Oxidation behavior of base metal, weld metal and HAZ regions of SMAW weldment in ASTM SA210 GrA1 steel

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) was used to weld together ASTM SA210 GrA1 steel. The oxidation studies were conducted on different regions of shielded metal arc weldment i.e., base metal, weld metal and heat affected zone (HAZ) specimens after exposure to air at 900 deg. C under cyclic conditions. The thermo-gravimetric technique was used to establish kinetics of oxidation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive analysis (SEM/EDAX) techniques were used to analyze the oxidation products. Base metal showed more weight gain than that of weld metal and HAZ. The HAZ specimen showed the least weight gain due to the formation of densely inner oxide scale.