Stress corrosion cracking of friction stir welded AISI 304 and 316 L dissimilar steel alloys

Abstract

This study investigated the corrosion and SCC susceptibility of Friction stir welded AISI 304 and 316L similar and dissimilar stainless steel. In Fusion welding process (SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW) high temperatures are used, because of high operating temperature the heavy residual stress led to the severe cracking in the weldments. To overcome these problems, low operating temperature friction stir welding (FSW) technique was employed to fabricate stainless steel joints. Microstructural analysis has been made using optical microscopy (OM) and SEM. Tensile test was carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of weld joints. Mechanical result indicates that the ultimate tensile strength of welded metal is higher than the base metal. Based on this study to draw conclusions and give recommendations for best practice in assessing susceptibility to SCC to pulp and paper mills.