Microstructure, hardness and petroleum corrosion evaluation of 316L/AWS E309MoL-16 weld metal

The current work presents some observations about the effect of welding heat input on the microstructure, hardness and corrosion resistance of AWS E309MoL-16 weld metal, diluted with AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel plates. Such welds are widely used during overlay of equipment in the petroleum and gas industries. Results show that the welds contained δ-ferrite varying between vermicular to lathy morphology, typically encountered in welds which solidify in ferrite–austenite mode (FA). Conversely, contents and morphology of δ-ferrite in the weld metals were altered, showing an increase of welding heat input. The corrosion rate of the weld metal indicated that when higher levels of welding heat input are used the corrosion rate is reduced. This may be attributed to metallurgical changes, especially variations in the proportion of δ-ferrite, caused by changes in cooling rate.