Weld Overlay Technique using Different Filler Rod Size to Overcome Internal Corrosion of Low Carbon Steel Base Metal

Overlay welding is commonly used to repair and replace the affected corroded surface of the base metal of a component. In other words, it is used to restore the original dimensions of the component. Weld overlay usually applies a corrosion resistant or hard facing layer onto the base metal. This experiment is to determine the suitable filler rod size in repairing corroded low carbon steel (LCS) base metal, respectively to the affected area and to identify the type of distortion occurring on the weldment. It is also to examine the microstructure of the joint between the overlay weld and corroded low carbon steel base metal using SEM/EDX. The overlay welding process was conducted on the corroded samples using SMAW process at defined attacked corroded areas. Filler electrode E-7018 with two diameter sizes of 3.2mm and 2.6mm were selected. It was found that the bigger electrode size produced higher degree of distortion angle compared to smaller electrode size. Resulting from the metallographic and SEM/EDX analysis, the joint between weld overlay and corroded LCS were fused well without any sign of oxides or other impurities present. Overlay welding also remove the sign of chloride ions that cause the LCS base metal to corrode. Thus, the repairing technique using overlay welding was found successful in repairing corroded LCS base metal. Therefore, the most suitable electrode size to do overlay welding on corroded low carbon steel base metal is 2.6 mm diameter electrode.