Electron beam welding of heavy-section 3Cr-1.5 Mo alloy

Welding of thick-section steels is a common practice in the fabrication of energy systems. Components such as pressure vessels are large and must be economically fabricated with high integrity. The fabrication cost is strongly influenced by the speed at which these large components can be welded. Conventional welding processes, such as shielded metal arc (SMAW) and submerged arc (SAW), are time-consuming and expensive. Hence, there is a great need to reduce welding time and the tonnage of weld metal deposited. Electron beam welding (EBW) is a process that could be used to achieve dramatic reduction in the welding time and, hence, the cost. It has several attractive characteristics for the welding of thick sections