Welding S355 Steel
This article covers the guidelines for welding S355 steel. S355 steel is a structural steel used in construction and engineering-based projects. It is also known as grade S355 or EN 10025-2 and has excellent weldability properties and strength.
Metal inert gas (MIG) welding often proves to be the most effective means of joining this type of steel, although manual metal arc (SMAW) or tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding can also be used for welding S355 steel.
Read more: S355 Steel and its different grades chemical & Mechanical Properties.
Welding electrode for S355 Steel
There are many types of electrodes available for welding S355 steel that can be used in different applications.
E 46 5 B 42 H5 (E7018-1 as per AWS A5.1), E 42 3 B 12 H10(E7016) and E 42 3 RB 32 H10 (E7018) are three commonly used welding electrodes for s355 steel.
These electrodes provide matching chemical and mechanical properties for S355 material. E7018-1 is especially suitable for welding S355J2 material due to its improved toughness properties.
Use this chart to select welding rod for any metal welding electrode selection chart pdf
Welding wire for welding S355 Steel
Welding wire for S355 Steel is a crucial component in any welding job. Using the right type of wire is key to achieving a strong and reliable weld.
For S355 Steel, ER70S-6 (G3Si1 or G4Si1) wires are recommended for TIG and MIG Welding and E71T1-C flux cored arc welding wires for Flux cored arc welding.
ER70S-6 wires are a copper coated mild steel wire with high manganese and silicon levels which provide excellent weldability even on rusty and dirty steel. On the other hand, Flux cored arc welding using E71T1-C wire consists of an outer sheath filled with flux.
Welding S355JR Steel
When welding S355JR steel, it’s important to choose the right filler metal for the job. S355JR is structural steel and can be welded using:
- E6013,
- E7018,
- E7016,
- ER70S-2,
- ER70S-6,
- E71T-1C.
Welding preheat is generally not required for S355JR Steel unless either welding a thick part or welding in a cold place.
Welding S355J2 Steel
S355J2 is a Carbon-manganese steel with low-temperature properties. The welding wire selection hence requires a weld metal with high weld deposit toughness.
Stick welding (SMAW) of S355J2 can be carried out using E7018 or E7018-1 welding rods. TIG and MIG (MAG) welding of S355J2 can be carried out using ER70S-2 or ER70S-6 welding wire.
For TIG welding, pure argon gas is used for gas shielding while MIG welding can be carried out using either pure CO2 or Argon+CO2 mixture.
Welding S355 to S275
Welding S355 to S275 steel involves a combination of different welding methods and processes, depending on the application.
Stick welding (SMAW) using an E7018 rod is the most common method for joining these two distinct steel grades.
TIG welding with either an ER70S-6 or ER70S-2 filler metal can also be used, as it offers greater control over the weld puddle and greater precision when depositing weld beads. ER70S-6 offers excellent arc stability and very low spatter levels, while ER70S-2 has a higher deoxidizer content which helps reduce porosity in the finished welds.
MAG welding with an ER70S-6 filler metal can be used in addition to TIG or stick welding for applications where high levels of strength and penetration are needed.
Finally, FCAW with an E71T1-C filler metal is often used to join thick materials together due to its superior deposition rate compared to other types of welding processes.
Welding s355 to S690
S690 is a high strength steel while S355 is a medium strength steel. S690 steel is a high strength and well-known structural steel material that offers outstanding performance in extreme working environments.
You can use either a medium strength welding electrode/ wire or high strength one. Both are acceptable to use for this material combination.
Welding two different steels together can present a challenge, especially when the steels being joined are S355 and S690.
The most common methods of welding these two grades of steel include stick welding (SMAW) using an E7018 welding rod, TIG welding using ER70S-6 or ER70S-2 and MAG welding with ER70S-6 or FCAW with E71T1-C.
Stick welding (SMAW) with an E7018 is generally accepted as the easiest approach to joining S355 and S690 grade steel.
E11018 stick welding rod can also be used to weld S690 steel to S355 steel. E11018 has very high strength and is mainly used for welding S690 steel to itself.
Welding S355 to S460
Remember S355 steel is similar to ASTM 516 steel while S460 is equivalent to ASTM A350 steel. S460 has high toughness and is used for low-temperature applications.
Stick welding of S355 to S460 shall be carried out using E8018-C1 (E 46 8 2Ni B 42 H5). TIG or MIG-MAG welding can be carried out using ER80S-Ni2 (W3Ni1). You can use the ER70S-6 (G4Si1) welding wire for welding S355 to S460.
Flux-cored arc welding should be carried out using E81T1-Ni1MH8 cored wire with CO2 or Argon+CO2 mix shielding gas.
Welding EN8 to S355
EN8 and S355 are two materials that are often welded together in structural applications. EN8 is medium carbon steel with high tensile strength, while S355 has lower yield stress and tensile strength than EN8. Both materials offer excellent weldability.
To ensure a strong, it’s important to use appropriate preheat and interpass temperatures as well as select an appropriate filler material that matches the yield strength of both metals being welded together.
Read more: Welding EN8 Steel.
