Investigation of Weld Geometry, Mechanical Properties, and Metallurgical observations of Activated Flux Tungsten Inert Gas (A-TIG) Welding on 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel

The main disadvantage of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is the difficulty of getting deep penetration in single-pass TIG welding for plates over 6 mm thick. The activated flux tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding method can produce deeper penetration than conventional TIG welding. This study carried out the welding process on stainless steel 304 with the A-TIG welding method. Welding was performed without filler metal (autogenous). The fluxes used are SiO2, TiO2, and NSN308. Weld geometry, mechanical properties, and metallurgical observations were conducted to determine the effect of each flux. The results showed an increase in penetration up to 89.9% with SiO2 flux. In addition, the ultimate tensile strength increased up to 17.2% using flux, but there was a decrease in microhardness in the heat-affected zone region.