How to Weld Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel Together?

1、Can stainless steel and carbon steel be welded together?

(1) To be sure, it is workable, and this is called the welding of dissimilar steels;
(2) Ideally, same materials welding is more preferred because they perfectly matched in terms of chemical composition and mechanical properties. However, in actual production, processing, and fabrication, it may be necessary to join different materials together. Sometimes we use stainless steel and low-carbon steel on some non-important parts and join them together to achieve higher economic benefits.

(3) Welding processes of dissimilar materials are common in some petrochemical facilities as well as mineral industry facilities. For equipment in these facilities, stainless steel is often required to provide its corrosion resistance. However, when the environment and conditions of use allow, the material can be welded to lower-cost carbon steel.

2、Stainless steel electrode should be chosen, according to the material of stainless steel, to weld stainless steel and carbon steel (Q235 belongs to carbon steel). There are general principles for welding between dissimilar steels:

(1) Welding rodis chosen according to their strengths in carbon steel welding. If the strength of the two carbon steel materials is different, the welding rods strength grade should match with the steel of higher strength. For example, E6013 welding rod is used for welding Q245R and Q345R;
(2) In heat-resistant steel and carbon steel joining, carbon steel welding rods is generally used;
(3) In carbon steel and stainless steel joining, stainless steel electrodes are generally used, such as E309-16, E309Mo-16, etc.

3、Common dissimilar welding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among them, 0Cr18Ni10Ti is ER321 stainless steel in AWS standard.

If the joining is critical, stainless steel electrodes must be used for welding, not carbon steel electrodes. Of course, welding between dissimilar steels is not recommended, because carburizing reaction will happen in the weld part between stainless steel and carbon steel, and stainless steel will get brittle, and it is prone to leakage accidents when used in low-temperature environments or high-pressure conditions. Please be cautious.

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