Welding martensitic stainless steel through electroslag(ESW)

By aherna21 Date 04-22-2008 14:14

Does anyone have experience with welding martensitic steels through electroslag welding? Is this recommendable?

ASME Boiler and pressure vessel code has a limitation for electroslag to be use donly on ferritic and austenitic steels,
Why does ASME code limit the use of ESW to ferritic and austenitic steels? (Section VII, Division 1, PART UW-5 (d))

Does this mean that ESW should not be used to weld marthensitic stainless steel? (e.g. CA-6NM Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo hardenable alloy)
"ESW is a high heat input welding process and it has slow cooling rates. In general, high heat, slow cooling results in a coarse grain structure that has poor notch toughness." (Reply from Al at previous post)

Until 2006 there was a limitation on AWS D1.1 for using this product. why was this limitation removed?
The Federal Hwy Admin. Had also banned for years this process for use on structural elements. This ban was removed, due to improvements in the process and materials.

Are the 3 limitations in any way related?

The process as I´ve seen it uses cooling plates to limit grain growth during the process, plus heat treatment is performed at the end. How does this relate with limitations from the standard?

Thanks,

By js55

Date 04-22-2008 14:29

These are very good questions. And actually encompass a huge area. I don't know that much in the way of definitive help for your questions will be forthcoming in here though I hope so, and I know there are some folks with a lot of experience with the process and the alloys of which you speak.
I for myself I do not have any answers without guesses, which at this point I hesitate to post. Though I may at some point to stimulate discussion.
If there aren't many that answer your post rest assured it is not being ignored.
I'd surely like to see this discussion develop.