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AWS E385 (W88904) Weld Metal

AWS E385 is a weld metal formulated for joining stainless steels. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-welded condition. E385 is the AWS designation for this material. W88904 is the UNS number.

It has a moderately low electrical conductivity among stainless steel welding fillers. In addition, it has a moderately low tensile strength and a moderately low thermal conductivity.

The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare AWS E385 to: stainless steel welding fillers (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

200 GPa 29 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

34 %

Poisson's Ratio

0.28

Shear Modulus

79 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

580 MPa 84 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

300 J/g

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1440 °C 2620 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1390 °C 2530 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

460 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

14 W/m-K 7.8 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

14 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

1.7 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

1.9 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

31 % relative

Density

8.1 g/cm3 500 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

5.8 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

79 MJ/kg 34 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

200 L/kg 24 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

36

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

20 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

19 points

Thermal Diffusivity

3.6 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

15 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe 41.8 to 50.1
Nickel (Ni)Ni 24 to 26
Chromium (Cr)Cr 19.5 to 21.5
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo 4.2 to 5.2
Manganese (Mn)Mn 1.0 to 2.5
Copper (Cu)Cu 1.2 to 2.0
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 0.9
Carbon (C)C 0 to 0.030
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.020

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

AWS A5.4: Specification for Stainless Steel Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding

Welding Metallurgy and Weldability of Stainless Steels, John C. Lippold and Damian J. Kotecki, 2005

Welding Metallurgy of Stainless Steels, Erich Folkhard et al., 2012

CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015