Surface Modification of Micro-Alloyed High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel by Controlled TIG Arcing Process

Abstract

Surface modification of micro-alloyed HSLA steel plate has been carried out by autogenous conventional and pulse current tungsten inert gas arcing (TIGA) processes at different welding parameters while the energy input was kept constant. At a given energy input the influence of pulse parameters on the characteristics of surface modification has been studied in case of employing single and multi-run procedure. The role of pulse parameters has been studied by considering their summarized influence defined by a factor Φ. The variation in Φ and pulse frequency has been found to significantly affect the thermal behavior of fusion and accordingly the width and penetration of the modified region along with its microstructure, hardness and wear characteristics. It is found that pulsed TIGA is relatively more advantageous over the conventional TIGA process, as it leads to higher hardness, improved wear resistance, and a better control over surface characteristics.