Besides the problem of low ductility and poor notch toughness of ferritic stainless steel welds due to the microstructure characteristics of the weld section as a result of the weld heat input rate and the heat transfer factor, susceptibility to intergranular corrosion caused by the depletion of the chromium content of the weld matrix particularly in the HAZ is a major concern limiting the full deployment of the material in certain engineering applications regardless of its attractive economics combined with moderate strength and excellent corrosion resistance in alkali and acidic environments. Several attempts had been made to solve the problem. In the present work, a generic review of the sensitization problem in ferritic stainless steel welds as well as remediation techniques is presented. While stabilization is the most practiced prevention technique, it appears that the control of weld heat input and by extension the cooling rate is the ultimate option to prevent the onset of sensitization and control susceptibility to intergranular corrosion; however, the specific range of welding current and speeds that forms the given range of weld heat input needs to be determined.

Cutting fluids of various types are usually employed to control the heat generated in machining. The continued application of conventional petroleum based metal working fluids is being challenged by the need to reduce overall volume of fluids, minimize health risks and bio-contamination. Bio-oils assisted machining is an environmental bio-compatible technology for desirable control of temperature. This paper investigates the effect of some vegetable based oils on cutting force during cylindrical machining of mild steel, aluminium and copper.The results indicated that bio oils are suitable for metal working fluids but the effects of the bio-oils on cutting force are material dependent. Groundnut oil exhibited the highest reduction in cutting force when aluminium was being turned at a speed of 8.25m/min and feeds of 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20mm/rev, respectively. Palm kernel oil had the best result when copper was turned at feeds lower than 0.15 mm/rev. However, at higher feeds, groundnut oil had the best result for copper. Coconut oil recorded the highest cutting force in all the three materials machined followed by shear butter and as such are very mild in reducing cutting force during cylindrical machining.It is concluded that groundnut and palm kernel oils are effective in reducing cutting force during cylindrical turning. Though, the lubricating and cooling action is material dependent, groundnut oil is the best among the four bio-oils investigated.

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The ferritic stainless steel is a low cost alternative to the most often adopted austenitic stainless steel due to its higher strength, better ductility and superior corrosion resistance in caustic and chloride environments. However, the application of ferritic steel is limited because of poor ductility and notch impact toughness of its weld section with differential grain structures. Several techniques have been explored to control the grain features of the weld to minimize these problems. In the present effort, a review of these options in relation to the degree of grain refinement in ferritic stainless steel weld is conducted in order to have a better understanding about the grain refining phenomenon in the weld microstructure. So far, the most effective technique is found to be the pulse AC TIG welding which can produce weld with mechanical properties equivalent to 65% to those of the base metal. The refinement in this process occurred through dendrite fragmentation and grain detachment in the weld pool producing small-grained microstructures with a large fraction of equiaxed grains. However, in friction welding process where heat input and heat transfer are effectively controlled, the strength can be as high as 95% of the parent metal. This suggests that the total energy input for welding and heat transfer phenomenon mainly control the development of microstructural feature in the weld pool and hence the strength.