Researchers Study Effect of Heat Treatment on Duplex Stainless Steel
In a recent study, the effects of post-heat treatment atmosphere on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel welded joints were examined by a team of scientists from Suez University and the Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute Cairo and published findings in Nature. The study found that post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) enhances the grain refining and increases the austenite fraction in the weld zone and heat-affected zone (HAZ). Protective gases such as nitrogen and argon were used during the heat treatment, with nitrogen resulting in the formation of nitride precipitates.
The study also found that a decrease in ferrite volume fraction in post-weld heat treated samples compared to welded samples without heat treatment leads to an enhancement of corrosion resistance. However, using nitrogen as a heat treatment atmosphere resulted in decreased corrosion resistance of weldments due to nitride precipitates. The study also found that there was a significant drop in ultimate tensile strength and ductility after PWHT, especially when using air and nitrogen as heat treatment atmospheres. Higher Vickers hardness values were observed for HAir and HNitrogen welded joints, possibly due to nitride precipitates. The study concluded that PWHT is not recommended for duplex stainless steel weldments if mechanical properties are of great importance, but it is preferable to perform PWHT if chemical properties and corrosion resistance need to be improved. The study also highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate welding electrode in controlling the microstructure of the welding area and thus the properties after welding.
Duplex stainless steel (DSS) is a highly durable and reliable material for use in harsh environments. Its composition and alloying elements distribution make it resistant to corrosion and provide high strength. The ferrite and austenite volume fractions of DSS are influenced by the chemical composition and processing factors such as annealing temperature, cooling rate, solidification, and heat input. The precipitation of harmful intermetallic phases such as sigma (s) phase, chi (?) phase, secondary austenite (?2), nitride (CrN and Cr2N), and carbides (M23C6) can also be affected by these factors. Therefore, it is important to carefully control the processing of DSS to ensure optimal performance in severe environments such as deep-sea pipelines, seawater desalination, reactors, petroleum tanker, oil refinery chemical and petrochemical industries.
The welding process is a crucial aspect of many industrial processes. It involves a heat treatment that results in three distinct zones: the base material (BM), the heat affected zone (HAZ), and the weld zone. In the case of duplex stainless steel (DSS), these three zones exhibit varying chemical compositions of ferrite and austenite phases, which can lead to differences in corrosion resistance. It is important to note that the welding process not only affects the chemical composition, but also the volume fraction of ferrite due to the heat. Furthermore, Nilsson has suggested that multi-pass welding may result in an excessive amount of secondary austenite, ultimately leading to lower corrosion resistance in the weld zone.
In addition to the factors mentioned earlier, the selection of the welding electrode is crucial in controlling the microstructure of the welding area, which in turn affects the properties after welding. Khan et al. investigated the effect of filler metal on solidification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the dissimilar weld between super duplex stainless 2507 and high strength low alloy API X70 pipeline steel. They observed that the microstructure of the 309L filler weld is composed of skeletal ferrites in the austenite matrix, while the 2594 filler weld has multiple reformed austenite embedded in the ferrite matrix. Similarly, Ramkumar et al. investigated the weldability, metallurgical and mechanical properties of the UNS 32750 super-duplex stainless steels joints by Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) employing ER2553 and ERNiCrMo-4 filler metals18. They recommended the use of ER 2553 for welding super-duplex stainless steel due to the enhancement of mechanical properties of welded joints compared to those using ER NiCrMo-4. They attributed this improvement to the presence of sufficient amounts of ferrite and allotriomorphic and wedge-shaped widmanstätten austenite, as well as intergranular precipitates in the weld zone when using ER2553.
The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in collaboration with The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) provided open access funding. Specifically, the funding was granted by STDF, which is part of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank.