Role of Grain Refining Elements on Mechanical Properties of FSS Welds

Ferritic stainless steel (FSS) in the absence of Ni provides moderate corrosion resistance at lower cost. AISI 430 FSS are used extensively for chemical processing equipment, furnace parts, heat exchangers, petroleum refining equipment, storage vessels, electrical appliances, solar water heaters, and household appliances. For many of these applications, welding is adopted for fabrication of components made of these alloys. However, attention must be paid on grain refinement in the weld region of ferritic stainless steel weldments. This is because fusion welding of ferritic stainless steel particularly the AISI 430 grade is associated with many problems. These problems are grain coarsening in both the fusion zone and heat affected zone coupled with formation of grain boundary martensite in the weld, and these results in lower ductility and toughness in the weldments. In this book we have illustrated the influence of grain refining elements such as Cu, Ti and Al addition on mechanical properties of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel welds.