Recycling of slag to act as a flux in submerged arc welding

The slag generated during submerged arc welding is thrown away as a waste. Non-biodegradable nature poses problems of storage, disposal, soil pollution and also needs landfill space for dumping. It cannot be used as a filling material in building construction or elsewhere being glassy and brittle material. The non-renewable resources are also getting exhausted fast due to continuous mining for minerals required for manufacturing of fluxes. The successful development of recycling technology that allows the use of slag as a fresh flux will surely overcome the above-mentioned problems and will also prove to be very economical.Slag was processed by replenishing it with suitable alloying elements/deoxidizers by agglomeration. This replenished slag is referred to as recycled slag. Recycled slag in combination with EL-8 filler wire was used in these investigations. The properties of weld metal deposited with recycled slag were investigated. The mechanical properties were satisfactory and satisfied AWS (American Welding Society) requirements. The chemical composition of weld metal was within the acceptance range of AWS specifications. The test plates cleared the radiographic test.