Austenitic stainless steels, renowned for their corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal, are a staple in numerous industries. However, welding these materials often presents a significant challenge: distortion and warpage. This isn’t just a cosmetic issue; it can lead to dimensional inaccuracies, compromised functionality, and costly rework. So, why are austenitic stainless steels so prone to […]
In our previous post, we introduced the basics of weldng austenitic stainless steels (304, 304L, 316, and 316L). Now, let’s dive deeper into the metallurgy of these alloys. Understanding their composition and grain structure is crucial for achieving sound, high-quality welds. This knowledge empowers welding professionals to make informed decisions about welding processes, filler metals, […]
Distortion caused by the heating and cooling cycles of welding is extremely problematic. It can place structures out of dimensional tolerance creating costly rework. In some cases parts need to be scrapped. Understanding the causes of distortion and the properties of the metal being welded are an absolute necessity for those managing welding operations. There […]
Stress relieving is a form of post weld heat treatment. In stress relieving we heat a material to a specific temperature; hold it at this temperature for a specified amount of time in order to reduce or eliminate residual stresses; and then cool it at a slow enough rate to prevent these stresses from redeveloping. […]
Competition amongst manufacturers of welding machines is a wonderful thing. Companies like Miller, Fronius, OTC, Lincoln Electric, and many others are continuously improving their equipment, making it more user-friendly and at a lower cost. We as users benefit from this. However, this has brought about a big problem. And that is the belief that we […]
Distortion is a nasty problem we experience in welding. Understanding what causes distortion is important in order to be able to minimize or eliminate it completely. There are physical and mechanical properties that affect distortion susceptibility of materials. To learn more about this you can read 4 Material Properties That Affect Distortion. As fabricators we hardly […]
Many ‘experts’ in the welding industry talk about high heat input as something that should always be avoided. Unfortunately, this is not good advice. High heat input can be detrimental in many cases, but other times we want to have higher heat input. Heat input is directly related to amperage and voltage and inversely related […]
Welding can present many challenges, a common one being distortion. The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding defines distortion in a weldment as the result of the non-uniform expansion and contraction of the weld metal and adjacent base metal during the heating and cooling cycle of the welding process. It is extremely difficult to predict distortion […]
