Effect of heat input and filler metals on weld strength of gas tungsten arc welding of AISI 316 weldments

The present work investigates the effect of filler metals and heat input on weld bead geometry and mechanical properties of alloy 316 welded by using GTAW. ER309L, ER316L and ERNiCrMo-3 filler metals, are applied to study their effect on the weldment. Weld defects are examined using radiographic testing. The mechanical properties of welds are evaluated through uniaxial testing, hardness measuring, and bending test. The mechanical properties and cooling rate decrease with increasing heat input. Tensile strength, yield stress and percentage elongation of weldments using three fillers are determined. Best results are obtained using ERNiCrMo-3. Besides, weld nugget area, cooling time and solidification time increases with increasing heat input. Finally, applying bending test on weld samples, cracks, tearing and surface defects are not observed.