Optimization of Melt Zone Area for Electron Beam Welded Hastelloy C-276 Sheet and Study of Corrosion Resistance of the Optimized Melt Zone in 3.5 wt% NaCl Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Hastelloy C-276 superalloy has a wide range of applications including petroleum and petrochemical industries. Since welding forms an essential fabrication method for joining different structures in these industries, selection of suitable welding parameters is a prime concern that is yet to be addressed for Hastelloy C-276. In the present study, optimization of process parameters for electron beam welding of 2.6-mm-thick Hastelloy C-276 sheet has been carried out to obtain weld bead having through-penetration and minimum weld (or melt) zone cross-sectional area. A simple optimization technique is employed in the present study to solve the multi-objective minimization problem. After carrying out the full factorial experiment using selected process parameters, various geometric elements of the weld bead are identified as the output responses. The regression equation is developed for each geometric element from the experimental data. The desired value of a geometric element is specified as a constraint for the corresponding regression equation. A number of regression equations (considering all the geometric elements) are solved in parallel to obtain an optimized set of process parameters, followed by a confirmation test. Further, the optimized melt zone is subjected to cyclic potentiodynamic polarization test to study its susceptibility to localized corrosion. It is observed that polarization curve characteristics of base metal and optimized melt zone are not significantly different; however, the repassivation potential of the melt zone is less than that of the base metal. A flowchart showing the layout of the employed optimization technique followed by corrosion test is attached.