In modern industry or construction, welding of stainless steel is the main process of construction of structures. However, this process cannot be called easy and trouble-free. Stainless steel is much more difficult to weld than carbon steel. The point is the properties of the metal. For example, the electrical resistivity is very high, but the thermal conductivity is quite low.
There are several methods for joining metals. For example, for metal with a thickness of more than 1 cm, flux-arc welding of stainless steel is used. The flux protects the junction from air. Additionally, electrode wire is used.
You can also apply roller welding of metal. It is produced through the successive formation of points, and the interval of their formation is controlled. How the device will work depends on the location of the points and the step between them.
For the connection of metals, spot welding of stainless steel with resistance is also used. To carry out the process, low-voltage current pulses are used. They are short. But the resistance when using this type of metal compound is very high.
High-frequency currents can also be used to complete the process. Laser welding of stainless steel is ensured by a laser beam. Thanks to him, it is possible to achieve a high degree of heat concentration at one point. When using this type of compound, there is no large loss of molten metal. Although this type cannot be called cheap, it is very effective and firmly combines materials.
If the sheets of metal are thin, then you can use the arc welding method. However, the most effective combination of steels is plasma brazing. At the moment, the presented type is the newest and most effective.
Stainless steel welding also has its own characteristics. There are materials that become brittle after processing, and structures based on them become dangerous, as they can simply fall apart. In order to prevent intergranular corrosion from occurring or to be expressed in an extremely small degree, it is necessary to reduce the precipitation of carbides during welding.
In the process of joining materials, different
electrodes are used for welding stainless steel. For example, elements with a protective alloying coating are used to work with highly alloyed metals. The fact is that in this case, the seam turns out to be more reliable, and the properties of the metal in the joint area practically do not differ from the general properties of the stainless steel.
Also, the use of electrode elements depends on the type of welding. For example, for argon-arc, melting and non-consumable tungsten elements are used. Moreover, each type is used in precisely defined conditions.
It should also be noted that modern industry and technological progress contribute to the improvement of the stainless steel welding process. However, already now the connecting seam on metals is quite durable and makes the structure strong and resistant.