Effect of Heat Input on Fume Generation and Joint Properties of Gas Metal Arc Welded Austenitic Stainless Steel

The effect of heat input on fume and their compositions during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of AISI 316 stainless steel plates are investigated. Fume generation rate (FGR) and fume percentage were determined by ANSI/AWS F12 methods. Particle characterization was performed with SEM-XEDS and XRF analysis to reveal the particle morphology and chemical composition of the fume particles. The SEM analysis reveals the morphology of particles having three distinct shapes namely spherical, irregular, and agglomerated. Spherical particles were the most abundant type of individual particle. All the fume particle size falls in the range of less than 100 nm. Mechanical properties (strength, hardness and toughness) and microstructural analysis of the weld deposits were evaluated. It is found that heat input of 115 kJ/mm is beneficial to weld stainless steel by GMAW process due to lower level of welding fume emissions and superior mechanical properties of the joints.