From the Editor's Desk

Fabrication industries in general and nuclear and space-related industries in particular use a very large tonnage of stainless steel (SS) of all types. From the domestic kitchen to the cryogenic hive of a cyclotrone, SS connections are ubiquitous. R&D works are going on globally to highlight the unique properties and therefore the uses of different kinds of SS. In his paper “Welding Processes and Technology for Stainless Steels”, the author Dr. Bhaduri has discussed this material’s unique corrosion resistance properties, its strength, toughness and ductility at widely varying temperatures in a host of industrial environments. Joining of this material by welding brings to the fore the physics of the material, its HAZ and the deposited weld metal and so on. By stressing the uniqueness of this material’s properties the author reassuringly states that it could be welded by all principal welding processes viz. SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, SAW and FCAW However, corrosion resistance, cracking propensity, precipitation phenomena, alloy-partitioning need to be considered for proper selection of a welding process. The author has covered a wide area in dealing with the subject matter lucidly, which would no doubt be of interest to many in the field.