Study of corrosion resistance of friction welding joints between tubes and tube plate

The cost of production and reliability of shell-and-tube heat exchangers is mainly determined by the features of the tube bundle and the joint between tube and tube plate (TTP) in particular. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the weld structure and electrode potential distribution of weld joints and base metal seams simulating the joint between heatexchange tube and tube plate (steel 5CrMo16) using the following welding methods: manual metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding and rotating friction welding. Comparison between macro- and microstructures of certain zones of tested welded joints, as well as values of electrode potential at specific points of the base metal and welded joints obtained by various methods, made it possible to conclude the effectiveness of application of specific ways of welding by their effect on corrosion resistance of given assembly.