Corrosion resistance of welds in type 304L stainless steel made with a nickel–copper–ruthenium welding consumable

Ni–Cu–Pd welding consumables have been recently developed for 300-series austenitic stainless steels such as Type 304L (SS304L) to reduce the amount of Cr(VI) in the welding fumes. In this study, a modified filler metal that replaces Pd with Ru was evaluated. Initial tests conducted on button-melted samples and bead-on-plate welds indicated that Ni–Cu–Ru exhibited good corrosion properties. Actual Ni–Cu–Ru arc welds made on SS304L were successfully produced and the corrosion performance was comparable to or better than that of Ni–Cu–Pd welds. These welds are a suitable replacement for welds made with standard 300-series welding consumables, such as SS308L.