For critical applications like armour and military vehicle construction, including the demanding environment of submarine fabrication, selecting the optimal welding consumable is paramount.
Welding Alloys’ 20 9 3 stainless steel flux cored wires are already trusted worldwide in critical applications, including military vehicles, submarines, and icebreaker ships.
These specialist cored wires, designed specifically for armour welding, offer a superior solution due to their exceptional technical properties and the inherent benefits of flux cored wire technology.
TETRA S 20 9 3-G → Slow freezing rutile slag for optimal weld quality in flat position
TETRA V 20 9 3-G → Fast freezing rutile slag, ideal for out of position welding
TUBE S 20 9 3-G → Metal cored wire with no slag
Technical Advantages for Defence-Grade Steels
Our 20 9 3 stainless steel flux cored wires are engineered to provide robust performance when welding armour plates and other hardenable steels. The deposit is a modified austenitic stainless weld metal (Type 308Mo) with a moderately high ferrite content. This microstructural balance ensures strong, tough, and crack-resistant welds, often eliminating the need for preheat, which simplifies welding procedures.
- Corrosion Resistance: The typical 3% molybdenum content in the weld metal further enhances resistance to pitting corrosion in chloride environments and various acids. It also helps to prevent hot cracking.
- Mechanical Properties: The deposited weld metal boasts excellent mechanical properties, including a typical tensile strength of >700 MPa, a 0.2% proof stress of >530 MPa, and a minimum elongation of 30%. It also exhibits a high work-hardening rate, contributing to its durability under severe conditions.
- Compatibility: This consumable is explicitly designed and proven for welding defence-grade armour plate and is compatible with a wide range of hardenable steels.
The Preferred Choice: Flux Cored Wire Technology
Flux cored wires are increasingly preferred in industrial fabrication due to their significant benefits in productivity and operability.
- High Productivity and Ease of Use: Flux cored wires offer superior feedability and significantly higher deposition rates—often 20% or more than solid wires—enabling faster welding speeds, which translates to increased productivity and reduced manufacturing costs.
- Enhanced Operability: These wires deliver a stable, smooth arc with minimal spatter and deep penetration. For out-of-position welding, the fast freezing slag forms a supportive shelf, enabling large weld metal deposits. Good arc re-striking and excellent wire feeding properties make them ideal for both manual and automated/robotic welding applications.
- Weld Quality: The flux system of the TETRA S 20 9 3-G and TETRA V 20 9 3-G protects the weld pool from atmospheric contamination, and the resulting slag effectively shapes the weld bead and removes impurities. The ability to easily adjust wire chemistry also means we can tailor the weld metal properties to specific applications.
Welding Alloys’ Unique Value Proposition
At Welding Alloys, we are committed to delivering customer-centric solutions with a focus on quality and high productivity. When you choose our 20 9 3 stainless steel flux cored wires for your armour applications, you benefit from:
- Global Expertise and Support: Worldwide technical support and expertise across 150 countries.
- Total Quality Control: Our wires are produced using our own manufacturing equipment, ensuring complete control over design, development, and production. We maintain strict quality control through consistent laboratory tests and quality checks at every stage of the manufacturing process.
- Optimised Performance: Our 20 9 3 flux cored wires offer easy operability, high deposit quality, and an exceptional weld bead appearance in various welding positions.
We have extensive technical knowledge and more than 50 years experience in a range of industries, enabling us to deliver solutions for the most demanding defence applications.
Contact a specialist at Welding Alloys for your critical applications today.
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