Influence of Welding Process and Electrode Material on the Corrosion Characteristics of AISI 304 and AISI 316 Weldments

Abstract

In the present investigation, the microstructural characteristics, hardness and corrosion resistance of welded AISI 304 and AISI 316 austenitic stainless steels plates were investigated. Both AISI 304 and AISI 316 SS plates were joined using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) techniques by different electrodes. The results revealed that for AISI304 stainless steels SMAW joints, the fusion zones (FZs) welded using E308L-16 electrode exhibited slightly higher corrosion rate when compared with those welded using E312-17 electrode. For GTAW, fusion zones welded using ER308L electrode exhibited slightly higher corrosion rate when compared with those welded using ER312 electrode. Moreover, the SMAW welded regions exhibited higher corrosion rates when compared with those welded using GTAW. For AISI 316 SMAW joints, the fusion zones welded using E312-17 electrode exhibited significantly higher corrosion rate when compared with fusion zones welded using E316L-16 electrode. Moreover, for GTAW, fusion zones welded using ER316L electrode exhibited slightly higher corrosion rate when compared with fusion zones welded using ER312 electrode.