Stainless Q&A

Q: Why is there so much distortion when welding austenitic stainless steels?

A: The answer relates to the coefficients of thermal conductivity and expansion.

The 300 series austenitic stainless steels distort significantly more than carbon steels during welding. A maximum interpass temperature of 350°F is typically specified for these materials, and fast cooling between passes using water-soaked cloths is often used to alleviate this.

There are five major types of..