Effect of Mode of Metal Transfer on Mechanical Properties of Duplex Stainless-Steel Welding

In current investigation, the microstructural and mechanical attributes of grade 2205 duplex stainless steel welds have been examined. To evaluate the effects of modes of metal transfer in the gas metal arc welding process, butt welding was performed on 10 mm plates using the dip, globular, and spray modes. The welds quality was assessed and accepted through non-destructive testing, including visual, liquid penetrant, and radiographic examinations. The dip-mode-transfer welded samples exhibited the highest ferrite content at 59.37 and 68.21% in the weld region and heat affected zone (HAZ), respectively. Three different morphologies of austenite—Widmanstätten, intra-granular, and grain boundary austenite, along with the presence of ferrite but absent of intermetallic phases are observed. The spray and globular modes of metal transfer weldments display higher strength than the base materials, fracturing from the parent metal. The dip-mode-transfer specimen exhibits higher hardness. For all modes of metal transfer, the weld metal and HAZ have higher hardness compared to the base metal. The dip mode of metal transfer shows higher impact energy in the weld, while the spray-transfer-mode samples exhibit higher impact energy and lateral expansion for HAZ and parent metal. Fractography of the samples reveal that the ductile mode of fracture is dominant for all the specimens.