Good toughness properties in base and weld material enable the use of duplex stainless steels (DSS) in critical applications. DSS offer high strength compared to common austenitic stainless steels. The high strength can be utilized to reduce the wall thickness and accordingly accomplish reduction of cost, welding time and transportation weight, contributing to ecological and energy savings. Although DSS have been used successfully in many applications the last decades, the full utilisation in pressure vessels has been restricted due to conservative design rules. The consequences of failure in a pressure vessel are often very severe and it is accordingly important to verify a high ductility and fracture toughness. In this study fracture toughness data has been generated that has been used to analyse the brittle failure model in the European pressure vessel code EN 13445. The evaluation of the results has been made successfully by the master curve analysis, previously applied to ferritic steels. The master curve analysis includes calculation of a reference temperature, which can be correlated to an impact toughness transition temperature. A correlation between fracture and impact toughness results is necessary for a practically applicable design code. The heat distribution and austenite reformation have been modelled to verify satisfactory toughness properties in the heat affected zone. A similar model was used to evaluate the nucleation and diffusional growth of sigma phase during isothermal heat treatment or continuous cooling. For future stainless steel development, the availability of satisfactory correlations between composition, microstructure and mechanical properties are essential to optimize alloy design. Stainless steel data has been analysed to find approximate relations between mechanical properties and the chemical composition, grain size, ferrite content, product thickness and solution hardening size misfit parameter. The solution hardening effect was successfully predicted by the Labusch-Nabarro relation and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate hardening equations for stainless steel. / QC 20100920

Duplex stainless steels have a microstructure that consists of almost equal shares of austenite and ferrite, which leads to excellent material properties. During production and processing, the steel can be exposed to high temperatures which leads to the development of a third (sigma) phase, and thus to a change in material properties. The objective of this research is to assess the material damage in thermally degraded 2205 duplex stainless steel using nonlinear ultrasonics (NLU). Seven 2205 duplex stainless steel specimens are thermally degraded at 700 C for a series of different time durations. Nonlinear Ultrasonic measurements are conducted in a pitch-catch setup to avoid any adverse nonlinear influences of reflections and wave interference. The material nonlinearity parameter, beta, is then obtained by directly applying the fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to the measured time-domain signal. The results show that the nonlinearity parameter beta increases to a peak at 30 minutes aging time, then droppes to a low at 360 minutes and then increases again for increasing thermal damage. This demonstrates that the nonlinearity parameter has the potential to be used as a quantitative tool to estimate thermal damage in a specimen.

<p>The local corrosion behavior of duplex stainless steel (DSS)is affected by a wide variety of factors. Localized corrosionof DSS frequently starts at micrometer scale inclusions orprecipitates, which are often segregated in theaustenite-ferrite boundary regions. Moreover, due to thepartitioning of the key alloying elements of ferrite (Cr andMo) and austenite (N and Ni), the local interactions betweenthe phases must also be considered.</p><p>The aim of this doctoral study was to increase the knowledgeabout the local dissolution behavior of DSS in acidic-chlorideenvironments. The recent developments of new local probingtechniques have opened a new frontier in corrosion science,providing valuable local information not accessible in thepast. The local techniques used include electrochemicalscanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM), scanning probe forcemicroscopy (SKPFM), magnetic force microscopy (MFM), andscanning Auger electron Spectroscopy (SAES), all withmicrometer or sub-micrometer resolution.</p><p>With EC-STM, it was possible to monitor local dissolutionprocesses on DSS in situ, and in real time. MFM was capable ofimaging the phase distribution in DSS without the need of thetraditional surface etching, while SKPFM revealed that theVolta potential difference between the two phases wasmeasurable and significant. SAES showed that the compositiongradient at the phase boundaries is narrower than 2µm.</p><p>Different types of DSSs have been studied, from low-alloyedDSS to superduplex. Higher contents of Cr, Mo and Nstrengthened both phases as well as the phase boundaries,resulting in phases having similar corrosion resistance thatshowed a more uniform dissolution behavior. However, the Voltapotential difference between the phases proved to be of thesame order for all the DSSs studied. Austenite was in generalassociated to regions displaying a more noble Volta potentialthan ferrite, resulting in a higher dissolution rate of theferrite next to the austenite phase.</p><p><b>Key words:</b>In situ, local dissolution, electrochemical,STM, SKPFM, MFM, SAES, duplex stainless steel, acidic-chloridesolution.</p>

D. Tech. Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering. / Studies the electrochemical and tribological behaviour of synthesized duplex stainless steels produced by high pressure high temperature (HPHT) sintering technique. This aim will be achieved through the following objectives: Understand the mechanisms by which HTHP sintering enhance the synthesis of Duplex stainless steel composites from different feedstock powders. Investigate the effects of feedstock composition and HTHP sintering parameters on their microstructure, composition and phases generated. Assess the electrochemical behaviour of the oxide dispersion strengthened steel (ODS) in varying media using potentiodynamic polarization scans. Study the wear behaviour to understand the effect of the partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) on the mechanical properties of the composite. Explore corroborative technique for studying corrosion and wear damages on ODS steels.

Stainless steel has garnered attention as an alternative structural material to conventional carbon steel due to its corrosion resistance properties and aesthetic appearance. Of interest are single angles, which are frequently used in trusses, transmission towers, and as bracing diaphragms. When subjected to compression, knowledge concerning the behavior, analysis, and design of stainless steel single angles is very limited. This thesis addresses the behavior of duplex stainless steel single equal-leg angles subject to concentric compressive loading. Two complementary approaches are used in this study, the first of which was experimental and consisted of conducting 33 full-scale buckling tests on S32003 duplex stainless steel single equal-leg angle components. Angles specimens had slenderness ratios ranging from 35 to 350 and leg width-to-thickness ratios of 7.5 to 12.3. In the second approach, computational models that accounted for material nonlinearity, material anisotropy, and geometric out-of-straightness were developed and validated using the experimentally obtained test results. These models were subsequently used to perform numerical buckling experiments to shed light on the behavior of axially loaded compression duplex stainless steel single angles for a wide range of practical leg width-to-thickness ratios. Results from the full-scale tests and from the numerical models are shown to correlate well with the classical mechanics-based formulae, which considers nonlinear stress-strain relationships, for predicting flexural and flexural-torsional buckling strengths of singly symmetric stainless steel members. Finally, design criteria in the form of load and resistance factor design (LRFD) with a reliability index of 3 for buckling limit states are proposed for possible adoption in future US national standards.

The aim of the thesis was to study the susceptibility for brittle failures and the fracture process of duplex stainless steels at sub-zero temperatures (°C). In the first part of the thesis plates of hot-rolled duplex stainless steel with various thicknesses were used to study the influence of delamination (also known as splits) on the fracture toughness. The methods used were impact and fracture toughness testing. Light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the microstructure and fracture surfaces. It was concluded that the delaminations caused a loss of constraint along the crack front which resulted in a stable fracture process despite the presence of cleavage cracks. These delaminations occurred when cleavage cracks are constrained by the elongated austenite lamellae. The pop-in phenomenon which is frequently observed in duplex stainless steels during fracture toughness testing was shown to occur due to these delaminations. The susceptibility for pop-in behaviour during testing increased with decreasing plate thickness. The toughness anisotropy was also explained by the delamination phenomenon.In the second part of the thesis duplex stainless steel weld metals from lean duplex and super duplex were investigated. For the lean duplex weldments with different nickel contents, tensile, impact and fracture toughness testing were conducted from room temperature to sub-zero temperatures. The result showed that increased nickel content decreased the susceptibility for critical cleavage initiation at sub-zero temperatures. The super duplex stainless steel weldment was post weld heat treated. The fracture sequence at low temperature was critical cleavage fracture initiation after minor crack-tip blunting and ductile fracture. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy investigation of the weld metals showed that substitutional element partitioning is small in the weld metal. However, for the post weld heat treated weldments element partitioning occurred which resulted in decreased nickel content in the ferrite. / <p>QC 20131108</p>

The objective of this study is to characterize the long-term behavior of an austenitic-ferritic stainless steel-based pretensioned system for strengthening reinforced concrete bridge pier caps in shear. Stress relaxation experiments were conducted on UNS S32101 stainless steel bars subjected to various initial stresses and temperatures within the low homologous temperature (LHT) regime. Data from these experiments were used to develop a viscoplastic constitutive model to describe the long-term time- and temperature-dependent behavior of the stainless steel bars. This mechanics-based approach is integrated with an analytical method based on strut-and-tie analysis to compute the shear strength of reinforced concrete pier caps strengthened with this external pretensioned system.

Duplex stainless steels (DSS) with roughly equal amount of austenite and ferrite phases are being used in industries such as petrochemical and pulp and paper mills. However, many DSS grades have been reported to undergo corrosion and stress corrosion cracking in some aggressive environments such as chlorides and sulfide-containing caustic solutions. Although stress corrosion cracking of duplex stainless steels in chloride solution has been investigated and well documented in the literature, SCC mechanisms for DSS in caustic solutions were unknown. Microstructural changes and environmental factors, such as pH of the solution, temperature, and resulting electrochemical potential also influence the SCC susceptibility of duplex stainless steels. In this study, the role of material and environmental parameters on corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of duplex stainless steels in caustic solutions were investigated. Results showed that the austenite phase in the DSS is more susceptible to crack initiation and propagation in caustic environment, which is different from that in the low pH chloride environment where the ferrite phase is the more susceptible phase. This study also showed that alloy composition and microstructural changes in duplex stainless steels due to different heat treatments could affect their SCC susceptibility. Moreover, corrosion rates and SCC susceptibility of DSS was found to increase with addition of sulfide to caustic solutions. Corrosion films on DSS indicated that the metal sulfide compounds formed along with oxides at the metal surface in the presence of sulfide containing caustic environments made the steel susceptible to SCC initiations. The overall results from this study helped in understanding the mechanism of SCC in caustic solutions. Favorable slip systems in the austenite phase of DSS favors slip-induced local film damage thereby initiating a stress corrosion crack. Repeated film repassivation and breaking, followed by crack tip dissolution results in crack propagation in the austenite phase of DSS alloys. Result from this study will have a significant impact in terms of identifying the alloy compositions, fabrication processes, microstructures, and environmental conditions that may be avoided to mitigate corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of DSS in caustic solutions.

O objetivo deste estudo é qualificar reparos realizados através do processo de Soldagem por Fricção com Pino Consumível (SFPC), ou Friction Hydro Pillar Processing (FHPP) em chapas de aços inox duplex SAF 2205 (AID UNS S31803). Em paralelo, fazer uma comparação relativa ao mesmo material reparado com o processo TIG (GTAW). Após a obtenção das juntas reparadas em ambos os processos, estas passaram por rigorosa análise microestrutural e ensaios mecânicos para, dessa forma, qualificá-las através de critéios usuais recomendados em normas para utilização no restauro de estruturas que utilizam o material em questão. Foi utilizada a simulação termodinâmica para prever possíveis fases intermetálicas. Foram investigadas as propriedades metalúrgicas através de microscopia ótica e eletrônica de varredura, fractografia e Difração de Raios-X além de ensaios de corrosão. Já as propriedades mecânicas foram averiguadas através de ensaios de impacto, de dobramento e perfis de microdureza. Após qualificar ambos os processos com o objetivo de reparar estruturas que utilizam AID SAF 2205, foi obtida uma junta soldada livre de defeitos com os parâmetros aplicados: força aplicada em 25 kN, velocidade 7000 RPM, burn-off 9 mm e forjamento pelo período de 10 segundos. Dessa forma, o FHPP provou ser um processo de acordo aos critérios recomendados em normas. / The aim of this study is qualify repairs made through Friction Hydro Pillar Processing (FHPP) in plates of duplex stainless steel SAF 2205 (AID UNS S31803). In same time make a comparation with the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding processing (GTAW) using the same material. The processed joints repairs will be analyzed in microstructural and mechanical tests to qualify using criteria according standards used for structural repairs in this material. Was utilized the thermodinamics simulation to predict possible intermetallic phases. Were investigated the metallurgical properties with scanning electron microscope, fractography and X -ray diffraction in addition to corrosion test. The mechanical properties were investigated with impact tests, bending test and micro hardness profile. After qualify both repair processes using stainless steel sAF 2205, was obtained a weld free of defects with applied parameters: force 25 kN, speed 7000 rpm, bunr-off 9 mm and forging force during 10 seconds. Thus, the FHPP proved a suitable process according standards recommendations.

Os aços inoxidáveis dúplex compõem uma família de materiais conhecidos por apresentar uma excelente combinação propriedades mecânicas e de corrosão, e por isso têm sido amplamente estudados nos últimos anos. Contudo, essa combinação de propriedades está intrinsecamente relacionada com a microestrutura desses aços, composta por iguais quantidades de ferrita e austenita, e esse equilíbrio entre as fases é extremamente dependente dos ciclos térmicos aos quais são submetidos, sob risco, inclusive, da precipitação de fases secundárias deletérias. Sendo assim, a soldagem desses materiais exige uma série de cuidados para que ela não implique em prejuízo para suas propriedades. Nesse contexto, a soldagem por fricção surge como alternativa para a união e reparo dessas ligas, justamente por apresentar um menor aporte térmico que técnicas convencionais de soldagem. Isto posto, foi realizado um reparo pelo processo de soldagem por fricção com pino consumível em uma chapa de 12mm de espessura feita em um aço inoxidável dúplex UNS S31803. Para tanto, foram registrados os dados térmicos do processamento, analisou-se a microestrutura apresentada pela junta soldada, além de avaliar-se sua tenacidade ao impacto. Os resultados comprovaram que, embora não ocorra significativa precipitação de fases secundárias, o processo de soldagem por fricção provoca diminuição da tenacidade ao impacto do material por causar o deslocamento do equilíbrio entre as fases no sentido de formação da fase ferrítica. / Duplex stainless steels compose a family of materials known to exhibit an excellent combination of mechanical and corrosion properties, and therefore have been widely studied in recent years. However, this combination of properties intrinsically relates to the microstructure of these steels that consists of equal amounts of ferrite and austenite, and this balance between phases is extremely dependent on the thermal cycles, at risk including the precipitation of deleterious secondary phases. Thus, welding of these materials requires a lot of care so that it does not result in damage to their property. In this context, the friction welding is an alternative to the union and repair of these alloys, just by having a lower heat input than conventional welding techniques. That said, a repair by the friction taper plug welding process was made on a 12 mm plate thick in a duplex stainless steel UNS S31803. Thermal processing data were recorded, microstructure presented by the welded joint was analyzed, and evaluate is its impact toughness. The results proved that although not occur significant precipitation of secondary phases, the friction welding process causes decrease in the impact toughness of the material for causing the displacement of the equilibrium between the phases towards the formation of the ferritic phase.