Prediction of Grain Growth Behavior in HAZ During Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of 304 Stainless Steel

In this study, the thermal cycles and the grain structure in the weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) are predicted. At the first stage, a combined heat transfer and fluid flow model is employed to assess the temperature fields during and after welding of 304 stainless steel and then, the evolution of grain structure is conducted using the predicted temperature distribution and an analytical model of grain growth. The grain sizes of the CGHAZ (coarse grain heat affected zone) achieved from the model are basically in agreement with those obtained from experimental measurement under different heat inputs in the range of 0.33-1.07 MJ/m. Both the experimental data and the calculated results show that the average grain size near the fusion plane is about two to four times larger than the average grain size in the base plate depending on the applied heat input.