High efficiency tandem TIG welding of 304L austenite thin-walled stainless steel pipe

Single TIG welding is the key manufacturing technology of thin-walled stainless steel pipe for industrial application,but its production efficiency is lower. During the high speed welding production of thin-walled stainless steel pipe,undercut and humping weld appear easily.In this paper,the tandem TIG welding was applied to the production of 304 L thin-walled stainless steel pipe,and the welding process was developed through experiments. The experimental results indicate that the welding speed of 304 L austenite stainless steel pipe with two specifications of φ20 mm×1. 0 mm and φ25. 4 mm×1. 0 mm can both reach up to 3. 0 m/min under the condition of good weld appearance. Compared with single TIG welding production,tandem TIG welding can improve the production efficiency by about 66. 7%,reduces energy consumption by about 17. 5% and 23. 3%,respectively. The expansion ratios of the 304 L austenite stainless steel pipe with these two specifications reach33. 9% and 41. 0%,which satisfy the requirement of production.