Study on microstructure and mechanical properties of 304 stainless steel joints by TIG, laser and laser-TIG hybrid welding

This paper investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of 304 stainless steel joints by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, laser welding and laser-TIG hybrid welding. The X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the phase composition, while the microscopy was conducted to study the microstructure characters of joints. Finally, tensile tests were performed and the fracture surfaces were analyzed. The results showed that the joint by laser welding had highest tensile strength and smallest dendrite size in all joints, while the joint by TIG welding had lowest tensile strength, biggest dendrite size. Furthermore, transition zone and heat affected zone can be observed in the joint of TIG welding. The fractograph observation showed that the TIG welding joint existed as cup–cone shaped fracture, while the laser welding and hybrid welding joints existed as pure-shear fracture. The laser welding and hybrid welding are suitable for welding 304 stainless steel owing to their high welding speed and excellent mechanical properties.