Temperature distribution and residual stresses due to multipass welding in type 304 stainless steel and low carbon steel weld pads

Abstract

Welding is a reliable and efficient metal-joining process widely used in industry. Due to the intense concentration of heat in the heat source of welding, the regions near the weld line undergo severe thermal cycles, thereby generating inhomogeneous plastic deformation and residual stresses in the weldment. Plates of different thickness are used in industry and these plates are normally joined by multipass welding. In a multipass welding operation, the residual stress pattern developed in the material changes with each weld pass. In the present experimental work, thermal cycles and transverse residual stresses due to each pass of welding have been measured in the weld pads of AISI type 304 stainless steel and low carbon steel with 6, 8 and 12 mm thickness. X-ray diffraction method was used for residual stress measurements. The welding process used was the Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW) process. In this paper, the peak temperatures attained at different points during deposition of weld beads in stainless steel and low carbon steel weld pads are compared. The residual stress patterns developed, the change in the peak tensile stress with the deposition of weld beads, and the relation between the peak temperatures and the residual stresses in the weld pads are discussed.