Effect of Nanostructured Ceramic Additives on the Mechanical Properties of Welded Joints

The present work contributes to previous research regarding the influence of Photocatalyst Nanostructured Functional Ceramics (PNFC) additives on the welding and technological properties of welding electrodes of the MR-3 brand. It presents a comparative analysis of the properties of welded joints obtained during welding with the developed welding electrodes, with additives of PNFC brand ZB-2 (IMAN-8), and the ESAB E6013 welding electrodes. The focus was placed on the weld morphology, microstructure, and mechanical properties in Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW). The results show that incorporating up to 2% PNFC ZB-2 in the electrode coating enhances melting efficiency, arc stability, weld formation, and the microstructural characteristics of the weld metal. Compared to ESAB E6013 electrodes, IMAN-8 electrodes exhibit better performance in arc penetration, weld metal structure, and mechanical properties of welded joints. From an economic perspective, IMAN-8 electrodes offer significant advantages over E6015 electrodes, reducing total welding time by up to 50%, lowering electrode and electricity consumption by approximately 50%, and cutting overall welding costs by nearly half. Also, the ability to weld thin sheets of carbon steel with IMAN-8 electrodes in one pass reduces the likelihood of defects requiring reworking the weld.