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To discuss the influence of molybdenum on the metallurgy of stainless steels it is useful to look at the
metallurgy of stainless steels in general. Based on their microstructure, stainless steels are divided into the
following families:
austenitic
ferritic
martensitic
duplex
precipitation hardenable
The division based on microstructure is useful because the members within one family tend to have similar
physical and mechanical properties. However, the properties for one family can be very different from the
properties for another family. For example, austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic, while ferritic and
duplex stainless steels are magnetic.
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The difference between the families is fundamental on an atomic level. The arrangement of atoms in the
ferrite crystal is different from the one in the austenite crystal:
In the ferritic stainless steel, the iron and chromium atoms are arranged on the corners of a cube and in the
center of that cube. In the austenitic stainless steels the atoms, here iron, chromium and nickel, are
arranged on the corners of the cube and in the center of each of the faces of the cube.
This seemingly small difference profoundly affects the properties of these steels.
Fig 1: The ferritic stainless steel on the left has a body centered cubic (bcc) crystal structure. By adding nickel to this stainless
steel the structure changes from bcc to face centered cubic (fcc), which is called austenitic.
Austenitic
Ferritic
Toughness
Very high
Moderate
Ductility
Very high
Moderate
Weldability
Good
Limited
Thermal expansion
High
Moderate
Low
Very high
Non-magnetic
Ferro magnetic
Magnetic properties
Because of their good mechanical properties and the ease of fabrication, austenitic stainless steels are
much more widely used than ferritic stainless steels. About 75% of all stainless steel used worldwide is
austenitic and about 25% is ferritic. The other families, martensitic, duplex and precipitation hardenable
stainless steels each represent less than 1% of the total market.
Besides nickel there are other elements that tend to make the structure austenitic. These elements are
called austenite formers. Alloying elements that tend to make the structure ferritic are called ferrite formers.
Austenite formers
Iron
Nickel
Chromium
Nitrogen
Molybdenum
Carbon
Silicon
Manganese
Copper
Molybdenum is a ferrite former. That means that when molybdenum is added to improve the corrosion
resistance of an austenitic stainless steel, there has to be an austenite former such as nickel or nitrogen
added in order to keep the structure austenitic.
Duplex stainless steels have a mixture of austenitic and ferritic grains in their microstructure; hence they
have a duplex structure. This effect is achieved by adding less nickel than would be necessary for making
a fully austenitic stainless steel.
Molybdenum is mainly used for added corrosion resistance in austenitic and duplex stainless steels. In
austenitic stainless steels between two and seven percent are added, in duplex stainless steels, between
three and five percent. The addition of one or two percent molybdenum to ferritic stainless steels also
significantly increases the corrosion resistance and the elevated temperature strength of these stainless
steels.
Fig 2: Adding 8% nickel to a ferritic chromium stainless steel makes an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel, for example
Type 304 stainless steel. If less nickel is added to a chromium steel, about four or five percent, a duplex structure, a mixture of
austenite and ferrite, is created as in 2205 duplex stainless steel.
Properties of Molybdenum
Typical % Mo content
Heat Treatable Engineering Steel
0.25 - 0.5
0.15 - 0.5
0.3 - 1.2
0.3 - 1.0
HSLA Steel
0.15 - 0.25
Maraging Steels
4.0 - 5.0
0.5 - 9.0
Cast Iron
1.0 -3.0
Duplex stainless steels have a two-phase microstructure of austenite and ferrite grains.
The duplex structure gives this family of stainless steels a combination of attractive properties:
Strength: Duplex stainless steels are about twice as strong as regular austenitic or ferritic stainless steels.
Toughness and ductility: Duplex stainless steels have significantly better toughness and ductility than
ferritic grades; however, they do not reach the excellent values of austenitic grades.
Corrosion resistance: As with all stainless steels, corrosion resistance depends mostly on the
composition of the stainless steel. For chloride pitting and crevice corrosion resistance, their chromium,
molybdenum and nitrogen content are most important. Duplex stainless steel grades have a range of
corrosion resistance, similar to the range for austenitic stainless steels, i.e from Type 304 or 316 (e.g. LDX
2101) to 6% molybdenum (e.g. SAF 2507) stainless steels.
Stress corrosion cracking resistance: Duplex stainless steels show very good stress corrosion cracking
(SCC) resistance, a property they have inherited from the ferritic side. SCC can be a problem under
certain circumstances (chlorides, humidity, elevated temperature) for standard austenitics such as Types
304 and 316.
Cost: Duplex stainless steels have lower nickel and molybdenum contents than their austenitic
counterparts of similar corrosion resistance. Due to the lower alloying content, duplex stainless steels can
be lower in cost, especially in times of high alloy surcharges. Additionally, it may often be possible to
reduce the section thickness of duplex stainless steel, due to its increased yield strength compared to
austenitic stainless steel. The combination can lead to significant cost and weight savings compared to a
solution in austenitic stainless steels.