huangyhg

connection of structural steel with stainless steel
we have a situation where stainless steel member have to be connected to structural steel with welding. is it possible to weld structural steel with normal steel? can someone guide and is there any reference for this? any help is appreciated. this member is actually a glass railing support.

carbon steel can be welded to stainless steel. it takes special welding procedures and the welder has to be qualified for this type of welding. i sugges you try the aws welding code issues of this forum or the aws website.
need special electrodes and by arc welding. i dont think it can be done by mig or tig.
thanks for response. is it possible that stainless steel remains without stains with welding. how we can design for weld?
i would be concerned about sacrificial corrosion of the weld. better to do a bolted connection with the two different metals electrically separated by neoprene washers e.t.c.
this connection is inside the building, i think there is no corrosion/rust problem as such. you are right, it should ideally be bolted, but i need to check whether it is possible to have a welded connection if there is no rusting issue.
ali07,
it can still corrode inside the building if part of the stainless steeel is exposed. the corrosion area does not have to be exposed to weather for this to occur.
for typical dry interior situations i wouldn't be worried about corrosion, especially if a protective paint finish is used on the carbon steel.
which electrode is being used for the welding and what are the properties of the electrode.
generally 309l is used to weld cs and ss (300 series ss).
welding of carbon steel to stainless steel is relatively common in many of the applications i'm normally involved with.
i'm sure you know this, but if the carbon steel is galvanized i would advise against welding ss to it. i have seen some cracking problems (there are several papers on the subject to give the technical discussion)and would suggest bolting the two together.
generally, i agree with csd72. avoid it if you can by bolting and insulating. if not, a qualified welding inspector to provide a written strict procedure is a must. i have seen many so-called "non-critical" stainless to stainless welds done that are poor enough (usually prep and equipment) that corrosion craking occurs. this can be increased when welding ms to ss.
asm

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