Stainless steel strip cladding is a versatile and cost-effective method for depositing corrosion-resistant protective layers on low-alloy and low-carbon steels, making it highly suitable for components in the chemical, petrochemical, and nuclear industries. The Electroslag Strip Cladding (ESSC) process is increasingly employed for fabricating corrosion-resistant weld overlays in offshore, chemical, petrochemical, and nuclear applications. In this study, 309L and 309LNb austenitic stainless-steel strips were used to develop weld overlays on Cr-Mo steel at varying welding speeds. Microstructural characterization revealed no significant changes in the clad or interface regions; however, 309LNb overlays exhibited slightly higher ferrite content compared to 309L, as confirmed by ferrite measurements across all welding speeds. After post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), 309LNb weld overlays developed at 160, 180, and 200 mm/min exhibited superior resistance to both pitting and intergranular corrosion (IGC), whereas 309L weld overlays showed improved IGC resistance only at 180 mm/min, with no enhancement in pitting resistance at any welding speed.
