The main goal of this work was to study the effect of plastic deformation on weldability of duplex stainless steel (DSS). It is well known that plastic deformation prior to thermal cycles can enhance secondary phase precipitation in DSS which can lead to significant change of the ferrite-austenite phase ratio. From this point of view one of the most important phase transformation in DSS is the eutectoid decomposition of ferrite. Duplex stainless steels (DSSs) are a category of stainless steels which are employed in all kinds of applications where high strength and excellent corrosion resistance are both required. This favorable combination of properties is provided by their biphasic microstructure, consisting of ferrite and austenite in approximately equal volume fractions. Nevertheless, these materials may suffer from several microstructural transformations if they undergo heat treatments, welding processes or thermal cycles. These transformations modify the balanced phase ratio, compromising the corrosion and mechanical properties of the material. In this paper, the microstructural stability as a consequence of heat history due to welding processes has been investigated for a super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) UNS S32750. During this work, the effects of laser beam welding on cold rolled UNS S32750 SDSS have been investigated. Samples have been cold rolled at different thickness reduction (ε = 9.6%, 21.1%, 29.6%, 39.4%, 49.5%, and 60.3%) and then welded using Nd:YAG laser. Optical and electronical microscopy, eddy’s current tests, microhardness tests, and critical pitting temperature tests have been performed on the welded samples to analyze the microstructure, ferrite content, hardness, and corrosion resistance. Results show that laser welded joints had a strongly unbalanced microstructure, mostly consisting of ferritic phase (~60%). Ferrite content decreases with increasing distance from the middle of the joint. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) was almost undetectable and no defects or secondary phases have been observed. Both hardness and corrosion susceptibility of the joints increase. Plastic deformation had no effects on microstructure, hardness or corrosion resistance of the joints, but resulted in higher hardness of the base material. Cold rolling process instead, influences the corrosion resistance of the base material.

The aim of this work was to study expansively the process of the eutectoidal phase transformation of 2507-type super-duplex stainless steel. Three sample sets were prepared. The first sample set was made to investigate the effect of the previous cold rolling and heat treatment for the eutectoidal phase transformation. Samples were cold rolled at seven different rolling reductions which was followed by heat treatment at five different temperatures. The second sample set was prepared to determine the activation energy of the eutectoidal decomposition process using the Arrhenius equation. Samples were cold rolled at seven different rolling reductions and were heat treated at the same temperature during eight different terms. A third sample set was made to study how another plastic-forming technology, beside the cold rolling, can influence the eutectoidal decomposition. Samples were elongated by single axis tensile stress and were heat treated at the same temperature. The results of the first and the third sample sets were compared. The rest δ-ferrite contents were calculated using the results of AC and DC magnetometer measurements. DC magnetometer was used as a feritscope device in this work. Light microscope and electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) images demonstrated the process of the eutectoidal decomposition. The thermoelectric power and the hardness of the samples were measured. The results of the thermoelectric power measurement were compared with the results of the δ-ferrite content measurement. The accurate value of the coercive field was determined by a Foerster-type DC coercimeter device.

Duplex stainless steel has significantly broadened the range of applications of stainless steel. They have a dual-phase microstructure containing ferrite and austenite at approximately a 50–50% phase ratio. Their corrosion resistance is much better compared to the traditional austenitic stainless steel, especially in surroundings containing chloride ion. Moreover, the large stress yield of duplex steels offers significant advantages in structural applications. The ferrite phase in some duplex stainless steels is metastable due to its composition. Consequently, the ferrite can decompose to a secondary austenite and sigma phase due to heat input. The sigma phase is a hard and brittle intermetallic compound phase that significantly deteriorates the mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties of duplex stainless steel. The embrittlement can cause a safety risk in industrial applications. This paper is a preliminary study to investigate what physical properties can be used to obtain information on sigma-phase-induced embrittlement. In this work, the effect of plastic deformation and heat treatment was studied in the appearance of the sigma phase in 2507 duplex stainless steel. Magnetic saturation polarization and thermoelectric power measurements were used to monitor the microstructural changes due to cold rolling and heat treatment. It was found that the magnetic saturation polarization and thermoelectric power measurements can be effective tools for monitoring the sigma-phase formation in duplex stainless steels due to heat input. Their application helps to prevent the embrittlement problems caused by the sigma-phase formation in duplex stainless steel structures.

No abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the previously applied cold rolling and the latter heat treatment for the eutectoidal decomposition of δ-ferrite in 2507 type superduplex stainless steel (SDSS). The samples were cold rolled at seven different deformation rates which was followed by heat treatment at were 20, 700, 750, 800 and 850 °C temperatures. The rolled and heat treated samples were investigated by hardness tester, AC magnetometer and thermoelectric power measurement. The activation energy of the decomposition was determined by the Arrhenius equation through the results of the AC magnetometer measurement.