Abstract
This paper aims at a systematic comparison of effect of single, double and triple pass welding on heat affected zone and tensile strength of AISI 304 stainless steel and chrome-manganese austenitic stainless steel. Degree of sensitization (DOS) increased with increase in number of passes and highest DOS (35.53%) was obtained for triple pass welding of chrome-manganese austenitic stainless steel. The decrease in tensile strength is relatively more in chrome-manganese austenitic stainless steel as compared to AISI 304 SS. The mode of failure for AISI 304 SS was ductile fracture, whereas chrome-manganese austenitic stainless steel failed due to intergranular brittle fracture.