The Schaeffler and Delong diagrams for

predicting ferrite levels in austenitic stainless

steel welds
Introduction
Ferrite is important in avoiding hot cracking in during cooling from welding of austenitic stainless steels. 'Constitution
diagrams' are used to predict ferrite levels from the composition by comparing the effects of austenite and ferrite
stabilising elements. The Schaeffler and Delong diagrams are the original methods of predicting the phase balances
in austenitic stainless steel welds.

Nickel and chromium equivalents

A 'nickel equivalent' is calculated for the austenite stabilising elements and a 'chromium equivalent' ferrite stabilising
elements. These are used as the axes for the diagrams, which show the compositional equivalent areas where the
phases austenite, ferrite, martensite (and mixtures of these) should be present. Although intended to show the phase
balance of weld fillers, these diagrams can also be used to illustrate the phase balance of the 'parent' material. There
are different diagrams for different alloy systems.

Schaffler Diagram
The nickel and chromium equivalents use the formulae.

Ni (eq) = Ni + (30 x C) + (0.5 x Mn)

Cr (eq) = Cr + Mo + (1.5 x Si) + (0.5 x Nb)

This gives a diagram that is useful for the austenitic steels, except those with nitrogen additions. The values for
typical 304(1.4301) and 316(1.4401) compositions are shown below.

. Ni (equiv) Cr (equiv)
304(1.4301) 10.15 18.92
316(1.4401) 13.15 19.83
The diagram, identifying the phase boundaries is shown below.
Delong Diagram
This refines the Schaffler diagram by taking account of the strong austenite stabilising tendency of nitrogen. The
chromium equivalent is unaffected but the nickel equivalent is modified to

Ni (eq) = Ni + (30 x C) + (0.5 x Mn) + (30 x N)

The diagram, identifying the phase boundaries is shown below. This shows the ferrite levels in bands, both as
percentages, based on metallographic determinations and as a ferrite number 'FN', based on magnetic determination
methods.
How Should I Use the Diagrams?
The Schaeffler diagram takes into account the following equivalents:

 Ni eq=Ni+30×C+0.5×MnNi eq=Ni+30×C+0.5×Mn
 Cr eq=Cr+Mo+1.5×Si+0.5×NbCr eq=Cr+Mo+1.5×Si+0.5×Nb
The De Long diagram has:

 Ni eq=Ni+30×C+0.5×Mn+30×NNi eq=Ni+30×C+0.5×Mn+30×N
 Cr eq=Cr+Mo+1.5×Si+0.5×NbCr eq=Cr+Mo+1.5×Si+0.5×Nb
The WRC-1992 stainless steel diagram has:

 Ni eq=Ni+35×C+30×N+0.25×CuNi eq=Ni+35×C+30×N+0.25×Cu
 Cr eq=Cr+Mo+0.7×NbCr eq=Cr+Mo+0.7×Nb
Sources for Schaeffler and De Long and WRC-1992. The diagrams are only strictly valid when
only the relevant equivalent stabilizing elements are present in significant quantities, and no
other stabilizers are present. If only Cr and Ni are present, any of the diagrams should be
accurate, though you may want to verify that they indicate the same microstructures given
the same values of Cr and Ni. In contrast, if both Cu and Si are present in a material, none
of the diagrams should be expected to produce accurate results. It is possible to interpolate
between the diagrams, but such a model would be a new model, and should be validated
experimentally before being asserted as useful or accurate. At the very least, users should
be warned that such interpolation is occurring.
Microstructure Stabilizing Elements
Each of the diagrams has two axes, and points in the diagram area correspond to expected
microstructures. Each axis is associated with either chromium equivalent or nickel
equivalent, typically with the former on the horizontal axis and the latter on the vertical axis.
In steels, chromium is a ferrite stabilizer, meaning that steels rich in chromium will tend to
form ferritic microstructures. In contrast, nickel is an austenite stabilizer, and steels rich in
nickel will tend to form austenite. Naturally, all three diagrams reflect this, with upper-left
regions having high Ni equivalent, low Cr equivalent, and high austenite, and bottom-right
regions having the opposite. See the Schaeffler diagram below (the other two have similar
overall appearance).

The idea behind an equivalent is that it provides an estimate of the effect of different
alloying elements on stabilization of ferrite or austenite. Some elements are "better" at
stabilizing their respective microstructure than others. For example, carbon stabilizes
austenite 30 times more effectively than nickel, while manganese is about half as effective
as nickel. Of course if you want austenite, you can't simply load up the steel with carbon or
it will become extremely brittle and hard to work with. The fact that different elements have
different efficiencies is what allows engineers to tailor steel properties.
As noted on the axes in this particular diagram, the Cr and Ni equivalents include more than
just those two elements. Specifically, carbon and manganese are austenite stabilizers, while
molybdenum, silicon, and niobium are ferrite stabilizers. A more complete (but probably not
exhaustive) list of each type:

 Ferrite Stabilizers: Cr, Si, Mo, W, Al, Ti, Nb

 Austenite Stabilizers: Ni, C, Mn, N
In addition to the ferrite and austenite stabilizers, some elements also form carbides and
nitrides, specifically

 Carbide Formers: Cr, W, Mo, V, Ti, Nb, Ta, Zr

which can increase strength, but reduce ductility. They can also reduce fatigue properties
by providing crack nucleation sites, and can alter creep properties. Carbide formers can
also reduce weldability as they tend to form at microstructure boundaries when solidified
rapidly and then allowed to cool slowly. Brittle microstructure boundaries, as with carbides,
tend to cause excessive brittleness in the weld and greatly reduce impact toughness.