J. D. Puskar, J. R. Michael, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM; B. P. Somerday, D. K. Balch, J. A. Brooks, C. H. Cadden, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA

Summary: Inertia friction welds were fabricated using the nitrogen strengthened stainless steel alloy 21Cr-6Ni-9Mn. Microstructural characterization revealed ferrite at the weld interface with a morphology that was dependent on both the starting composition and the processing parameters. The hydrogen-assisted fracture susceptibility was measured and found to be similar to GTA welds.