. Ishank
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Sangrur, Punjab, India.

Jaspal Singh Gill
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Sangrur, Punjab, India.

Mohd. Majid
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Sangrur, Punjab, India.

DOI https://doi.org/10.33889/PMSL.2026.5.2.024

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Abstract

American Iron and Steel Institute 316L weld overlays were deposited on AISI 1020 steel using the hot-wire GTAW process with a robotic setup. The addition of hot filler wire in the GTAW process can be successfully employed to achieve a smooth weld bead appearance and improved deposition characteristics. Heating of the filler wire has been based on resistive heating, where the equipment supplies a heating current ranging from 40 A to 60 A, thereby raising the temperature to approximately 200°C. This study aims to analyze the efficacy of weld-clad deposits and the effects of welding parameters on their characterization and metallurgical behavior. A comparative study was conducted between conventional GTAW and hot wire addition GTAW (HW-GTAW), utilizing robotic manipulation of the welding torch to lay down the deposit in a weaving motion of 10 mm on both sides. Single-pass clad-bead experiments were conducted to characterize the deposition. The bead profile studies of these experiments were performed, and the percentage dilution of the filler for each experiment was analyzed. Minimum dilution of 15.96 % has been observed at 185 A of welding current and 55 A of hot wire current. Also, under the same welding conditions, microhardness was found to be maximum, which is around 450 HV. Microstructural observations reveal a finer and more uniform grain structure, which aligns with the obtained microhardness values.

Keywords- Hot wire GTAW (HW-GTAW), Robotic weaving, Deposition, Dilution, Microhardness, Microstructure.

Citation

Ishank, .., Gill, J. S., & Majid, M. (2026). Characterization of Weld Deposits of AISI SS 316L on AISI 1020 Steels by Robotic HW-GTAW Process. Prabha Materials Science Letters, (2), 432-445. https://doi.org/10.33889/PMSL.2026.5.2.024.