Abstract:The pitting corrosion characteristics of pulse TIG welded Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy in marine environment were explained. Besides the rapid advance of titanium metallurgy, this is also due to the successful solution of problems associated with the development of titanium alloy welding. The preferred welding process of titanium alloy is frequently gas tungsten arc(GTA) welding due to its comparatively easier applicability and better economy. In the case of single pass GTA welding of thinner section of this alloy, the pulsed current has been found beneficial due to its advantages over the conventional continuous current process. The benefit of the process is utilized to obtain better quality titanium weldments. Four factors, five levels, central composite, rotatable design matrix are used to optimize the required number of experiments. The mathematical models have been developed by response surface method(RSM). The results reveal that the titanium alloy can form a protective scale in marine environment and is resistant to pitting corrosion. Experimental results are provided to illustrate the proposed approach.

Key words: pulsed current; gas tungsten arc welding; corrosion; titanium alloy