The present invention is a weld metal formed by gas shielded arc welding using a flux cored wire, the welded metal having a predetermined chemical composition, residual austenite particles being present in an amount of at least 2500 particles/mm.sup.2, and the volume fraction of residual austenite particles being at least 4.0%.

A flexible assembly line includes a common welding station having a first set of tooling adapted to engage and support a first type of vehicle frame and a second set of tooling adapted to engage and support a second type of vehicle frame. The first set of tooling is provided on a first side of a rotatable unit and the second set of tooling is provided on a second side of the rotatable unit such that the rotatable unit is rotatable to present either the first set of tooling or the second set of tooling for a welding operation. The flexible assembly includes a first dedicated welding station having dedicated tooling particularly adapted to engage and support only the first type of vehicle frame. The flexible assembly includes a second dedicated welding station having dedicated tooling particularly adapted to engage and support only the second type of vehicle frame.

A flexible assembly line includes a common welding station having a first set of tooling adapted to engage and support a first type of vehicle frame and a second set of tooling adapted to engage and support a second type of vehicle frame. The first set of tooling is provided on a first side of a rotatable unit and the second set of tooling is provided on a second side of the rotatable unit such that the rotatable unit is rotatable to present either the first set of tooling or the second set of tooling for a welding operation. The flexible assembly includes a first dedicated welding station having dedicated tooling particularly adapted to engage and support only the first type of vehicle frame. The flexible assembly includes a second dedicated welding station having dedicated tooling particularly adapted to engage and support only the second type of vehicle frame.

At least one stiffening bead (32) is formed by arc welding on a surface of at least one of metal members in addition to a fillet bead (3) formed by fillet arc welding. The stiffening bead (32) is formed to have an angle of 45 to 135 with respect to the fillet bead (3) and to overlap with the fillet bead (3). The sum total l1 of lengths of stiffening beads (32) can be, for example, 0.5 times or more of a length L of the fillet bead (3).

At least one stiffening bead (32) is formed by arc welding on a surface of at least one of metal members in addition to a fillet bead (3) formed by fillet arc welding. The stiffening bead (32) is formed to have an angle of 45 to 135 with respect to the fillet bead (3) and to overlap with the fillet bead (3). The sum total l1 of lengths of stiffening beads (32) can be, for example, 0.5 times or more of a length L of the fillet bead (3).

An arc welded joint and an arc welding method. The arc welded joint has a weld formed by arc welding of an overlap of at least two steel sheets. The weld has a specified flank angle ?. In a region extending 2.0 mm from a bead toe of the weld in a weld metal direction and also extending 2.0 mm from the bead toe in a base material direction, a slag-covered area ratio is 50% or less.

A gas-shielded arc welding method includes welding a steel plate having a tensile strength of 780 MPa or more while feeding a consumable electrode via a welding torch and flowing a shielding gas. The consumable electrode includes, in mass %, C: 0 to 0.20%, Si: 0 to 0.50%, Mn: 0 to 0.50%, Cr: 1.00% to 9.00%, S: 0.0020% to 0.0600%, and Ni: 0 to 0.50%. The shielding gas includes, in vol. %, at least one of CO.sub.2 and O.sub.2: 1% to 15% in total, with the remainder being Ar and unavoidable impurities. Welding is performed under the condition satisfying the relationship of 1{0.05[CO.sub.2+O.sub.2]}+[Cr]8.3, and [Cr] represents the content of Cr in the consumable electrode, and [CO.sub.2+O.sub.2] represents a total content of at least one of CO.sub.2 and O.sub.2 in the shielding gas.

A gas-shielded arc welding method includes welding a steel plate having a tensile strength of 780 MPa or more while feeding a consumable electrode via a welding torch and flowing a shielding gas. The consumable electrode includes, in mass %, C: 0 to 0.20%, Si: 0 to 0.50%, Mn: 0 to 0.50%, Cr: 1.00% to 9.00%, S: 0.0020% to 0.0600%, and Ni: 0 to 0.50%. The shielding gas includes, in vol. %, at least one of CO.sub.2 and O.sub.2: 1% to 15% in total, with the remainder being Ar and unavoidable impurities. Welding is performed under the condition satisfying the relationship of 1{0.05[CO.sub.2+O.sub.2]}+[Cr]8.3, and [Cr] represents the content of Cr in the consumable electrode, and [CO.sub.2+O.sub.2] represents a total content of at least one of CO.sub.2 and O.sub.2 in the shielding gas.

A test piece preparation step of preparing a test piece (50) including a welding structure in which a welding material formed of an austenitic alloy is welded to a member formed of low-alloy steel or low-carbon steel, a hydrogen supply step of supplying hydrogen to the test piece (50), and a characteristic stress acquisition step of applying a load (F) to the test piece (50) to which hydrogen was supplied and acquiring a characteristic stress showing material mechanical properties of the test piece (50) are executed.

A shaft element of a turbomachine, in particular of a combined steam turbine, having at least two shaft subsegments integrally joined to each other by means of a weld, wherein different chemical and mechanical properties are inherent to the shaft subsegments, wherein the weld has a ratio of welding layer height to weld width of 1:14 to 1:2. A method produces a shaft element composed of two different materials having at least two shaft subsegments integrally joined to each other by means of a weld.