The Effect of Welding Parameters in Micro Plasma arc Welding of Stainless Steel 304 Thin Sheets

Abstract

These days welding of thin plate is prominent due to its importance in various field such as aerospace, medical science and industrial application etc., where welding of thin structure is required.  Stainless steel is most widely used due to its corrosive resistance with high strength and ductility. Micro Plasma Arc Welding (MPAW) is one of the effective welding processes, for these structures, therefore optimum parameter for effective welding needs to be studied. In this work specimens for welding are prepared from stainless steel (SS 304) having sheet thickness of 0.5mm and welding is carried out using MPAW. The effects of welding parameters such as welding speed, and base current on the weld properties are considered.

Mechanical properties are evaluated by carrying out tensile test , hardness test and microstructure. These tests are carried out on different specimens which are obtained by micro plasma arc welding by varying the welding parameters for different specimen. The results obtained from the test are analyzed and optimum values of the welding parameter are determined.