Weld penetration CS versus SS

[bob330]

Hi All,

Given a certain diameter rod and amperage, is there more penetration into austenitic SS or plain carbon steel materials when welding. I guess another way of asking this is to ask whether or not root face heights (at weld prep) should be made bigger or smaller for SS as compared to CS.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[metengr]

Comparing welding carbon to stainless steel is like comparing eating apples to oranges. Both metals are obviously weldable, but due to their thermal diffusivity and chemcial composition differences require specific techniques.

I would say that welding stainless steel in general requires more effort and caution. You want to keep the heat input as low as possible in the base metals, thus, heat input and to some extent the weld prep are very important variables to control. Too much heat input will alter the corrosion properties of the austenitic stainless steel.

 

[metengr]

To answer your second question; the root face heights can be comparable to carbon steel weld prep, if the wall thickness is less than 3/4".

Some information for you to review regarding welding of SS

http://www.ssina.com/publications/index.htm