Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of CMT Welded Ferritic AISI 1080 Carbon Steel (UNS G10800)

AISI 1080 Carbon Steel plates are widely used in various applications, but a significant challenge lies in finding suitable joining techniques for them. In the fusion zone, rough grains are formed during the joining of ferritic carbon steels like AISI 1080 and that leads to a reduction in ductility and toughness. This issue arises because there is no phase transformation during welding, which typically aids in grain refinement. To address this, it is recommended to weld these metals using a low-heat input process. CMT, well known for its low heat input and drop-by-drop deposition of material, is employed to estimate the properties like microstructural, and mechanical properties of the resulting weld. The analysis comprises the examination of yield (Y) and tensile (T) strength. Compared to the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and the base metal (BM), it was spotted that the weld metal (WM) had the highest TS. Hardness tests were led, and the outcome showed that the base metal had the lowest hardness at 167 HV, which is roughly 75.69% of the weld metal's hardness. Microstructural analysis involved capturing and studying micrographs from the weld metal, heat-affected zone, and base metal. These analyses provide valuable insights into the material's properties and behaviour during the welding process.