8. Welding

Since the main characteristic of refractory steels and alloys is their resistance to hot corrosion, precautions must be taken to ensure the quality of welds and avoid the creation of weak points that would be detrimental to this characteristic. These precautions concern in particular :

• cleanliness: contamination by grease or surface oxides must be eliminated;

• incomplete penetration and geometric defects of the products to be joined ;

• Thermal level: heat input should be kept to a minimum, if possible, with rapid cooling of the area around the weld, and well-defined inter-pass temperatures.