Effect of current pulsing on super 304HCu weld joints

Purpose Super 304HCu super austenitic stainless steel tubes containing 2.3 to 3 (Wt.%) of copper (Cu) is used in superheaters and reheater tubings of nuclear power plants. In general, austenitic stainless steels welded by conventional constant current gas tungsten arc welding (CC-GTAW) produce coarse columnar grains, alloy segregation and may result in inferior mechanical properties. Pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding (PC-GTAW) can control the solidification structure by altering the prevailing thermal gradients in the weld pool. Design/methodology/approach Super 304HCu tubes of o 57.1 mm and the wall thickness of 3.5 mm were autogenously welded using CC and PC-GTAW processes. Joints are characterized using optical microscopy, electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques. Hot tensile properties of the weld joints were evaluated and correlated with their microstructural features. Findings Current pulsing in GTAW has resulted in minimal eutectic film segregation, lower volume % of delta ferrite and appreciable improvement in tensile properties than CC-GTAW joints. Originality/value The EBSD boundary map and inverse pole orientation map of Super 304HCu weld joints evidence the grain refinement and much frequent high angle grain boundaries achieved using weld current pulsing.