JOINING TECHNOLOGY: PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF REDUCED HEAT INPUT ELECTROSLAG WELDS OF OF HEAVY-SECTION ALUMIMUM ARMOR

RESEARCH ON AN ULTRA HIGH DEPOSITION RATE, REDUCED DEPOSITION RATE, REDUCED HEAT INPUT , SINGLE PASS WELDING PROCESS FOR HEAVY SECTION STEELS IS PROPOSED. THE PROCESS USES METAL POWDER ADDITIONS, IN COMBINATION WITH A CONSUMABLE WELDING ELECTRODE, TO INCREASE THE TOTAL METAL DEPOSITION RATE OF A NARROW GAP ELECTROSLAG WELDING PROCESS, INCREASE WELDING TRAVEL SPEED THEREBY DECREASING PROCESS HEAT INPUT TO THE BASE METAL, AND PROVIDE IMPROVED MATERIAL, A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTAL WELDMENTS WILL BE PRE- PARED AT INCREASING TOTAL FILLER METAL DEPOSITION RATES AMD DECREASING HEAT INPUTS. THESE WELDMENTS WILL BE EVALUATED IN DETAIL TO DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT RELATIVE TO BASE- LINE CONDITIONS AND RELATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL ELECTROSLAG WELDMENTS. PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES OF FABRICATION COSTS SAVINGS TO BE REALIZED THROUGH INCREASED FILLER METAL DEPOSITION RATE, I.E. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY,AND DECREASED FILLER METAL COSTS, THROUGH LOW COSTS,THROUGH LOW COST METAL POWDER USAGE, WILL BE FORMULATED.