DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

FEATURES CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, % SPECIFICATIONS

• High resistance to chloride stress Chromium 21.0 – 22.0 UNS S32101 EN 1.4162
corrosion cracking (SCC) Nickel 1.35 – 1.70 ASTM/ASME
• High strength
Manganese 4.00 – 6.00 A 240/SA-240 Plate, Sheet, Strip
• Chloride pitting and crevice corrosion
Molybdenum 0.10 – 0.80 A 276 Bars & Shapes
comparable to type 316L stainless
Nitrogen 0.20 – 0.25 A 479/SA-479 Bars & Shapes
• Good general corrosion resistance
A 789/SA-789 Welded & Seamless Tubing
• Good machinability and weldability Carbon 0.040 max
A 790/SA-790 Welded & Seamless Pipe
Silicon 1.00 max
APPLICATIONS ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code
Copper 0.10 – 0.80 Case 2418
• General purpose stainless steel applications
Phosphorus 0.040 max
• Chemical process pressure vessels, piping, NSF Approval Standard 61
and heat exchangers Sulfur 0.030 max
• Storage tanks Iron Balance
• Water treatment
• Pulp & Paper Mill equipment
 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

GENERAL Table 4 – Fatigue, pulsating tensile test

LDX 2101® is a lean duplex stainless steel designed for general-purpose use.
Like other duplex stainless steels LDX 2101 provides both superior strength and LDX 2101 RA2205 316L
greater chloride stress corrosion cracking resistance compared to 300 series 0.2% Yield ksi 69.3 72.1 40.6
stainless steels.
UTS ksi 100.9 111.2 83.8
The use of manganese ensures proper ferrite-austenite phase balance, while
Fatigue Strength ksi 72.5 74.0 52.2
allowing a reduction in nickel content. As a result, LDX 2101 is priced competitively
with Types 304L and 316L stainless steels.
The preceding table shows the results of a pulsating tensile fatigue test (R=0.1)
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES in air at room temperature. The fatigue strength has been evaluated at 2 million
The combination of a duplex structure and high nitrogen content provide significantly cycles and probability of rupture 50%. Since the test was made using round
higher strength levels than 316L stainless steel. Often a lighter gage of LDX 2101 polished test bars from hot rolled plate, correction factors for surface roughness,
can be utilized to achieve the same strength levels of a 300 series fabrication. notches, welds, etc. are required in accordance with classical theory relating to
The resultant weight savings can dramatically reduce the material and fabrication fatigue failure. As shown by the table, the fatigue strength of the duplex steels
costs of a vessel. corresponds approximately to the yield strength of the material.

Table 1 – Tensile Properties Plate

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Density 0.281 lb/inch3
Ultimate 0.2% Yield % Elong Hardness
Tensile Strength, ksi Brinell Poisson’s ratio at room temperature – 0.3
Strength, ksi Electrical Resistivity – 451 ⍀•circ mil/ft (0.75␮⍀•m)
Alloy Min Min Min Max
LDX 2101 94 65 30 290 Table 5 – Physical Properties.
304/304L 75 30 40 201 Coefficient of Thermal Thermal Modulus of
Expansion 68°F to Conductivity Elasticity
316/316L 75 30 40 217
in/in°F 10-6 Btu ft/ft2 hr°F psi x 10-6
RA2205 90 65 25 293
68°F –– 8.6 29
2304 87 58 25 290
212°F 7.2 9.2 28.1
Source: ASTM A240
392°F 7.5 9.8 27
572°F 7.8 10.4 26.1
Table 2 – ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 1,
Allowable Stress Values, ksi
Alloy 200°F 300°F 400°F 500°F 600°F
CORROSION RESISTANCE
The corrosion resistance of LDX 2101 is generally good. As a result, the grade is
LDX 2101 26.9 25.6 24.7 24.7 24.7 suitable for use in a wide-range of applications and environments. The corrosion
304(L) 20.0 18.9 18.3 17.5 16.6 resistance of LDX 2101 is in general terms better than 304L stainless and in most
cases comparable to the molybdenum bearing 316L stainless steel. A review of
316(L) 20.0 20.0 19.3 18 17 LDX 2101 and its resistance to specific types of corrosion follow.
RA2205 25.7 24.8 23.9 23.3 23.1 Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)
2304 24.0 22.5 21.7 21.3 21 300 series stainless steels are widely utilized in the process industries due to
their good general corrosion resistance. The onset of stress corrosion cracking is
one of the most common reasons for stainless equipment failure. SCC failures
commonly occur without warning and can be catastrophic in pressurized equipment.
Table 3 – Minimum Tensile Properties at Elevated Temperatures, ksi This can result in increased operational risk, potential high dollar losses, and
Temperature Ultimate Tensile 0.2% Yield Strength even loss of life.
SCC can be instigated by chlorides in the process or in many instances by chlorides
200¡F 86.2 55.7 on the outside of a process vessel and piping. Under insulation cracking and
300¡F 81.3 50.8 operation in coastal areas are also common causes of external SCC of stainless
equipment. As a result, some in the process industry resort to painting or coating
400¡F 78.3 47.6
their stainless steel vessels. This can add significantly to the initial cost of a vessel
500¡F 78.3 46.1 and to its life cycle cost due to increased maintenance.
2
 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

Because of its duplex structure LDX 2101 offers excellent resistance to SCC. It Test solution
also offers corrosion resistance comparable to 304L and 316L stainless steel. This Chemical Concentration Calculated Composition
makes LDX 2101 an excellent candidate to replace 300 series stainless steels in
NaOH 92 g/l Total Alkali 188.5 g/l Na2O
a wide variety of applications.
NaCl 4.1 g/l TTA 173.5 g/l Na2O
Na2S 55 g/l AA 147.0 g/l Na2O
Table 6 – Results from U-bend testing in a 40% CaCl 2 boiling solution
Na2S2O3 7.9 g/l EA 119.5 g/l Na2O
(100°C) for 500 hours
Na2SO4 7.1 g/l Activity 85%
Longitudinal/Transverse
Na2CO3 26.5 g/l Causticity 78% (Na2O basis)
LDX 2101 No SCC
pH– 11.0 after test Sulfidity 37% (Na2O basis)
304L SCC Cracking (< 150 hrs)

Pitting and Crevice Corrosion Resistance Table 7 – Liquor phase testing at 194°F (90°C), 21 days
Resistance to localized corrosion, such as pitting and crevice attack, are improved
Grade Weight Loss, mg Corrosion Rate, mpy
through additions of chromium, molybdenum, and nitrogen. Commonly these
forms of attack are encountered in chloride containing environments. LDX 2101 0.6, 0.4 0.000, 0.000
A numerical relationship between pitting resistance and alloying content has been RA2205 0.3, 0.7 0.000, 0.000
developed to compare stainless steels. This is known as the pitting resistance 304L 1.3, 1.0 0.001, 0.000
equivalent or PREN.
316L 4.5, 3.4 0.002, 0.002
The following figure compares the PREN for LDX 2101 with other common
2304 0.6, 0.3 0.000, 0.000
stainless steels.

Figure 1 – Pitting Resistance Equivalent PREN = Cr+3.3Mo+ 30N

Table 8 – Liquor phase testing at 217°F (103°C), 21 days
RA2205
Grade Weight Loss, mg Corrosion Rate, mpy
LDX 2101 LDX 2101 0.4, 0.4 0.000, 0.000
316L RA2205 0.8, 0.5 0.000, 0.000
304L 1.0, 0.8 0.000, 0.000
304L
316L 4.7, 4.8 0.002, 0.002
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 2304 0.6, 0.6 0.000, 0.000

Figure 2 – Critical Pitting Temperature (CPT), 5.8% NaCl, ASTM G 150 Additional data taken from testing according to ASTM G157-98 are shown in the
following table.
RA2205

LDX 2101
Sodium Hydroxide

316L
Table 9 – Critical temperature for 0.005 ipy, corrosion, °C
304L
Solution Conc. LDX 2101 316L RA 2205
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 NaOH 50% 85 90 90

Based on corrosion testing LDX 2101 displays resistance to pitting and crevice
corrosion approaching that of Type 316L stainless.
Caustic
Testing in simulated white liquor has been carried out on LDX 2101 duplex
stainless steel. The results are shown in the following table.
Intergranular Corrosion
Due to its duplex microstructure, LDX 2101 offers very good resistance to
intergranular corrosion. LDX 2101 passes intergranular corrosion tests according
to ASTM A 262 method B (Streicher) and method E (Strauss). Such results are
as expected for duplex steels, which are less susceptible to this type of corrosion
than austenitic stainless steels. 3
 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

General Corrosion Phosphoric Acid

General corrosion is characterized by a uniform attack of the surface in contact
with a corrosive medium. The corrosion resistance is generally considered good Table 11 – Critical temperature for 0.005 ipy, corrosion, °C
if the corrosion rate is less than 0.005 in/yr (0.127 mm/yr). The resistance to
Solution Conc. LDX 2101 316L RA2205
uniform corrosion in sulfuric acid is shown in Figure 3. LDX 2101 has a better
resistance than 304L and in some cases performs as well as 316L. H3PO4 83% 40 65 50
HF 2%
WPA 1 75% 60 < 10 45
Figure 3 – Isocorrosion Chart, 0.1 mm/yr (0.004 mpy), in sulfuric acid
WPA 2 75% < 25 < 10 60
Temperature, °F

210

190
LDX 2101 Table 12 – Composition of Wet Process Phosphoric Acid solutions tested
170 in Table 10, % by weight
150 WPA 1 WPA 2

130 H3PO4 75 75
Cl- 0.20 0.02
110
304L 316L F- 0.5 2.0
90
H2SO4 4.0 4.0
70
H2S04% Fe2O3 0.30 0.30
0 5 10 15 20 25
Al2O3 0.20 0.20
Additional data taken from testing according to ASTM G157-98 are shown in the
following tables. SiO2 0.10 0.10
CaO 0.20 0.20
Sulfuric and Hydrochloric Acids MgO 0.70 0.70

Table 10 – Critical temperature for 0.005 ipy, corrosion, °C Nitric Acid

Solution Conc. LDX 2101 316L RA2205
HCl 1% 55 30 85 Table 13 – Critical temperature for 0.005 ipy, corrosion, °C
H2SO4 10% 75 50 60 Solution Conc. LDX 2101 316L RA2205
H2SO4 96.4% 30 45 25 HNO3 10% >bp >bp >bp
HNO3 65% 105 100 105

Organic Acids

Table 14 – Critical temperature for 0.005 ipy, corrosion, °C

Solution Conc. LDX 2101 316L RA2205
Acetic Acid 80% >bp >bp >bp
Acetic Acid/ 50% 105 120 100
Acetic Anhydride 50%
Formic Acid 50% 95 40 90

A LDX 2101 floodgate installed in Viskan, Sweden.

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 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

FABRICATION
Welding
LDX 2101 has good weldability using the same processes as other duplex
steels. The restrictions in arc energy are less restricted than for RA2205 due
to the lower alloy content and high nitrogen level of LDX 2101.
A filler metal designed for LDX 2101 welding has been developed and is
available from Rolled Alloys in bare wire, covered electrodes, and flux-cored
wire. In some situations type 2209 filler can also be used. Welding without
filler is also possible and reasonable properties can be obtained in the ‘as-welded’
condition. In general, to ensure proper ferrite-austenite balance in the weld, LDX 2101 tanks erected at Europe’s largest palm oil refinery and fractionation
it is suggested to weld with filler. plant in Rotterdam. 13 tanks of various sizes were erected from 317,000-
950,000 gallon capacity. Plate thicknesses of 5-8 mm (0.197– 0.315 inch)
GMAW Welding were used, totaling 1.76 million pounds of material.

SMAW Welding
Table 15 – Suggested LDX 2101 GMAW welding parameters
LDX 2101 is welded with an AC/DC covered electrode. Welding should be
Diameter Current (I) Voltage performed with a short arc. Direct current is preferable.
Spray Arc 0.045 inch 200-240 A 28-31
Pulse Arc 0.045 inch I peak: 450-550 A Table 18 – Suggested LDX 2101 SMAW welding parameters
I bkg: 150-200 A
Frequency: 120-150 Hz Diameter Current
3/32 inch 50-80 amps
Suggested shielding gases for use when welding LDX 2101 include 100% Argon, 1/8 inch 70-120 amps
Argon + 30% Helium + 1-3% Carbon Dioxide, or Argon + 2-3% Carbon Dioxide.
5/32 inch 100-160 amps

GTAW Welding
FCAW Welding
FCAW welding is preferably performed using an argon based shielding gas with
Table 16 – Suggested LDX 2101 GTAW welding parameters an addition of 15-25% carbon dioxide. 100% carbon dioxide can be used,
Wire Diameter Current Voltage however, reduced arc stability and melt pool control can be expected along with
3/32 inch 130-180 amps 16-19 volts increased spatter. When using 100% carbon dioxide it is suggested to increase
the voltage by 2-3 volts to ensure proper arc length. Shielding gas flow rates are
1/8 inch 160-220 amps 17-20 volts
typically 0.7-0.88 ft3/min.

When GTAW welding LDX 2101, the most commonly used shielding gas is
Table 19 – Suggested LDX 2101 FCAW welding parameters
100% Argon. Addition of up to 2% Nitrogen is advantageous and will enhance
the corrosion and mechanical properties of the weld. Shielding gas flow rates of Dia. Inch Horizontal Horizontal-Vertical
0.21 to 0.28 ft3/min are suggested. Current Voltage Current Voltage
0.045 150-280 24-32 140-200 23-28

Table 17 – Typical Chemistry, % of welding consumables

Carbon Nickel Chromium Manganese Molybdenum Nitrogen
Solid Wire 0.02 7.0 23.0 0.5 < 0.5 0.14
Covered Electrodes 0.04 7.0 23.5 1.2 0.4 0.14
Flux-Cored Wire 0.03 9.0 24.0 1.5 0.7 0.14

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 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

SAW Welding Machining

Duplex steels are generally more difficult to machine than conventional austenitic
Table 19 – Suggested LDX 2101 SAW welding parameters stainless steel such as Type 316, due to the higher hardness. LDX 2101, however,
has shown excellent machining properties. The machinability can be illustrated by
Diameter Current Voltage
a machinability index. This index, which increases with improved machinability, is
3/32 inch 300-500 amps 28-33 volts based on a combination of test data from several different machining operations.
1/8 inch 400-600 amps 29-34 volts It provides a good description of machinability in relation to Type 316 stainless.

The suggested welding flux used with LDX 2101 is Flux 805, which is a basic Figure 5 – Relative machinability compared to 316L stainless
slightly chromium-compensated agglomerated flux. The higher basicity of flux 1.5
805 generally provides slightly improved impact values compared to flux 801. ■ High Speed
Steel Tools
Cold Forming ■ Cemented
Carbide Tools
Due to the high yield strength of duplex stainless steels, greater working forces 1
than those required for austenitic stainless steels are needed for cold forming.
LDX 2101 is suitable for most forming operations used in stainless steel fabrication.
However, due to the higher mechanical strength and lower toughness of LDX 2101, 0.5
operations such as deep drawing, stretch forming and spinning are more difficult
to perform than with austenitic steel. The grade’s high strength may give rise to
a relatively high spring back.
0
Hot Forming 316L LDX 2101 RA2205
Hot forming is performed in the temperature range 2015-1650°F (1102 - 899° C)
and should be followed by solution annealing. It should be noted that the strength
Figure 6 – Metal removal rate during plate drilling (0.020” dia) with high
is low at high temperatures and distortion during annealing can occur if proper
speed steel tool to yield the same tool life
support is not provided.

LDX 2101
S=85.3 ft/min
F=0.006 in/rev

Type 304L
S=36 ft/min
F=0.004 in/rev

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35

Removal Rate, cubic inch/min

Figure 4 – 1-1/2 inch hex bolt and 1-1/4 inch hex nut both upset forged
and roll threaded
HEAT TREATMENT
LDX 2101 is solution annealed at 1870-1975°F (1020-1080°C). Rapid
cooling is recommended after annealing to minimize precipitation of secondary
phases, which may negatively impact the properties of LDX 2101.
More detailed fabrication information is available in the LDX 2101 fabrication
manual available at www.rolledalloys.com.

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 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

APPLICATIONS
Power Plants
LDX 2101 has been used on a 2205 duplex stainless FGD absorber tower for
external stiffeners in the western United States. LDX 2101 was used rather than
304L because it allowed a lighter cross section, would not require painting, and
matched the strength and expansion properties of 2205 duplex stainless.
Desalination
“Dual Duplex” construction at the Taweelah B extension and Jebel Ali units. The
evaporators at these plants will be constructed with 2205 duplex stainless steel
on bottom portion of the evaporators that is exposed to deaerated seawater. LDX
2101 duplex stainless steel will be used on the top portion of the evaporators,
which is exposed to the less aggressive condensate.
Pulp and Paper Organic chemical storage tank at a chemical plant in the southeastern United
Screw conveyor in a mechanical pulping mill. The 316L stainless shaft used States measuring approximately 60 feet in diameter and 50 feet tall, con-
previously suffered fatigue failure after 12 months. LDX 2101 was selected to structed of LDX 2101, replaced 316L stainless. Engineering was done to take
replace the shaft based on its improved mechanical properties. advantage of the high strength of LDX 2101. This allowed a reduction in the
wall thickness and the resulting alloy weight required for constructing the
tank. The tank will be insulated on the outside, which also posed a risk for
under insulation cracking if 316L stainless were to be used.

White liquor storage tank at a pulp mill, in Finland, constructed from LDX Floodgates are one of the many interesting uses for the new duplex steel,
2101 plate materials. LDX 2101. A LDX 2101 gate installed in Säffle, Sweden is shown above

LDX 2101 plate was used for the external reinforcements on the outlet duct of this power plant wet scrubber. It was selected over 304L stainless because its
higher strength allowed thinner sections to be used and it better matched the expansion rate of the RA2205 duct material. 7
LDX 2101 is a registered trademark of Outokumpu Stainless
 DATA SHEET LDX 2101® DUPLEX STAINLESS

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Data Sheet LDX 2101 03/07 1.5M ©2007 Rolled Alloys Litho in U.S.A., LMG/5197/Homewood