Alloy 304HCu is an austenitic stainless, developed from TP304H with the addition of copper and niobium for power plant applications. Solidification cracking is major issue in welding of austenitic stainless steels. In this paper, solidification cracking behaviour of alloy 304HCu with three different fillers viz., nickel fortified near-matching alloy 304HCu, ER NiCrCoMo-1 and ER NiCrMo-3 using Varestraint weldability testing. The solidification cracking behaviour of the parent material and different welds were assessed under different strain rates and the mechanisms were discussed, addressing the microstructural evolution and compositional changes. The weld materials were characterized for their mechanical properties both at ambient conditions and at elevated temperature, highlighting their usefulness in the power sector.

304HCu合金是一种奥氏体不锈钢，是从TP304H开发出来的，并添加了用于电厂的铜和铌。凝固裂纹是奥氏体不锈钢焊接中的主要问题。本文采用Varestraint可焊性测试，研究了三种填充剂对304HCu合金的凝固开裂行为，即镍强化的近匹配合金304HCu，ER NiCrCoMo-1和ER NiCrMo-3。在不同的应变速率下评估了母材和不同焊缝的凝固裂纹行为，并讨论了其机理，以解决微观组织演变和成分变化的问题。焊接材料的特点是在环境条件和高温下均具有机械性能，突出了其在电力领域的实用性。