Effect of pulsed gas tungsten arc welding on corrosion behavior of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy

Due to the excellent combination of properties such as elevated strength-to-weight ratio, high toughness and excellent resistance to corrosion, make titanium alloys attractive for many industrial applications. Advantages of pulsed current welding frequently reported in literature include refinement of fusion zone grain size, etc. Hence, in this investigation an attempt has been made to study the effect of pulsed current Gas Tungsten Are (GTA) welding parameters on corrosion behavior of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. Pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding was used to fabricate the joints. To optimize the number of experiments to be performed, central composite design was used. The investigation revealed increase in corrosion resistance with increase in peak current and pulse frequency up to an optimum value of the same and decrease in corrosion resistance beyond that optimum point. An increase in corrosion resistance with grain refinement was also detected. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.