718 Nickel to 316 Stainless Dissimilar Metal Welding

by Kristopher Doll
Abstract
This project investigates the technical considerations of dissimilar metal welding between nickel alloy
718 and stainless steel 316 using the GTAW process. A brief review of concerns with welding 718, 316,
and creating dissimilar metal welds is presented. Experiments are performed to evaluate heat affected
zone strength, effective joint tensile strength, and the effect of groove design on penetration depth.

Base and Filler Metal Properties

The materials involved in this project are 316 stainless, 718 Inconel, and ERNICrMo-3 filler rod (625
inconel). 316 is an austenitic stainless steel intended for use in corrosive environments. 718 is a group
D nickel alloy that can be precipitation hardened to 200 ksi and maintain its strength without overaging
at temperatures up to 1200F. The Nickel Development Institute (NiDI) recommends using nickel alloy
625 filler rod for joining 316 to 718 [1]. 625 is a group B solid solution strengthened nickel alloy. Table 1
lists the properties and compositions of each alloy involved in this study.
Table 1: Properties of Base Metals and Filler Metal
Stainless 316L [2]
(Annealed)

Nickel 625 [3]

(As Welded)

Nickel 718 [4]

(Solutionized)

Primary means of
Strengthening

Cold Work

Solid Solution
Strengthening

Precipitation
Hardening

UTS (ksi)
Yield (ksi)
Elongation
Service Temperature (F)
Composition

80
35
60%
800
Ni 10-14%
Cr 16-18%
Mo 2-3%
Fe 62-72%
C .03-.08%

120
80
17%
1500
Ni 58%
Cr 20-23%
Mo 8-10%
Nb 3-4%

130
58
45%
1200
Ni 50-55%
Cr 17-21%
Mo 2.8-3.3%
Nb 4.8-5.5%
Fe Balance
Ti 0.7-1.2%
Al 0.2-0.3%

Concerns When Welding 316 Stainless

There are two possible problems that may occur in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of an austenitic
stainless steel such as 316:
1) High temperatures will remove the strength gained by cold work and will increase grain size.
These two effects will reduce the tensile and yield strength of a cold worked material and
increase its ductility.
2) In the 800-1600F temperature range, chromium carbide precipitates out of solution near grain
boundaries. This process of sensitization depletes the chromium available to form an oxide
layer and greatly reduces the corrosion resistance in the HAZ. [5]
Both problems can be minimized by welding quickly and promoting rapid cooling. For applications that
utilize the corrosion resistance of 316, the reduction in strength is not particularly problematic.
Sensitization can be avoided by using Extra Low Carbon (ELC) grades of 316 or stabilized grades that
have carbide forming elements. In standard 316 stainless grades, the chromium carbides can be
dissolved with a 1900F anneal and quench treatment.

Concerns When Welding 718 Stainless

The HAZ of 718 may experience the following problems [6]:
1) Microfissures can appear where the grain boundaries melt and crack upon cooling. This is more
of an issue when the material previously underwent a high temperature solution anneal and the
welding cooling rates are very fast.
2) Laves phase intermetallic compounds may precipitate out of solution with slow cooling rates.
These compounds severely decrease the ductility of the weldment.
The strategy for avoiding both of these issues is to weld with a moderate heat input and low interpass
temperature. Microfissures cannot be removed except by repair welding the HAZ. Intermetallics can be
mostly dissolved with a high temperature solution anneal after welding.

Figure 1: Base Metal Dilution Cross Sectional Area Method

Taken from [7]

Weld Metal Concerns

With a dissimilar metal weld, the weld metal will be diluted by the base metals. Dilution in a manual
GTAW is highly dependent on welding technique and typically ranges from 20 to 50% [7]. The resulting
composition of the fusion zone can be determined through chemical analysis or it can be estimated by
measuring the cross sectional area of the weld bead and the melted base metal (figure 1). Due to the
high viscosity of nickel, the weld metal composition may vary rather drastically across a weld bead.
Dilution can be reduced by minimizing the amount of base metal melted; however, this may lead to
reduced root penetration.
Table 2: Approximate 316
Base metal dilution will give the weld inferior mechanical properties
to 718 Weld Composition
and corrosion resistance compared to the filler and base metal
with Nickel 625 Filler
properties. Furthermore, it is possible that tramp elements in any of
20%
50%
the three metals may combine to form intermetallic compounds.
Dilution Dilution
Using the 20-50% dilution figure and assuming perfect mixing, the
Ni
53
45
composition of the weld can be approximated as shown in table 2.
Cr
21
20
Special Metals Corporation reports a transverse dissimilar metal weld
Mo
7.8
5.9
tensile strength of 92 ksi for 304 joined with 625 filler and 107 ksi for
Nb
3.3
3.0
718 welded with 625 [3]. These strengths are inferior to the 120 ksi all
Fe
8.8
22
weld metal tensile strength of nickel 625.
Ti
0.1
0.3

Groove Geometry for Nickel Alloys

Nickel alloys have a high molten viscosity and relatively low thermal conductivity. Welders describe
these alloys as being very sluggish. Achieving moderate root penetration can be a challenge.
A study by J. Gordine concluded that the optimal V-groove included angle for welding 718 with matching
filler is 90 degrees. Furthermore, the study found that root penetration appears to increase linearly
with root gap. [6]

Welding Parameters for Manual GTAW

Table 3 lists the recommended current and travel
speed for welding 1/2" plates of 316 and 718 with
GTAW. There is a large mismatch between these
values. With a nickel based filler metal, the weld
zone will behave more like a nickel alloy than a
stainless steel, and the actual welding parameters
should be closer to those of 718.

Table 3: Recommended Welding Parameters

Base Metal
Nominal Amperage
Travel Speed (ipm)

316 [5]
200-300
10-12

718 [8]
120
3

Helium shielding is recommended for nickel alloys since it facilitates deeper penetration. However,
helium gas was not available for these experiences.
The actual welding procedure involved 150 amps maximum current, DCEN polarity with a 3/32 2%
thoriated tungsten electrode, argon shielding, 3/32 ERNiCrMo-3 filler rod, and a travel speed of 1 to 6
inches per minute. Samples were cut from 1/2" diameter round stock.
The samples were placed together and the root gap was established using a set of machinist shims. Two
tack welds were created on either side of the sample. The solidification shrinkage of the tack welds will
cause the actual root gap to be somewhat smaller. The root pass and subsequent passes were made
using a slight weaving motion. Care was taken to gradually decrease the current at the end of a weld
pass. The black nickel oxide was removed with a wire brush after each pass. A low interpass
temperature was maintained by quenching the sample in water whenever the weld glowed red
following a welding pass.

Preliminary Experiments
A series of short experiments were conducted to determine V groove angles and root separation for
achieving sufficient root penetration.
It was determined from these experiments that weld beads created on a workpiece with a groove angle
of 60 degrees or smaller is incapable of reaching the root of the groove for root openings of .03 and
less. A V groove angle of 90 degrees appears sufficient for melting the metal near the root of the
groove. A wider groove would be unnecessary.

Weld
Zone
(Nickel
625)

Stainless 316

177
138
108
88
75

Approximate UTS (ksi)

Nickel 718

Figure 2: HRA Hardness Survey

Heat Affected Zone Survey
A single weld bead was created joining two pieces of 1/2" diameter round stock. One piece was 316
stainless and the other nickel 718. The hardness was measured at .1 increments across the weld and
heat affected zones with an HRA test. Figure 2 shows the hardness survey with the approximate UTS
values converted from the HRA values.
The average HRA of the samples before welding is 62.0 for Nickel 718 and 62.6 for Stainless 316. The
Nickel 718 was in the solutionized condition and the 316 was received cold rolled from the vendor. A
number of trends are evident from the plot:

The Stainless 316 strength decreases near the weld zone due to annealing and grain growth.
The Nickel 718 increases in strength in the HAZ due to aging. The test point closest to the weld
did not change in hardness; the temperature it reached and subsequent cooling rate caused it to
return to a solutionized condition.
The weld zone has substantially lower strength compared to the reported tensile strength of
120 ksi for an all-weld-metal nickel 625 sample. This is the result of base metal dilution.
Furthermore, the strength is lowest near the stainless 316 base metal; this region of the weld
may have a higher concentration of iron dilution

Transverse Weld Tensile Test

A tensile test specimen was created by
welding two pieces of .75 316
stainless round stock on either end of
a .5 diameter nickel 718 bar. A
qualifying transverse tensile specimen
for a code weld would typically be
machined out of a large test weld
deposit. However, the tensile
specimen created for this project was
designed to minimize labor and
material expense.
The ends were turned on a CNC
machine to the appropriate geometry:
a 90 V with a .1 root diameter. The
Figure 3: Creation of Tensile Specimen
root gap was approximately .050.
The samples were tack welded
together with 625 filler and fully welded with several weld passes.
The specimen was mounted in a turning center and the machined to
a gage diameter of .330. Figure 3 shows the steps in the creation of
the tensile specimen.
Gage region marks were drawn on the sample, and it was tested at
an extension rate of .5 inches per minute. The tensile strength was
91.6 ksi and the area reduction was approximately 31% (determined
by measuring the diameter at the fracture location). The specimen
broke in the weld along a 45 angle relative to the extension
direction. An examination of the fractured end reveals a small
region of incomplete fusion (figure 4); this may account for the
Figure 4: Incomplete Fusion
failure at the weld. However, the weld strength is on par with the
in Fracture Region
reported 92 ksi tensile strength of a stainless 304 to nickel 625
dissimilar metal weld with nickel 625 filler. The specimen appeared
to neck at both welds but did not plastically deform in the 718 region; this is consistent with the yield
strength of aged 718. Since an extensometer was not used, instantaneous values of strain could not be
measured. Elastic modulus, yield strength, and ductility could not be determined from this test because
the combination of multiple metals causes non-uniform stress distribution and elongation.

Figure 5: Welded Groove Sample Exterior and Interior Views

Groove Design Experiment
The purpose of this experiment is to evaluate the effect of groove geometry and root opening on root
penetration. To do this, six sets of .1 deep grooves were machined on a CNC turning center: three sets
were given a 90 V and the other three sets were given a U shape with a constant .1 radius.
The samples were welded together, cut open with wire EDM, and one side was sanded to a fine finish.
Figure 5 shows the welded sample exterior and the interior revealed by EDM with the oxide layer intact.
The difference in color of the oxides offers some indication of the extent of the weld zone.
To determine the depth of root penetration, the original groove geometry was superimposed on an
image of the welded samples using CAD software and the distance from the base of the weld to the root
was measured (figure 6). Root gap was also determined using this technique.

U Groove Samples

718

316

718

316

90 V Groove Samples

316

718

316

Increasing Root Gap

Figure 6: Welded Groove Samples with Superimposed Groove Geometry

718

For small root gaps, a U groove

resulted in the greater penetration.
The reason for this is that a V
groove makes it difficult to focus
the welding arc at the root when
both sides of the groove are close
together. In fact, one of the zero
root gap V groove tests had
incomplete fusion near the root.

Root Penetration (in)

The measured root penetrations are

shown in figure 7. As expected,
there is a general trend of
increasing penetration with
increasing root gap. However,
there is great variance in
penetration due to welding
technique.

0.14
0.12
0.1
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

Root Gap (in)

90 Chamfer
U Groove
Figure7: Plot of Root Penetration vs. Root Opening

For larger gaps, there does not appear to be a significant penetration difference between U and V
groove geometry. In these cases, a V groove would be desirable since it requires less filler metal and is
easier to create.

Conclusions
The hardness survey revealed how the weld zone strength is reduced as a result of base metal dilution.
In addition, the HAZ of solutionized 718 will increase in strength from aging, and the HAZ of cold worked
316 will be annealed.
The transverse weld tensile test indicated that a 316 to 718 dissimilar metal weld with nickel 625 filler
using a GTAW process can be expected to have an effective tensile strength of at least 91ksi with a
ductile failure mode.
The groove geometry tests showed how the root penetration is generally increases with root gap and is
very sensitive to welding technique. U grooves outperform V grooves for narrow root openings but
present no advantage in terms of root penetration when the opening is sufficiently large.

References
[1] Guidelines for the welded fabrication of nickel alloys for corrosion-resistant service. Nickel
Development Institute. N11012, 1994
[2] 316 Stainless Steel, Annealed Bar. www.matweb.com. Accessed May 2014.
[3] Inconel Alloy 625. Special Metals Corporation. 2013
[4] Inconel Alloy 718. Special Metals Corporation. 2007
[5] Stainless Steels Welding Guide. The Lincoln Electric Company. 2003
[6] Gordine, J. Some Problems in Welding Inconel 718. AWS: Welding Research Supplement. 1971
[7] Avery, R. E. Pay attention to dissimilar-metal welds: Guidelines for welding dissimilar metals.
Chemical Engineering Progress. AIChE. 1991
[8] Gordine, J. Welding of Inconel 718. AWS: Welding Research Supplement. 1970