Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of underwater wet flux-cored wire welded 316L stainless steel joints

Underwater wet welding of 316L stainless steel was performed with specially designed nickel-based tubular wire at shallow water. Microstructural observations showed that fully austenitic weld metal without cracks and pores was achieved by the nickel-base filler materials. The ultimate tensile strength of welded joints was 508 MPa and the average elongation of the joints was up to 32%. The impact test results indicated that all specimens exhibited ductile fracture and Charpy impact toughness value of weld metal at 0 degrees C was 159 J/cm(2). The average hardness of weld metal was 156 HV. There was a sharp increase of hardness occurred in fusion zone due to more ferrite formation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.