferritic Types405 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7409 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7429 3 4 2 1 1 6 6 7430 3 4 1 1 1 6 6 7430F 3 4 1 1 1 6 6 7430FSe 3 4 1 1 1 6 6 7434 3 4 1 1 1 7436 3 4 1 1 1 7442 3 2 1 1 1 7446 3 2 1 1 1 3 7

Martensitic Types403 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7410 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7414 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7416 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7416Se 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7420 6 4 2 1 3 6 6 7

TABLE X — Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel in Various Environments

Code: 1 – No rust, staining or pitting, 2 – Light rust or stains, no pitting, 3 – Light rust or stains, light pitting, 4 – Rust covered or stained, 5 – Rust covered and pitted,

6 – Rust and severe pitting, 7 – Corrosion and pitting in chemical media varies widely with

media, concentration, temperature and agitation. Consultliterature and handbooks for data on specific application.

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stainless steel is selected, it is thewelding engineer’s responsibility todesign the joints, select the weld fillermetal, welding process and weldingprocedure.

7.0DESIGN FORSTAINLESS STEELS

Since the coefficient of thermalexpansion for austenitic stainlesssteels is relatively high, the control ofdistortion must be considered indesigning weldments of these alloys.The volume of weld metal in jointsmust be limited to the smallest sizewhich will provide the necessaryproperties. In thick plate, a “U”groove, Figure 3(c), which gives asmaller volume than a “V” groove,should be used. If it is possible toweld from both sides of a joint, adouble “U” or “V” groove jointpreparation should be used. This notonly reduces the volume of weldmetal required but also helps tobalance the shrinkage stresses.

Accurate joint fitup and careful jointpreparation which are necessary forhigh quality welds also help minimizedistortion.

Joint location and weld sequenceshould be considered to minimizedistortion.

Strong tooling and fixturing should beemployed to hold parts in place andresist tendencies for components tomove during welding. When any ofthe gas shielded processes are used,the tooling should also provide aninert gas backup to the root of theweld to prevent oxidation when theroot pass is being made. This isparticularly important when GTAwelding pipe with insert rings to allowthe weld metal to wet and flowtogether at the root of the joint.

In welding pipe, insert rings, Figure 4,of the same composition as the fillermetal should be used for the rootpass and be welded by the GTAWprocess. If copper chills are to beused near a weld area, they shouldbe nickel plated to prevent copperpickup. If copper is in contact withthe high temperature region of the

heat affected zone, it can melt andpenetrate the grain boundaries ofaustenitic stainless steel causingcracking.

8.0SELECTION OF FILLER METALS

Filler metals for welding stainlesssteels are produced as coatedelectrodes (AWS A5.4), solid andmetal core wire (AWS A5.9) and fluxcore wire (AWS A5.22). The variouselectrodes, solid wires, metal coredwires and flux cored wires arecontained in AWS “Filler MetalComparison Charts”, latest edition.

According to these charts, matchingfiller metal should be available foralmost every type of austeniticstainless steel available, althoughmany types may be produced insmall quantities by only a fewcompanies and may not be readilyavailable. For example, E219-16 andE240-16 electrodes are produced by

From AWS D10.4FIGURE 3 — Typical joint designs for welding austenitic stainless steel pipe.

A = 37-1/2°± 2-1/2° D = 2 times amount of offsetB = 10° ± 1° E = 30° maxC = 1/16 in. ± 1/32 in. (1.6 mm ± 0.8 mm) R = 1/4 in. (6.4 mm)

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only two U.S. companies and noforeign companies. By contrast, themore popular electrodes, E308-16,E308L-16, E309-16, E310-16, E316-16, E316L-16 and E347-16 areproduced by about 40 U.S.companies and 20 to 30 foreigncompanies. Most electrodes areavailable with a lime coating (-15) (foruse with DC only), a titania coating (-16) (for use with AC or DC) or asilica-titania coating (-17) (for use withAC or DC mainly in the downhand orhorizontal positions) and in thestandard or low carbon variety.

Most alloys which are available ascoated electrodes are also availableas either solid wire, metal cored wireor flux cored wire. A few areavailable only as coated electrodes.These are 310H, 310Cb, 310Mo and330H. As was mentioned previously,filler metal for austenitic stainlesssteels should match or exceed thealloy content of the base metal. If afiller material of the correct match isnot available, a filler with higher alloycontent normally should be used.

There are several austenitic stainlesstypes for which no exact matchingfillers are made. Examples are 201,

202, 205, 216, 301, 302, 304 and305. The filler materials recom - mended for these base alloys aresomewhat higher in Cr and Nicontent. For example, 308 is usedfor 301, 302, 304 and 305 and maybe used for 201, 202, 205 and 216 if209, 219 or 240 are not available.The 6% molybdenum stainless steels254SMo and AL6-XN are generallywelded with higher molybdnumnickel-base alloys. Therecommended filler materials in theform of coated electrodes, solid andmetal core wire and flux core wire arelisted in Tables XI, XII and XIII foraustenitic, ferritic and martensiticstainless steels respectively. Notethat a modification of a basic typeshould be welded with a fillermaterial of that same modification,for example, Type 316L should bewelded with E316L-XX, ER316L,ER316LS, or E316LT-X.

Except for E630 electrodes andER630 bare wires which match 17-4PH, matching filler materials for theprecipitation hardening stainlessesare not listed in the AWS Filler MetalsComparison Charts, or in any of theAWS filler metal specifications.Matching filler metals are produced

and available in the form of coatedelectrodes and solid wire for some of the precipitation hardeningstainless steels and these are listedin Table XIV. Where no matchingfiller is available, standard austeniticor nickel base filler materials arerecommended as indicated in Table XIV.

If maximum strength properties andcorrosion resistance are required forthe application, a filler metal ofmatching or similar composition tothe base metal should be used. Formartensitic or semiaustenitic basealloys, the weldment should then begiven the full solution and aging heattreatment if feasible. If not, thecomponents should be solutiontreated before welding, then given apostweld aging treatment afterwelding. It is recommended that theaustenitic precipitation hardeningstainless steels not be heat treatedafter welding because of crackingproblems. In fact, these alloys aredifficult to weld for this reason andsome are considered unweldable.Nickel base and conventionalaustenitic filler metals can be usedfor these alloys, especially if highstrength weld metal is not required

From AWS D10.4FIGURE 4 — Standard consumable inserts.

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Base Stainless Steel Recommended Filler MetalCoated Solid, Metal Flux Core

Wrought Cast Electrode Core Wire Wire201 E209, E219, E308 ER209, ER219, ER308, ER308Si E308TX-X202 E209, E219, E308 ER209, ER219, ER308, ER308Si E308TX-X205 E240 ER240216 E209 ER209 E316TX-X301 E308 ER308, ER308Si E308TX-X302 CF-20 E308 ER308, ER308Si E308TX-X304 CF-8 E308, E309 ER308, ER308Si, ER309, ER309Si E308TX-X, E309TX-X304H E308H ER308H304L CF-3 E308L, E347 ER308L, ER308LSi, ER347 E308LTX-X, E347TX-X304LN E308L, E347 ER308L, ER308LSi, ER347 E308LTX-X, E347TX-X304N E308, E309 ER308, ER308Si, ER309, ER309Si E308TX-X, E309TX-X304HN E308H ER308H305 E308, E309 ER308, ER308Si, ER309, ER309Si E308TX-X, E309TX-X308 E308, E309 ER308, ER308Si, ER309, ER309Si E308TX-X, E309TX-X308L E308L, E347 ER308L, ER308LSi, ER347 E308LTX-X, E347TX-X309 CH-20 E309, E310 ER309, ER309Si, ER310 E309TX-X, ER310TX-X309S CH-10 E309L, E309Cb ER309L, ER309LSi E309LTX-X, E309CbLTX-X309SCb E309Cb E309CbLTX-X309CbTa E309Cb E309CbLTX-X310 CK-20 E310 ER310 E310TX-X310S E310Cb, E310 ER310 E310TX-X312 CE-30 E312 ER312 E312T-3314 E310 ER310 E310TX-X316 CF-8M E316, E308Mo ER316, ER308Mo E316TX-X, E308MoTX-X316H CF-12M E316H, E16-8-2 ER316H, ER16-8-2 E316TX-X, E308MoTX-X316L CF-3M E316L, E308MoL ER316L, ER316LSi, ER308MoL E316LTX-X, E308MoLTX-X316LN E316L ER316L, ER316LSi E316LTX-X316N E316 ER316 E316TX-X317 CG-8M E317, E317L ER317 E317LTX-X317L E317L, E316L ER317L E317LTX-X321 E308L, E347 ER321 E308LTX-X, E347TX-X321H E347 ER321 E347TX-X329 E312 ER312 E312T-3330 HT E330 ER330330HC E330H ER330332 E330 ER330347 CF-8C E347, E308L ER347, ER347Si E347TX-X, E308LTX-X347H E347 ER347, ER347Si E347TX-X348 E347 ER347, ER347Si E347TX-X348H E347 ER347, ER347Si E347TX-X

Nitronic 33 E240 ER240Nitronic 40 E219 ER219Nitronic 50 E209 ER209Nitronic 60 ER218254SMo ENiCrMo-3 ERNiCrMo-3AL-6XN ENiCrMo-10 ERNiCrMo-10

From AWS Filler Metal Specifications: A5.4, A5.9, A5.22, A5.14, A5.11

TABLE XI — Filler Metals for Welding Austenitic Stainless Steels

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because the lower strength filler canstretch on cooling and minimize thestress on the crack sensitive heataffected zone of the base metal.Nickel base and conventionalaustenitic stainless steels can also beused to weld the other precipitationhardening stainless steels where fullbase material strength is notrequired.

Coated electrodes can be used forwelding martensitic andsemiaustenitic stainless steels suchas 17-4PH, AM350 and AM355because these alloys do not contain

titanium or aluminum which wouldbe lost in the shielded metal arc.Welds can be made in all positionswith this process. Electrodes mustbe dry and stored and handled inthe same manner as used for otherstainless steel and low hydrogenelectrodes as described previously.

Type AMS 5827B (17-4PH)electrodes can be used to weld 17-7PH steel, and reasonable heat treat -ment response can be obtained ifthe weld deposit is highly dilutedwith base metal.

Welding conditions suitable forconventional stainless steels aregenerally applicable for joining thePH types. A short arc length shouldbe used to minimize oxidation, loss ofchromium, and nitrogen pickup.

Lining

Mild steel process and storageequipment is sometimes lined withstainless steel for corrosionresistance. At least three differentmethods are used:

Base Stainless Steel Recommended Filler MetalCoated Solid, Metal Flux Core

Wrought Cast Electrode Core Wire Wire405 E410NiMo, E430 ER410NiMo, ER430 E410NiMoTX-X409 ER409, AM363, EC409 E409TX-X429 ER409Cb430 CB-30 E430 ER430 E430TX-X430F E430 ER430 E430TX-X430FSe E430 ER430 E430TX-X434 ER434442 E442, E446 ER442444 E316L ER316L446 CC-50 E446 ER44626-1 ER26-1

From AWS Filler Metal Specifications: A5.4, A5.9, A5.22

Base Stainless Steel Recommended Filler MetalCoated Solid, Metal Flux Core

Wrought Cast Electrode Core Wire Wire403 E410 ER410 E410TX-X410 CA-15 E410, E410NiMo ER410, ER410NiMo E410T, E410NiMoTX-X410S E410NiMo ER410NiMo E410NiMoTX-X414 E410 ER410 E410TX-X416 E410 ER312, ER410416Se ER312416PlusX ER312420 CA-90 E410, E430 ER420, ER410 E410TX-X420F ER312431 CB-30 E410, E430 ER410 E410TX-X440A a440B a440C a

CA-6NM E410NiMo ER410NiMo E410NiMoTX-XCA-15 E430 ER430 E430TX-X

2205 E2209 ER22092304 E2209 ER2209255 E2553 ER2553

a = Welding not recommended. From AWS Filler Metal Specifications: A5.4, A5.9, A5.22

TABLE XII — Filler Metals for Welding Ferritic Stainless Steels

TABLE XIII — Filler Metals for Welding Martensitic and Duplex Stainless Steels

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1. Large formed stainless steelsheets are plug welded at frequentintervals to join them closely to theshell.

2. Overlapping welds deposited onthe steel surface.

3. Small strips are overlapped orplaced side-by-side and welded tothe shell. Sometimes this technique isreferred to as “wallpapering”

Welding Clad Steel

Clad steel consists of stainless steelsheet permanently bonded to mildsteel plate. To join clad steel plates,first weld the mild steel with mildsteel electrodes. Do not tie into thestainless cladding with the mild steelelectrodes. After gouging the back-side of the first mild steel bead, weldfrom the stainless side usingstainless steel electrodes.

Joining Manganese Steel

E308-X or E309-XX electrodes areused to weld manganese steel tocarbon steel or to manganese steel.The stainless welds provide excellentjoint strength and ductility but aredifficult to flame cut. Therefore, whena manganese steel piece must bereplaced periodically, such as dipperteeth, Wearshield Mangjet® electrodecan be recommended. Wearshield15CrMn electrode has better crackresistance, but the deposit is difficultto flame cut.

Thick Harfacing Deposits

E308-X or E309-XX depositsincrease the toughness of thickhardfacing deposits. For best results,use one layer of stainless betweeneach two layers of hardfacing.

9.0 SELECTION OF A WELDING PROCESS

Joint Cleanliness

For high-quality welds, stainless steeljoints must be clean. The choice ofpower brushing, degreasing, pickling,grinding or simply wiping dependsupon the application and amount ofdirt. Here are some specific hints:

1. Remove all moisture by blowingwith dry air or heating with a torch.Beware of moisture in air lines, damprags and humidity depositedovernight.

2. Eliminate organic contaminants likeoil, paints, anti-spatter compounds,grease, pencil marks, cuttingcompounds, adhesive fromprotective paper, soap used for leaktesting, etc.

Bare DissimilarCovered Welding PH Stainless

Designation UNS No. Electrodes Wire SteelsMartensitic Types

17-4PH S17400 AMS 5827B, E630 AMS 5826 E or ER309,and (17-4 PH) or (17-4 PH) or E or ER309 Cb

15-5 PH S15500 E308 ER308Stainless W S17600 E308 or AMS 5805C E or ERNiMo-3,

ENiMo-3a (A-286) or E or ER309ERNiMo-3b

Semiaustenitic Types17-7PH S17700 AMS 5827B AMS 5824A E or ER310,

(17-4 PH), (17-7 PH) ENiCrFe-2, orE308, or E309 ERNiCr-3

PH 15-7Mo S15700 E308 or E309 AMS 5812C (PH 15-7Mo) E or ER309, E or ER310AM350 S35000 AMS 5775A (AM350) AMS 5774B (AM350) E or ER308, E or ER309AM355 S35500 AMS 5781A (AM355) AMS 5780A (AM355) E or ER308, E or ER309

Austenitic TypesA-286 K66286 E309 or E310 ERNiCrFe-6 or E or ER309,

ERNiMo-3 E or ER310

a. See AWS A5.11-97, Specification for Nickel and Nickel Alloy Welding Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Weldingb. See AWS A5.14-97, Specification for NIckel and Nickel Alloy Bare Welding Electrodes and Rod.

TABLE XIV — Filler Metals for Welding Precipitation-Hardening Stainless Steels

First Pass

Second Pass

BackGouge

StainlessSteel

Stringer Beads

Mild Steel

StainlessSteel

Mild Steel

Plug Weld

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3. Stainless steels cannot be flamecut with a torch. Acceptable resultsare achieved with an arc plasmacutter.

4. Be particularly careful to avoid zinccontamination. Do not use brushesor tools previously used ongalvanized steel.

5. Use only stainless steel wirebrushes, and use these brushes onlyon stainless steel.

The decision on the form of fillermetal to be used will depend uponseveral factors. These include theavailable forms of the filler materialneeded, the available weldingequipment, the dimensions of theweldment and number of pieces tobe welded.

9.1SHIELDED METALARC WELDING

Coated electrodes are available inmost stainless compositions in arange of sizes and these can beused to weld joints in thicknessesfrom 0.05 inch to several inches.Slag from each pass must becompletely removed beforedepositing the next pass to avoidporosity and slag entrapment.Welding equipment for stickelectrode welding is the lowest costbut deposition rates are lowest of allthe consumable electrodeprocesses.

If it has been decided to perform thewelding with stick electrodes, afurther decision must be maderegarding the electrode coating.When lime (-15), titania (-16), andsilica-titania (-17) type coatings areavailable for a particular typeelectrode, the decision will be basedmainly on the position of welding.Lime-coated electrodes operate onDC only. They are recommendedfor:

1. Vertical and overhead welding andall position applications such aspipe. The light slag wets rapidlyfor good wash-in and noundercutting.

2. Root passes on heavy plate. Thefull throat section of the slightlycon vex beads help preventcracking.

3. Fully austenitic stainless steelssuch as types 330, 320.

Titania-coated electrodes operate onAC or DC, but always use DC whenavailable. They are recommendedfor:

1. All applications when most of thewelding is in the flat position.

2. Vertical up and overhead weldingwhen lime-coated electrodes arenot available.

Silica-titania coated electrodesoperate also on AC or DC, but DC isusually preferred. They arerecommended for:

1. Flat and horizontal positionwelding when minimum cleanup is desired.

2. Vertical up welding when a wideweave can be used.

3. Overhead welding.

Coated electrodes should be treatedand stored as low hydrogenelectrodes. They should not beexposed to damp air, and once asealed container is opened, theelectrodes should be used or storedin a holding oven at between 200and 300°F (93 and 149°C). If theelectrodes are exposed to moist air,they can be dried by baking asrecommended by the manufacturer.This baking tem perature usually isbetween 500 and 600°F (260 and316°C), but can be as high as 800°F(427°C). The electrode manufacturershould be consulted for specificrecommendations.

The sizes and forms of coatedelectrodes and also solid and coredwire, which are normally available forwelding stainless steels, are listed inTable XV.

9.2 SUBMERGEDARC WELDING

Submerged arc welding (SAW) canbe employed to join thick sections,usually greater than 0.5 inch, of mostof the austenitic stainless steels. Foraustenitic stainlesses in which ferriteis not possible in the weld metal(types 310 or 330, for example),submerged arc welding is usuallybest avoided due to hot cracking

Form Diameter, in. Diameter, mm,Electrode in coils, with or 0.045, 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, 7/64 1.2, 1.6, 2.0, 2.4, 2.8

without support 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 1/4 3.2, 4.0, 4.8, 6.4Electrode wound on standard 0.030, 0.035, 0.045, 1/16 0.8, 0.9, 1.2, 1.6

12-in. O.D. spools 5/64, 3/32, 7/64 2.0, 2.4, 2.8Electrodes wound on lightweight 0.020, 0.025, 0.030 0.5, 0.6, 0.81-1/2 and 2-1/2 lb., 4-in O.D. spools 0.035, 0.045 0.9, 1.2

Coated Electrodes9 in. length (230 mm) 1/16, 5/64, 3/32 1.6, 2.0, 2.412 in. length (305 mm) 3/32 2.414 in. length (350 mm) 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 1/4 3.2, 4.0, 4.8, 6.4

TABLE XV — Standard Sizes for Stainless Electrodes

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problems. Welding is generally doneusing direct current, electrodepositive. Alternating current is some -times used for moderate penetrationand good arc stability.

Since deposit composition dependsupon the filler wire composition, anyalloy additions to the flux andchromium oxidation and loss to theslag, flux selection and weldingconditions must be rigorouslycontrolled. Voltage, current andtravel speed variations will influencethe amount of flux melted and theresulting weld deposit compositionand ferrite content.

Conventional austenitic stainless steelelectrodes such as ER308, ER309

and ER316 can be used withconventional stainless steel fluxes forwelding most of the austeniticstainless steels except applicationswhere Ferrite Number must be lessthan 4.

If base metal strength must beattained in martensitic or precipitationhardening stainless steels, specialprocedures and fluxes must be usedwith the correct filler metal to providea weld deposit which will respond topostweld heat treatment. If specialfluxes are not used, the weld metalprobably will not respond to heattreatment. This is particularly true foraluminum-bearing electrodes wherealuminum is lost through metal-slag

reactions. The stainless fluxmanufacturers should be consultedfor recommendation on fluxes andwelding procedures.

9.3GAS METAL ARC WELDING

If the production application involveslong joints in relatively thick materialor a large number of parts, theGMAW process with solid or metalcored wire may be the best choice.

Solid or metal cored wire will providethe fastest deposition rates with the

WELDING TECHNIQUES FOR SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDINGUse a short arc without touching the puddle. This minimizes alloy loss in the arc and reduces porosityand spatter. Red Baron and Blue Max electrodes can be dragged.

Weld with a low current consistent with good fusion to minimize heat input for distortion control. Thelow current also reduces penetration when minimum admixture is needed for corrosion resistance andcracking or porosity resistance.

Stringer beads minimize heat input to control distortion. If weave beads must be used, limit the weaveto 21/2 times the electrode diameter.

Flat beads with good wash-in are needed for easy slag removal, particularly in deep groove welds.

Fill craters by holding a short arc and moving back over the finished bead before breaking the arc. Thisavoids crater cracks.

Clean each bead thoroughly before welding over it. Because the slag from lime coated StainweldXXX-15 electrodes crumbles, particular care is needed to remove all particles.

For vertical and overhead positions, weld with 5/32” (4.0mm) or smaller electrodes. The easiest to usevertical-up are Stainweld XXX-15 electrodes. Blue Max electrodes require the widest weave forvertical-up. Vertical-down welding is best accomplished with Red Baron -V electrodes.

For vertical-down welding with Red Baron-V electrodes, use a dragging technique and current towardsthe high end of the recommended range. For vertical-up, Stainweld XXX-15 can be run without weave.All others require a weave – a triangle weave or inverted Vee weave works well.

In the overhead position, Red Baron and Blue Max electrodes work best by a dragging technique.Stainweld electrodes work best with a short arc and slight circular motion during steady forward motion.

Penetration should be only enough to seal openings in root passes and bond to the base plates. Deeppenetration can cause cracking and loss of corrosion resistance and provides no advantages.

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GMAW process but wire feedingequipment, power supplies and therequirement for inert gas shieldingadd to the cost of using these fillers.However, there is little need toremove slag between passes. Solidand metal cored wire can be used inshortcircuiting, globular and spraymodes of arc operation which givesa wide range of deposition rates andheat input levels. Solid and metalcored wire can therefore be used forwelding a wide range of thicknesses.

Gas metal arc welding with spraytransfer is used to join sectionsthicker than about 0.25 inchbecause deposition rates are higherthan with other transfer modes.Welding pro ce dures are simular forconventional austenitic and PHstainless steels.

The shielding gas is generally argonwith 1 to 2 percent oxygen added forarc stability. Mixtures of argon andhelium are employed if a hotter arc isdesired. A small oxygen additioncan be added to provide a stablearc, but some aluminum or titaniumcan be lost from certain PH fillermetals during transfer across the arcas a result of oxidation. Response ofthe weld metal to heat treatmentmight be less because of this action.

For flat position welding, spraytransfer is usually preferred. Forother welding positions,shortcircuiting transfer is often usedwith helium-rich gas such as 90%He 7.5% A -2.5% CO2 or pulsedspray transfer can be employed

using argon or an argon-heliummixture with a small addition ofoxygen or carbon dioxide.

9.4FLUX-CORED ARC WELDING

Flux cored wire uses basically thesame wire feed equipment andpower supply as solid and metalcore wire. Wires can be designedfor use with gas shielding (AWSClasses EXXXTX-1 or EXXXTX-4) orwithout gas shielding (AWS ClassesEXXXTO-3). The “-1” indicates CO2shielding gas, while the “-4”indicates 75% Argon - 25% CO2shielding gas. Although carbondioxide gas shield ing is notrecommended for gas metal arcwelding, it is com mon ly used withflux cored arc welding because theslag protects the metal from carbonpickup. Use of EXXXTO-3 with gaswill result in high ferrite. Use ofEXXXTX-1 or EXXXTX-4 without gaswill result in little or no ferrite andpossibly porosity. Solid wire, metalcore and flux core wire have anadvantage over coated electrodes bytheir continuous nature in that it isnot necessary to stop welding tochange electrodes.

Electrode Size Recommended Current (Amp)mm. inch. E3XX-15 Electrodes E3XX-16 Electrodes E3XX-17 Electrodes2.4 3/32 30 - 70 30 - 65 40 - 803.2 1/8 45 - 95 55 - 95 80 - 1154.0 5/32 75 - 130 80 - 135 100 - 1504.8 3/16 95 - 165 120 - 185 130 - 2006.4 1/4 150 - 225 200 - 275 Consult Manufacturer

Optimum current for flat position isabout 10% below maximum;optimum for vertical-up welding,about 20% below maximum;

optimum for vertical-down welding,about maximum.

Optimum current for flat position isabout 10% below maximum; ACrange is about 10% higher.

Optimum current for flat position isabout 10% below maximum.

TABLE XVI — Recommended Current Ranges For Austenitic Stainless Steel Electrodes (DCEP)

9.5GAS TUNGSTEN ARCWELDING

Manual and automatic gas tungstenarc welding (GTAW) processes arefrequently used for joining con ven -tional and PH stainless steels,particularly in thicknesses up toabout 0.25 inch.

Normally direct current, electrodenegative is used with a power supplyhaving drooping volt-amperagecharacteristic. However, alternatingcurrent is sometimes used to weldthose steels containing aluminum totake advantage of the arc cleaningaction.

10.0PROCEDURES FORWELDING STAINLESSSTEELS

Once a joint design has beenestablished and a welding processand filler material have beenselected, a welding procedure maybe developed. For any process, it isimportant that joint edges and fillermaterial be clean and free of anyoxide, organic material or other con -tam ination. Thermal cut edges mustbe cleaned to remove oxide film.Rough machined surfaces on jointedge preparation should be avoid ed to

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prevent entrapment of contaminants.

Heat input for arc welding stainlesssteels should be minimized tominimize distortion and to minimizethe possibility of sensitization of theheat affected zone. This is partic -ularly important for standard,nonstabilized austenitic stainlesssteels.

10.1WELDING WITH THESHIELDED METAL ARCPROCESS

All stainless steel shielded metal arcelectrode coverings must be pro -tected from moisture pickup.Normally, electrodes packaged inhermetically sealed containers canbe stored for several years withoutdeteriorating. However, after thecontainer is opened, the coatingbegins to absorb moisture and,depending on the ambient air con di -tion, may need to be reconditionedafter only four hours of exposure,otherwise porosity may result,especially at arc starts.

Usually, redrying at 500 to 600°F(260 to 316°C) for 1 hour restoresthe electrode to its original condition,and storing in a holding oven at300°F (149°C) is satisfactory. Due todifferences in materials andprocessing, the supplier should beconsulted if large amounts ofelectrodes are involved.

DC electrodes (EXXX-15) operate onDC only, have good penetration,produce fillets with a slightly convexprofile, and are recommended for:

• Vertical and overhead welding andall position applications such aspipe. The slag has a fast freezecharacteristic.

• Root passes on heavy plate. Thelarger throat section of the convexbead helps prevent cracking.

• Austenitic stainless welds thatcannot contain any ferrite.

AC-DC electrodes (EXXX-16 andEXXX-17) are always used on DCwhen this type of power is available.The fillet profile is flat (EXXX-16) toslightly concave (EXXX-17), the weldsurface is smoother and the penetra -tion is less than with EXXX-15 (DConly) electrodes. The larger amountof slag requires more care to avoidslag inclusions. These electrodes arerecommended for horizontal filletsand for all flat position welding.EXXX-16 electrodes are also used inall positions by skilled welders.EXXX-17 electrodes can also be usedin all positions, but a wider weave isgenerally necessary in the vertical-upposition than is necessary for EXXX-16 electrodes.

Cleaning: For high quality welds,joints must be clean and dry. Thechoice of power brushing,degreasing, pickling, grinding ormerely wiping depends upon thekind and amount of dirt. Somespecific recommendations are:

1. Remove moisture by heating or byblowing with dry air (beware ofmoisture in the air line). Moisturecan collect on a weldment over -night in high humidity conditions.

2. Eliminate organic contaminantssuch as paints, antispatter com -pounds, grease pencil marks,cutting compounds, adhesivefrom protective paper and soapused for leak testing.

3. Flame beveling and machiningmay leave contaminants or oxidefilms that must be removed.

4. Avoid zinc contamination frombrushes or tools that have beenused on galvanized steel. Zinccontamination causes cracking.Use only stainless steel wirebrushes that have been used onlyon stainless steel.

5. Avoid copper contamination fromrubbing stainless over copperhold-down fixtures, etc. Coppercontamination causes cracking.

Welding Techniques: Welding withstainless steel electrodes requirestechniques similar to those used formild steel low hydrogen electrodes.Use a short arc, but keep the coatingfrom touching the puddle. Certainelectrodes are designed to bedragged on the base metal in down -hand and horizontal welding. Flatbeads with good wash-in promoteeasy slag removal in deep grooves.Fill each crater before breaking thearc to avoid crater cracks. Clean theslag thoroughly from the finish of thebead before starting another elec -trode, and clean the complete weldbefore started the next pass. Ondeep groove butt joints, the root passshould penetrate only enough to fuseto both plates and seal the opening.More penetration may cause cracks.

For vertical and overhead positionsnever use an electrode larger than5/32". The DC electrodes (EXXX-15)are preferred, but the AC-DCelectrodes (EXXX-16) can be used forwelding vertical up (using DC). Onthick plate, use the triangular weaveor inverted Vee technique, weldingvertical up. On thin plate, use smallbeads, vertical down.

The EXXX-17 AC-DC electrodes aremore difficult to use vertical up thanthe EXXX-16 electrodes. A widerweave is generally necessary.

Welding techniques can help controldistortion. Weld with low current con -sistent with sufficient penetration toreduce the heat input to the work(Table XVI). Use stringer beads at ahigher speed rather than wide beadsat a slower speed. If weave beadsmust be made, limit the weave to 2-1/2 times the electrode diameter.

Other means to control distortion are:

• Use rigid fixtures to hold parts inalignment.

• Use chill bars near the weld andbacking bars under the weld.Rapid cooling of austeniticstainless steels is beneficial ratherthan harmful. If copper is used asthe chill bar material, care must beexercised to prevent copper grainboundary penetration where the

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heat affected zone temperatureexceeds the melting temperatureof copper. This can be preventedby applying a thin nickel plate tothe copper.

• Plan the sequence of welding,using the same techniques as withmild steel such as skip weldingand back step welding.

Joining Stainless and OtherSteels: In some applications,stainless steel weld metal is appliedto mild steel: for example, lining mildsteel vessels or containers withstainless steel. For suchapplications, stainless electrodeswith higher alloy content are used sothe admixture of the mild steel intothe stainless weld deposit does notform an unsatisfactory alloy.When stainless steel is joined to mildsteel, the mild steel is often“buttered” with stainless steel. Thistechnique consists of depositing alayer of stainless on the surface ofthe mild steel, then completing thejoint with stainless electrode, asillustrated in Figure 5. The electrodecommonly used for buttering isE309. This technique is also usedfor joining hard-to-weld or high car -bon steels that cannot be preheated.

E308 electrode is used for joiningaustenitic manganese steel to carbonsteel or to manganese steel. How -ever, for the components that mustbe replaced periodically, such asdipper teeth, a manganese steelelectrode is recommended becausethe stainless weld is more difficult totorch cut.

Power Sources: The open circuitvoltage of light duty AC transformerwelders may not be high enough forlarger diameters of EXXX-16electrodes; otherwise, the samepower sources used with steelelectrodes are satisfactory forstainless electrodes.

Parameters and procedures forwelding stainless steel in thicknessesfrom 18 gauge to 1/2 inch are givenin Figures 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Theseshow joint designs and backup barsfor butt, tee, lap and 90 degree edgejoints.

10.2WELDING WITH THE SUBMERGED ARCPROCESS

The submerged arc process isapplicable to the welding of stainlesssteels where the higher heat inputand slower solidification are tolerable.With submerged arc welding,depend ing upon the flux chosen, thesilicon content may be much higherthan with other processes, a factorthat may promote hot shortness orfis sur ing when ferrite is less than4FN.

The submerged arc process is notrecommended where a weld depositis needed that is fully austenitic or iscontrolled to a low ferrite content(below 4FN). However, high qualitywelds may be produced for appli ca -tions in which more than 4FN in welddeposits is allowable. Figure 11shows the type of butt joint designsthat can be used for submerged arcwelding.

Good quality single pass welds up to5/16 inch thick can be made usingthe square groove butt joint, Figure11 (a), without root opening and withsuitable backing. Two pass weldsup to 5/8 inch thick are also madewithout root opening. It is essentialon two pass welds, however, that theedges be closely butted since weld

backing is not used. The advantageof this joint design is that it requires aminimum of edge preparation, yetproduces welds of good qualityhaving adequate penetration.

Single V-groove welds with a rootface, Figure 11 (b), are used withnonfusible backing for single passbutt welds of 5/16 inch thickness orgreater. For most industrialapplications, the maximum thicknessis of the order of 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch.Root face dimensions are 1/8 to 3/16inch. This joint is also used for twopass welds without backing whereplate thickness exceeds 5/8 inch.The first pass is made in the V of thejoint, Figure 11 (b). The work isthen turned over and the first passbecomes the backing pass. In thisposition, the finishing pass is madeon the flat side of the joint penetrat -ing into the root of the first pass. Theroot face is approximately 3/8 inch fortwo pass welds.

The double V-groove butt, Figure 11(d), is the basic joint design forsubmerged arc welding. A large root face is generally used with thisdesign. Figure 12 shows a typicaldouble V-groove weld in 3/4 inch304 plate and describes the weldingsequence.

A single U-groove butt joint design,Figure 11 (f), is also commonlyused. A small manually producedbacking weld is often made from thereverse side of the joint. It is usuallydesirable to fill the U-groove with 2passes per layer as soon as possibleafter the root pass. Slag removalfrom a submerged arc weld passtieing in to both sides of the groovecan be very difficult.

For stainless steel welding, DCpower is mostly used on thinsections. Either AC or DC may beused on heavier pieces but DC ispreferred. Currents used are about80% of those used for carbon steel.Single pass techniques usually resultin dilution levels of 40% to 60%.This may be decreased by usingmultipass welds.

FIGURE 5 — Buttering technique for joiningmild steel to stainless steel.

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Submerged arc welding creates alarge volume of molten metal thatremains fluid for appreciable time. Itis essential that this molten metal besupported and contained until it hassolidified. The two most commonmeans of weld backing arenonfusible backing and fusiblebacking.

Copper backing is the mostfrequently used nonfusible backing inthe welding of stainless steel. Whencopper is used as a chill bar, caremust be taken to prevent coppergrain boundary penetration. Recom -mended groove dimensions areshown in Figure 13. Ceramic

backing tapes are also sometimesused.

With a fusible metallic backing, theweld penetrates into and fuses withthe stainless backing, which eithertemporarily or permanently becomesan integral part of the assembly.

Most submerged arc welding is donein the flat position. This results in thebest bead contour and ease ofoperation. Occasionally, welding isdone on circumferential seams.Figure 14 illustrates the effect ofvarious inclinations.

Submerged arc fluxes are availableas proprietary materials for weldingstainless steel. Composition of

materials fall into two categories –fused type and bonded type. Thefused type is glasslike and isproduced by melting the ingredientsat high temperatures followed bycrushing to granulate the flux. Thebonded or agglomerated type isproduced by mixing the ingredientswith a suitable binder and bakingthe mixture. Lincoln manufacturesonly bonded fluxes.

Alloying elements can be added tothe weld deposit through somebonded fluxes. These includechromium, nickel, molybdenum andniobium (columbium). If alloyingadditions to the flux are not made,

Welding Position: Flat

Weld Quality Level: Code

Steel Weldability: Good

Plate Thickness in. 0.050 (18 ga) 0.078 (14 ga) 0.140 (10 ga) 3/16 1/4 3/8 1/2

Plate Thickness mm. 1.3 2.0 3.6 4.8 6.4 9.5 12.7

Pass 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2-3 1 2-5

Electrode Class E3XX-16 E3XX-16 E3XX-16 E3XX-16 E3XX-16 E3XX-16 E3XX-16

Electrode Size in. 5/64 3/32 1/8 5/32 5/32 3/16 5/32 3/16 5/32 3/16

Electrode Size mm. 2.0 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.0 4.8 4.0 4.8 4.0 4.8

Current (amp) DC (+) 40* 60 85 125 125 160 125 160 125 160

Arc Speed (in./min.) 14 -16 11.5 - 12.5 8.5 - 9.5 6.7 - 7.3 5.7-6.3 7.6-8.4 5.7-6.3 5.7-6.3 5.7-6.3 5.7-6.3

Arc Speed mm/sec 5.9 - 6.8 4.9 - 5.3 3.6 -4.0 2.8 - 3.1 2.4-2.7 3.2-3.6 2.4-2.7 2.4-2.7 2.4-2.7 2.4-2.7

Electrode Req’d (lb./ft.) 0.020 0.038 0.080 0.150 0.340 0.650 1.06

Electrode Req’d kg/m 0.030 0.057 0.119 0.223 0.506 0.968 1.579

Total Time (hr./ft. of weld) 0.0133 0.0167 0.0222 0.0286 0.0583 0.100 0.167

Total Time hrs./m of weld 0.0436 0.0548 0.0728 0.0938 0.1913 0.3281 0.5479

Gap (in.) 0 1/32 1/32 1/16 3/32 3/32 3/32

Gap mm 0 0.8 0.8 1.6 2.4 2.4 2.4

Root Face (in.) 0 0 0 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16

Root Face mm 0 0 0 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6

*Use DC (–)

Note: AC can be used with 10% increase in current. E3XX-15 electrode can be used with a 10% decrease in current.

FIGURE 6 — Suggested procedures for SMAW of butt joints in austenitic stainless steel from 18 (1.3 mm) gaugeto 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) thickness in the flat position.

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Welding Position: Verticaland Overhead

Weld Quality Level: CodeSteel Weldability: Good

Plate Thickness (in.) 0.078 (14 ga)* 0.140 (10 ga) 3/16 1/4Plate Thickness mm. 2.0 3.6 4.8 6.4Pass 1 1 1 1 2Electrode Class E3XX-15 E3XX-15 E3XX-15 E3XX-15Electrode Size in. 3/32 1/8 5/32 5/32Electrode Size mm. 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.0Current (amp) DC(+) 50 75 110 110Arc Speed (in./min.) 14 - 16 6.7 - 7.3 5.2 - 5.8 5.2 - 5.8 4.3 - 4.7Arc Speed mm/sec. 5.9 - 6.8 2.8 - 3.1 2.2 - 2.5 2.2 - 2.5 1.8 - 2.0Electrode Req’d (lb./ft.) 0.030 0.091 0.160 0.370Electrode Req’d kg/m. 0.045 0.136 0.238 0.551Total Time (hr./ft. of weld) 0.0133 0.0286 0.0364 0.0808Total Time hrs./m of weld 0.0436 0.0938 0.1194 0.2651Gap (in.) 0 0 1/16 3/32Gap mm. 0 0 1.6 2.4Root face (in.) 0 0 1/16 1/16Root face mm. 0 0 1.6 1.6*Vertical down, all others vertical up.

FIGURE 7 — Suggested procedures for SMAW of butt joints in austenitic stainless steel 14 gauge (2.0mm) to1/4 inch (6.4mm) thickness in the vertical and overhead positions.

Welding Position: Flat orHorizontal*

Weld Quality Level: CodeSteel Weldability: Good

Weld Size (in.) 3/32 1/8 3/16 1/4 5/16Weld Size mm. 2.4 3.2 4.8 6.4 7.9Plate Thickness (in.) 0.078 (14 ga) 0.140 (10 ga) 3/16 1/4 3/8Plate Thickness mm. 2.0 3.6 4.8 6.4 9.5Pass 1 1 1 1 1 2Electrode Class E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17Electrode Size in. 3/32 1/8 5/32 3/16 3/16Electrode Size mm. 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.8 4.8Current (amp) DC(+) 60 85 120 160 170Arc Speed (in./min.) 12.5 - 13.5 12.5 - 3.5 8.6 - 9.4 6.2 - 6.8 6.2 - 6.8 6.7 - 7.3Arc Speed mm/sec. 5.3 - 5.7 5.3 - 5.7 3.6 - 4.0 2.6 - 2.9 2.6 - 2.9 2.8 - 3.1Electrode Req’d (lb/ft) 0.036 0.056 0.120 0.220 0.430Electrode Req’d kg/m. 0.054 0.083 0.178 0.328 0.640Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.0154 0.0154 0.0222 0.0308 0.0594Total Time hrs/m of weld 0.051 0.051 0.073 0.101 0.195* For vertical and overhead use same procedures as for vertical and overhead butt welds.Note: AC can be used with a 10% increase in current. E3XX-15 electrode can be used with a 10% decrease in current.

FIGURE 8 — Suggested procedures for SMAW of fillet joints in austenitic stainless steel from 14 gauge (2.0mm)to 3/8 inch (9.5mm) thickness in the flat or horizontal positions.

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Welding Position: Flat Weld Quality Level: CodeSteel Weldability: Good

Plate Thickness (in.) 0.078 (14 ga) 0.140 (10 ga) 3/16 1/4 3/8Plate Thickness mm. 2.0 3.6 4.8 6.4 9.5Pass 1 1 1 1 1 2Electrode Class E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17Electrode Size in. 3/32 1/8 5/32 3/16 3/16Electrode Size mm. 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.8 4.8Current (amp) DC(+) 60 85 125 160 160 175Arc Speed (in./min.) 14 - 16 12.5 - 13.5 10.5 - 11.5 6.2 - 6.8 6.2 - 6.8 5.7 - 6.3Arc Speed mm/sec. 5.9 -6.8 5.3 - 5.7 4.4 - 4.9 2.6 - 2.9 2.6 - 2.9 2.4 - 2.7Electrode Req’d (lb/ft) 0.028 0.056 0.094 0.22 0.45Electrode Req’d kg/m. 0.042 0.083 0.140 0.33 0.67Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.0133 0.0154 0.0182 0.0308 0.0641Total Time hrs/m of weld 0.0436 0.0505 0.0597 0.101 0.210T (in.) 0.04 1/32 3/64 1/16 0T mm. 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.6 0AC can be used with a 10% increase in current. E3XX-15 electrode can be used with a 10% decrease in current.

Figure 10 — Suggested procedures for SMAW of corner joints in austenitic stainless steel from 14 gauge (2.0mm) to 3/8 inch (9.5mm) thickness in the flat position.

Welding Position: Horizontal

Weld Quality Level: CodeSteel Weldability: Good

Plate Thickness (in.) 0.078 (14 ga) 0.140 (10 ga) 3/16 1/4 3/8Plate Thickness mm. 2.0 3.6 4.8 6.4 9.5Pass 1 1 1 1 1 2Electrode Class E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17 E3XX-16, E3XX-17Electrode Size in. 3/32 1/8 5/32 3/16 3/16Electrode Size mm. 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.8 4.8Current (amp) DC(+) 60 90 125 170 175Arc Speed (in./min.) 12.5 - 13.5 12.5 - 13.5 8.6 - 9.4 6.2 - 6.8 6.2 - 6.8 6.7 - 7.3Arc Speed mm/sec. 5.3 - 5.7 5.3 - 5.7 3.6 - 4.0 2.6 - 2.9 2.6 - 2.9 2.8 - 3.1Electrode Req’d (lb/ft) 0.036 0.056 0.130 0.240 0.460Electrode Req’d kg/m. 0.054 0.083 0.194 0.357 0.685Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.0154 0.0154 0.0222 0.0308 0.0594Total Time hrs/m of weld 0.051 0.051 0.073 0.101 0.195The notes to fillet weld procedure also apply here.

FIGURE 9 — Suggested procedures for SMAW of lap joints in austenitic stainless steel from 14 gauge (2.0mm) to 3/8 inch (9.5mm) thickness in the horizontal position.

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FIGURE 11 — Butt joint designs for submerged-arc welding.

FIGURE 12 — A typical double-V weld in Type 304 plate. Pass 1 was made at 700 amp, 33 volts, 16 ipm (6.8mm/sec); pass 2 at 950 amp, 35 volts, 12 ipm (5.1mm/sec). The power was DCRP;

electrode 3/16-in. (4.8mm). Type 308; neutral flux.

FIGURE 13 — Recommended groove dimensions for copper backing bars in the submerged arc welding of stainless steels.

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the flux is called “neutral.” The termneutral is only relative in that the alloycontent of the weld is still altered bythe flux. Lincoln flux ST-100 is analloy flux for use with solid stainlesssteel electrodes. It containschromium which helps compensatefor chromium in the electrode that isoxidized in the arc and therefore notrecovered in the weld deposit.Lincoln fluxes 801, 802, 880, 880M,882, and Blue Max 2000 are neutralfluxes designed for welding with solidstainless steel electrodes. WithNb(Cb) – bearing stainless filler metal(such as ER347), slag removal isoften best with Blue Max 2000 or802 fluxes. Lincoln flux 860 is aneutral flux that can be used with308L electrode for applicationsrequiring a lower ferrite number. Itshould be noted that this combina -tion will produce a tighter slag withsurface slag sticking. Lincoln MIL-800H flux can be used with ER308Lfiller metal to produce a 308H (0.04-0.08%C) deposit.

The composition ranges listed inAWS A5.9 are broad. Since com -position profoundly affects weldquality and serviceability, thecomplete range of variations cannotalways be tolerated in the deposit.To maintain control, the weldingtechnique, alloy content of the flux orother appropriate changes should bemade to compensate for variations infiller metal composition.

The several methods of starting theweld that are commonly in useinclude:

Scratch Start — In a scratch start,the wire is fed toward the work andthe carriage travel is also started.When the wire touches the work, itwill not fuse to the workpiecebecause of the relative motion of thecarriage. This type of starting is alsocalled a “flying start.”

Retract Starting — The wire is“inched” toward the work andcovered with flux. When the weld isstarted, the wire retracts momentarilyand then reverses to feed forward.This method is not recommended forlight gauge stainless steel.

Once the arc is initiated, it isimportant to monitor the variousparameters. Welding current is themost influential variable. Next inimpor tance is welding voltage.Weld ing speed changes conform toa pattern; if the speed is increased,there is less weld reinforcement; ifdecreased, there is more weld rein -forcement. In addition, weld speedcan affect depth of penetration.

Cladding with Submerged Arc —SAW is normally a high dilutionprocess, which is undesirable forcladding. A procedure that workswell, however, is to change from thenormal DC electrode positive polarity

to DC electrode negative polarity,and to limit the wire feed speed tothe low end of the normal range –e.g., 60 ipm wire feed for 1/8"electrode, or 80 ipm for 3/32"electrode.

10.3WELDING WITH THE GASMETAL ARC PROCESS

Stainless steels may be welded bythe gas metal arc process, usingeither spray arc, shortcircuiting orpulsed arc transfer.

Copper backup strips are necessaryfor welding stainless steel sectionsup to 1/16 inch thick. Backup is alsoneeded when welding 1/4 inch andthicker plate from one side only.

No air must be permitted to reachthe underside of the weld while theweld puddle is solidifying.

Oxygen picked up by the moltenmetal may reduce the corrosionresistance and ductility of thestainless steel as it cools. To preventthis, the underside of the weldshould be shielded by an inert gassuch as argon. The shielding gassource can be built into the fixture.

Electrode diameters as large as 3/32inch, but usually less than 1/16 inch,are used with relatively high currentsto create the spray arc transfer. Acurrent of approximately 300-350

FIGURE 14 — (a) Contour of a weld bead in the flat position with the work horizontal; (b) welding slightly uphill;(c) welding slightly downhill.

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amperes is required for a 1/16"electrode, depending on the shield -ing gas and type of stainless wirebeing used. The degree of spatter isdependent upon the compositionand flow rate of the shielding gas,wire feed speed and the characteris -tics of the welding power supply.DCEP is used for most stainless steelGMA welding and an argon 1 or2%-oxygen gas mixture is recom -mend ed. Suggested procedures forGMA welding 200 and 300 seriesstainless steels in the spray transfermode are given in Figure 15.

On square butt welds, a backup stripshould be used to prevent weldmetal drop-through. When fitup ispoor or copper backing cannot beused, drop-through may beminimized by shortcircuiting transferwelding the first pass.

When welding with the semiauto -matic gun, forehand (“pushing”)techniques are beneficial. Althoughthe operator’s hand is exposed tomore radiated heat, better visibility isobtained.

For welding plate 1/4 inch andthicker, the gun should be movedback and forth in the direction of thejoint and at the same time movedslightly from side to side. On thinnermetal, however, only back and forthmotion along the joint is used. Themore economical shortcircuitingtrans fer process for thinner materialshould be employed in the overheadand horizontal position for at leastthe root and first passes. Althoughsome operators use a short diggingspray arc to control the puddle, theweld may be abnormally porous.

Power supply units with slope,voltage and inductance controls arerecommended for the welding ofstainless steel with shortcircuitingtransfer. Inductance, in particular,plays an important part in obtainingproper puddle fluidity.

The shielding gas often recommend -ed for shortcircuiting welding ofstainless steel contains 90% helium,7.5% argon and 2.5% carbondioxide. The gas gives the mostdesirable bead contour while keeping

the CO2 level low enough so that isdoes not influence the corrosionresistance of the metal. Highinductance in the power supplyoutput is beneficial when using thisgas mixture.

Single pass welds may also be madeusing argon-oxygen and argon-CO2gas mixes. However, arc voltage forsteady shortcircuiting transfer may beas much as 6 volts lower than for thehelium based gas. The colder arcmay lead to lack of fusion defects.The CO2 in the shielding gas willaffect the corrosion resistance ofmultipass welds made withshortcircuiting transfer due to carbonpickup.

Wire extension or stickout should bekept as short as possible. Backhandwelding is usually easier on filletwelds and will result in a neater weld.Forehand welding should be used forbutt welds. Outside corner weldsmay be made with a straight motion.

A slight backward and forwardmotion along the axis of the joint

Gas-Argon + 1% Oxygen.Gas flow 35 cfh.(16.5L/min.)

Plate Thickness (in.) 1/8 1/4 3/8 1/2Plate Thickness mm. 3.2 6.4 9.5 12.7Electrode Size in. 1/16 1/16 1/16 3/32Electrode Size mm. 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.4Pass 1 2 2 4Current DC(+) 225 275 300 325Wire Feed Speed (ipm) 140 175 200 225Wire Feed Speed mm/sec. 60 74 85 95Arc Speed (ipm) 19 - 21 19 - 21 15 - 17 15 - 17Arc Speed mm/sec. 8.0 - 8.9 8.0 - 8.9 6.3 - 7.2 6.3 - 7.2Electrode Required (lb/ft) 0.075 0.189 0.272 0.495Electrode Required kg./m 0.112 0.282 0.405 0.737Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.010 0.020 0.025 0.050Total Time hr/m of weld. 0.033 0.066 0.082 0.164

FIGURE 15 — Suggested procedures for GMAW of butt joints in 200 and 300 series stainless steels using the spray arc transfer mode.

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Gasflow 15 to 20 cfh(7.1 - 9.4 L/min.)Helium, + 7-1/2% Argon,+2-1/2% C02Electrode 0.030 in. (0.8mm) dia.

Plate Thickness (in.) 0.063 0.078 0.093 0.125 0.063 0.078*Plate Thickness mm. 1.6 2.0 2.4 3.2 1.6 2.0Electrode Size in. 0.030 0.030 0.030 0.030 0.030 0.030Electrode Size mm. 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8Current DC(+) 85 90 105 125 85 90Voltage* 21 - 22 21 - 22 21 - 22 21 - 22 21 - 22 21 - 22Wire Feed Speed (ipm) 184 192 232 280 184 192Wire Feed Speed mm/sec. 78 81 98 119 78 81Welding Speed (ipm) 17 -19 13 - 15 14 - 16 14 - 16 19 - 21 11.5 - 12.5Welding Speed mm/sec. 7.2 - 8.0 5.5 - 6.3 5.9 - 6.8 5.9 - 6.8 8.0 - 8.9 4.9 - 5.3Electrode Required (lb/ft) 0.025 0.034 0.039 0.046 0.023 0.039Electrode Required kg/m 0.037 0.051 0.058 0.069 0.034 0.058Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.0111 0.0143 0.0133 0.0133 0.0100 0.0167Total Time hr/m of weld 0.0364 0.0469 0.0436 0.0436 0.0328 0.0548

FIGURE 16 — Suggested procedures for GMAW of butt joints and lap joints in 200 and 300 series stainless steels using the short circuiting transfer mode.

FIGURE 17 — Schematic of the hot-wire system for the automatic TIG welding of stainless steels.

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Plate Thickness (in.) 1/16 3/32 1/8 3/16 1/4 1/2mm. 1.6 2.4 3.2 4.8 6.4 12.7

Current DC(–) 80 - 100 100 - 120 120 - 140 200 - 250 200 - 350 225 - 375Electrode Diameter (in.) 1/16 1/16 1/16 3/32 1/8 1/8

mm. 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.4 3.2 3.2Gas Flow, Argon (cfh) 10 10 10 15 20 25

L/min.. 4.7 4.7 4.7 7.1 9.4 11.8Filler-Rod Diameter (in.) 1/16 1/16 3/32 1/8 1/8 1/8

mm. 1.6 1.6 2.4 3.2 3.2 3.2Arc Speed (ipm) 12 12 12 10 8 8

mm/sec 5.1 5.1 5.1 4.2 3.4 3.4Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.0167 0.0167 0.0167 0.0200 0.0250 0.0250

hr/m. of weld 0.0548 0.0548 0.0548 0.0656 0.0820 0.0820

FIGURE 18 — Suggested procedures for GTAW of butt, corner, tee and lap joints in stainless steels.

Plate Thickness, T (in.) 1/16 3/32 1/8 3/16 1/4 1/2mm. 1.6 2.4 3.2 4.8 6.4 12.7

Current DC(–) 90 - 110 110 - 130 130 - 150 225 - 275 225 - 350 225 - 375Electrode Diameter (in.) 1/16 1/16 1/16 3/32 1/8 1/8

mm. 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.4 3.2 3.2Gas Flow, Argon (cfh) 10 10 10 15 20 25

L/min.. 4.7 4.7 4.7 7.1 9.4 11.8Filler-Rod Diameter (in.) 1/16 1/16 3/32 1/8 1/8 1/8

mm. 1.6 1.6 2.4 3.2 3.2 3.2Arc Speed (ipm) 10 10 10 8 8 8

mm/sec 4.2 4.2 4.2 3.4 3.4 3.4Total Time (hr/ft of weld) 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 0.0250 0.0250 0.0250

hr/m. of weld 0.0656 0.0656 0.0656 0.0820 0.0820 0.0820For vertical-up and overhead, decrease current 10 to 20%.

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should be used. Figure 16 summa -rizes the welding proceduresnormally used for the shortcircuitingtransfer welding of stainless steel.

Shortcircuiting transfer welds onstainless steel made with a shieldinggas of 90% He, 7-1/2% A, 2-1/2%CO2 show good corrosion resistanceand coalescence. Butt, lap andsingle fillet welds in material rangingfrom .060 inch to .125 inch in 304,310, 316, 321, 347, 410 and similarstainless steels can be madesuccessfully.

The pulsed arc process, as normallyused, is a spray transfer processwherein one small drop of moltenmetal is transferred across the arc foreach high current pulse of weldcurrent. The high current pulse mustbe of sufficient magnitude and dur -ation to cause at least one small dropof molten metal to form and bepropelled by the pinch effect from theend of the wire to the weld puddle.During the low current portion of theweld cycle, the arc is maintained andthe wire is heated, but the heatdeveloped is not adequate to transferany metal. For this reason, the timeduration at the low current valuemust be limited otherwise metalwould be transferred in the globularmode.

Wire diameters of 0.045 and 0.035inch are most commonly used withthis process. Gases for pulsed arcwelding, such as argon plus 1%oxygen are popular, the same asused for spray arc welding. Theseand other wire sizes can be weldedin the spray transfer mode at a loweraverage current with pulsed current

than with continuous weld current.The advantage of this is that thinmaterial can be welded in the spraytransfer mode which produces asmooth weld with less spatter thanthe shortcircuiting transfer mode.Another advantage is that for a givenaverage current, spray transfer canbe obtained with a larger diameterwire than could be obtained withcon tinuous currents. Larger diam eterwires are less costly than smallersizes, and the lower ratio of surfaceto volume reduces the amount ofdeposit contamination.

The electrode diameters for gasmetal arc welding are generallybetween 0.030 and 3/32 inch. Foreach electrode diameter, there is acertain minimum welding current thatmust be exceeded to achieve spraytransfer. For example, when weldingstainless steel in an argon-oxygenatmosphere with 0.045 inch diameterstainless steel electrode, spraytransfer will be obtained at a weldingcurrent of about 220 amp DCRP. Itmust be kept in mind that, along withthe minimum current, a minimum arcvoltage must also be obtained. Thisis generally between 22 and 30 volts.

Electrodes come on spools varying inweight between 2 and 60 lb. Alsoavailable are electrodes for weldingthe straight chromium stainless steelsand austenitic electrodes that containmore than the usual amount ofsilicon. The latter have particularlygood wetting characteristics whenused with the shortcircuiting transferprocess.

Some stainless steel weld metalsduring welding have a tendency to -

ward hot shortness or tearing whenthey contain little or no ferrite – Type347, for example. When weldingthese, more welding passes thanindicated in the procedures may beneeded. Stringer bead techniquesare also recommended rather thanweaving or oscillating from side toside. Hot cracking may be elimi -nated by stringer bead techniquessince there is a reduction in con -traction stresses, hence cooling ismore rapid through the hot shorttemperature range. A procedure thattends to produce a more convexbead than normal can be veryhelpful, and care should be taken tofill craters.

Weld metal hot cracking may bereduced by shortcircuiting transferwelding, because of the lowerdilution from the base metal.Excessive dilution may produce acompletely austenitic weld metalhaving strong crackingcharacteristics.

When welding magnetic stainlesssteels (ferritic and martensitic types)to the relatively nonmagnetic types(austenitic types), it is desirable to:

1. Use a single bevel joint to obtainminimum joint reinforcement.

2. Use low heat input shortcircuitingtransfer to minimize the arc de flec -tion encountered when weldingmagnetic to nonmagnetic steels.

3. For uniform fusion, be sure thewire is kept centered over thenonbeveled edge of the joint.

Parameters and procedures forwelding 200 and 300 series stainless

Wire Size: 1.2mm (0.045 in.)

Shielding Gas: 75% He, 25% A

Electrode: 4.0-4.8mm (5/32-3/16 in.) 2% Th

Arc Arc Travel Speed Wire Speed Feed Deposition Rate

Current Voltage

Amps Volts mm/Sec In/Min. mm/Sec In/Min. Kg/Hr Lbs/Hr

300 10 - 12 1.7 - 4.2 4 - 10 46 - 157 110 - 370 1.4 - 4.5 3 - 10

400 11 - 13 2.5 - 5.9 6 - 14 78 - 188 185 - 445 2.3 - 5.4 5 - 12

500 12 - 15 3.4 - 8.5 8 - 20 125 - 282 295 - 665 3.6 - 8.2 8 - 18

TABLE XVII — Typical Travel Speeds and Deposition Rates with GTAW-Hot Wire

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steels by the GMAW spray arc modeare given in Figure 15. Figure 16gives parameters and procedures forwelding the 200 and 300 seriesstain less steels by the GMAWshortcircuiting mode.

10.4WELDING WITH THE GASTUNGSTEN ARC PROCESS

All stainless steel alloys that areconsidered weldable can be weldedreadily with the gas tungsten arcprocess (GTAW).

The preferred electrodes arethoriated, ceriated, or lanthanatedtungsten as specified in AWS A5.12.The advantage of these electrodes isthat they have a more stable arc andcan be used with higher currentsthan pure tungsten electrodes.

The shielding gas is usually argon,but helium or mixtures of argon andhelium are used on heavy sections.The advantages of argon are thatflow rates can be lower, the arc ismore stable and the arc voltage issomewhat less than with helium.The lower voltage makes it possibleto weld thin sheet without burnthrough.

Filler materials for use with the gastungsten arc process are in the formof solid wire available in coils forautomatic welding or straight lengthsfor manual welding. These arespecified in AWS A5.9 which alsoapplies to filler material for Gas MetalArc and Submerged Arc welding.Consumable inserts, specified inAWS A5.30, are useful for rootpasses with gas tungsten arc.

The DC power source for gastungsten arc welding must be aconstant current type, and it isrecommended that a high frequencyvoltage be superimposed on thewelding circuit. The high frequencyneed be on only to start the arc. Asthe electrode is brought close to thework, the high frequency jumps thegap from the tungsten to the workand ignites the welding arc. Since

the tungsten electrode does notactually touch the work, thepossibility of contaminating the stain -less steel with tungsten is greatlyreduced. Straight polarity (DC-)should be used – which produces adeep, penetrating weld.

A “scratch” start may be used in lieuof a high frequency start, althoughthere is some possibility of tungstenpickup. The arc should not be struckon a carbon block because of thelikelihood of carbon contamination.

Stainless steels are readily weldedwith automatic GTAW. Arc voltage isproportional to arc length – thus areliable signal can be generated tooperate automatic arc voltage controlequipment. Filler metal may be used,or light gauge material may be joinedby simple fusion of the joint edges.When “cold” filler metal is used, it isalways added to the front of thepuddle.

The so called “hot wire” method ofwelding gives greatly increaseddeposition rates and welding speeds.The wire – which trails the torch, asillustrated in Figure 17 – is resistanceheated by a separate AC powersupply. It is fed through a contacttube and extends beyond the tube.The extension is resistance heated sothat it approaches or reaches themelting point before it contacts theweld puddle. Thus, the tungstenelectrode furnishes the heat to meltthe base metal and the AC powersupply furnishes a large portion of theenergy needed to resistance melt thefiller wire. The hot wire method is, ineffect, an adaptation of the longstickout principle used in submergedarc and self-shielded flux cored arcwelding. The wire used for hot wireTIG welding is usually 0.045 inchdiameter. Since the wire is melted. orvery nearly melted by its own powersource, the deposition rate can becontrolled almost independently ofthe arc.

Using the GTA hot wire method,deposition rates up to 18 lb/hr can beachieved when welding at 400 to 500

amp DCEN (Table XVII). Still greaterdeposition rates can be obtainedusing an automatic oscil lated weldingtechnique. Voltage control isessential to achieve control of thelarge puddle when welding at highdeposition rates. For this reason,TIG hot wire welding requires the useof voltage control equipment.

By using closely spaced multipletungsten electrodes, the weldingspeed can also be increased sub -stantially when GTA welding stainlesssteel tubing or sheet. Multiple elec -trodes practically eliminate theproblem of undercutting at highspeeds.

Procedures and parameters for GTAwelding of stainless steel in thick -nesses from 1/16 inch to 1/2 inch(1.6 to 12.7 mm) are given in Figure18. These include butt, corner, teeand lap type joints.

Distortion Control in Austenitic,Precipitation Hardening, andDuplex Ferritic–AusteniticStainless Steels

Austenitic Stainless steels have a50% greater coefficient of expansionand 30% lower heat conductivitythan mild steel. Duplex stainlesssteels are only slightly better.Allowance must be made for thegreater expansion and contractionwhen designing austenitic stainlesssteel structures. More care isrequired to control the greaterdistortion tendencies. Here are somespecific distortion control hints:

Rigid jigs and fixtures hold parts tobe welded in proper alignment.Distortion is minimized by allowingthe weld to cool in the fixture.

Copper chill bars placed close to theweld zone help remove heat andprevent distortion caused byexpansion. Back-up chill bars underthe joint are always recommendedwhen butt welding 14 gauge(2.0mm) and thinner material. Agroove in the bar helps form thebead shape. NOTE: Keep the arcaway from the copper. Copper

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34

contamination of the weld causescracking.

Without fixtures, tack weld the jointevery couple of inches and peen thetacks to remove shrinkage stresses.Finish the joint with a weldingsequence designed to minimizedistortion.

A planned sequence of weldingalways helps control distortion. Thetechniques used in mild steelwelding can be used. Skip weldingand back-step welding arerecommended for light gauge steels.

Low current and stringer beadsreduce distortion by limiting theamount of heat at the weld. Also, donot deposit excessive weld metal. Itseldom adds to the strength of theweld and does increase heat inputand promotes distortion.

If a structure of heavy steel is notrigidly held during welding, manysmall beads will cause more totaldistortion than a few large beads.

Distortion Control in Ferritic andMartensitic Stainless Steels

Since they have heat expansionproperties similar to mild steel, platestructures of ferritic and martensiticstainless steels are designed andwelded with about the samedistortion controls and allowances asmild steel. However, because theyhave lower thermal conductivity thanmild steel, the heat remainsconcentrated in the area of the weld.This causes distortion problems inthin-gauge steel. This distortion canbe controlled with suitable jigs andfixtures, proper joint design and acorrect welding sequence.

Page 37: Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric

35

SOURCES OFADDITIONALINFORMATION

Additional information on the weldingof stainless steels can be obtainedfrom the sources listed below:

The Welding Handbook7th Edition, Volume 4, Chapter 2 –American Welding Society

ANSI/AWS D10.4Recommended Practices forWelding Austenitic Stainless SteelPiping and Tubing – AmericanWelding Society

AWS – A4.2Standard Procedures forCalibrating Magnetic Instrumentsto Measure the Delta FerriteContent of Austenitic and DuplexFerritic-Austenitic Stainless SteelWeld Metal – American WeldingSociety

AWS – A5.4Specification for Stainless SteelElectrodes for Shielded Metal ArcWelding – American WeldingSociety

AWS – A5.9Specification for Bare StainlessSteel Welding Electrodes andRods – American Welding Society

AWS – A5.22Specification Stainless SteelElectrodes for Flux-Cored ArcWelding and Stainless Steel CoredRods for Gas Tungsten ArcWelding – American WeldingSociety

AWS – A5.30Specification for ConsumableInserts – American WeldingSociety

ASM Metals HandbookVolume 6 – Welding and Brazing –8th Edition – ASM International

ASM Metals HandbookVolume 6 – Welding, Brazing andSoldering – 9th Edition – ASMInternational

AWS – FMCFiller Metal Comparison Charts –American Welding Society

Literature from filler metalmanufacturers:

ASM Metals HandbookVolume 1 – Properties andSelection of Metals, 8th Edition –ASM International

ASM Metals HandbookVolume 3 – Properties andSelection of Stainless Steels, ToolMaterials and Special PurposeMetals, 9th Edition – ASMInternational

The Making, Shaping and Treatingof Steel10th Edition, United States SteelCorporation

ANSI – Z49.1Safety in Welding, Cutting andAllied Processes – AmericanWelding Society

Welding Metallurgy of StainlessSteelsby Erich Folkhard, Springer -Verlag, New York

WARNING – HEALTH &SAFETY NOTICE

Protect yourself and others. Readand understand the label providedwith filler material for welding.

FUMES AND GASES can bedangerous to your health. ARC RAYScan injure eyes and burn skin.ELECTRIC SHOCK can kill.

• Read and understand themanufacturer’s instructions andyour employer’s safety practices.

• Keep your head out of the fumes.

• Use enough ventilation, exhaust atthe arc, or both, to keep fumesand gases away from yourbreathing zone and the generalarea.

• Wear correct eye, ear and bodyprotection.

• Do not touch live electrical partsor permit electrically live parts orelectrodes to contact skin or yourclothing or gloves if they are wet.

• Insulate yourself from work andground.

IMPORTANT:

Special ventilation and/or exhaustare required when welding highchromium alloys such as stainlesssteels.

Fumes from the normal use ofstainless steel filler materials containsignificant quantities of chromiumcompounds. The PEL (OSHAPermissible Exposure Limit forchromium VI (0.005 mg/m3) will beexceeded before reaching the 5.0mg/m3 maximum exposure guidelinefor total welding fume.

BEFORE USING, READ ANDUNDERSTAND THE MATERIALSAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS)* FORTHE FILLER MATERIAL TO BEUSED.

• See American National StandardZ49.1, Safety in Welding, Cuttingand Allied Processes, publishedby the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, Florida 33126;OSHA Safety and HealthStandards, 29 CFR 1910,available from the U.S.Government Printing Office,Washington, DC 20402-0001

* Available fromThe Lincoln Electric Company(for Lincoln products) 22801 St. Clair AvenueCleveland, Ohio 44117

Page 38: Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric

36

Lincoln Electric has an extensive standard* line of consumables for welding stainless steels,including:

COATED ELECTRODES FOR SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDINGAWS A5.4

ClassificationBlue Max 308/308L AC-DC E308L-17, E308-17Blue Max 309/309L AC-DC E309L-17, E309-17Blue Max 316/316L AC-DC E316L-17, E316-17Blue Max 347 AC-DC E347-17

Red Baron 308/308H MR E308-16, E308H-16Red Baron 308L MR E308L-16

Red Baron 309/309L MR E309-16, E309L-16Red Baron 310 MR E310-16

Red Baron 316/316L MR E316L-16, E316-16Red Baron 347 MR E347-16

ELECTRODES OPTIMIZED FORVERTICAL DOWN WELDING

AWS A5.4Classification

Red Baron 308/308L-V MR E308-15, E308L-15Red Baron 309/309L-V MR E309-15, E309L-15Red Baron 316/316L-V MR E316-15, E316L-15

SOLID WIRES FORSUBMERGED ARC WELDING

AWS A5.9Classification

Blue Max S308/308L ER308, ER308LBlue Max S309/309L ER309, ER309LBlue Max S316/316L ER316, ER316L

SOLID WIRES FOR GAS METAL ARCWELDING AND GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING

AWS A5.9Classification

Blue Max MIG 308LSi ER308LSi, ER308SiBlue Max MIG 309LSi ER309LSi, ER309SiBlue Max MIG 316LSi ER316LSi, ER316Si

METAL CORED WIRE FORGAS METAL ARC WELDING

AWS A5.9Classification

OUTERSHIELD MC 409 EC409OUTERSHIELD MC 409W EC409

FLUXES FOR SUBMERGED ARC WELDING

(No AWS classification is applicable.)

Lincolnweld MIL 800Lincolnweld 801Lincolnweld 802Lincolnweld 860Lincolnweld 880Lincolnweld 880MLincolnweld 882Lincolnweld ST-100Blue Max 2000

FLUXES FOR STRIP CLADDING

(No AWS Classification is applicable.)

Blue Max 3000 (for submerged arc)Blue Max 4000 (for electroslag)

FLUX CORED WIRES FORCO2 OR 75Ar-25CO2 WELDING

BLUE MAX FC308L BLUE MAX FCP309LBLUE MAX FC309L BLUE MAX FCP316LBLUE MAX FC316L

* Many other compositions are available onspecial order. Contact your Lincoln ElectricRepresentative.

CUT LENGTHS FOR MANUAL GASTUNGSTEN ARC WELDING

AWS A5.9Lincoln Classification

ER308/308L ER308, ER308LER309/309L ER309, ER309LER316/316L ER316, ER316L

Page 39: Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric

37

Customer Assistance Policy

The business of The Lincoln Electric Company is manufacturing and selling high quality welding equipment, consumables,and cutting equipment. Our challenge is to meet the needs of our customers and to exceed their expectations. Onoccasion, purchasers may ask Lincoln Electric for advice or information about their use of our products. We respond to ourcustomers based on the best information in our possession at that time. Lincoln Electric is not in a position to warrant orguarantee such advice, and assumes no liability, with respect to such information or advice. We expressly disclaim anywarranty of any kind, including any warranty of fitness for any customer’s particular purpose, with respect to suchinformation or advice. As a matter of practical consideration, we also cannot assume any responsibility for updating orcorrecting any such information or advice once it has been given, nor does the provision of information or advice crete,expand or alter any warranty with respect to the sale of our products.

Lincoln Electric is a responsive manufacturer, but the selection and use of specific products sold by Lincoln Electric issolely within the control of, and remains the sole responsibility of the customer. Many variables beyond the control ofLincoln Electric affect the results obtained in applying these type of fabrication methods and service requirements.

IMPORTANT: SPECIAL VENTILATION

AND/OR EXHAUST REQUIRED

Fumes from the normal use of these productscontain significant quantities of Chromiumcompounds which may be harmful.

BEFORE USE, READ AND UNDERSTAND THEMATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS) FORTHIS PRODUCT AND SPECIFIC INFORMATIONPRINTED ON THE PRODUCT CONTAINER.

Page 40: Welding Stainless Steels-Lincolnelectric

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