Stress Relieving 302 Stainless Steel After Butt Welding the part?

[koza19]

We are manufacturing a ring made out of .375” 302 stainless steel per ASTM A313. The ring as a 2.5” Inside Diameter and is Stress Relieved at 650 degs F for ½ hr after cool working the part. Then the part gets butt welded together. After the butt weld we feel that the part should get another stress relieve. This part has been breaking at the weld joints in the past, we feel that we are creating compressive forces when we join the two ends together to butt weld them. What should be an ideal second stress relieving temperature and time?

 

[metengr]

Several questions;

1. Where exactly are the butt weld failures? Along the edge of the weld or thru the center of the weld?

2. When you butt weld, I am assuming that you are joining the ends of the formed ring? What is the weld prep and method of joining?

3. Do the failures occur in service? If so, what are the service conditions of the ring?