Welding in the World

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-018-00692-y

RESEARCH PAPER

Hybrid electroslag cladding (H-ESC): an innovation in high

speed electroslag strip cladding
Pallav Chattopadhyay 1 & Vincent van der Mee 1 & Zhuyao Zhang 2

Received: 20 September 2018 / Accepted: 7 December 2018

# International Institute of Welding 2019

Abstract
Application of strip cladding using electroslag welding process to cover large surface areas of vessels for oil and gas industries
has been a common weld cladding method in last few decades. There has been continuous development by welding consumable
suppliers to improve this method further through introduction of high-speed ESW flux and specially designed over-alloyed
welding strips to achieve required weld metal chemistry in single layer for some of the alloys. However, the conventional method
had limitations in achieving desired chemistry with single layer for certain alloys—Ni-625 alloy with max. 5% Fe is one among
them. A new variant of electroslag cladding technique (Hybrid Electro Slag Cladding or H-ESC) has successfully been developed
and introduced in the market, wherein a 3rd dimension has been added to the conventional ESW strip cladding method of using
strip and flux in the form of addition of multiple hot metal cored wires into the molten electroslag weld pool. Addition of multiple
hot MCW wires with a particular proportion into the molten weld pool by a uniquely designed digital weld control system helps
in controlling the dilution level, thereby achieving clean undiluted cladding chemistry coupled with at least 50% higher welding
speed and nearly double the weld deposition rate as compared to conventional ESW cladding technique. In this new high-speed
single-layer cladding technique using neutral flux, it is possible to achieve Fe content < 5% for Ni-625 cladding and > 40% Ni for
Ni-825 cladding in single layer. Similarly, this new technique offers unique solution in case of high-speed single-layer austenitic
stainless steel cladding, wherein only one standard stainless steel strip type is used along with neutral flux and desired AWS clean
weld metal chemistry is easily achieved for SS 308L, SS 316L, SS 347, and SS 317L by using suitably designed MCW wires.
Such solution would immensely help fabricators to minimize their working capital and faster delivery of weld consumables in
addition to reaching desired 3.0 mm undiluted weld chemistry in high-speed single-layer cladding of 3.5-mm thick.

Keywords Hybrid electroslag cladding . Stainless steel . Nickel alloy . Deposition rate . Dilution

1 Introduction offers high reliability to plant owners as well as high degree of

flexibility for fabricators (Fig. 1).
In oil and gas industries for vessels dealing with highly cor- The process of cladding is very sensitive and can take up to
rosive service fluids, applying a protective layer is mandatory. several months under precise quality-controlled procedure.
This protective layer is called cladding. There are various The weld overlay process has been through an evolution
methods of applying cladded materials to protect the substrate. process over the past decades to make the process more reli-
Weld overlay is the most used method to offer protection as it able and more productive.
It has been a long pending wish from critical process equip-
ment (CPE) fabricators around the world to reach Ni-625
chemistry in single-layer cladding with max Fe content of
Recommended for publication by Commission II - Arc Welding and 5% without using an alloyed flux.
Filler Metals

* Vincent van der Mee

[email protected]
2 Cladding
1
Lincoln Electric Europe, Nijmegen, Netherlands Cladding is applied across the whole spectrum of
2
Metrode Products Ltd., London, England applications—from nuclear, oil and gas, and petrochemical
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Fig. 3 Dilution in weld cladding

Fig. 1 Internal view of a typical vessel with protective weld cladding

to steelmaking industry. Cladding is required on the process capable of producing single-layer–high-speed and high-
side of high-pressure CPE to provide corrosion resistance productive cladding solution for Ni-625 (meeting max 5%
against highly severe corrosive service fluid. While C-Mn, Fe content) as well as other nickel and stainless steel alloys
low-alloy steels and other material substrates provide strength by bringing in 3rd dimension to the ESW process in the form
and other mechanical properties, cladding provides desired of adding hot metal cored wires (MCW).
corrosion and wear resistance. The result is unique flexibility
and cost savings. There are many ways to apply this corrosion
resistant layer—either by using a roll-bonded or explosive- 3 Weld cladding
bonded clad plates or by applying out more flexible weld
cladding on a C-Mn or low-alloy steel base material. Typical CPE is large in size, and those vessels that require
In the field of weld cladding, fabricators always look for internal cladding on complete vessel involve deposition of
solutions that will help them in achieving desired clean chem- approximately 5–30 MT of weld metal to cover large surface
ical and other properties of the clad material in least number of area. As a result, fabricators always look for weld cladding
layers with faster speed and high deposition process [1]. processes that could provide highest deposition rate with min-
To realize above goals, welding consumable manufacturers imum possible dilution so that the desired undiluted cladding
have come up with continuous upgrades of welding tech- chemistry could be achieved in thinnest possible layer thick-
niques. Over the period, more productive electroslag weld ness. While most of the existing arc and electroslag welding
cladding (ESW) process was introduced in the market as an processes can be utilized for weld cladding, strip cladding
alternate to standard sub-arc (SAW) strip cladding [2, 3]. With with submerged arc and electroslag welding process are the
the introduction of ESW process, it was possible to offer most attractive choices due to substantially higher deposition
single-layer cladding solution instead of traditional two- rates and more importantly, higher surface area coverage rates.
layers cladding technique. As a further improvement to the Figure 2 shows comparison of deposition rates for most com-
process, newly designed high-speed fluxes were developed monly used weld cladding processes.
to substantially increase welding speed in ESW cladding from From the above table, it is clear that ESW is the most pro-
standard speed of 16–19 cm/min to high speed of 25–40 cm/ ductive welding process for cladding applications and therefore
min. Latest innovation in the welding technique (H-ESC) is most preferred option for fabricators across the world.

Fig. 2 Comparison of deposition

rate (in kg/h) for different welding
processes [4]
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Table 1 Comparison of dilution percentage for different welding There are two conventional strip cladding processes—
processes [4]
submerged arc (SAW) and electroslag (ESW) strip cladding.
Welding process Typical
dilution (%)
3.1.1 Submerged arc strip cladding
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) 25–30
Flux cored arc welding (FCAW) 20–25 Submerged arc (SAW) strip cladding (Fig. 5) utilizes an arc
Submerged arc welding (SAW), wire 25–35 that runs back and forth at high speed along the strip, depos-
Submerged arc welding (SAW), strip: 60 × 0.5 mm 18–20 iting weld metal onto the base material. Because this is an arc
Electroslag welding (ESW), strip: 60 × 0.5 mm 7–12 welding process, there will be penetration into the base mate-
rial resulting in dilution levels of ~ 20%. Deposition rates are
in the region of 12–14 kg/h for 60 × 0.5 mm strip. It is restrict-
ed by the amount of current that can be applied without in-
Since corrosion-resistant cladding materials (e.g., nickel
creasing the dilution. Care must be taken for the overlap area
alloys or stainless steel), which are richer in alloying elements,
as any residual slag will not be re-melted and result in lack of
are applied as cladding material on ferritic C-Mn steel, low-
fusion. For this reason, it is not recommended often for lane
alloy steel, or other types of base material, there is always the
closures of rolled clad plate in the area where the roll cladding
issue of dilution with base material that needs to be considered
meets the base material.
as another most important factor while selecting right weld
Since dilution percentage is higher in SAW strip cladding,
cladding process.
it is always necessary to apply a buffer or barrier layer in this
Typically, dilution (D %) is calculated as (Fig. 3):
process using strips of richer chemistry before applying
where A is the area above the plate and B is the area pen-
second/subsequent layer (s) of final required chemistry. Due
etrated in the plate thickness.
to higher level of dilution, this process always involves min-
From the above schematic diagram, it is clear that lesser the
imum two or more number of layers to reach desired undiluted
dilution percentage, easier it is to achieve desired weld clad-
cladding material chemistry and thereby is a costlier option.
ding chemistry. In simple terms, it is possible to achieve de-
sired cladding chemistry in less number of layers if the dilu-
tion percentage is lesser. 3.1.2 Electroslag strip cladding
Table 1 provides a comparison of typical dilution percent-
age for different welding processes: Conventional ESW technique It utilizes a conductive flux and
Interestingly, ESW is the most attractive cladding process is an ARC-LESS process (Fig. 6). The process initiates with
from even dilution point of view as well. Therefore, ESW is an arc between continuously fed filler strip and base metal,
widely applied for cladding work in oil and gas applications. which results in initial melting of high fluoride (CaF2)-con-
taining flux. The molten slag, which is electroconductive in
nature due to the composition of the flux, supports passage of
3.1 Strip cladding processes current at lower voltages and then arc is extinguished. The
heat, which is required to melt the strip and continue the pro-
The process has been through evolution since introduction cess, is generated by Joules effect (H = I2 × R, where I is the
(Fig. 4). The target has always been to reach chemical and welding current and R is the electrical resistance offered by
mechanical requirement of the required alloy in a single layer molten slag) because of the current flowing through the
and high speed. electroconductive slag. Since concentrated arc force is absent

Fig. 4 Evolution of strip cladding

process/technique
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Fig. 5 Conventional submerged

arc (SAW) strip cladding process

in this process, there is no digging effect on the base material. Hybrid electroslag strip cladding technique It is a new variant
As a result, the process is inherently characterized with low of ESW process being developed and introduced in the market
dilution level (7–12%). The ESW process has significant ad- since 2016 [5]. In addition to strip and flux being used in
vantages over its SAW counterpart. conventional ESW strip cladding processes, multiple hot met-
Using this process, cladding in single layer is a very com- al cored welding wires (MCWs) are being added to the molten
mon practice due to relatively lower dilution level. Single- pool as the third constituent in this technique (Fig. 7). Only a
layer cladding is achieved by either using over-alloyed strip neutral flux is used in this technique.
or a combination of over-alloyed strip coupled with alloyed
flux (former option is more popular since use of alloyed flux is
not allowed by most of the process licensors).
Table 2 provides comparison between cladding using ESW 4 Experiments
and SAW processes.
While conventional ESW strip cladding enjoys significant Extensive trials were conducted on cladding of nickel
benefits over SAW strip cladding, this technique still has lim- alloys (Ni-625/825/600) and stainless steel (SS 347/
itations to meet expectation of fabricators when there is a need 308L/316L) using hybrid electroslag strip cladding tech-
to deposit (i) Ni-625 cladding to achieve < 5% Fe in single nique (H-ESC) technique to develop right welding con-
layer using neutral flux or (ii) achieve guaranteed > 40% Ni in sumable specification, suitable welding parameters, and
single-layer Ni-825 deposit using neutral flux. These limita- corresponding controlling technique to achieve desired
tions encouraged development and introduction of an innova- chemical, physical, and mechanical properties in the
tive solution (ESW with H-ESC technique) in the market as thinnest possible cladding layer deposited with highest
described below. possible deposition rate.

Fig. 6 Conventional electroslag

(ESW) strip cladding process
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Table 2 Comparison between

SAW and ESW cladding SAW strip cladding ESW strip cladding
processes [4]
Flux feeding Both front and rear side Only front side
Heat source Arc energy Joule’s resistance heating: H = I2R
Flux consumption High (typical 1:1.3) Low (typical 1:0.6)
Dilution (%) 18–20 7–12
Welding speed (cm/min) 10–14 15–18 (normal)/24–35 (high)
Deposition rate 12–14 22–30
(kg/h) 60 × 0.5 mm strip
Weld metal quality Higher O2 content in weld metal Cleaner chemistry with lower O2 content
Number of layers to reach Minimum 2 layers Single or two layers
clean undiluted chemistry

Each type of nickel or stainless steel alloy required devel- Finally, following welding conditions were established for
opment of corresponding unique MCW wire composition to Ni-625 and SS 347:
produce desired single-layer cladding deposit chemistry to-
gether with welding strip and neutral flux combinations. It (a) Ni-625 cladding
required estimation of predicted loss/pick-up of elements in
the final cladding layer chemistry from – Base material: C-Mn steel (SA 516 Gr 70)
– Plate thickness: 30 mm
– Percentage contribution from wire and strip – Weld consumables: cladstrip 625 (EQ NiCrMo-3)–
– Flux alloying vector, and 60 × 0.5 mm
– Dilution with unalloyed substrate
3DCladCore625 (over-alloyed Ni-625 MCW wire)–
Since chemical composition of major Ni alloys (Ni-625/ 2 × 1.6 mm
825/600) is widely different from each other, there was no 3D CladFlux E200
possibility of using one standard grade of strip chemistry – Wire:strip ratio: 30–36% of wire contribution
and adjust remaining elemental analysis using only MCW (deposition ratio)
wires. On the other hand, for stainless steel (SS 347/308L/ – Preheat temp: 20 °C
316L), since the major alloying elements (Cr and Ni) are – Interpass temp: 175 °C
within a close range and other important alloying elements – ESO: 45 mm
like Nb or Mo are present in relatively smaller amount, only – Strip-wire spacing: 20 mm
one standard stainless steel strip containing typically 18:8 Cr – Current: 1350–1450 Amp
and Ni content was used for all the three cladding alloys. (strip)//375–425 Amp (hot MCW wires)
Specially developed over-alloyed MCW wires were used to – Voltage: 24–25 V (strip)//17–18 V (hot MCW wires)
adjust the remaining chemical analysis. – Welding speed: 22–25 cm/min

Fig. 7 H-ESC ESW strip

cladding technique
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Table 3 Chemical analysis of single-layer Ni-625 H-ESC cladding deposit

Location C Mn Si S P Cr Ni Mo Nb Al Ti Fe

Top surface Bead center 0.031 0.18 0.30 0.012 0.010 22.46 60.37 8.99 4.037 0.043 0.053 3.27
Top surface Bead overlap 0.030 0.19 0.34 0.013 0.011 22.35 60.02 8.88 3.945 0.049 0.056 3.49
1 mm from top Bead center 0.029 0.18 0.29 0.009 0.010 22.14 60.66 9.06 3.965 0.041 0.049 3.34
2 mm from top Bead center 0.023 0.18 0.32 0.013 0.009 22.16 60.70 9.04 4.030 0.049 0.059 3.23
3 mm from top Bead center 0.027 0.18 0.33 0.012 0.008 22.15 60.58 9.12 4.087 0.046 0.057 3.50
4 mm from top Bead center 0.029 0.18 0.31 0.013 0.009 22.11 60.60 9.17 4.126 0.047 0.058 3.67
ASME AWS SFA 5.14 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.015 0.02 20.0–23.0 > 58.0 8.0–10.0 3.15–4.15 0.4 0.4 5.0

– Magnets: 8.5 Amp (north)//9.2 Amp (south) – Deposition rate: 30–32 kg/h (strip) + 13–14 kg/h
– Bead overlap: 6–7 mm (wires)
– Deposition rate: 25–28 kg/h – Cladding layer thick: 3.6–3.8 mm
(strip) + 13–16 kg/h (wires)
– Cladding layer thick: 5.1–5.3 mm

(b) SS 347 cladding 5 Results and analysis

– Base material: C-Mn steel (SA 516 Gr 70) Once the welding process was stable and the welded
– Plate thickness: 40 mm coupons had satisfactory weld finish, the coupons were
– Weld consumables: CladStrip 300 subjected to series of non-destructive and destructive
(~ EQ. 308L)–60 × 0.5 mm examinations as described below:

3D CladCore347 – Dye penetrant examination

(over-alloyed SS347 MCW wire)–2 × 1.6 mm – Ultrasonic examination
3D CladFlux E100 – 180° side bend examination in BAs-welded^ and
– Wire:strip ratio: 29–31% of wire contribution post weld heat treatment (PWHT)—605 °C/10 h
(deposition ratio) conditions
– Preheat temp: 20 °C – Chemical analysis at every 0.5 mm from top till fusion
– Interpass temp: 175 °C line (bead center and overlap)
– ESO: 45 mm – Hardness survey (Hv) in BAs-welded^ and PWHT
– Strip-wire spacing: 20 mm (605 °C/10 h) conditions
– Current: 1650–1750 Amp (strip)//400–450 Amp (hot – Macro (10×) and micro (100×+) examination of cross
MCW wires) section
– Voltage: 24–25 V (strip)//17–18 V (hot MCW wires) – Delta ferrite check for stainless steel cladding
– Welding speed: 33–35 cm/min – Inter-granular corrosion examination (for stainless steel
– Magnets: 11 Amp (north)//13 Amp (south) cladding) in BAs-welded^ and PWHT (605 °C/10 h)
– Bead overlap: 6–7 mm conditions

Table 4 Chemical analysis of single-layer SS 347 H-ESC cladding deposit

Location C Mn Si S P Cr Ni Mo Nb Cu Al Ti N

Top surface Bead center 0.030 1.34 0.53 0.0092 0.02 18.98 10.24 0.109 0.598 0.083 0.019 0.008 0.0369
Top surface Bead overlap 0.029 1.28 0.51 0.0091 0.02 19.06 10.20 0.108 0.656 0.085 0.019 0.008 0.0341
1 mm from top Bead center 0.031 1.29 0.55 0.0130 0.018 18.80 10.07 0.113 0.658 0.093 0.016 0.008 0.0385
2 mm from top Bead center 0.028 1.34 0.56 0.0100 0.018 18.74 10.18 0.111 0.704 0.088 0.016 0.008 0.0385
3 mm from top Bead center 0.029 1.37 0.57 0.0100 0.019 18.67 10.02 0.109 0.682 0.09 0.017 0.007 0.0385
4 mm from top Bead center 0.029 1.37 0.59 0.0079 0.018 18.63 10.04 0.109 0.657 0.086 0.019 0.008 0.0309
ASME AWS SFA5.4 0.08 0.5–2.5 0.9 0.03 0.04 18.0–21.0 9.0–11.0 0.75 8*C–1.0 0.75
Weld World

& Sound bonding between the clad and base material

as well as between the weld beads was confirmed
by ultrasonic examination and macro and micro ex-
aminations (Fig. 9a, b). It was further confirmed by
satisfactory 180° side bend test as per ASME Sec
IX in both BAs-welded^ and after PWHT conditions
(Fig. 10);

& Weld metal is fully corrosion-resistant (corrosion

rate of Ni-625 clad weld was observed to be 0.66
mils/yr. as per ASTM G-28A, whereas for austen-
itic stainless steel cladding grades, bend tests as
per ASTM A 262 practice E were found to be
free from any indication) in both BAs-welded^
and PWHT conditions (Fig. 11);
Fig. 8 SEM analysis of single-layer Ni-625 H-ESC cladding deposit

The following test results were obtained:

& Hardness survey conducted on C-Mn steel and low-
& Chemical analysis: Weld metal is fully homogeneous in alloy steel (2,25Cr-1Mo/1,25Cr-0,5Mo) base materials
chemistry across the width and height (refer to Tables 3 confirmed that the hardness values in weld metal and
and 4 for Ni-625 and SS 347 deposits respectively, which HAZ are well within the acceptance limit (HAZ: max
is in line with the fact that there is only single molten pool. 225 Hv).
SEM-EDS analysis of Ni-625 clad coupon confirmed that
undiluted clean clad chemistry is achieved nearly through-
out the clad thickness except for 100–150 μm from the
fusion line. Refer to Fig. 8 for Ni-625 cladding).
6 Discussion on underlying science

& Delta ferrite content was observed to be well between 5 From all the experimental results, it can be concluded that the
and 8 FN in BAs welded^ condition for austenitic stain- addition of multiple hot MCW wires to the molten pool results
less steel welds as per customer requirement; in following effects:

Fig. 9 a Macro and micrographs a) Macro and Micrographs for Ni 625 Cladding
for Ni 625 cladding. b Macro and
micrographs for SS 347 cladding

b) Macro and Micrographs for SS 347 Cladding

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Fig. 10 Side bend test samples

for H-ESC cladding of Ni-625
(a), Ni-825 (b), and SS 347 (c)

– Introduction of hot MCW into the hottest spot of boiling One of the top global fabricators in the world, Walter Tosto
molten pool ensures thoroughly homogeneous weld de- SpA, Italy, was the first fabricator in the world to evaluate and
posit across width and depth of weld bead. apply this new technique on a real-life project [6].
– Hot MCW has higher current density as compared to After carrying out several trials under industrial condition,
solid wire, thereby requiring lesser amount of energy for welding procedures for SS 347 cladding were successfully
melting. MCW absorb balance energy required for melt- qualified by the fabricator using 60 × 0.5 mm strip (with 2 ×
ing from the molten pool thereby controlling heat input 1.6 mm dia MCW wires) and 90 × 0.5 mm strips (with 3 ×
and resulting dilution with the base material. Over- 1.6 mm dia MCW wires) on Cr-Mo materials as per ASME
alloyed MCW compensates for loss of alloying elements Sec IX requirements as well as other engineering specifica-
due to dilution. As a result, this technique can always tions. The test coupon was subjected to the following tests in
achieve desired cleaner chemistry comfortably in single- BMinimum PWHT (690 ±5 °C/6h)^ as well as BMaximum
layer cladding including < 5% Fe in Ni 625 deposit and > PWHT (690 ± 5°C/3 × 6 h)^ conditions and all test results
40% Ni in Ni-825 deposit. were found to be satisfactory:
– Use of automatic weld controller is critical to guarantee
constant strip to wire feed ratio to a pre-set value and & Chemical analysis at every 0.5 mm depth meeting undi-
thereby ensuring same homogeneous chemistry through- luted SS347 chemistry
out the entire length of weld deposition. & 180° side bend test as per ASME Sec IX
– Melting of strips and multiple hot MCW makes this tech- & Macroscopic examination at × 10 magnification as per
nique much more productive as compared to convention- ASTM E 340-15
al normal or high-speed ESW cladding (at least 50–90% & Microscopic examination at × 100 magnification as per
higher deposition rate). ASTM E 407-07
– Higher melting rate coupled with use of high-speed neu- & Hardness survey (Hv10) on WM, HAZ, and base material
tral flux help this technique to always run with at least 50– as per NACE MR0175-09
100% higher welding speed than conventional ESW & Corrosion test as per ASTM A 262 practice E
cladding. & Hydrogen disbonding test as per ASTM G-146 (test tem-
– Addition of hot MCW allows this technique to use only perature, 450 °C; H2 partial pressure, 175 bar; holding
one standard strip chemistry and high-speed neutral ESW time, 48 h; cooling rate, 150 °C/h): result: zero disbonding
flux for cladding of major austenitic stainless steel grades
(e.g., SS 308L/316L/347) by only changing MCW com- Subsequent to successful qualification of welding proce-
position to produce corresponding desired weld dure, this new technique was applied on several Cr-Mo ves-
chemistry. sels with Bstep overlay^ technique. Entire cladding work was
completed at Walter Tosto workshop very smoothly without
& Application any interruption (Fig. 12a, b).

Fig. 11 IGC test samples for H-

ESC cladding of SS 308L (a), SS
316L (b), and SS 347 (c)
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Fig. 12 a Cladding of SS347 on a) Cladding of SS347 on 2.25Cr-1Mo vessel using H-ESC technique
2.25Cr-1Mo vessel using H-ESC (60*0,5mm strip + 2 x 1,6mm dia MCW wires)
technique (60 × 0.5 mm strip +
2 × 1.6 mm dia MCW wires). Pic
courtesy: Walter Tosto SpA, Italy.
b Cladding of SS347 on 1,25Cr-
0,5Mo vessel using H-ESC tech-
nique (90 × 0.5 mm strip + 3 ×
1.6 mm dia MCW wires). Pic
courtesy: Walter Tosto SpA, Italy

b) Cladding of SS347 on 1,25Cr-0,5Mo vessel using H-ESC technique

(90*0,5mm strip + 3 x 1,6mm dia MCW wires)

& Benefits & Working capital cost for fabricators is reduced substantial-
ly due to shorter delivery time for one standard strip and
H-ESC technique brings in the following benefits over oth- flux in case of all major austenitic stainless steel cladding.
er cladding techniques:

& Huge flexibility in chemistry and delta ferrite control

by means of easy adjustment of MCW composition
without any need to change strip compositions and 7 Summary
neutral flux type;
& Always single-layer cladding solution. This not only saves & Weld cladding remains as one of the major areas in
overall weld metal cost and cladding time but also elimi- fabrication of CPEs.
nates all associated NDE cost and time required for one & Weld cladding for Ni alloys and austenitic stainless steel
additional layer; using ESW cladding process is more preferred by fabrica-
& "Much higher welding speed (typical welding speed tors as compared to SAW cladding.
of 22–32 cm/min for Ni Alloys and 33–40 cm/min & ESW offers single-layer and/or high-speed solution
for austenitic stainless steels as compared to 16– for many of the commonly used alloys. However,
18 cm/min in normal speed conventional ESW clad- it has limitation on higher speed as well as single-
ding). Higher speed not only helps fabricators to layer solutions, e.g., for Ni-625 where reaching
reduce their labor cost but also allows them to uti- chemistry with Fe content < 5% in single layer is
lize those hours effectively in producing more com- not possible using neutral flux under production
ponents, thereby raising their throughput; condition.
& Significantly higher deposition rate (typical deposition & Innovative H-ESC technique [7] introduces multiple hot
rate of 38–44 kg/h as compared to 22–28 kg/h in normal metal-cored wires in the molten electroslag weld pool
speed conventional ESW cladding for 60 × 0.5 mm strip (without arc). As a result, this solution offers fully con-
size. Deposition rate for 90 × 0.5 mm wide strip with 3 × trolled dilution, much faster welding speed, and highest
1.6 mm dia MCW wires is about 50–58 kg/h); deposition rate.
 Weld World

& H-ESC makes it possible to reach stringent undiluted clad- References

ding chemistry in a single layer for all commonly used Ni
and stainless steel alloys, e.g., it is possible to reach Fe < 1. Chattopadhyay P Mukherjee MK, Trivedi YS (1996) Presented in
International Welding Conference (IWC’96), Mumbai – India.
5% in single-layer Ni-625 alloy deposit with welding
Conference Proceedings, pp A-086-1 to A-086-7
speed of 27 cm/min or reaching minimum 40% Ni content 2. Dilthey U et al (2006) Modification of the electroslag process opens
in Ni-825 alloy in single-layer 4-mm deposit with higher up possibilities with regard to weld surfacing. Weld Cutt DVS 5(4):
welding speed. 215–220
& H-ESC makes it possible to have only one single strip and 3. Mark S (2013) Golding – US Patent: US2013 / 0004674A1
4. Published commercial data from different consumable manufacturers
neutral flux for all major austenitic stainless steel and
and Lincoln electric internal data. www.lincolnelectric.com/nl-nl/
reach different alloy chemistry, e.g., SS316L/308L/347 support/process-and-theory/Documents/STRIP_CLADDING_
and 317L in single layer with welding speed above ENG.pdf
33 cm/min. 5. Chattopadhyay P, Nateghi A (2017) Hybrid technique for electroslag
& H-ESC technique has been successfully applied on industrial strip cladding of critical process equipment. Hydrocarbon Process J
41–46
scale by our industrial partner and renowned global fabrica-
6. Chattopadhyay P, Barone C, Quintiliani D (2017) Presented paper in
tor Walter Tosto SpA, Italy, at their Chieti (Italy) plant. Italian Welding Conference GNS-9, Genoa- Italy. Paper referred as
‘Barone’ in CD-ROM
Acknowledgement The authors would like to offer special thanks to the 7. Amin N, Pollmann R, Bolte F, Thume C, Golding M, Zhang Z,
management and technical personnel of their industrial partner Walter Chattopadhyay P. U.S. Patent Application 15/737,689 on BHybrid
Tosto SpA, Italy, for excellent support and cooperation during develop- electro slag cladding^; filed June 28, 2018
ment and industrialization of H-ESC technique.