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How to weld
duplex stainless steels
Austenitic-ferritic stainless steels, usually referred to as duplex
steels, combine many of the good properties of ferritic and
austenitic stainless steels.
Uses
EN
ASTM
LDX 2101
1.4162
S32101
2304
1.4362
S32304
2205
1.4462
S32205/31803
SAF 2507
1.4410
S32750
Heat exchangers
Water heaters
Pressure vessels
Storage tanks
Rotors, impellers and shafts
Digesters and other equipment in pulp and paper
production
Cargo tanks in chemical tankers
Desalination plants
Waste gas purifiers
Sea water systems
Chemical compositions
Table 1 shows the chemical compositions (parent and
filler metals) of some duplex steels.
Matching fillers are used for welding. Fillers that are
more highly alloyed can also be used. For example,
LDX 2101, 2304 and 2205 can be welded with 2507/P100.
EN
ASTM/AWS
Cr
Ni
Mo
Other
LDX 2101
2304
2205
SAF 2507
1.4162
1.4362
1.4462
1.4410
S32101
S32304
S32205
S32750
0.03
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.22
0.10
0.17
0.27
21.5
23
22
25
1.4
4.8
5.7
7.0
0.3
0.3
3.1
4.0
5 Mn
LDX 2101
2304
2205
2507/P100
EN 1600
22 9 3 N L R
25 9 4 N L R
A5.4
E2209
E2594
0.04
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.14
0.12
0.15
0.23
23.5
24.5
23.0
25.5
7.0
9.0
9.5
10.0
0.4
<0.3
3.0
3.6
LDX 2101
2304
2205
2507/P100
EN 12072
22 9 3 N L
25 9 4 N L
A5.9
ER2209
ER2594
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.15
0.15
0.17
0.25
23.5
23.5
23.0
25.0
7.5
7.5
8.5
9.5
0.2
0.2
3.1
4.0
LDX 2101
2304
2205
EN 12073
22 9 3 N L
A5.22
E2209
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.14
0.14
0.13
24.0
24.0
22.5
9.0
9.0
9.0
0.6
0.6
3.2
MMA
Wire**
FCW
* Hot rolled plate, cold rolled plate, bars, pipes, pipe fittings and flanges
** MIG, TIG and SAW wire
Microstructure
The chemical composition of duplex steels is balanced
to ensure that, in their solution-annealed states, they
have a structure with approximately equal amounts of
ferrite and austenite.
Duplex steels initially solidify with a completely
ferritic structure. They then undergo a phase transformation in which primary and secondary austenite
grows at the ferrites grain boundaries. The amount of
austenite is strongly dependent on composition and
cooling rate. In the production of plates, coils, pipes,
etc., controlled heat treatment can be used to give a
50-50 balance of austenite and ferrite. However, cooling
conditions when welding are not as good. Cooling is
often very rapid here and, consequently, there is little
time for austenite to form. Thus, to give a balanced
structure, filler metals are always over-alloyed with
nickel. This is strongly austenite stabilising. Nitrogen
is another austenite stabilising element and is of great
importance in the re-forming of austenite. However,
variations of between 20 and 70% ferrite are normal.
Welds with this ferrite content have good corrosion and
mechanical properties. Figure 1 shows the fusion line
in a 2205 joint.
Welding with the wrong filler metal (e.g. plate
analysis), or with no or too little filler metal (e.g.
narrow groove/no root gap), can give a ferrite content
of over 70%. This entails a risk of lower ductility and
reduced corrosion resistance.
When duplex steels are subjected to temperatures
from 350C up to around 950C, secondary precipitates
Mechanical properties
Duplex steels are characterised by high strength. Table 2
shows typical mechanical properties of parent and weld
metals (pure weld metal).
The high tensile strength also means that the fatigue
properties are very good. However, fatigue strength is
highly dependent on the components shape. The fatigue
properties of welded joints are also clearly inferior.
Welding method and joint type are of great significance.
For example, a TIG welded joint has considerably better
properties than one made with covered electrodes.
Because their ductility is lower than that of austenitic
steels, duplex steels are not suitable for use at low
temperatures (< 40C).
Corrosion properties
Duplex steels offer a very wide range of corrosion properties. Thanks to the high chromium content, corrosion
resistance is generally very good in most environments.
This applies to both pitting and crevice corrosion. The
high strength also means that the resistance to stress corrosion is very good. Because of the low carbon content,
intergranular corrosion is rarely a problem.
Generally speaking, corrosion resistance increases with
increased nickel, chromium and nitrogen content. This is
reflected in the resistance ranking of the duplex steels:
LDX 2101; 2304; 2205 ; SAF 2507. The pitting corrosion
resistance is shown in diagram 1.
For the most part, the corrosion resistance of a welded
joint is slightly lower than that of the parent metal. This
is primarily due to: the temperature cycle undergone by
the weld and the heat-affected zone (HAZ); the shape
of the weld surface; and, the contaminants and defects
generated in welding. To achieve the best possible corrosion resistance, the surfaces of the weld and the plate
must be clean and even. After welding, the weld metal
and HAZ must be pickled. Refer also to the Pre-weld
cleaning and Post-weld cleaning sections.
CPT (C)
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
4404
LDX 2101
Parent metal
2304
2205
Welded joint
Min.-value1)
P
H
FCAW
450
650
30
480
680
30
530
700
30
640
800
25
520
710
30
550
730
30
570
750
25
580
760
25
60
60
45
28
150
110
180
180
140
60
50
40
400
630
25
400
600
20
420
600
20
640
780
23
520
710
30
550
730
30
570
750
25
580
760
25
100
80
40
25
150
110
180
180
140
60
50
40
460
640
25
460
660
25
480
660
20
620
810
25
550
770
30
610
805
31
590
800
29
590
810
29
100
80
45
35
150
110
200
170
100
70
55
40
530
730
20
530
750
15
530
750
15
695
895
27
570
830
29
660
860
28
650
870
25
100
80
80
55
140
190
170
80
2304
2205
9001100
9001100
9501150
10251200
10201080
9501050
10201100
10401120
10201100
9501050
10201100
10401120
Shaping
Hot forming, if required, must be performed at the
temperatures given in table 3. Duplex steels are prone
to precipitation when they are subjected to temperatures under approximately 900C. Precipitation entails
a lowering of both ductility and corrosion resistance.
To reduce the quantity of precipitates, the workpiece
should undergo solution heat treatment after hot forming. Duplex steels soften considerably at high temperatures. This must be borne in mind during handling
and when tooling up/positioning prior to heat treatment.
Cold forming of duplex steels can be accomplished
using conventional methods. However, because of
the high strength, operations such as deep drawing,
stretch forming and spinning are more difficult than
they are with austenitic steels.
Machining of duplex steels (LDX 2101 excepted) is,
owing to their hardness, slightly more difficult than it
is for austenitic steels. Tools made of high-speed steel
are usually more effective than ceramic tools.
Welding methods
All conventional welding methods such as MMA
(covered electrodes), MIG/MAG, TIG, SAW, FCAW,
plasma and laser can be used to weld duplex steels.
Welding without filler metals is only permitted where
subsequent heat treatment (solution heat treatment) is
possible. If heat treatment is not carried out, there is a
great risk that the ferrite content in the weld metal will
be too high. As a result, ductility and corrosion resistance will be lower.
Property requirements, positional weldability and
productivity usually determine the choice of welding
method.
MMA welding is particularly excellent for position
welding, single-sided welding and where access is limited. Avesta Welding has a very wide range of covered
electrodes for duplex steels:
LDX 2101 AC/DC
2304 AC/DC
2205-3D
2205-4D
2205-2D
2205 Basic
2507/P100 Rutile
2507/P100-4D
SAF 2507
all positions
all positions
all positions
position welding
high metal recovery
high impact strength requirements
all positions
position welding
FCAW is suitable for material thicknesses above approximately 2.5 mm. Thanks to the slag that is formed,
positional weldability is very good. When FCW is
used, the arc and weld pool are protected by both the
slag and the shielding gas. Drop transfer is even and
finishes are extremely smooth and fine.
FCAW can advantageously be used for single-sided
welding against a ceramic backing. This is fast and
efficient. At the same time, the surface properties
on the root side are very good. For the best results,
the root bead should here be welded using a slightly
lower current intensity.
Filler
Diam. (mm)
Position EN/ASTM
Bead
MMA
2205
2.50
3.25
PF (3G)
Root*
Cap
MMA
2507/P100
4.00
MIG
2205
1.20
TIG
2205
1.60
TIG
FCAW
2205
2.40
1.20
PA (1G)
SAW
2205
3.20
SAW
2507/P100
2.40
FCAW
2205
1.20
PA (1G)
FCAW
2205-PW
1.20
FCAW
LDX 2101
1.20
Current (A)
Voltage (V)
Speed (cm/min)
50 60
80 95
2022
2325
4 6
7 9
PA (1G)
125135
2426
1525
PA (1G)
180200
2830
3040
Root
45 50
910
3 5
Root
Cap
100120
190210
1618
2830
5 8
1722
PA (1G)
400450
3032
4050
PA (1G)
350400
2830
4050
Root*
Cap
135145
200220
2426
2830
2025
3045
PF (3G)
Root
Cap
140150
160180
2325
2426
812
913
PA (1G)
Root
Cap
170190
200220
2628
2729
3040
3045
* Single-sided
Shielding gases
Laser, laser hybrid and plasma welding are high
productivity methods that are very suitable for duplex
steels. However, as previously stated, if a filler metal
is not used, the workpiece should be heat treated after
welding.
Laser hybrid is a particularly interesting method. It
combines keyhole welding (laser) with arc welding
(MIG/MAG, TIG or plasma). The method ensures a
high productivity process that, thanks to the filler metal
and the low heat input, preserves metallurgical properties.
Nowadays, laser hybrid welding is most often performed using a CO2 laser or a Nd:YAG laser. With the
exception of the considerably better penetration, laser
hybrid welding of thin sheets has much in common
with ordinary MIG/MAG welding. Penetration depth
is primarily determined by the laser beams ability to
create a keyhole. The width is dependent on the heat
transferred by the arc.
There are two variants of laser hybrid welding, namely, leading and trailing laser. Whichever is chosen,
it is important that the arc and the beam are sufficiently
close to each other for them to work in the same weld
pool. For better process stability in leading laser
hybrid welding, the angle of the MIG/MAG nozzle
should be as slight as possible (i.e. nozzle in the upright
position). Having the arc in the leading position allows
material from the filler wire to fill any gaps. This means
that the laser beam creates a keyhole in a stable weld
pool. The result is an even weld with good penetration.
In the laser-MIG/MAG process, the following
parameters have proved to be important: torch angle,
offset, stick-out, working distance and focal length.
The effect of torch angle is much the same as in conventional MIG/MAG welding.
Spray and pulsed arcs can advantageously be used.
However, because there is no stabilising of the arc, a
short arc must not be used in laser-MIG/MAG welding.
Table 5: Shielding gases for MIG, TIG, FCAW,
plasma and laser welding
Method
Grades
Shielding gases
MIG
1. Ar+30%He+13%CO2
2. Ar+12%O2 or Ar+23%CO2
2507/P100
1. Ar+30%He+13%CO2
2. Ar
3. Ar+30%He+12%N2+12%CO2
TIG
1. Ar+2%N2 +1030%He
2. Ar
FCAW
1. Ar+1625%CO2
2. 100% CO2
Plasma
1. Ar*
2. Ar+2030%He+12%N2*
Laser
1. Ar
Edge preparation
When welding stainless steels, meticulous edge
preparation and the correct choice of joint type are
important for good results. This applies even more
D = 1.0 2.0 mm
I-joint, t < 2.5 mm
D = 1.02.0 mm
Single-sided, with or without root backing
D = 2.0 2.5 mm
I-joint, t < 4.0 mm
D = 2.02.5 mm
Double-sided without root backing but
with root grinding
Joint type 2
V-joint, t = 416 mm
= 6070
C = 0.51.5 mm
D = 2.04.0 mm (46 mm against abacking)
Single-sided, with or without root backing
A
D
A
D
V-joint, t = 416 mm
= 6070
C = 2.02.5 mm
D = 2.53.5 mm
Double-sided without root backing but
with root grinding
Joint type 3
V-joint, t = 816 mm
= 8090
C = 36 mm
Double-sided welding without root gap,
but with root grinding
1. I-joint
for: single-sided MMA, TIG
MIG
and PAW; and, double-sided welding
using the same methods plus MIG and
MIGSuitable root protection must be
FCAW.
used with single-sided TIG and plasma
welding.
D
A
Joint type 4
X-joint, t = 1430 mm
= 8090
C = 38 mm (2507/2101 34 mm)
Double-sided welding without root gap,
but with root grinding
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