Study on the Interface of Stainless Steel/Carbon Steel Clad Plate Produced by Electroslag Fusion Welding

This study produced 304 stainless steel (SS) and Q235 carbon steel (CS) clad plates through electroslag fusion welding using self-made equipment. The characteristics of bonding state, inclusion, element diffusion, microstructure, and mechanical properties at the bimetallic interface were studied. The results showed that SS and CS were well bonded, and defects, such as slag inclusions, shrinkage, and cracks, were not produced at the interface. Few inclusions with small sizes and dispersed distribution were found at the interface, which was closely affected by the inclusion type of the bimetal. The diffusion of C, Cr, Ni, and other elements affected the transition zone, which included the microstructure characteristics of ferrite + pearlite, ferrite, martensite + carbides, austenite, and austenite + ferrite between the bimetals with an apparent thickness of about 158.8 & mu;m. The tensile tests of SS/CS bimetallic specimens determined that their tensile strength reached 476 & PLUSMN; 11 MPa, and the tensile fracture occurred in the ferrite zone on the CS side, fully illustrating that the SS/CS clad plate produced using electroslag fusion welding had good interface performance and was competitive.