Estimation of Mechanical Properties of Microplasma Welding of 0.5 mm SS304 Sheets

The demand for light weight and small components has increased tremendously over the years. The present work describes the plasma micro welding of SS304 alloy. Plasma arc micro welding is carried out on thin sheet to characterize the effect of welding parameters. The proper ranges of welding current at constant welding speed for two different plasma gas flow rates are evaluated to obtain better quality of weld at butt joint configuration. Distortion is a major problem for welded structures especially for the thinner materials. Hence, the variation of process parameters viz. welding current and plasma gas flow rate are studied on weld-induced distortion. Distortion analysis both longitudinal shrinkage and transverse shrinkage are done for six different welding conditions. It is predicted that both longitudinal shrinkage and transverse shrinkage increases with increase in plasma gas flow rate and current. The tensile strength and microstructure are also determined at different gas flow rates and welding currents. This may be due to the application of more heat at higher values.