Mechanisms of inclusion formation in Al?Ti?Si?Mn deoxidized steel weld metals

The present investigation is concerned with basic studies of the mechanisms of inclusion formation in submerged arc (SA), gas metal arc (GMA), and flux cored arc (FCA) steel weld metals. Theoretical models of deoxidation have been developed to establish a basis for quantitative predictions of important inclusion characteristics, such as volume fraction, size, and chemical composition from knowledge of weld metal chemistry and operating parameters. The relevance of these models has been tested against extensive inclusion data obtained from scanning electron microscope (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) examinations of a large number of experimental welds containing various contents of aluminum, titanium, silicon, manganese, and oxygen.