Pseudobinary

Phase Diagram
@ 70% Iron

AWS Welding Handbook

Prediction of Weld
Metal Solidification
Morphology
Schaeffler
Diagram

WRC
Diagram

AWS Welding Handbook

Hot Cracking

A few % Ferrite Reduces Cracks

But P&S Increase Cracks

AWS Welding Handbook

Spot Welding Austenitic Stainless Steel

Some Solidification Porosity Can Occur:
As a result of this tendency to Hot Crack when Proper
Percent Ferrite is not Obtained
Because of higher Contraction on Cooling

Suggestions:
Maintain Electrode Force until Cooled
Limit Nugget Diameter to <4 X Thickness of thinner piece
More small diameter spots preferred to fewer Large Spots

Spot Welding Austenitic Stainless Steel

Some Discoloration May Occur Around Spot Weld
Oxide Formation in HAZ
Nugget

Solutions
Maintain Electrode Force until weld cooled below oxidizing
Temperature
Post weld clean with 10% Nitric, 2% Hydrofluoric Acid
(Hydrochloric acid should be avoided due to chloride
ion stress-corrosion cracking and pitting)

Seam Welding Austenitic Stainless Steel

Somewhat more Distortion Noted

Because of Higher Thermal
Contraction
Solution
Abundant water cooling to remove heat

Knifeline Corrosion Attack in

Austenitic Stainless Steel Seam Welds
Solution
See Next Slide for more description

Chromium Carbide Precipitation

Kinetics Diagram
1500 F
Temperature

1500 F
1200 F

M23C6
Precipitation

800 F
Chromium Oxide

800 F

Intergranular
Corrosion
Time

M23C6
Chromium-Rich
Carbides

Preventative Measures

Short weld times

Low heat input
Lower carbon content in the base material
304L, 316L
Stabilization of the material with titanium additions
321 (5xC)
Stabilization with columbium or tantalum additions
347, 348 (10xC)
Lower nitrogen content (N acts like C)

Projection Welding Austenitic Stainless Steel

Because of the Greater Thermal Expansion and Contraction,
Head Follow-up is critical
Solution
Press Type machines with low inertia heads
Air operated for faster action

In Welding Tubes to tube sheets with Ring projections

for leak tight application, electrode set-up is critical
Solution
Test electrode alignment

Cross Wire Welding Austenitic Stainless Steel

Often used for grates, shelves, baskets, etc.

Use flat faced electrodes, or

V-grooved electrodes to hold wires in a fixture
As many as 40 welds made at one time

Flash Welding Austenitic Stainless Steel

Current about 15% less than for plain carbon
Higher upset pressure
The higher upset requires 40-50% higher clamp force
Larger upset to extrude oxides out

Super Austenitic
Alloys with composition between standard 300 Austenitic SS
and Ni-base Alloys
High Ni, High Mo
Ni & Mo- Improved chloride induced Stress Corrosion
Cracking
Used in
Sea water application where regular austenitics suffer
pitting, crevice and SCC

AWS Welding Handbook

The Super Austenitic Stainless Steels are susceptible

to copper contamination cracking. RESISTANCE
WELDING NOT NORMALLY PERFORMED
Copper and Copper Alloy Electrodes can cause cracking:
Flame spray coated electrodes
Low heat

Nitrogen-Strengthened Austenitic
High nitrogen levels, combined with
higher manganese content, help to
increase the strength level of the material
Consider a postweld heat treatment for
an optimum corrosion resistance
Little Weld Data Available

Martensitic
Contain from 12 to 18 percent chromium and
0.12 to 1.20 percent carbon with low nickel
content
Combined carbon and chromium content gives
these steels high hardenability
Magnetic
Tempering of the low-carbon martensitic
stainless steels should avoid the 440 to 540 C
temperature range because of a sharp reduction
in notch-impact resistance
Applications:
Some Aircraft & Rocket Applications
Cutlery

Martensitic SS Wrought Alloys are divided into two groups

12% Cr, low-carbon engineering grades (top group)
High Cr, High C Cutlery grades (middle group)
AWS Welding Handbook

From a Metallurgical Standpoint, Martensitic SS

is similar to Plain Carbon
(12% Chromium)

AWS Welding Handbook

Martensitic
Spot Welding
HAZ Structural Changes
Tempering of hard martensite at BM side
Quench to hard martensite at WM side
Likelihood of cracking in HAZ increases with Carbon
Pre-heat, post-heat, tempering helps
Flash Weld
Hard HAZ
Temper in machine
High Cr Steels get oxide entrapment at interface
Precise control of flashing & upset
N or Inert gas shielding

Effect of Tempered Martensite on

Hardness
As Quenched
Hardness

Loss of Hardness and Strength

Hardened Martensite
Tempered Martensite
Fusion
Zone

HAZ

SS with carbon content above

0.15% Carbon (431, 440) are
susceptible to cracking and need
Post Weld Heat Treatment
Distance

Ferritic
Contain from 11.5 to 27 percent
chromium, with additions of manganese
and silicon, and occasionally nickel,
aluminum, molybdenum or titanium
Ferritic at all temperatures, no phase
change, large grain sizes
Non-hardenable by heat treatment
Magnetic (generally)
Applications:
Water Tanks in Europe
Storage Tanks

AWS Welding Handbook

FERRITIC STAINLESS STEELS

Spot & Seam Welding

Because No Phase Change, Get Grain Growth

large

HAZ

Base

Grain
Size
fine

Strength

Toughness

885 Embrittlement

DISTANCE

(Decomposition of
Iron-Chrome Ferrite)

FERRITIC STAINLESS STEELS

Flash Weld
Lower Cr can be welded with standard flash weld techniques
loss of toughness, however
Higher Cr get oxidation
Inert gas shield recommended
long flash time & high upset to expel oxides

Super Ferritic
Lower than ordinary interstitial (C&N)
Higher Cr & Mo
Better corrosion (Cr) & Higher Hot Strength (Mo)

AWS Welding Handbook

Increased Cr & Mo
promotes Embrittlement
825F Sigma Phase (FeCr)
precipitation embrittlement
885F Embrittlement
(decomposition of iron-chromium
ferrite)
1560F Chi Phase (Fe36Cr12Mo10)
precipitation embrittlement
Because of the Embrittlement,
Resistance Welding is Usually
Not Done on These Steels

large

HAZ

Base

Grain
Size
fine

Strength

Toughness

885 Embrittlement

DISTANCE

Precipitation-Hardened
Can produce a matrix structure of
either austenite or martensite
Heat treated to form CbC, TiC, AlN,
Ni3Al
Possess very high strength levels
Can serve at higher temperature
than the martensitic grades
Applications:
High Strength Components in Jet & Rocket Engines
Bombs

AWS Welding Handbook

Martensitic
Solution heat treat above 1900F
Cool to form martensite
Precipitation strengthen
Fabricated
Semiaustenitic
Solution heat treat (still contain 5-20% delta ferrite)
Quench but remain austenitic (Ms below RT)
Fabricate
Harden (austenitize, low temp quench, age)
Austenitic
Remain austinite
Harden treatment

AC=Air cooled
WQ=Water Quenched

RC=Rapid Cool to RT
SZC= Rapid cool to -100F
AWS Welding Handbook

Effect on Aging on the Nugget Hardness in

Precipitation-Hardened Stainless Steels

Hardness

Aged

When Welded in the Aged Condition

Higher Electrode Forces
Post Weld Treatment

Annealed

Weld
Centerline

Distance

Precipitation-Hardened
Spot Welding
17-7PH, A-286, PH15-7Mo, AM350 & AM355 have been welded
Generally welded in aged condition, higher forces needed
Time as short as possible
Seam Welding
17-7PH has been welded
Increased electrode force
Flash Welding
Higher upset pressure
Post weld heat treatment

Duplex
Low Carbon
Mixture: {bcc} Ferrite (over 50%) + {fcc} Austenite

Better SCC and Pitting Resistance than Austenitics

Yield Strengths twice the 300 Series

Early grades had 75-80% Ferrite (poor weld toughness due to ferrite)
Later grades have 50-50

AWS Welding Handbook

Due to the Ferrite:

Sensitive to 885F embrittlement
Sigma Phase embrittlement above 1000F
High ductile to brittle transition temperatures (low toughness)
Solidifies as ferrite, subsequent ppt of nitrides, carbides which
reduces corrosion resistance
Rapid cooling promotes additional ferrite
Not Hot Crack Sensitive

Resistance Welds generally not recommended

because low toughness and low corrosion resistance
Unless post weld solution anneal and quench.

Some
Applications

Deep Drawing of Plain Carbon Steel

or Stainless Steel

Method of
Making an Ultra
Light Engine
Valve

Stainless Steel Cap

Resistance
Weld

Larson, J & Bonesteel, D Method of Making an Ultra

Light Engine Valve US Patent 5,619,796 Apr 15, 1997