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There is a conference on the subject of duplex every 2-3 years where dozens of highly technical papers are presented. There is a lot of marketing activity surrounding these grades. New grades are being announced frequently. Yet, even with all this interest, the best estimates for global market share for duplex are between 1 and 3%. The purpose of this article is to provide a straightforward guide to this steel type. The advantages and disadvantages will be described.
The important elements in stainless steels can be classified into ferritisers and austenitisers. Each element favours one structure or the other: Ferritisers Cr (chromium), Si (silicon), Mo (molybdenum), W (tungsten), Ti (titanium), Nb (niobium) Austenitisers C (carbon), Ni (nickel), Mn (manganese), N (nitrogen), Cu (copper) Grade 430 has a predominance of ferritisers and so is ferritic in structure. Grade 304 becomes austenitic mainly through the use of about 8% nickel. To arrive at a duplex structure with about 50% of each phase, there has to be a balance between the austenitisers and the ferritisers. This explains why the nickel content of duplex steels is generally lower than for austenitics. Here are some typical compositions of duplex stainless steels:
Approx Composition Cr Ni Mo N Mn W Cu -
1.4162/ S32101 1.4062/ DX2202 S32202 RDN 1.4482/ 903 S32001 1.4362/ 2304 S32304
2205 2507
Zeron 100 Ferrinox 1.4507/ 255/ S32520/ Super Uranus S32550 2507Cu
1.4462/ S31803/ Standard 22 5.7 3.1 0.17 S32205 1.4410/ Super 25 7 4 0.27 S32750 1.4501/ Super 25 7 3.2 0.25 S32760 25 6.5 3.5 0.25 -
0.7 0.7
1.5
In some of the recently developed grades, nitrogen and manganese are used together to bring the nickel content to very low levels. This has a beneficial effect on price stability. At present, we are still very much in the development phase of duplex steels. Therefore, each mill is promoting its own particular brand. It is generally agreed that there are too many grades. However, this is likely to continue until the winners emerge.
Austenitic 24 Ferritic 24
Duplex
41
Duplex
43
Austenitic 44
It must be emphasised that this table is only a guide to material selection. It is always important to assess the suitability of a particular with a full knowledge of the corrosive environment.
Sigma phase
Both of these phases lead to embrittlement, i.e. loss of impact toughness. The formation of sigma phase is most likely to occur when the cooling rate during manufacture or welding is not fast enough. The more highly alloyed the steel, the higher the probability of sigma phase formation. Therefore, superduplex steels are most prone to this problem. 475 degree embrittlement is due to the formation of a phase called (alpha prime). Although the worst temperature is 475 deg C, it can still form at temperatures as low as 300 deg C. This leads to a limitation on the
maximum service temperature for duplex steels. This restriction reduces the potential range of applications even further. At the other end of the scale, there is a restriction on the low temperature use of duplex stainless steels compared to austenitic grades. Unlike austenitic steels duplex steels exhibit a ductile-brittle transition in the impact test. A typical test temperature is minus 46 deg C for offshore oil and gas applications. Minus 80 deg C is the lowest temperature that is normally encountered for duplex steels. Going Further with Duplex Stainless Steels More detailed information on duplex can be found in: Practical Guidelines for the Fabrication of Duplex Stainless Steels Summary of Duplex Characteristics Twice design strength of austenitic and ferritic stainless steels Wide range of corrosion resistance to match application Good toughness down to minus 80 deg C but not genuine cryogenic applications Particular resistance to stress corrosion cracking Weldable with care in thick sections More difficult to form and machine than austenitics Restricted to 300 deg C maximum