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    The ABC's of Arc Welding: Weld Decay

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    Lakshmi Kanth
    Weld decay is a form of corrosion that occurs in the heat-affected zones of stainless steel and nickel-based alloy welds. During welding, high temperatures can cause "sensitization" in these zones, depleting chromium along grain boundaries and making the metal susceptible to intergranular corrosion. Sensitization can be prevented by using low-carbon stainless steel grades, stabilizing alloys that form alternative carbides, or solution heat treating welds to dissolve chromium carbides.

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    The ABC's of Arc Welding: Weld Decay

    Uploaded by

    Lakshmi Kanth
    213 views4 pages
    Weld decay is a form of corrosion that occurs in the heat-affected zones of stainless steel and nickel-based alloy welds. During welding, high temperatures can cause "sensitization" in these zones, depleting chromium along grain boundaries and making the metal susceptible to intergranular corrosion. Sensitization can be prevented by using low-carbon stainless steel grades, stabilizing alloys that form alternative carbides, or solution heat treating welds to dissolve chromium carbides.

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    Weld decay is a form of corrosion that occurs in the heat-affected zones of stainless steel and nickel-based alloy welds. During welding, high temperatures can cause "sensitization" in these zones, depleting chromium along grain boundaries and making the metal susceptible to intergranular corrosion. Sensitization can be prevented by using low-carbon stainless steel grades, stabilizing alloys that form alternative carbides, or solution heat treating welds to dissolve chromium carbides.

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    213 views4 pages

    The ABC's of Arc Welding: Weld Decay

    Uploaded by

    Lakshmi Kanth
    Weld decay is a form of corrosion that occurs in the heat-affected zones of stainless steel and nickel-based alloy welds. During welding, high temperatures can cause "sensitization" in these zones, depleting chromium along grain boundaries and making the metal susceptible to intergranular corrosion. Sensitization can be prevented by using low-carbon stainless steel grades, stabilizing alloys that form alternative carbides, or solution heat treating welds to dissolve chromium carbides.

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    Weld decay

    Weld decay is a corrosion process that mainly occurs as a result of sensitization (regions
    susceptible to corrosion) in the heat affected Zones (HAZ) of metal during welding operations.

    This process mostly occurs in stainless steels or certain nickel-based alloys. It is a form of
    intergranular corrosion.

    Means of preventing sensitization:

     Solution heat treatment: heating to a temperature above 1900°F (1040°C) followed by


    quenching (rapid cooling) in water or quenching oils. During the heating stage the
    carbides dissolve and their formation is suppressed by fast cooling.
     Lowering concentration of carbon. Sensitization is depressed in low carbon (max. 0.03%)
    stainless steels, designated with the suffix L (304L, 316L).
     Stabilization by carbide forming elements. Formation of chromium carbides is avoided in
    stabilized austenitic stainless steels (321, 347) containing carbide forming elements like
    titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium. Stabilization heat treatment of such steels results
    in preferred formation of carbides of the stabilizing elements instead of chromium
    carbides.

    The ABC’s of Arc Welding


    Weld Decay: Its Cause and Cure
    Any stainless stool contains 13% or higher chromium. Because of the large amount of
    chromium, stainless steels are kept tree from corrosion due to the chromium oxide forming a
    rigid membrane on their surfaces when subjected to such corrosive media as air or oxidizing
    acids (e.g. nitric acid). Austenitic stainless steel contains (in addition to chromium) nickel,
    molybdenum, and copper to provide the corrosion resistance against non-oxidizing acids
    (such as hydrochloric and sulfuric acid) and reducing acids (such as saline solution and
    sulfurous acid).
    The typical austenitic stainless steel, Type 304 (l8%Cr-8%Ni), is used for a wide range of
    applications due to excellent mechanical properties, workability, weldability, in addition to
    superior corrosion resistance. However, the weld heat-affected zone of Type 304 may be
    attacked by selective corrosion, when it is exposed to a severe corrosive environment. The
    attack is called "weld decay," which is caused by intergranular corrosion. Fig. 1 shows weld
    decay that occurred on both sides of the seam weld of a 304 pipe of a hot dilute nitric
    process.
    Fig. 1 — Weld decay occurring on both sides of a 304-pipe weld for a hot diluted
    nitric process line (Source: AWS Welding Handbook)
    Weld areas are heated at high temperatures in arc welding. Fig. 2 shows the temperature
    distribution and the heat-affected zone in a weld.

    Fig. 2 — Temperature distribution and the heat-affected zone in a 304 stainless steel
    weld
    In the carbide precipitation zone (as shown in Fig. 2) chromium combines with carbon and
    precipitates chromium carbides at the grain boundaries, depleting the corrosion-resistible,
    uncombined chromium at or adjacent to the grain boundaries. This phenomenon is called
    "sensitization," because the areas along the grain boundaries become sensitive to corrosion.
    In order to control the sensitization of the heat-affected zone, use
    (1) 304L or 316L grade, because lower carbon content decreases the carbide precipitation.
    (2) 347 or 321 stabilized grade, because stronger carbide-forming elements (Nb or Ti)
    prevent the precipitation of chromium carbides.
    (3) postweld solution annealing treatment in the temperature range of 1000-1150°C,
    followed by rapid cooling, which decomposes the chromium carbides and make the
    chromium resistible to corrosion.

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