Evaluation of Tensile Properties of Stainless-Steel Welded Joints

Abstract

Residual stress in welded materials is a significant challenge for researchers today. Techniques like heat treatment and shot peening can reduce residual stress but require specialized equipment and time. Recently, vibration has been explored as a way to lower residual stress in welds. The goal of this work is to improve the mechanical properties of arc welded joints, including tensile strength, hardness, impact, and flexural strength, by applying vibrations during welding. When joining similar materials by arc welding, different requirements must be met. The first case characterizes welding two pieces to form a butt joint when vibration is applied to the material itself but not the electrode holder. The second case is welding with vibration on the electrode holder but not the material. The third case has vibration on both the material and electrode holder during welding. Frequencies are tuned so vibrations can be selectively applied. After welding, the joint undergoes mechanical testing. Tensile and flexural strength are measured with universal testing equipment. The tensile test determines strength and elongation capacity. Yield and ultimate tensile strengths are also obtained. Input vibration parameters like amplitude and frequency are used to develop regression equations that predict the mechanical properties of the welded joint. This analysis relates vibration inputs to outputs like joint tensile strength.