TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 814/2004
D Bertaso, R L Jones and G B Melton
Background
Keyhole plasma welding procedures for conventional welding of longitudinal and circumferential butt welds are well established. Thus, the aim of the work was to investigate the novel application of keyhole plasma welding for different joint types, which could give benefits in terms of improved productivity relative to TIG welding.
Keyhole plasma welding can be applied to a range of materials including carbon steels, stainless steel, nickel-based alloys and titanium alloys, and in a range of material thickness up to 20mm, depending on the material type. Stainless steel components in thin sections are often fabricated by the TIG welding process. Whilst high quality welds are achievable, the productivity is low and control of distortion can sometimes be difficult. Keyhole plasma welding offers the prospect of overcoming these limitations. Furthermore, by virtue of using alternative joint designs, the keyhole plasma process offers flexibility in component design and manufacture. Thus, thin section austenitic stainless steel, namely 2.5mm thick, was selected as the base material for this investigation.
Objective
To develop the novel keyhole plasma welding procedures for a range of joint types in thin section austenitic stainless steel plate.