Paper Details

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is the most important joining technique in almost all types ofmanufacturing sector. GTAW is suitable for welding thin work materials when good quality and surface finish arerequired. The presence of certain impurities in steel such as sulphur, oxygen etc in the weld pool can significantlychange the change the welding penetration depth in GTAW. Several mechanisms have been proposed for producing arelatively deep and narrow weld. A novel variant of GTAW process called the A-GTAW process involves application ofthin coating (10-15μm thick) of activated flux on the joint area prior to welding. Literature identifies that the penetrationcapability of the arc in GTAW can be significantly increased by the application of a flux coating containing activeingredients, onto the joint surface prior to welding.The present study investigated the performance of stainless steel (AISI SS304) using A-GTAW process using Design ofExperiments (DOE) methodology. L18 orthogonal array design matrix was followed. Mechanical testing- Tensile testing,micro hardness testing and microstructures was performed to check the performance of the welded joints. Taguchi`smethod was used to analyze the results. The results indicated that the performance of weldments was improved bywelding with A-GTAW. Tensile strength and micro hardness was improved by A-GTAW.

Mukesh kumar, Mohd Vaseem, “EFFECT OF SIO2 IN A-GTAW MADE OF AISI SS304”, International Journal of Advance Engineering and Research Development (IJAERD), Vol. 5, Issue 3, pp. 233-242, March 2018.