Influence of Heat-Treated and Vibratory-Assisted Weld Joints on the Mechanical Properties of 304L SS Material

Abstract

Tensile and impact strengths of 304L SS stainless steel weldment prepared at different levels of heat treatments and with vibratory assistance were studied and compared with the conventional process of welding. The results reveal that the microstructures of weld joints after heat treatment and vibratory welded joints attained a fine grain structure, compared with the joints prepared with the conventional process of welding. By increasing the temperature of quenching and vibrations during welding, the grain size is gradually improving. Improvement in the tensile and impact is observed in the heat-treated and vibration-welded specimens. Similarity, in the weld joint properties of post weld heat treatment (PWHT) and vibratory-assisted welding (VAW) are observed. With the VAW technique, high quality weldments are produced and are more suitable than PWHT due to its less cost and time.