Hello everyone. I have a problem here. We need to weld 16 bennox plates (16mm thick, each) to a EN24 shaft, 200mm diameter and 3800mm long (170mm spacing). Can anyone suggest the most appropriate method. We have thought of preheating the shaft to 260deg C and using Low Hydrogen rods for the root, filler and cappping runs. Stress relieving is a problem due to the overall size, and we have to keep distortion to an absolute minimum. What do you guys think of using 312 S/S rods instead. Apparently this is quite good for welding dissimiliar metals and those of high carbon content. It also tends not to crack as easily as LH rods...any suggestions are most welcome.

Thanks