Microstructure of stainless steel weld in double-sided arc welding

Double-sided arc welding with a single power source can effectively increase the weld penetration, diminish distortion, improve welding speed and save energy. Compared to conventional arc welding processes, double-sided arc welding can generate a penetrating electromagnetic field to help to form fine dendritic microstructure in the weld due to the symmetry of heating. Type 1Cr18Ni9Ti austenitic stainless steel was bead-on-plate welded with double-sided arc welding and conventional plasma arc welding processes, respectively, and microstructure in the weld, heat-affected zone and base metal were examined. After analyzing the black carbon-enriched band in the weld during plasma arc welding with electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) technology, it was found that the black band was shaped from the aggregation of ferrite in the fusion boundary. Hardness measurement showed that this black band does not apparently affect the microhardness distribution in the weld.