Region-wise evaluation of strength and creep behavior of AISI 904L weldments by small specimen testing techniques

Super austenitic stainless steel AISI 904L is a premium stainless steel renowned for its outstanding characteristics and the ability to be maintained even under harsh situations. This alloy is widely used in a variety of engineering applications, and hence generating creep and indentation data of the material will prove useful for those concerned. Our study investigates the impression creep (IC) and automated ball indentation (ABI) performance in activated tungsten inert gas (ATIG) and hot wire tungsten inert gas (HWTIG) weldments of 10 mm thick plates of AISI 904L. ABI-evaluated strength correlates well with the conventional uniaxial tensile test and hardness data. IC studies were performed on base metal and welds by applying a load of 60 kg on a 1 mm diameter flat-end cylindrical punch at 650 o C. Several cycles of loading followed by partial unloading were performed on ABI specimens at 25 °C using a 0.76 mm diameter tungsten carbide spherical indenter. The results indicated that the ATIG weld excelled over the HWTIG weld with higher creep resistance. During the ABI analysis, the heat-affected zone of HWTIG weldment displayed higher UTS and ABI hardness values of 499 MPa and 185 HB, respectively. Hardness values generated by the ABI analysis are 174 HB, 161 HB, and 177 HB for the base metal, ATIG weldment, and HWTIG weldment, respectively. This was found to be very much in agreement with conventional hardness test results. The results cemented the ability of IC and ABI analysis to precisely predict the creep and mechanical properties of the base metal and weldments. Data generated through this study will benefit industries and researchers associated with AISI 904L.