Hybrid (plasma + gas tungsten arc) weldability of modified 12% Cr ferritic stainless steel

This paper deals with the hybrid (plasma + gas tungsten arc) welding properties of 12 mm thick modified 12% Cr ferritic stainless steel complying with EN 1.4003 and UNS S41003 steels with a carbon content of 0.01% to improve the weldability. The root passes of the butt welds were produced with plasma arc welding (PAW) without filler metal while gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) was used to accomplish filler passes with 309 and 316 austenitic stainless steel type of consumables, respectively. The joints were subjected to tensile and bend tests as well as Charpy impact toughness testing at -20 oC, 0 oC and 20 oC. Examinations were carried out in terms of metallography, chemical analysis of the weld metal, ferrite content, grain size and hardness analyses. Although 309 consumables provided higher mean weld metal toughness values compared to 316 (90 J vs. 75 J), 316 type of consumables provided better mean HAZ toughness data for the joints (45 J vs. 20 J) at -20 oC. Toughness properties of the welds correspond with those of microstructural features including grain size and ferrite content.