the Molten Salt Energy Technologies Web Site

less steel are being made in the
fluoride mixture NaF-KF-LiF-UF,
(10.3-43.5-44.5- 1.1 mole X) at 815°C
at stresses ranging from 5000 to 7500
psi. Preliminary results indicate a
marked decrease in the rupture life.
It will be necessary to complete more
tests before a definite evaluation
can be made of the effect of the
fluorides on the creep properties of
type 316 stainless steel. An anoma-
lous behavior has been noted in the
stress range from 6800 to 7300 psi -
the rupture life increases as the
stress is increased. This effect has
also been seen in argon tests, al-
though to a lesser degree. Detailed
metallographic studies, together with
x-ray diffraction and vacuum fusion
analyses, will probably be necessary
to determine the structural changes
that promote this behavior.
BRAZING AND WELDING RESEARCH
G. M. Slaughter V. G. Lane
C. E. Schubert
Met a1 1 urgy Division
ARE Welding. A manual entitled
“Joint Design for Inert-Arc Welded
Vessels” was prepared as an aid in
construction of the ARE. This manual
describes the preferable basic joint
design for use in pressure vessels
that are to be operated at elevated
temperatures in a severely corrosive
envi ronmen t .
Cone-Arc Yielding. A topical,
comprehensive report of cone-arc
welding research conducted at this
laboratory is being written for publi-
cation in the Pelding Journal Research
Supplement. This report w i l l discuss
the basic principles of the cone-arc
process, the actual physical setup of
the apparatus, and the extent of the
research on the welding of thin-walled
tube- to- header j oint s.
During the research on the cone-arc
welding of the 0.100-in. -OD stainless
steel tubes with 0.010-in. wall chick-
ness to the 0.125-in. stainless steel
PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 18, 1952
headers, it was noticed that many
welds exhibited a two-pass appearance.
In order that the mechanism of the
cone-arc welding process could be
better understood, an investigation
was conducted to study this phenomenon.
Figure 12.2a shows a microstructure in
a cone-arc weld that resembles, in
many ways, that resulting from a
multiple-pass butt-weld. There were,
apparently, two stages of melting,
with growth of dendrites across the
interface of the two regions.
This two-pass effect apparently
results from the very rapid melting
of the tube during the initial phases
of the welding process. With the tube
flush against the top header surface,
the intense heat of the welding arc
is at first centered upon the thin-
walled tube. The tube apparently
undergoes melting along its length
for a short distance until the thermal-
insulating capacity of the very fine
tube- to-header spacing is overcome.
After this occurs, much of the heat
is then used in melting the header
material. At this time, conditions
are reached that approach more nearly
the equilibrium state. The lower pass
is then that resulting from the initial
phase of the welding, and the upper
pass, represented by the molten weld
pool, remains throughout the major
portion of the welding cycle.
Since it would seem that the arc
would play more directly upon the
header sheet at the initial point of
striking if the tube were recessed in
the hole this technique was employed
in an attempt to eliminate the two-
pass weld. Figure 12.2b is a photo-
micrograph of a cone-arc weld in
which the tube was recessed 0.022 inch.
Complete welding occurred, and the
two-pass effect was eliminated. It
should be remembered that the two-pass
weld is not considered as detrimental
but is merely a characteristic of
joints made under certain conditions.
Relatively long arc distances also
reduce the tendency for this type of
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