Welding Stainless Steel to Carbon Steel
Welding of austenitic stainless steel and carbon steel base metal should use a filler metal that prevents solidification cracking. 309 is the preferred filler metal as it provides ferrite number of at least 3.
Tag Archives: stainless steel
Danger of Using the Wrong Shielding Gas for GMAW
In our previous article we mentioned that a customer was inquiring about running their 98% argon / 2% carbon dioxide (98/2) shielding gas on mild steel. This gas is used on stainless as it maintains the amount of reactive gas (in this case CO2) under 3%. Our quick answer was “yes, you can weld carbon […]
How to Qualify a WPS for Welding Stainless to Mild Steel using AWS D1.6
It is very common to weld stainless steel to mild steel. But, when it comes to qualifying a welding procedure it can be somewhat confusing. Do you follow AWS D1.1 (Steel) or do you following AWS D1.6 (Stainless Steel)? Or is there another code or standard you should use? The answer to this question is […]
How to Use Prequalified WPSs for Stainless Steel in Accordance with AWS D1.6
AWS D1.6 is the Structural Welding Code for Stainless Steel. Its primary concern is with the structural integrity of weldments and not with resistance to corrosion, creep or sensitization. As a matter of fact, the word “corrosion” appears only eight times in the 9 clauses of AWS D1.6. Requirements for these concerns are the responsibility […]
Rainbow Colors in Stainless Steel Welding
Are they good or bad?
We receive several calls about welding stainless and the beautiful rainbow colors, or lack thereof, on the weld and heat affected zone. Is the tinting an indication of quality? Are these colors acceptable? Do they show that the weld had enough heat to penetrate? Why do they need to be cleaned? The questions are endless. […]
What Filler Metal Should be Used to Weld Carbon Steel to Stainless Steel
And can you use stainless wire to weld carbon steel to carbon steel
It is not uncommon to find fabricating shops that are welding a variety of metals including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and nickel alloys. In many cases some of these materials need to be welded to other types. Once very common situation, especially in automotive applications is welding carbon steel to stainless. One of the […]
How to Avoid Sensitization When Welding Austenitic Stainless Steels
Stainless steels are iron based alloys that contain a minimum of 10.5% chromium. This chromium reacts with the air and forms a very thin but very tenacious chromium oxide layer which is what prevents stainless from rusting. There are 5 types of stainless steels which are categorized depending on additional alloying elements. One thing they […]