Microstructure characterization and corrosion testing of MAG pulsed duplex stainless steel welds

Duplex stainless steels are extremely attractive construction materials for their usage in intense aggressive environments. They offer numerous advantages compared to the austenitic stainless steels having an excellent behavior to pitting and cavernous corrosion, and a high resistance to stress cracking corrosion in chlorides media. However, their corrosion properties are largely dependent on the microstructural factors such as: the quantitative ratio of the two phases ferrite/austenite (F/A), the presence of intermetallic compounds and the distribution of the alloying elements between the ferrite and austenite. As a result of the thermal cycles experienced by the base metal without a post-weld heat treatment, the mechanical properties are significantly different in the heat affected zone and the deposited metal compared with the properties of the base metal. The present paper highlights the effect of the post-weld solution treatment in order to restore the balance between austenite and ferrite in the welded joint areas and also to limit undesirable precipitation of secondary phases with implications for increasing the corrosion resistance.