Home Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar ferritic (S355)–austenitic (AISI 304) steel joints welded by robotic GMAW
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar ferritic (S355)–austenitic (AISI 304) steel joints welded by robotic GMAW

  • Ozan Çoban

    Asst. Prof. Dr. Ozan Çoban, born in 1989, graduated with a PhD degree (2023) in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye. He is currently working as an academic member of Istanbul Gedik University, as the head of Welding Technology Program and director of Istanbul Gedik University Welding Technology Application and Research Center, also lecturing in Engineering Faculty. His main research areas are welding metallurgy, extractive metallurgy, and synthesis of nanoparticles of advanced ceramics. Currently, he has been focusing on wire arc additive manufacturing.

    EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 14, 2025
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Abstract

In applications requiring high corrosion resistance, it is crucial to utilize dissimilar welding techniques that incorporate structural steels in critical areas to reduce costs, rather than constructing the entire structure from high-cost stainless steels. Ferritic steels are often preferred due to their higher strength compared to stainless steels. In this study, Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) was performed on 12 mm thick S355 structural steel and AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel using SG307 austenitic filler metal. Following welding operations with three different heat inputs, macrostructural assessments were carried out according to the EN ISO5817:2023(E) standard on the welds deemed successful based on nondestructive tests. Microstructural characterization, microhardness tests, tensile test, and impact tests (performed by notching different regions of the weld joint) were also conducted. The results demonstrated that undesirable changes in mechanical properties due to microstructural transformations in the welding of carbon steels with austenitic stainless steels can be mitigated with the correct parameters and proper filler metal selection. Thus, the mechanical properties required to ensure the expected performance of the welded structure were successfully achieved. Results revealed that the dissimilar joint efficiency with respect to yield strength of ferritic steel was calculated as 103.77 % and 175.42 % for austenitic AISI 304 steel. The impact toughness test results for the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of S355 steel showed satisfactory levels. Although the dissimilar weld metal region exhibited lower toughness values, they remained above 100 J.


Corresponding author: Ozan Çoban, Gedik Vocational School, Machinery and Metal Technologies Department, Welding Technology Program, Istanbul Gedik University, 34913, Istanbul, Türkiye; and Welding Technology Application and Research Center, Istanbul Gedik University, 34913, Istanbul, Türkiye, E-mail:

About the author

Ozan Çoban

Asst. Prof. Dr. Ozan Çoban, born in 1989, graduated with a PhD degree (2023) in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye. He is currently working as an academic member of Istanbul Gedik University, as the head of Welding Technology Program and director of Istanbul Gedik University Welding Technology Application and Research Center, also lecturing in Engineering Faculty. His main research areas are welding metallurgy, extractive metallurgy, and synthesis of nanoparticles of advanced ceramics. Currently, he has been focusing on wire arc additive manufacturing.

Acknowledgments

Author wishes to thank Prof. Dr. Mustafa Koçak, Gedik Welding Inc. and Istanbul Gedik University Welding Technology Application and Research Center for their support.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The author has accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interests: The author states no conflicts of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

References

[1] F. Schröter, “Structural steel for the application in offshore, wind and hydro energy production: comparison of application and welding properties of frequently used materials,” Int. J. Microstruct. Mater. Prop., vol. 6, nos. 1–2, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMMP.2011.040434.Search in Google Scholar

[2] E. I. Akpan and I. A. Haruna, “Structural evolution and properties of hot rolled steel alloys,” J. Miner. Mater. Char. Eng., vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 417–426, 2012, https://doi.org/10.4236/jmmce.2012.114029.Search in Google Scholar

[3] S. Yilmaz, T. Teker, and B. Atik, “Improved Gx40CrNi25-20 grade austenitic stainless steel,” Mater. Test., vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 493–502, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2023-0366.Search in Google Scholar

[4] A. K. Bhaduri and K. Laha, “Development of improved materials for structural components of sodium-cooled fast reactors,” Procedia Eng., vol. 130, pp. 598–608, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2015.12.276.Search in Google Scholar

[5] N. S. Surikova, I. V. Vlasov, N. A. Narkevich, A. I. Gordienko, and P. V. Kuznetsov, “Structure and deformation properties of austenitic stainless steel,” Phys. Metal. Metallography, vol. 121, no. 4, pp. 276–283, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X20010172.Search in Google Scholar

[6] A. Varol, M. S. Bozan, O. Çoban, and U. Gürol, “S355J2 yapı çeliklerinin toz altı ark kaynağında dolgu metalinin mikroyapı ve mekanik özelliklere etkisi,” J. Innov. Eng. Nat. Sci., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 426–438, 2024, https://doi.org/10.61112/jiens.1415708.Search in Google Scholar

[7] T. Maruyama, “Arc welding technology for dissimilar joints,” Welding Int., vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 276–281, 2003, https://doi.org/10.1533/wint.2003.3113.Search in Google Scholar

[8] M. Shojaati and B. Beidokhti, “Characterization of AISI 304/AISI 409 stainless steel joints using different filler materials,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 147, pp. 608–615, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.04.185.Search in Google Scholar

[9] Y. Huang, Z. Luo, Y. Lei, S. Ao, H. Shan, and Y. Zhang, “Dissimilar joining of AISI 304/Q345 steels in keyhole tungsten inert gas welding process,” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol., vol. 96, pp. 4041–4049, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-1791-6.Search in Google Scholar

[10] A. Bahador, E. Hamzah, and M. F. Mamat, “Effect of filler metals on the mechanical properties of dissimilar welding of stainless steel 316L and carbon steel A516 GR 70,” J. Teknol., vol. 75, pp. 61–65, 2015, https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v75.5174.Search in Google Scholar

[11] T. Teker, S. Aydın, and S. Yılmaz, “Joint performance of medium carbon steel-austenitic stainless steel double-sided TIG welds,” Mater. Test., vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 267–278, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2022-0422.Search in Google Scholar

[12] R. Zhang, Q. Wu, L. Wang, C. Zeng, and X. Wang, “Study on A-TIG welding of Q245R/321 dissimilar steel,” IOP Conf. Series Earth Environ. Sci., vol. 310, 2019. Art. no. 042011, https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/310/4/042011.Search in Google Scholar

[13] R. Yılmaz and M. Tümer, “Microstructural studies and impact toughness of dissimilar weldments between AISI 316 L and AH36 steels by FCAW,” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol., vol. 67, pp. 1433–1447, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-012-4579-0.Search in Google Scholar

[14] D. K. Pratiwi, A. Arifin, M. Gunawan, A. Mardhi, and A. Afriansyah, “Investigation of welding parameters of dissimilar weld of SS316 and ASTM A36 joint using a grey-based Taguchi Optimization Approach,” J. Manuf. Mater. Process., vol. 7, no. 39, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp7010039.Search in Google Scholar

[15] E. M. Stanciu, et al., “Dissimilar laser welding of AISI 321 and AISI 1010,” Tehnički vjesnik, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 344–349, 2018, https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20160722151049.Search in Google Scholar

[16] E. Scutelnicu, M. Iordachescu, C. C. Rusu, D. Mihailescu, and J. L. Ocaña, “Metallurgical and mechanical characterization of low carbon steel—stainless steel dissimilar joints made by laser autogenous welding,” Metals, vol. 11, no. 810, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/met11050810.Search in Google Scholar

[17] H. Danielewski, A. Skrzypczyk, S. Tofil, G. Witkowski, and S. Rutkowski, “Numerical simulation of laser welding dissimilar low carbon and austenitic steel joint,” Open Eng., vol. 10, pp. 491–498, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2020-0045.Search in Google Scholar

[18] C. Çelik, M. Göçmen, O. Çoban, H. Baykal, U. Gürol, and M. Koçak, “Yüksek mukavemetli balistik zırh çeliklerinin kaynaklanabilirliği,” UUJFE, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 1009–1028, 2023, https://doi.org/10.17482/uumfd.1333002.Search in Google Scholar

[19] O. Çoban, U. Gürol, S. Erdol, and M. Koçak, “Effect of plate thickness on the microstructure and hardness of robotic fillet welded armour steels,” in 6th International Conference on Welding Technologies and Exhibition (ICWET’21), 13-15 October 2021, Hatay-Turkey, Paper ID-4636. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357204407_EFFECT_OF_PLATE_THICKNESS_ON_THE_MICROSTRUCTURE_AND_HARDNESS_OF_ROBOTIC_FILLET_WELDED_ARMOUR_STEELS [accessed: Sep. 4, 2024].Search in Google Scholar

[20] C. Çelik, R. M. Kurt, O. Çoban, H. Baykal, K. Akben, and U. Gürol, “The effect of process parameters on bead geometry, hardness and microstructural properties of armour steel welds performed by robotic gas metal arc welding,” in 21th International Metallurgy and Materials Congress-IMMC2022, 06–08 October 2022, Istanbul-Turkey. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364284238_THE_EFFECT_OF_PROCESS_PARAMETERS_ON_BEAD_GEOMETRY_HARDNESS_AND_MICROSTRUCTURAL_PROPERTIES_OF_ARMOUR_STEEL_WELDS_PERFORMED_BY_ROBOTIC_GAS_METAL_ARC_WELDING [accessed: Sep. 4, 2024].Search in Google Scholar

[21] T. E. Abioye, O. E. Ariwoola, T. I. Ogedengbe, P. K. Farayibi, and O. O. Gbadeyan, “Effects of welding speed on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of dissimilar gas metal arc weld joints of AISI 304 stainless steel and low carbon steel,” Mater. Today: Proc., vol. 17, pp. 871–877, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019 Search in Google Scholar

[22] S. Baskutis, J. Baskutiene, R. Bendikiene, A. Ciuplys, and K. Dutkus, “Comparative research of microstructure and mechanical properties of stainless and structural steel dissimilar welds,” Materials, vol. 14, no. 6180, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14206180.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[23] A. Sada and J. Enyi, “Parametric optimization and determination of a suitable welding process for stainless steel-mild steel dissimilar metals weld,” AZOJETE, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 803–812, 2023.Search in Google Scholar

[24] P. Sedek, J. Brozda, L. Wang, and P. J. Withers, “Residual stress relief in MAG welded joints of dissimilar steels,” Int. J. Pressure Vessels and Piping, vol. 80, pp. 705–713, 2003, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2003.08.004.Search in Google Scholar

[25] G. T. Gopalakrishna, B. S. A. Kumar, K. R. Vishnu, S. D. Sundareshan, and K. G. Satyanarayana, “Analysis of dissimilar metal welding of EN19 and SS304L,” Int. J. Vehicle Struct. Syst., vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 246–250, 2018, https://doi.org/10.4273/ijvss.10.4.03.Search in Google Scholar

[26] Y. K. Khdir, S. A. Kako, and R. H. Gardi, “Study of welding dissimilar metals – low-carbon steel AISI 1018 and austenitic stainless steel AISI 304,” Polytech. J., vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–5, 2020, https://doi.org/10.25156/ptj.v10n1y2020.pp1-5.Search in Google Scholar

[27] W. Chuaiphan, C. A. Somrerk, S. Niltawach, and B. Sornil, “Dissimilar welding between AISI 304 stainless steel and AISI 1020 carbon steel plates,” Appl. Mech. Mat., vols. 268–270, pp. 283–290, 2012, https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.268-270.283.Search in Google Scholar

[28] T. E. Abioye, C. O. Kanu, T. I. Ogedengbe, and D. I. Adebiyi, “Parametric optimization of gas metal arc dissimilar welding on AISI 304 stainless steel and low carbon steel,” Int. J. Microstruct. Mat. Prop., vol. 14, no. 2, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMMP.2019.10020468.Search in Google Scholar

[29] S. Sirohi, C. Pandey, and A. Goyal, “Characterization of structure–property relationship of martensitic P91 and high alloy ferritic austenitic F69 steel,” Int. J. Pressure Vessels and Piping, vol. 188, 2020, Art. no. 104179, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2020.104179.Search in Google Scholar

[30] O. Çoban, F. Kaymak, U. Gürol, and M. Koçak, “Characterization of fillet welded armor steel performed by robotic gas metal arc welding: effect of heat input on microstructure and microhardness,” J. Mater. Eng. Perform., vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 1234–1245, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-09058-y.Search in Google Scholar

[31] C. Pandey, “Mechanical and metallurgical characterization of dissimilar P92/SS304 L welded joints under varying heat treatment regimes,” Meta. Mat. Trans. A, vol. 51, pp. 2126–2142, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-020-05660-0.Search in Google Scholar

[32] A. Gupta, J. Singh, and R. Chhibber, “Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar welded joints of mild steel and stainless steel,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 765, 2019, Art. no. 138296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2018.12.097.Search in Google Scholar

[33] V. Balaguru, V. Balasubramanian, and P. Shivkumar, “Influence of weld metal ferrite number on tensile properties of shielded metal arc welded ultra high hard armour steel joints,” Int. J. Eng. Res. Appl., vol. 10, no. 12 (Series-IV), pp. 11–22, 2020. https://doi.org/10.9790/9622-1012041122.Search in Google Scholar

[34] C. L. Lai, W. F. Lu, and J. Y. Huang, “Effect of δ-ferrite content on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of cast austenitic stainless steel in high-temperature water environment,” Corrosion, vol. 70, pp. 591–597, 2014, https://doi.org/10.5006/1155.Search in Google Scholar

[35] V. García-García, F. Reyes-Calderón, O. D. Frasco-García, and N. Alcantar-Modragón, “Mechanical behavior of austenitic stainless-steel welds with variable content of δ-ferrite in the heat-affected zone,” Eng. Failure Anal., vol. 140, 2022, Art. no. 106618, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2022.106618.Search in Google Scholar

[36] A. K. Maurya, C. Pandey, and R. Chhibber, “Dissimilar welding of duplex stainless steel with Ni alloys: a review,” Int. J. Pressure Vessels and Piping, vol. 192, 2021, Art. no. 104439, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2021.104439.Search in Google Scholar

[37] U. Gürol, et al., “Characterization of armour steel welds using austenitic and ferritic filler metals,” Trans. Indian Inst. Met., vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 757–770, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-021-02464-7.Search in Google Scholar

[38] F. Mas, et al., “Metallurgical characterization of coupled carbon diffusion and precipitation in dissimilar steel welds,” J. Mater. Sci., vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 4864–4879, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-9792-z.Search in Google Scholar

[39] M. Kocadağistan, O. Çinar, and T. Teker, “Weldability and mechanical behavior of CMT welded AISI 430 and HARDOX 500 steels,” Mater. Test., vol. 65, no. 9, pp. 1302–1310, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2023-0169.Search in Google Scholar

[40] T. Teker and D. Gençdoğan, “Mechanical performance and weldability of HARDOX 450/AISI 430 grade joined by TIG double-sided arc welding,” Mater. Test., vol. 64, no. 11, pp. 1606–1613, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2022-0090.Search in Google Scholar

[41] M. Keddam, P. Topuz, and Ö. Aydin, “Simulation of boronizing kinetics of AISI 316 steel with an integral diffusion model,” Mater. Test., vol. 63, no. 10, pp. 906–912, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2021-0023.Search in Google Scholar

[42] E. Tasak, A. Ziewiec, and M. Ciesielska, “Cracking of welded joints at elevated temperatures,” Welding Int., vol. 21, no. 10, pp. 726–729, 2007, https://doi.org/10.1080/09507110701668739.Search in Google Scholar

[43] X. Li, et al.., “Research on the relationship between carbon precipitation and mechanical properties of dissimilar steel welds,” J. Phys. Conf. Ser., 1748, 2020, Art. no. 0620630, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1748/6/062063.Search in Google Scholar

[44] M. O. H. Amuda, L. O. Osoba, and E. K. Onitiri, “Assessing susceptibility to chromium carbide precipitation in Cr-Mn austenitic stainless steel welds,” UNILAG J. Med. Sci. Technol., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 109–122, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

[45] E. Ranjbarnodeh, H. Pouraliakbar, and A. H. Kokabi, “Finite element simulation of carbide precipitation in austenitic stainless steel 304,” Int. J. Mech. Appl., vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 117–123, 2012, https://doi.org/10.5923/j.mechanics.20120206.03.Search in Google Scholar

[46] K. Özbay Kısasöz, İ. Tütük, S. Acar, and A. Kısasöz, “Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of UNS S32205 duplex stainless steel dependent on sigma phase precipitation,” Mater. Test., vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 67–75, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2023-0325.Search in Google Scholar

[47] U. Gürol, O. Çoban, İ. C. Coşar, and M. Koçak, “Effect of the notch location on the Charpy-V toughness results for robotic flux-cored arc welded multipass joints,” Mater. Test., vol. 64, no. 9, pp. 1278–1289, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2022-0113.Search in Google Scholar

[48] R. Ghasemi, B. Beidokhti, and M. Fazel-Najafabadi, “Effect of delta ferrite on the mechanical properties of dissimilar ferritic-austenitic stainless steel welds,” Archiv. Metal. Mater., vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 437–443, 2018, https://doi.org/10.24425/118958.Search in Google Scholar

[49] S.-H. Chi, Y.-K. Shin, G.-C. Kim, Y.-J. Kim, and J.-H. Hong, “Influence of ion-irradiation on hardness change in type 304 stainless steel weldment containing delta (δ) ferrite,” Mater. Trans., vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 627–632, 2002, https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.43.627.Search in Google Scholar

[50] A. V. Bansod, A. P. Patil, and S. Shukla, “Effect of heat on microstructural, mechanical and electrochemical evaluation of tungsten inert gas welding of low-nickel ASS,” Anti Corr. Method. Mater., vol. 65, no. 6, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1108/ACMM-05-2018-1941.Search in Google Scholar

[51] K. Mogano and D. Madyira, “Study of microstructure and hardness of austenitic stainless steel 309L multipass weld beads,” in 2021 IEEE 12th International Conference on Mechanical and Intelligent Manufacturing Technologies (ICMIMT), Cape Town, South Africa, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2021, pp. 19–24.10.1109/ICMIMT52186.2021.9476214Search in Google Scholar

[52] S.-Y. Ahn and N. Kang, “The effects of δ-ferrite on weldment of 9-12% Cr steels,” J. Weld. Join., vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 8–16, 2014, https://doi.org/10.5781/KWJS.2013.31.6.8.Search in Google Scholar

[53] N. Saini, R. S. Mulik, M. M. Mahapatra, R. Kannan, N. K. Sharma, and L. Li, “Dissolution of δ-ferrite and its effect on mechanical properties of P92 steel welds,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 796, p. 139370, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2020.139370.Search in Google Scholar

[54] R. Nivas, P. K. Singh, G. Das, S. K. Das, S. Kumar, B. Mahato, K. Sivaprasad, and M. Ghosh, “A comparative study on microstructure and mechanical properties near interface for dissimilar materials during conventional V-groove and narrow gap welding,” J. Manuf. Process., vol. 25, pp. 274–283, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2016.12.004.Search in Google Scholar

[55] A. Asadollahi, A. Bahrami, and M. Shamanian, “The effects of filler metal and butter layer on the microstructure and mechanical properties of API 5L X65/AISI 304L joint,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 23, pp. 4148–4166, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.02.063.Search in Google Scholar

[56] K. Karthick, S. Malarvizhi, and V. Balasubramanian, “Microstructural characterization of dissimilar weld joint between ferritic steel and stainless steel,” Mater. Sci. Technol., vol. 37, no. 15, pp. 1257–1269, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1080/02670836.2021.1992949.Search in Google Scholar


Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2024-0405).


Published Online: 2025-04-14
Published in Print: 2025-05-26

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review on three-point bending test for evaluating the mechanical properties, fracture behavior, and adhesion strength of coating/substrate systems
  3. Gas metal arc weldability of a Strenx 700MC-AISI304 dissimilar joint
  4. Effect of process parameters on mechanical properties of 5554 aluminum alloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing
  5. Coating of TIG-welded micro-alloyed 38MnVS6 steel with flux-cored wire and FeB addition: microstructure, hardness, and wear properties
  6. Manufacturing parameters’ effects on the flexural properties of 3D-printed PLA
  7. Modified hot-spot stress method for fatigue life estimation of welded components
  8. Water as blowing agent in polyurethane resins creating porous cancellous bone surrogates for biomechanical osteosynthesis applications
  9. Enhancing cervical spine health: a vibration-focused multibody dynamics model for neck support system design
  10. Characterization of novel fibers extracted from Rumex obtusifolius L. plant for potential composite applications
  11. Interface metallurgical characteristics of dissimilar friction welded steels
  12. Effect of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on the wettability and aging behavior of metal surfaces
  13. Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar ferritic (S355)–austenitic (AISI 304) steel joints welded by robotic GMAW
  14. Enhanced Greylag Goose optimizer for solving constrained engineering design problems
  15. Effect of sustainable cooling and lubrication method on the hole quality and machinability performance in drilling of AA7075 alloy with cryogenically treated carbide drills
  16. Design optimization of a connecting rod for energy savings
Downloaded on 4.10.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/mt-2024-0405/html
Scroll to top button