Duplex Stainless Steel Weld Metallurgy

Webinar 22/02/2012

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 Duplex Stainless Steels

 ferrite

 austenite

Parent metal microstructure contains grains of

ferrite and austenite, roughly 50:50

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 Duplex grades
• Typically 50% ferrite and 50% austenite
• Typically contain: 20 to 25% Cr, 3 to 8% Ni,
0.1 to 4% Mo and 0.05 to 0.4% N
• Pros:
– High strength (higher than austenitic grades)
– Moderate toughness at low temperature
– Weldable in thick sections
– Exceptional corrosion resistance, incl. stress
corrosion cracking, pitting and crevice
– Less susceptible to price variation than
austenitics

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Ferrite and austenite
Add Ni

Remove Ni
or add Cr+Mo

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 The Schaeffler Diagram

• Calculate Cr
equivalent & Ni 
equivalent
from weld
composition
• Predicts the
expected weld
metal phases
present 

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 Other Constitution Diagrams

• Include a nitrogen term in Ni equivalent

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 Pitting Resistance Index
Duplex stainless steels are divided into
groups according to their pitting resistance
equivalent number (PREN)

PREN = %Cr + 3.3 (%Mo+0.5%W) + 16 %N

23% Cr lean duplex No Mo

22% Cr standard duplex PREN = 30-36
25% Cr high alloy duplex PREN <40
25% Cr superduplex PREN > 40

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 Phase Diagram

• Welding not an
equilibrium thermal
cycle

• Nitrogen plays an
important role
• Kinetics
• Grain refinement

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 Weldability
• Weldability
– Little susceptibility to hot cracking
– Problems associated with HAZ: loss of corrosion
resistance, toughness or post-weld cracking
• Strict Heat input limits
– Heat input too high  precipitation of intermetallics
– Heat input too low  ferrite level too high
• Interpass Temperature
– Special concern in multipass welding
– 25Cr faster transformation kinetics: Root followed by
hot pass (common for C steels) needs to be avoided.

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 Weldability
• Strict Heat input limits
– 22Cr: 0.5 to 2.5 kJ/mm
– 25Cr: 0.5 to 1.5 kJ/mm
• Lower heat input limit: Time for  to 
transformation
• Max heat input limit: Avoid formation of
intermetallics
– Special concern in multipass welding
– 25Cr faster transformation kinetics: Root followed by
hot pass (common for C steels) needs to be avoided.

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 Weldability
• Interpass temperature
– Interpass temperature must be low enough to guarantee
fast enough cooling to avoid intermetallic formation.

– 150oC for lean and standard DSS

– 100oC for SDSS

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Welding Problems in Stainless Steels- sigma ()
phase formation

Curves for reduction of impact

toughness to 50% compared to solution
annealed condition

Courtesy of Outokumpo

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Welding Problems in Stainless Steels- sigma ()
phase formation

 phase on  grain boundary

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Welding Problems in Stainless Steels- sigma ()
phase formation
• 475° Embrittlement
• Embrittlement
increases as chromium
content increases
• Segregation of Cr in
ferrite
• Accelerated by
increasing Cr and Mo
• No visible change in
microstructure
• Increase in hardness
• Decrease in toughness

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Welding Problems in Duplex Stainless
Steels
Sigma () phase formation
• Grades containing higher Cr and Mo require less time
for  phase precipitation
• Sigma () phase: high chromium brittle intermetallic
phase
• Precipitates between 500 and 1000ºC over time
• Forms more readily in ferrite than in austenite
• Affects toughness and corrosion resistance

475° Embrittlement
• Limits operating temperature for DSS to below 300°C

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 PWHT
• PWHT
– Stress relief not usually necessary
– If required, PWHT must be an annealing treatment, at
temperatures from 980ºC to 1100ºC, followed by water
quenching
– Short PWHT carried out on special cases
• Zeron 100 consumable used to join supermartensitics

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N Friend or Foe

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N Content, Solubility, Nitrides and Phase Balance
→ DSS and SDSS

~0.2% Limit

Solubility in liquid not a

large problem due to
>Cr concentration

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N Content, Solubility, Nitrides and Phase Balance
→ DSS and SDSS
Insufficient N
Slow diffusion rate can be an
of Ni → N effective in issue
promoting  in HAZ
where cooling is fast
N

~0.2% Limit < Nitronic

Solubility in liquid not a

large problem due to
>Cr concentration

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N Content, Solubility, Nitrides and Phase Balance
→ DSS and SDSS
Insufficient N N in solution
Slow diffusion rate can be an delays 
of Ni → N effective in issue formation
promoting  in HAZ
where cooling is fast
N

~0.2% Limit < Nitronic

Solubility in liquid not a

large problem due to
>Cr concentration

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N Content, Solubility, Nitrides and Phase Balance
→ DSS and SDSS
Insufficient N N in solution
Slow diffusion rate can be an delays 
of Ni → N effective in issue formation
promoting  in HAZ
where cooling is fast N concentration:  to 
transformation occurs at
N higher T, more  is formed and
N is dissolved in 
~0.2% Limit < Nitronic
Low N concentration:  to 
Solubility in liquid not a transformation limited to GB;
large problem due to nitrides formed before
>Cr concentration completion of transformation

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 Weld Metal
• No PWHT, but PW anneal sometimes carried out
• >Cr and Mo: Sigma formed during heating and
dissolved in parent material, however…

Sigma
A solvus • Ni and W stabilise sigma to
Temperature

F higher temperature
F+A
• Not a problem for parent
A • Min. recommended T of 1040°C
F + maybe too low for overalloyed
+  WM: Sigma promoted instead of
 dissolved
Ni %

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Copyright by Nuno Mourao Copyright © TWI Ltd 2011
 Dissimilar Metal Weld-Interface

UNS S32760 Superduplex

Stainless Steel and Alloy 686CPT
TIG Weld

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Component

686 Alloy
CPT 59
Ni Bal. 59
Cr 21 23
Mo 16 16
Fe 2-5 <1
W 4 -
Nb - -

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Fracture Mode

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Cross Section

>Mo, W
Mu Phase

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 DMI microstructure characterisation

Theory: Ductile
failure from
low ductility.

How?
PMZ
686 more ductile >Fe, Ni,
than SDSS Mo, W

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 Mechanical Properties: Hv(50g)

Sample Location
SDSS, parent HAZ in the 686CPT
metal SDSS weld
As-welded 311 318 280
(unstrained)
Failed side 349 355 341
bend test

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Guided side-bend: Grid Analysis

Cap

686 F22
S32760 625

Root

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Major Strain: Cap and Root

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Minor Strain: Cap and Root

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Strain ratio between 686 and SDSS side
along entire DMI

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 Conclusions

• No significant weld defects

• The use of a grid pattern on the free
surface in tension was appropriate to
measure strain distribution.
• The bend tests failed because the
available ductility was exhausted by the
test procedure.
– Strain concentration on 686 (Testing more
severe than anticipated)
– Limited ductility from presence of
intermetallics

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 Conclusions
• Evidence for reduced ductility
– Strain concentration and constraint adjacent to
the fusion line, just as severe, both adjacent to
the SDSS and the Alloy 625 buttering.
– Fracture only observed at the 686 to SDSS
materials interface, indicating that this region
has lower ductility.
• This is to be expected as there is a much
greater chemistry mismatch between the
nickel alloy filler (686) and the SDSS
parent material.

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 Conclusions
• Strain concentration and enhanced constraint
conditions exist at the interfaces between the
Alloy 686CPT closure weld and both the
SDSS and Alloy 625 materials.
• Likely due to strength mismatch between the
different materials

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