Weld properties of plasma arc joined austenitic stainless steels

Abstract Stainless steel 304 is the commonly utilized grade within the 300 series in various industries. Welding is a prevalent technique for producing stainless steel structures. In this study, 5 mm thick AISI 304 sheets were joined by plasma welding. The joint interface was detected using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and microhardness. The mechanical properties of the bonded samples were evaluated by tensile testing. The fracture morphologies of the tensile test samples were examined. In single-pass plasma welding, perfect welds with full penetration were achieved. Both ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation percentage increased with the rise in welding current.