Effect of electron beam welding on the microstructure of zircaloy-2 and stainless steel

Structure examination was done for the welded regions obtained at various operating conditions, using electron beam welding technique, for both zircaloy-2 and stainless steel type AISI-316. Three welds have been performed in each specimen with various penetrations by varying the intensity of focusing current. It was found that the shape and size of weld penetration have a major effect on the structure and grain size of the welded zone and consequently on the physical and mechanical properties of the weld joint. The methods used for structure examination were chemical analysis, metallography and scanning electron microscopy