Investigation on corrosion resistance of 316 γ stainless steel clad constructional steel

Abstract

Surfaces of structural members usually degrade under corrosion causing reduction in service life. This results in increased cost involving preventive methods or/and rework. Cladding is one such method for preventing this problem to some extent. Desired weld quality for gas metal arc welding process, a well-accepted method for developing clad layer and overlays, can be achieved by selecting appropriate process parameters. In the present investigation, gas metal arc welding is applied to develop 316 γ stainless steel clad layer on E350 constructional steel base plate with varying welding current and torch travel speed. Results indicate lowering of corrosion rate with increasing welding current and arc travel speed at a constant travel speed and constant current respectively. No clear trend of change in corrosion rate with the variation of heat input is seen. However, austenitic stainless steel cladding is found to improve corrosion resistance remarkably to apply to industry effectively.