INFLUENCE OF PULSED CURRENT AND NON-PULSED CURRENT ON

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BUTT WELDING AND

MICROSTRUCTURE SS410 USING GTAW PROCESS
S.Arun
A.Shiek Davood
a

UG Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chandy College of Engineering, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India

UG Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chandy College of Engineering, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract
Tungston inert gas welding is one of the
widely used techniques for joining ferrous and
non ferrous metals.Tig welding process offers
several advantages like joining of unlike
metals,low heat affected zone.The accuracy and
quality of welded joints largely depends upon
type of power supply,welding speed,type of inert
gas used for shielding and gas flow rate. The
Mechanical properties of weeldments of SS410
during the Gas Tungston Arc Welding
(GTAW)/Tungston Inert Gas (TIG) welding
with non-pulsed and pulsed welding.The
microstructure and mechanical properties of the
weldments have been examined and compared
with non-pulsed and pulsed current welding.The
Mechanical
properties
like
tensile
strength,breaking load,hardness of SS410.No
defects were found in the weldments of
SS410and Tensile strength of the joints was
move in the case of pulsed current welding.
Keywords: Pulsed current welding ,non-pulsed
current welding, tensile strength ,Hardness and
Microstructure

Introduction
The demand is increasing for
aluminum alloy and stainless steel weld
structures and products where high quality is
required such as aerospace applications.

stainless steel can be welded easily by

conventional arc welding methods like metal
inert gas (MIG) and Tungsten Inert
Gas(TIG).Among the two methods ,the gas
tungsten arc welding(GTAW)process has proved
for many years to be suitable for welding alloy
steels and stainless steels, since gives best
quality welds. The AC and DCSP GTAW
process is used in this study for SS410.
Further development has been pulsed
current TIG welding. Pulsed current welding
(pcw) was introduced in the late 1960s as a
variant of constant current welding(ccw). pcw
process has many advantages over ccw,
including enhanced arc stability, increased weld
depth/width ratio, narrower HAZ range, reduced
hot cracking sensitivity, refined grain size,
reduced porosity, low heat input, lower
distortion of gas by weld pool and better control
of the fusion zone [1-8]. Pulsed current welding
technology has been widely used in fabrication
of high pressure air bottles, high pressure gas
storage tanks, rocket motors, structures in
aerospace applications. All these factors will
help in improving mechanical properties.
Current pulsing has been used by several
investigators to obtain refined grains in weld
fusion zones and improvement in weld
mechanical properties.

Process
In the pulsed-current mode, the
welding current rapidly alternates between two

levels. The higher current state is known as the

pulse current, while the lower current level is
called as back ground current. During the period
of pulse current, the weld area is heated and
fusion occurs. Upon dropping to the background
current, the weld area is allowed to cool and
solidifies. Pulsed - current TIG welding has a
number of advantages, including lower heat
input and consequently reduces distortion and
warpage in thin work pieces . In addition, it
allows for greater control of the weld pool, and
can increase weld penetration, welding speed,
and quality.
During the impulses where high
current is present in the pulse arc process, a
large amount of heat is generated in the welding
area. The impulse frequency is usually between
0.5 Hz and 6 HZ. The weld heat input can be
considerably changed by the choice of times and
current values.
The important four parameters in the
TIG welding process are : Pulse current (Ip),

COMPOSITION
CARBON
CHROMIUM
MANGANESE
NICKEL
PHOSPHOROUS
SULPHUR
SILICON

WEIGHT%
0.0980%
12.6800%
0.6870%
0.2500%
0.0173%
Thick0.0132%
Weld Filler
Layer Dia
0.5650% (mm)
5mm

Root

1.6

1st
1.6
Layer
Background current (Ig), Pulse current time (tp)
and Back current time (tg) Pulse frequency (fp)
= 1/ tc, where tc is duration of period.

Duty cycle, IG-Back ground current, I-Main

current.

Experimental procedure
The work pieces were made of SS304 of
thickness 5mm. The test specimens were
machined in the size of 250 mm X 250 mm
welded with pulsed and non-pulsed current
GTAW process.
Table 1:Chemical Composition Of SS410

Edge preparation of weld specimens

Table 2. Welding parameters for non-pulsed
current welding for SS410
Material Weld Filler
I(amp V(volt
Thickne Laye Wire
s)
s)
ss
r
Dia(m
m)
5mm
Root 1.6
10012.5
1st
140
Laye
Pulse/ V Ipr Ib ARC
sec
Speed
3.
(Hz)
(cm/min) Table
Welding
3
14 100 7 7.0
parameters for
0
pulsed current
5
14 140 7 7.0
welding
of
0
SS410

Tensile Testing
The ultimate tensile strength of the machined
specimens is measured in a calibrated Universal
tensile testing machine which has a capacity of
60 tons. Tensile test was carried out according to
the ASTM standards. Figure shows the test
specimen.

Is-Starting current, IE-End current, tup-Up

slope, tdown-Down slope, F-P-Pulse frequency,
1/(F-P)-Time interval between two pulses, Dcy-

ARC
Speed
(cm/mi
n)
7.0

Angle between the Tig Welding gun

and work specimens was maintained between
45degree as per B.I.S standard .Ten weldments
were prepared shown in fig.

Hardness Test
The fig. shows the standard specimens for micro
hardness test.The standards are taken from
ASTM Internationals, DesignationE 92. First of
all, the required size was cut from the welded
pieces after this these were made smooth by
filing followed by smoothen with help of emery
papers. Then to get more smoothness, polishing
machine was used. The alumina powder and
then diamond powder were used for polishing
the surface. Microhardness of fusion zones of
the weldments was measured using Vickerss
micro hardnesstesting machine with a load of
1.0kg

Keeping the gas flow rate was 20LPM and

Welding speed 0.6mm/sec

Metallography
The microstructural changes that
take place during weld area, HAZ and parent
heat material. The specimen were suitably
selected in transverse direction of the welding
polishing
according
to
the
standard
metallographic procedures.

Results and Discussion

Effect of Current on
hardness

Micro

Pulsed current
Current(amps)

Fig.: Standard Specimen Size for

Micro Hardness Testing (L=30mm, W= T=
6mm)

Welding of Test Pieces

welding was to be done in open and
not in closed chamber. Before commencing
welding arc air around welding zone waspurged
with argon from 10 to 15 second.

100
110
120
130
140

Weld
Area
79.66
80
81.33
80.66
79.66

HAZ
Area
74.33
69.66
71.33
74.33
74.66

Parent
Heat
82
80
80
79.66
79.33

Non-pulsed current
Current(amps)
Weld
Area

HAZ
Area

Parent
Heat

100

74.33

80

79.66

110
120
130
140

79.33
81.33
81
79.33

77.33
77.33
7
74.66

79.33
79.33
79
79

85
80
75
70

Effect Of
Strength

Current

Pulsed Current
Current(amps)
100
110
120
130
140

Breaking
Load(KN)

Tensile
Strength(Mpa)

46.25
45.875
45.75
44
43

486.84
481.39
487.46
462.65
452.63

Non-Pulsed Current
Cur Br Tens
rent ea ile
(am ki Stre
ps)
ng ngth
Lo (Mp
ad a)
(K
N)
100

110

120
130

140

41.
12
5
45.
37
5
40.
50
43.
53
8
45

432.
89
477.
625
426.
31
427.
63
473.
68

Graph
Hardness Test
Pulsed Current

On Tensile

65
60

HAZ
WELD
AREA
PARENT
AREA

Non-Pulsed Current

82
80
78
76
74
72
70

HAZ
WELD
AREA
PARENT
AREA

Comparison Between Pulsed Current and

Non-Pulsed Current On Tensile Strength

AMPS Vs TENSILE STRENGTH

pulsed
Tensile
strength

non-pulsed
50 100150
amps

Effects
Of
Pulsed
Microstructures

Current

On

Microstructures of weld metal 120

amps weld specimen were viewed and captured
with an optical microscope. Optical microscopes
showing the microstructure of weld zone ,HAz
and Parent material.the HT-HAZ microstructure
from the fusion line considered of a coarse
grained region and the region were both ferrite
carbides, pearlite and ferrite matrix.It is
observed from these optical microscope that heat
increases the dendrites size and interspacing of
the weld metal also increases.

HAZ microstructures

Parent material microstructures

Conclusion

Weld area microstructures

1.Comparatively the Pulsed current is better than

the non-pulsed current influences in mechanical
properties,microstructure,weld quality.
2.Maximum Tensile Strength of 487.46Mpa was
observed at welding pulsed current 120 amps
and welding speed 0.6mm/sec,gas flow rate
20LPM and 60degree bevel.

3.Maximum micro hardness occurs in pulsed

120amps like weld area,HAZ and Parent
material.
4.Microstructure of the weld specimen 120 amps
due to pulsed current ,fine grains and a uniform
ferrite distribution.

References
1.R.D. Stout, Weldability of Steels, Welding
Research Council, 1987, pp 34.
2.DIN EN 439, Shielding gases for arc welding
and cutting, May 1995

3. DIN EN 10431,Hardness test on arc welded

joints, May 1995
4. Welding characteristics of Aluminium alloy
(6082) and Stainless steel(304) weldments,
using pulsed
and non-pulsed current GTAW
. A.Raveendra, Dr.B.V.R.Ravi Kumar.
5. Senthilkumar, V. Balasubramanian and M. Y.
S. Babu, Effect of Pulsed Current GTAW
Parameters on Fusion Zone Microstructure of
AA6061, International Journal of Metals &
Materials, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2007, pp. 345-351.
6.D.Carrouge,Pr.H.K.D.H.Bbadesbia,Dr.P.Wooli
nMicrostructural change in high temperature
heat-affected zone of low carbon
weldable13%Crmartensitic stainless steels.