Influence of nano-sized flux materials in the reduction of the Cr (VI) in the stainless steel welding fumes

New stainless steel Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) consumables were developed for low fume emission by modifying the flux materials with the nano compound substitution. The strategy of replacing the existing calcite with its nano compound in the flux brought out a noticeable reduction in welding fumes as well as the hexavalent chromium(Cr(VI)) concentration. Arc stability during welding process was monitored with the help of voltage probability density function, and the weld spatters visualization using the in-situ Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) and infrared camera devices respectively. Almost 85-100 % recovery of metals in the weld metal was attained for the experimental electrodes, which produced the least fume emission. An effective reduction of hexavalent chromium concentration up to 42% was achieved by one of the experimental electrodes.