MICROSTRUCTURES AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF WELDED FE-12CR-20MN AUSTENITIC STAINLESS-STEEL

The effects of welding on the tensile and fatigue properties of fully annealed and cold-worked Fe-12Cr-20Mn austenitic stainless steel mere evaluated. Room temperature and 500 degrees C tensile tests and room t emperature cantilever beam fatigue tests were accomplished on specimen s that contained autogenous head-on-plate welds. The tensile and fatig ue properties of the fully annealed material were not significantly in fluenced by welding. The tensile properties of the melded cold-worked material were also not significantly affected by the presence of a wel dment. However, welding caused a large reduction of the fatigue life o f the cold-worked material. Fatigue cracks preferentially initiated at large Mn-Si inclusions that formed in the fusion zones of the weldmen ts.