International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

As global environmental impacts have increased, modern societies have expressed a strong interest in implementing sustainable solutions to reduce emissions and use operational energy and natural resources. The construction industry is a leading promoter of significant environmental impacts because it consumes a significant amount of water, energy, and materials. Steel and welding are critical in all three major sectors of the industry: construction, infrastructure, and industry. This paper discusses the significance of meeting sustainable development goals in welded structures and identifies ways that this industry can help to reduce environmental impact and improve employment conditions while achieving economic growth, saving time, and maintaining structural quality. The paper discusses how to optimize various aspects ranging from raw material extraction to construction waste disposal using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. It provides a starting point and demonstrates how these tools can contribute to more sustainable welded structures.

The main objective of this paper is to get an accurate result of the mechanical characteristics of welded joints of structural steel performed with two different types of filler material, wire, which are characterized by: simple welding technology, low structural changes of the basic materials, as well as lower cost of welds. The whole research is conducted in accordance with European standards for welding. Research has been conducted on two standard plates made of constructive steel S355J2 + N Z15, with a thickness of 15mm, according to standard EN ISO 15614-1. Both plates are welded with solid wire and metal cored wire under the protection of a gas mixture based on argon, and the whole process is supported by standard documentation. Destructive tests have been performed to determine the welded joints’ quality and influence of different filler materials, such as tensile test, impact test, and hardness test in the weld and heat-affected zone. The experimental results confirm that the gas metal arc welding of structural steel in the protection of inert gas with solid and metal cored wire is a procedure that ensures the quality and safety of welded joints and retention properties of the base material after the welding process.